I have owned a 2016 GSXR 1000, A Hayabusa, A SV 650, A CBR 600 and now I own this BMW F800R and by far this bike has the best seating position, most comfortable and better handling bike than all the above. The heated grips are great and the low seat height is just prefect.
Have driven one yet but I am 99.9% sure I will be purchasing one very soon. Beautiful looking bike although the stock exhaust has to go lol. Great vid btw. Cheers
1) Get an SP Engineering 300mm Oval exhaust with carbon diablous end. £230. Totally, totally transforms the bike into a wonderful machine. baffle in or baffle out, it sounds 100% better in every throttle position, in every gear, accelerating or decelerating. 2.65kgs lighter, no remapping needed. Just get one, it's night and day. Throaty and burbly around town, but fantastic at 6-8000rpm too. It's like playing at trumpet. The best money I have ever spent on a bike by far. Fits the 1st '09 version and the 2015 model. 2) Fit grip puppies. Cheap foam grips take out 60% of the vibration from the handle bars at motorway speeds. The F800R is a massively underrated bike and I think a lot of that is down to the exhaust sound alone. With the above simple mod it will go from sounding like a scooter to sounding like a proper, real motorbike that you will love across the entire rev range.
Only thing I'd say is watch out for grip puppies in heavy rain at slow speed. I found they would occasionally slip, not the end of the world on a motorway, but nearly caused me to drop my bike once doing a u-turn.
Ross MK Hi Ross, the dealer Akra from what I've heard on RUclips and also from user feedback, doesn't sound as good as the SP. The SP XLS Oval Diabolous is 300mm long, so shorter than The Akrapovic & that might be a reason for it sounding better. The SP kit is only £230 as opposed to £550 to £600 for the BMW approved Akrapovic. Either way, change it as the stock exhaust sounds and feels so boring. I ride now with the included SP baffle in and it still has tons of character. SP user support was really good and they seem to have a really good reputation in their field. It was a very easy fit and it did not require a retune.
Have a fr800 sport 2018 ,the buzz is still there around 5 to 6k that's its powerband upto 8 and half .You gun it and aren't bothered at that stage cause its acceleration is pretty quick. I've had bkings ,tuned 2nd gen zx14s etc .the f800r is all you need for the roads I ride plus it'll do near on 60mpg .Enough said in these times ..
Ha! Yes, I could see that being true. I do have a question about the bike. Do you think the vibration on the motorway I've heard so much about is bad enough to not recommend this bike?
Alexis Robles good question, I guess it depends how much you intend to ride on the motorway. Say for example you intend to commute on the bike and lots of the commute is motorway miles, I'd certainly have to give it some consideration. My best advice is to take the bike out for a test ride yourself, and try to replicate the kind of riding you intend to do. And try lots of other bikes too, test riding bikes is fun!
That is good advice, indeed. I can't wait to take one of these out for a test ride. Still debating between this bike and a F700GS. I think the vibration issue is my only concern with this bike since I plan on doing some short range touring with my wife.
Not sure why it didn't have a gear indicator? All the previous F800s have one, plus with the "computer" option a temperature gauge, and it shows the range to empty. The 2016 on F800Rs come with Metzeler Z8s (probably the same as your R1200R) which are great sports touring tyres. Previous model years had the sportier Metzeler Sportec M5s. I agree that the build quality is probably better than most current BMWs, including my own 2015 R1200R Sport, and way better than Yamaha MT-07 or 09, which are pretty poor (as is their suspension!). My wife has a 2014 F800R and it's a really nice bike, unfairly overlooked in my view. We've just done 3,000 miles to Austria, Italy. Great handling, decent suspension and Brembos allround, what's not to like? My wife and I agree that the squiffy earlier headlight looks better than the universal naked japanese headlight on the later models.
a gear indicator is nice to have but not essential, i guess the computer option would be a good choice on the F800R. I didn't like the tyres much, found them a bit hard. my R1200R actually came with Pilot Road 4's on it which i do like so far as grip is concerned, and they are great in the wet but they are too uneven and bumpy which i find unsettles the bike sometimes at low speed. i'm still searching for a favourite tyre. I definitely think the F800R is a hidden gem, trouble is when its sitting in a showroom next to an S1000R, R nine T and GS1200R pretty much everyone is going to walk right past it, myself included which is a real shame. Even the salesmen didn't seem to care much about it. a real Cinderella bike. BMW's bikes are often described as clinical and characterless which i think is unfair, I like clinical and precision, its what makes them so bloody good in my opinion, but i think BMW made a mistake taking away all its visual character, it needs some kind of stand-out feature that will make people notice it, because once you sit on one and ride it, it become apparent just how good it actually is.
My 2015 has a gear indicator but no tire pressure gauge and no electronic suspension. I'd be shocked that the gear indicator isn't in the lowest version.
shmac96 indeed it was, a 2014 CBR500RA. I lost the footage I had of that bike which is gutting. But despite not being a beast by any standard it was a fantastic bike. Racked up insane mileage on it and it worked flawlessly.
Mirosław Gasik it's a full sized motorbike, not a a Honda groom lol I'm 5 foot 10 and it was perfect for me. Should be perfectly comfortable for someone taller.
I have an i8, love cars.. love BMW's but want to get a first bike, anyone have any knowledge on this bike as to what its like being restricted to an A2 Licence and how you do it?
I think your best bet is to pop in to a BMW Motorrad dealership for a chat and leave your wallet at home ;) it's always best to sleep on it and test ride a few bikes before you put money down. The f800 would need a restrictor fitted, but I don't know much about that, there's an A2 ready BMW g310 I believe it's called. As much as I love BMW bikes I do think that if your on an A2 licence there are some absolutely cracking bikes from other brands. For example I started on a Honda CBR500R and I really couldn't fault it.
I was configuring up an f800r sport on the website and it has an option from factory of restricting it to A2 licence for free thats why i was interested so figured if there was a used one they had then they could just do the same. I have ridden the G310 but it just didn't have enough in it for me i want to do some motorway riding and it just wouldn't cut it for me i don't think, plus as soon as i get the full license i can unleash all 800cc. I just love BMW as a brand, and love the look of the F800R sport.
GarbisOnTheGo you might find the f800 lacking a bit with the restrictor fitted too. Definitely get on the phone and try to find an A2 f800 to test ride. If you're driving an i8 I'm guessing age is what has you on an A2. Honesty you might find another brands A2 specific bike would be best until you have your full licence, then you could go back to BMW and get whatever takes your fancy
The thing about it is, the A2 restricts power, but not torque, so i think it will have a fair bit more grunt but yeah i'll try and drive one. Do you know what an i8 is? I'm pretty certain I'm the only 21 year old in the country with one haha. So what do you recommend as the quickest and best looking A2 bike?
😂 yes I know the i8. And good for you having one at 21, most people have to wait till their midlife crisis. A2's Are all about the same speed wise, that's the point of them being A2, and looks are subjective. I had the cbr500r and loved it, I put over 25k on it in a year, it looked like a fire blade but with a square swing arm, and I tricked it out in a black and gold colour scheme. The Yamaha R3 is pretty sexy looking too in my opinion. But like I say, looks are purely subjective. You get out there and ride a ton of bikes. You'll have a blast mate 😜 only thing is I'd advise getting a used one for your first bike as most people drop their first bike at least once. Plus you'll be on your full licence before long so you'll want to sell.
![2016 BMW F 800 R [RAW Onboard]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/qRXhLnj4Cvw/mqdefault.jpg)
I have owned a 2016 GSXR 1000, A Hayabusa, A SV 650, A CBR 600 and now I own this BMW F800R and by far this bike has the best seating position, most comfortable and better handling bike than all the above. The heated grips are great and the low seat height is just prefect.
This was no1 for me...and then I tried the MT07. Bought that and have had it for 10 weeks now and put 9 300km on the clock. Love it!
Had the MT07 for a year (bored at the end) and traded it in for a R nine T Pure, finding myself looking at the F800R again!
Have driven one yet but I am 99.9% sure I will be purchasing one very soon. Beautiful looking bike although the stock exhaust has to go lol. Great vid btw.
Cheers
1) Get an SP Engineering 300mm Oval exhaust with carbon diablous end. £230. Totally, totally transforms the bike into a wonderful machine. baffle in or baffle out, it sounds 100% better in every throttle position, in every gear, accelerating or decelerating. 2.65kgs lighter, no remapping needed. Just get one, it's night and day. Throaty and burbly around town, but fantastic at 6-8000rpm too. It's like playing at trumpet. The best money I have ever spent on a bike by far. Fits the 1st '09 version and the 2015 model.
2) Fit grip puppies. Cheap foam grips take out 60% of the vibration from the handle bars at motorway speeds.
The F800R is a massively underrated bike and I think a lot of that is down to the exhaust sound alone. With the above simple mod it will go from sounding like a scooter to sounding like a proper, real motorbike that you will love across the entire rev range.
Only thing I'd say is watch out for grip puppies in heavy rain at slow speed. I found they would occasionally slip, not the end of the world on a motorway, but nearly caused me to drop my bike once doing a u-turn.
Volt7 Cool Tangs Is that better than the akrapavic from the dealer?
Ross MK Hi Ross, the dealer Akra from what I've heard on RUclips and also from user feedback, doesn't sound as good as the SP. The SP XLS Oval Diabolous is 300mm long, so shorter than The Akrapovic & that might be a reason for it sounding better. The SP kit is only £230 as opposed to £550 to £600 for the BMW approved Akrapovic. Either way, change it as the stock exhaust sounds and feels so boring. I ride now with the included SP baffle in and it still has tons of character. SP user support was really good and they seem to have a really good reputation in their field. It was a very easy fit and it did not require a retune.
Volt7 Cool Tangs Sick thanks for the info
Have a fr800 sport 2018 ,the buzz is still there around 5 to 6k that's its powerband upto 8 and half .You gun it and aren't bothered at that stage cause its acceleration is pretty quick. I've had bkings ,tuned 2nd gen zx14s etc .the f800r is all you need for the roads I ride plus it'll do near on 60mpg
.Enough said in these times
..
Well done, nice bike, under the radar.
I don't know why this video has 14 "dislikes" but I enjoyed this review. Thank you!
Alexis Robles I guess I'm like earl grey.
Classy as fuck but not everybody's cup o'tea
Ha! Yes, I could see that being true. I do have a question about the bike. Do you think the vibration on the motorway I've heard so much about is bad enough to not recommend this bike?
Alexis Robles good question, I guess it depends how much you intend to ride on the motorway. Say for example you intend to commute on the bike and lots of the commute is motorway miles, I'd certainly have to give it some consideration. My best advice is to take the bike out for a test ride yourself, and try to replicate the kind of riding you intend to do. And try lots of other bikes too, test riding bikes is fun!
That is good advice, indeed. I can't wait to take one of these out for a test ride. Still debating between this bike and a F700GS. I think the vibration issue is my only concern with this bike since I plan on doing some short range touring with my wife.
Alexis Robles have you considered the F800GT?
Nice vid Bobby I have subscribed. Keep up the good work
I took this out for a test ride a year ago, I loved it, but the moment I experienced that buzz on the motorway I was put off instantly, shame really.
Yes it is a bit of a shame that it vibrates on the motorway, combined with the complete lack of wind protection it's really not a motorway mile eater
You can buy them with stock gear indicator.
Not sure why it didn't have a gear indicator? All the previous F800s have one, plus with the "computer" option a temperature gauge, and it shows the range to empty.
The 2016 on F800Rs come with Metzeler Z8s (probably the same as your R1200R) which are great sports touring tyres. Previous model years had the sportier Metzeler Sportec M5s.
I agree that the build quality is probably better than most current BMWs, including my own 2015 R1200R Sport, and way better than Yamaha MT-07 or 09, which are pretty poor (as is their suspension!).
My wife has a 2014 F800R and it's a really nice bike, unfairly overlooked in my view. We've just done 3,000 miles to Austria, Italy. Great handling, decent suspension and Brembos allround, what's not to like? My wife and I agree that the squiffy earlier headlight looks better than the universal naked japanese headlight on the later models.
a gear indicator is nice to have but not essential, i guess the computer option would be a good choice on the F800R.
I didn't like the tyres much, found them a bit hard. my R1200R actually came with Pilot Road 4's on it which i do like so far as grip is concerned, and they are great in the wet but they are too uneven and bumpy which i find unsettles the bike sometimes at low speed. i'm still searching for a favourite tyre.
I definitely think the F800R is a hidden gem, trouble is when its sitting in a showroom next to an S1000R, R nine T and GS1200R pretty much everyone is going to walk right past it, myself included which is a real shame. Even the salesmen didn't seem to care much about it. a real Cinderella bike.
BMW's bikes are often described as clinical and characterless which i think is unfair, I like clinical and precision, its what makes them so bloody good in my opinion, but i think BMW made a mistake taking away all its visual character, it needs some kind of stand-out feature that will make people notice it, because once you sit on one and ride it, it become apparent just how good it actually is.
my f800r has a gear indicator...
+CEBO I think the gear indicator is an option rather than standard (at least on the model I rode), possibly comes with the computer
It looks like anti-option or defect
My 2015 has a gear indicator but no tire pressure gauge and no electronic suspension. I'd be shocked that the gear indicator isn't in the lowest version.
This bike is now on my radar...but what was your first bike? You mentioned it was a Honda.
shmac96 indeed it was, a 2014 CBR500RA. I lost the footage I had of that bike which is gutting. But despite not being a beast by any standard it was a fantastic bike. Racked up insane mileage on it and it worked flawlessly.
pretty sure it does have the gear indicator, you just didnt cycle through it on the dash
Slack you could well be right there
Like regards
Well I’m sold
Shahd Sherief it’s a very good bike 🏍
What sensible growth max is for person that no look stupidly on this motrobike?
Mirosław Gasik it's a full sized motorbike, not a a Honda groom lol
I'm 5 foot 10 and it was perfect for me. Should be perfectly comfortable for someone taller.
I'm 6'4" and have been riding one for over a year and I'm still happy with it.
Many thanks for You opinion. At the moment I'm owner that bike. I'm 6 foot. Everything is OKKKKKKK.
I have an i8, love cars.. love BMW's but want to get a first bike, anyone have any knowledge on this bike as to what its like being restricted to an A2 Licence and how you do it?
I think your best bet is to pop in to a BMW Motorrad dealership for a chat and leave your wallet at home ;) it's always best to sleep on it and test ride a few bikes before you put money down. The f800 would need a restrictor fitted, but I don't know much about that, there's an A2 ready BMW g310 I believe it's called. As much as I love BMW bikes I do think that if your on an A2 licence there are some absolutely cracking bikes from other brands. For example I started on a Honda CBR500R and I really couldn't fault it.
I was configuring up an f800r sport on the website and it has an option from factory of restricting it to A2 licence for free thats why i was interested so figured if there was a used one they had then they could just do the same. I have ridden the G310 but it just didn't have enough in it for me i want to do some motorway riding and it just wouldn't cut it for me i don't think, plus as soon as i get the full license i can unleash all 800cc. I just love BMW as a brand, and love the look of the F800R sport.
GarbisOnTheGo you might find the f800 lacking a bit with the restrictor fitted too. Definitely get on the phone and try to find an A2 f800 to test ride. If you're driving an i8 I'm guessing age is what has you on an A2. Honesty you might find another brands A2 specific bike would be best until you have your full licence, then you could go back to BMW and get whatever takes your fancy
The thing about it is, the A2 restricts power, but not torque, so i think it will have a fair bit more grunt but yeah i'll try and drive one. Do you know what an i8 is? I'm pretty certain I'm the only 21 year old in the country with one haha. So what do you recommend as the quickest and best looking A2 bike?
😂 yes I know the i8. And good for you having one at 21, most people have to wait till their midlife crisis. A2's Are all about the same speed wise, that's the point of them being A2, and looks are subjective. I had the cbr500r and loved it, I put over 25k on it in a year, it looked like a fire blade but with a square swing arm, and I tricked it out in a black and gold colour scheme. The Yamaha R3 is pretty sexy looking too in my opinion. But like I say, looks are purely subjective. You get out there and ride a ton of bikes. You'll have a blast mate 😜 only thing is I'd advise getting a used one for your first bike as most people drop their first bike at least once. Plus you'll be on your full licence before long so you'll want to sell.
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