2007 BMW F800S..good bike?

[mmm def]

Hi everybody,

I just came across an 07 BMW F800S that was sitting at BMW's headquarters, thing has 120 miles on it. ABS, heated grips, Trip computer, clear lights..it's a real nice bike. I was almost set on buying my buddy's 04 FZ6, but I read such great things on the BMW (I drive a BMW 335 and love it) I am a newb so currently doing my research. I also understand where I am asking this and expect biased answers..what do you think? I'm a new rider btw, this will be my first bike.

 

[Wavex]

YES, get it! Very good bike.

 

[Pimpson]

I'm sure they are not the same price, so it's hard to say....I love my FZ6, but if I could have gotten an 07 F800 for $3000 like I did my FZ, then I would have been all over that!

 

[Roadstergal]

I had an F800ST before I had the FZ6.

If they were the same price, I wouldn't have made the switch. As it is, for the price of the F800ST, I could have (and ended up having) an FZ6, a dualsport, and a dirtbike.

However, that was when they were new and hot. If you can get a used F800ST now for a similar price to the FZ6, I'd be all over the 800. It has a startlingly nice engine for a parallel twin - smooth, good low-end grunt, nice noise. It's very comfortable and has a lot of the cool crap that BMW does so well (angled valve stems, brake master bleeder, heated grips, trip computer, gear indicator, external temperature, expandable side bags, etc.).

 

[Roadstergal]

I just noticed the 'first bike' comment.

For a first bike, I can't recommend highly enough getting a used and cheap reliable standard, like a GS500 or EX500. Four reasons:

1: Your first bike, when you're just learning how to get around on a moto, is more likely to be dropped, and you don't feel as bad when it's a cheap starter (especially one without fairing, like a GS500).

2: Your first bike should not be intimidating. You should ride it, not vice versa.

3: You don't know what kind of rider you are until you have some miles under your belt. What moves you - dualsporting, track, adventure riding, urban hooliganism, touring? Once you know what you need, you can spend the bucks on that, instead of getting what you think you want up front. I know I need a bunch of bikes, and that one of them has to be a bike of the sport touring flavor, but that's not what everyone ends up needing.

4: Every rider, IMO, should know how to maintain his or her own bike. With a simple, reliable bike like a GS500 (what I started on) or an EX500, you have a good bike to learn to wrench on as you learn to ride on it, too.

That's my two cents. The F800ST is a great sporty touring bike once you have some miles under your bike and you know what you want and need. The FZ6 is more to the sporty end of 'sport touring' while the F800ST is more to the 'touring,' but compared to the competition, they're both squarely in the middle. IMO.

 

[n1one]

I just noticed the 'first bike' comment.

For a first bike, I can't recommend highly enough getting a used and cheap reliable standard, like a GS500 or EX500. Four reasons:

1: Your first bike, when you're just learning how to get around on a moto, is more likely to be dropped, and you don't feel as bad when it's a cheap starter (especially one without fairing, like a GS500).

2: Your first bike should not be intimidating. You should ride it, not vice versa.

3: You don't know what kind of rider you are until you have some miles under your belt. What moves you - dualsporting, track, adventure riding, urban hooliganism, touring? Once you know what you need, you can spend the bucks on that, instead of getting what you think you want up front. I know I need a bunch of bikes, and that one of them has to be a bike of the sport touring flavor, but that's not what everyone ends up needing.

4: Every rider, IMO, should know how to maintain his or her own bike. With a simple, reliable bike like a GS500 (what I started on) or an EX500, you have a good bike to learn to wrench on as you learn to ride on it, too.

That's my two cents. The F800ST is a great sporty touring bike once you have some miles under your bike and you know what you want and need. The FZ6 is more to the sporty end of 'sport touring' while the F800ST is more to the 'touring,' but compared to the competition, they're both squarely in the middle. IMO.

This is very good advice; :thumbup: I agree that getting a cheaper starter bike is the best way to build your riding skills. They are generally lighter, less powerful and easier to manage.

I have been riding for 25 years and I started out on a (2) cylinder 350cc Honda. of course I dropped it once or twice, but I was able to build my riding skills with out being intimidated by the power of a bigger bike. After a couple of seasons I moved up to a 750cc 4 cylinder and had no trouble adapting.

It is of course your decision.

Good Luck.

Bill

 

[interactive3]

I just noticed the 'first bike' comment.

For a first bike, I can't recommend highly enough getting a used and cheap reliable standard, like a GS500 or EX500. Four reasons:

1: Your first bike, when you're just learning how to get around on a moto, is more likely to be dropped, and you don't feel as bad when it's a cheap starter (especially one without fairing, like a GS500).

2: Your first bike should not be intimidating. You should ride it, not vice versa.

3: You don't know what kind of rider you are until you have some miles under your belt. What moves you - dualsporting, track, adventure riding, urban hooliganism, touring? Once you know what you need, you can spend the bucks on that, instead of getting what you think you want up front. I know I need a bunch of bikes, and that one of them has to be a bike of the sport touring flavor, but that's not what everyone ends up needing.

4: Every rider, IMO, should know how to maintain his or her own bike. With a simple, reliable bike like a GS500 (what I started on) or an EX500, you have a good bike to learn to wrench on as you learn to ride on it, too.

That's my two cents. The F800ST is a great sporty touring bike once you have some miles under your bike and you know what you want and need. The FZ6 is more to the sporty end of 'sport touring' while the F800ST is more to the 'touring,' but compared to the competition, they're both squarely in the middle. IMO.

I'm enjoying the FZ6 as a first bike (used). So far it's easy to take care of, especially with fuel injection. After a few thousand miles of riding I'm wondering if the suspension could be better, and I think I'd like more low end torque (especially with a passenger). Maybe the future holds a BMW...

 

[SovietRobot]

Is that a belt drive on a BMW?

 

[abraxas]

That IS belt drive Soviet Robot.

A few of the guys we ride with have them, VERY nice bikes :thumbup:

Slightly bigger than the fz6, the performance is almost the same, and i would bet the fazer would take top end. Almost exactly the same in terms of design, mid range sports tourer.

The biggest difference is obviously BMW vs Japan.

My opinion? Go japanese, i've seen too many beemers broken down, their BMW-on-call is very highly regarded, but they get a lot of practice.

Also, beemers are notably more expensive here, both purchase and maintenance costs, everything is worked out in duetchmarks, not sure how US$ would compare.

peace

 

[alanrim]

everything is worked out in duetchmarks, not sure how US$ would compare.

peace

You would think they would use the Euro... being as that is the German currency and the Deutsche Mark ceased to be in 1999.

 

[Philippe1985]

The fz6 is on the intersection of sport and touring. Most riders will choose a bike after the fz6 that goes in one of those 2 directions. And if you notice during your fz6-time that you actually more drove the lower rmp's and appreciate the comfort, then the f800st might be your perfect future bike.
A lot of people choose a new bike on the basis of data sheets(read: reputation) and design. I think the better choise is made when evaluating your proper riding style and choosing a bike which fits that style best.
This is why I like the fz6 so much. It can offer an answer to almost every riding style and this way is the perfect bike to answer a very personal question: "Which bike fits me most?"
For now I like to be ignorant and use the fz6's multifunctionality. The time and experience will tell me the direction I will take in the future...

 

[abraxas]

You would think they would use the Euro... being as that is the German currency and the Deutsche Mark ceased to be in 1999.

Apologies!!!! i missed that

More likely yes. Point is:

1 Euro = 1.3648 U.S. dollars
1 Euro = 11.5557211 South African rands

From our side it translates into a 20-30 000 rand increase in price over other (jap) manufacturers, who use a different pricing model.

Is it also more expensive that side?

 

[delrdrred]

Only buy the BMW if you have deep pockets and you like to spend your time getting it serviced. I've owned two and an getting ready to get rid of the second one. Both 2009 models have been a pain in the a**. Every time I turn around it's back to the shop for something else. Check out the recalls. Soe of the things that break are life threatening. Wife's 2009 F650GS just quit again yesterday. Back to the shop today. My honda and my son's Yamaha run great.
I would not buy another BMW. I don't care how many heated grips or other toys its has.

 

[owldaddy]

I'd have to say roadstergal has the right idea. I'd get a smaller, cheaper bike to start with. You should be able to find something in decent shape for under $1k. Get some time in the saddle first. Then move up. The F800 is an excellent machine, has had very few problems, and is top notch in quality. If your looking for more info on this model check the R1150R.net forum, they have a F800 section. The guy who does most of the posting in that section is a retired motorcycle tech, and is very knowledgeable. He is also very helpful when asked questions about motorcycles. CycleRob is his screen name.:thumbup:

 

[arkkornkid]

LOL .... thread from the dead!!!!

 

[bmw675]

LOL .... thread from the dead!!!!

lol, can't say they didn't use the search function.

 

[FZ6R-HWD]

I have owned a late model BMW Bike... Better read

Hi,
I had a 2008 BMW R1200RT. Let me first tell you that it simply blows away anything else on the road. Period! It is fast, comfortable, efficent, has all the toys, and you could hop on it and go across town or across the country. I loved the bike so much that dispite the constant failures, breakdowns, leaving me on the side of the road four times, and even having the rear wheel bearings come loose while two up with the wife, I was actually going to buy another! It is that good. Even better then the concours.

As you can tell, there are problems. I eventually sold it. My friends had enough of me being stranded. They begged, I agreed. If I wanted to have my friends and ride too, I was to get another bike. I actually bought a Harley as a backup while all this was going on. By the way, the Harley never breaks down and I have had the same success with three of them. It may do all sorts of stupid stuff as it runs but it keeps going!

If your going to buy a late model BMW bike you better read more before you pull the trigger. Go on the web sites and read! If it is newer and low miles and no other explination you should assume there is a problem. BMW has numerious documented serious issues with quality control. They do not seem to be too interested in sorting it out either. In fact, the new K1300GT models have an issue that shuts the bike off as you ride!! Now the new RT models have the problem too. They have never sorted out the rear drive failures on the big bikes either. Unfortuantely BMW makes the best handling bikes out there but the reliabliity is poor at best and the instance of failure is very high too. Quality control on sub systems within the bikes is very lacking.

I would not recommend buying the bike based on my history with the brand. Until the company gets it's act together you should not spend the money. For what it's worth, the Yamaha FZ cost me 6K out the door and has not even had one issue! You can rig the FZ the same as a ST and for much less. If your an accomplished rider you can do as well with the FZ and be perfectly happy. It will also sound better in the process.

Good luck!!!