BlueRidgeKat
Member
Wow..... that is one sharp looking 1000 !!!
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
Sport Touring Rigs
- Thread starter CaribooBC
- Start date
Simmons1
Well-known member
Simmons1
Well-known member
banderso
Member
kickstandsup
Why not?
This was my 2nd FZ1, a 2009 that had R1 forks and a Penske R1 road race shock. Only problem with it was that it was so easy to ride fast and had great stability, I had to sell it before I ended up in jail.
Good suspension built to your specs is soooooo worth it...gets used every mm of every ride. The Wilbers absolutely transformed the ride and handling of the GTs, put one on both Ginger and Mia.
Vasculopath
New member
Chickenstrip
Well-known member
My 2002 Triumph Sprint RS with ST panniers. The bike came with LSL bar conversion and a laminar lip - good additions. I put lowered pegs on it. Currently, just for kicks, I put the stock pegs back on (an age rebellion move!) - fun for short jaunts, but the lowered pegs will be back on come spring and longer rides.
Chickenstrip
Well-known member
So ... you no longer own it?
It's a very appealing bike, though I've read that the turbulence from the screen is annoying. I suppose spoiler of one sort or another helps.
banderso
Member
Hi,
Yes, sold it a while back. Saving for a s1000r....
The turbulence was annoying. Either a very short screen or very tall screen worked.
Once I got the ECU flashed, suspension upgraded, and slipper clutch installed, it was a good bike!
Yes, sold it a while back. Saving for a s1000r....
The turbulence was annoying. Either a very short screen or very tall screen worked.
Once I got the ECU flashed, suspension upgraded, and slipper clutch installed, it was a good bike!
That bike was pure heaven to ride the Pig Trail in Arkansas.She's mine now. 🥰
LuciferMutt
Well-known member
Another F800GT. I've had it for two weeks and put a bit over 200 miles on it so far. I'm liking it more every time I take it out. Today was the first ride with the new V-stream "sport" windshield which is about the same size as the stocker but totally tinted. Also put a new air filter in it over the weekend.
This one is loaded with all the typical US-spec stuff (ESA, ASC, ABS, heated grips, trip computer) and it all still works perfectly. The only real issue I need to resolve is a melted instrument bezel/cover that resulted from the previous giant touring screen focusing the sun right on the clocks and frying them. Fortunately it didn't burn a hole through, but deformed the bezels. This new screen should prevent that....but a replacement bezel/cover is over $300 from BMW and there seem to be no aftermarket bezels except stick-on hoods that cover the damage and don't fix it.
I love the fact that it actually has a centerstand, comfy ergos, and the factory luggage is pretty good. I also LOVE the belt drive. More street bikes should have belt drives. The engine is not particularly interesting, but it performs well enough and these Rotax twins are known to pile on the miles without issue.
After over 6 years without a sport-touring ride, it's nice to be back in the fold. I had a VFR750 for nine years and it was a simply fantastic bike, but it was just, well, old. Carbs, no ABS, OEM parts supply was drying up. I still miss that engine though. This BMW doesn't have the bottom end that the Honda V4 did, but I think it has more real midrange.
This one is loaded with all the typical US-spec stuff (ESA, ASC, ABS, heated grips, trip computer) and it all still works perfectly. The only real issue I need to resolve is a melted instrument bezel/cover that resulted from the previous giant touring screen focusing the sun right on the clocks and frying them. Fortunately it didn't burn a hole through, but deformed the bezels. This new screen should prevent that....but a replacement bezel/cover is over $300 from BMW and there seem to be no aftermarket bezels except stick-on hoods that cover the damage and don't fix it.
I love the fact that it actually has a centerstand, comfy ergos, and the factory luggage is pretty good. I also LOVE the belt drive. More street bikes should have belt drives. The engine is not particularly interesting, but it performs well enough and these Rotax twins are known to pile on the miles without issue.
After over 6 years without a sport-touring ride, it's nice to be back in the fold. I had a VFR750 for nine years and it was a simply fantastic bike, but it was just, well, old. Carbs, no ABS, OEM parts supply was drying up. I still miss that engine though. This BMW doesn't have the bottom end that the Honda V4 did, but I think it has more real midrange.
Last edited:
JimVonBaden
Kool Aid!
I had this for a while. I really liked riding it. Surprisingly comfortable and quick.
kickstandsup
Why not?
Another F800GT. I've had it for two weeks and put a bit over 200 miles on it so far. I'm liking it more every time I take it out. Today was the first ride with the new V-stream "sport" windshield which is about the same size as the stocker but totally tinted. Also put a new air filter in it over the weekend.
This one is loaded with all the typical US-spec stuff (ESA, ASC, ABS, heated grips, trip computer) and it all still works perfectly. The only real issue I need to resolve is a melted instrument bezel/cover that resulted from the previous giant touring screen focusing the sun right on the clocks and frying them. Fortunately it didn't burn a hole through, but deformed the bezels. This new screen should prevent that....but a replacement bezel/cover is over $300 from BMW and there seem to be no aftermarket bezels except stick-on hoods that cover the damage and don't fix it.
I love the fact that it actually has a centerstand, comfy ergos, and the factory luggage is pretty good. I also LOVE the belt drive. More street bikes should have belt drives. The engine is not particularly interesting, but it performs well enough and these Rotax twins are known to pile on the miles without issue.
After over 6 years without a sport-touring ride, it's nice to be back in the fold. I had a VFR750 for nine years and it was a simply fantastic bike, but it was just, well, old. Carbs, no ABS, OEM parts supply was drying up. I still miss that engine though. This BMW doesn't have the bottom end that the Honda V4 did, but I think it has more real midrange.
Mia and Ginger get a sister, and Mia gets a twin! Glad you're getting on with it. These are very underrated bikes, IMHO; easy to service, fun to ride and the belt is effing awesome. Simply the best street drive system available when they are designed correctly and the change is quick and easy, like on the GT.
Congrats again!
LuciferMutt
Well-known member
I am flabbergasted how well it handles for a 470lb machine. I've ridden lighter machines that are not as neutral, agile, and lithe.
I can't help but compare it to my old VFR750, which I dearly loved, but that bike was a whopping 60lb heavier on the road, and it felt like it too.
kickstandsup
Why not?
Vibration is such a personal thing...for me, these bikes barely vibrate. Twin vibration bothers me almost not at all...4 cylinder vibes bother me a lot. The F800 Rotax actually feels similar to the R1200 boxer motor to me, I've had 2 of those, and if IRC the 800 was "designed" to feel like the boxer.
That said, the bar risers reduced whatever vibes there are.
JustAnotherSquid
Used to ride a motorcycle
I have the same problem as kickstandsup. Most four-cylinder bikes have high frequency vibes that kill the nerves in my fingers. The lower-frequency vibes of singles, twins, and triples are much easier for me to handle.
I'm also a big fan of the F800GT. My wife has one and I ride it quite a bit. If something ever happened to my S, I'd look for a clean F800GT to replace it.
In late 2020, we found this 2015 with only 265 miles on it.
I'm also a big fan of the F800GT. My wife has one and I ride it quite a bit. If something ever happened to my S, I'd look for a clean F800GT to replace it.
In late 2020, we found this 2015 with only 265 miles on it.
Chickenstrip
Well-known member
Okay, I'll throw in - I took a test ride on the ST version (did BMW make an F700ST?) way back in the day and I thought the engine was dull. At the time I was riding a Super Hawk, another kind of twin with much more displacement, so jumping from one to the other made the contrast that much more apparent.
I have to admit, though, that the sporty ergos of my Sprint RS, even with comfort mods, has me aching at the end of a long day, especially if long days are back-to-back. So the GT is on my list of possibilities.
I have to admit, though, that the sporty ergos of my Sprint RS, even with comfort mods, has me aching at the end of a long day, especially if long days are back-to-back. So the GT is on my list of possibilities.
JustAnotherSquid
Used to ride a motorcycle
I will admit that I found the engine in the F800GT a bit dull when I first rode it, too. It has grown on me, and a slip-on helped. The engine (the whole bike really) has this sort of all-day competence that a one or two hour ride can not expose. I can jump on the GT at 7am, ride the piss out of it all day, then pull into the garage at 7pm - and still feel great.
Chickenstrip
Well-known member
I know it's cliche to bitch about the looks of this bike ... but I have to agree. The front is hard to look at, IMO.I had this for a while. I really liked riding it. Surprisingly comfortable and quick.
There is a reasonably priced RT (too reasonable to be trusted, maybe) not far from me, and I have RT-owning friends who tell me it's a great bike, and I believe them. I am tempted. But I look at 'em and the near total coverage in plastic gives them a scooter feel, or a Honda Pacific Coast feel. If I owned it, would I get excited for a ride just looking at it like I do with my Sprint? (Definitely 'first-world problems,' I know. We're a lucky bunch!)