The parallel twin is back with BMW’s extension of the F series. BMW launched two new motorcycles with parallel twin engines in South Africa. On sun drenched mountain roads we got to sample BMW’s attack on the midrange motorcycle market. F800S & ST is an instant bull’s eye and we predict a riot, at the BMW dealer.
Since we first had a look at BMW F800S in Milan last autumn it has been an exciting prospect. No one has ever doubted BMW’s technical abilities or know-how, but a new engine in a new market is a huge task for a motorcycle manufacturer. BMW has got such belief in this new F-series model that they have launched two versions straight away. One S, half-faired sports bike and one ST, sports tourer with extensive fairing and high windscreen. BMW wants to place these models in the midrange market as a step up from its current F650C Scarver model. But this is also a direct attack on a market where the Japanese manufacturers are very dominant. F800S did not disappoint.
After hitting the starter button, (you can actually hit it as it is a BMW-starter button on top of right hand handlebar), the 798cc parallel twin with 360 degree firing order wakes to life. Even though a mega-sized silencer strangles most of the sound there is still no doubt about what sort of engine this is. It’s a vertical twin, think old and new Triumphs, Kawasaki ER6n, Yamaha TDM (and the old TRX 850) and MZ 1000S. BMW has now joined the club with the help of Rotax in Austria. BMW elaborated that the F800S and ST is only the start and there is a big future for the F-series. At least this is what BMW hopes for in between the word dynamic and high tech that keeps popping up in each BMW press conference that I have attended. But here is yet another model series that is just those things. BMW experimented with several different engine configurations such as V-twin but decided on the parallel twin as it fits the bill perfectly. Criteria’s are plenty of usable torque, balance, fun and low weight.
I am at the world launch in South Africa and today’s route is mostly mountainous with some fast coastal roads added for fun. I am not sure whether BMW added the baboons in the road for fun too, but I stopped to play anyway. After taking some pictures of my furry friends with shit-ugly butts I headed further North along South Africa’s never ending west coast. I found myself in the middle of a group of leather clad baboons from Germany that were roughly on my level (yes, ok, intellectually as well since you ask). We had brought with us two F800S and two F800ST’s so that we could swap along the way without heading back to the hotel for lunch and bike swap. I must admit immediately that F800S is my firm favourite of the two. I’ll go through the few differences straight away: The ST has got some extra touring gear such as a higher windscreen, more extensive fairing, high handlebar, luggage rack and colour co-ordinated front mudguard. And that’s about it.
Our F800S had a stiffer standard suspension set up than the ST. Our bikes were also fully kitted out with extra’s such as heated grips (yeah, needed those in South Africa…), Main stand (ST) and luggage (ST). ABS is optional and both our bikes had ABS fitted. Due to the fact F800S weighs quite a few kilos less than the R1200S we rode the day before they feel much stronger. Front forks are conventional so they are easier to get used to than the bigger BMW’s with Telelever. F800S feels very composed on the roads that we rode. Suspension action is firm, but still soft enough for comfortable riding all day long. The chassis is very compact and when really pushing the F800S I wish I could have sampled the S on the same track we rode the R1200S on yesterday. It’s at least as good a sports bike as the R1200S if not better. F800S fills the gap between BMW’s singles and the big Boxers and in-line fours. And in such a brilliant way that it probably will steal sales from its bigger K and R series cousins. The price is right and it’s so fun to ride on the twisty mountain roads at the same time as the combination of horsepower (85bhp) with a comparatively massive dollop of torque (86Nm) eats up the straights in a satisfyingly way. No doubt in my mind that BMW’s choice of parallel twin was the right one for this model. With such a strong engine in only 800cc’s I predict it will give the Japanese midrange 600’s and 750’s as well as the Ducati Multistrada’s and Yamaha TDM’s a serious headache. F800S is so easy to get along with that is suits beginners as well as fast and experienced riders. The seat height of 820mm does not seem very low on the tech sheet, but due to a very narrow and slender design where the front part of the seat allows shorter riders to put both their legs on the ground. BMW’s press writings are very good and informative and they have experimented with riders down to 1.70cm. A lower seat of 790mm is available as an optional extra. The seat is both comfortable and firm at the same time and BMW never forgets the pillion. The pillion grab rails are positioned in the best possible position. For the beginner the engine will also be available in a 34bhp version.
We didn’t really ride in any town centres with the F800S, but in the traffic that we did encounter the bike is so agile with plenty of useable power that it seems to be a good town/commuter alternative. One funny thing about the engine is that some times when going off the throttle in low speeds it sounds like it’s grinding on the internal parts. This might have something to do with the glorious 360 degree firing order that gives the F800’s great character and we certainly do not believe the internal parts are actually grinding itself to metal sawdust. It just adds a bit of character. The engine revs up quickly and the torque helps with acceleration straight away. I had no problems reaching the 220 km/h mark and there’s more on tap from there. The fairing on F800S is less extensive than on the ST, but in South Africa the air was so warm that I preferred some wind to enter my helmet. It is easy enough to tuck down so that only half of the helmet is exposed to the wind. The mirrors stay fairly clear despite the tendency of vibrations on a parallel twin. BMW has introduced an additional swivelling conrod that enables the twin to run much smoother than for instance MZ’s 1000S. Vibrations are not an issue on the F800S. F800S is fitted with the latest generation fuel injection and the fuel tank is positioned under the seat with stylish tank filler on the right hand side of the rear fairing. This has been done to centralise mass and also as a solution to the special parallel engine design to avoid the top heavy feel. And also to fit a bigger air-box that is crucial for the development of torque. The only thing to say about the very good fuel injection is a slight hesitance when going off and on the throttle at low speeds. Final drive is a toothed belt on a gorgeous swingarm based on the F650C Scarver design. When riding sporty bikes with belt-drive I have sometimes experienced sort of a lag in the drive to the rear tyre. I am not sure whether this is due to how tight the belt is fitted but the rear tyre on F800S felt very much linked to the throttle. Being a baboon (we did see some real ones on the road...) I did a couple of wheelies which puts the ultimate strain on any drive train and just to have said this for whatever it’s worth the F800S is easily controlled when up on one. Every 10.000 kilometres the tension should be controlled, but that’s it which makes it virtually maintenance free. The engine’s sweet spot is between 5000-8000 rpm where more than 90% of the torque is available from 5000 rpm. BMW has chosen Continental Road Attack tyres for the S and Metzeler Roadtech for the ST. The Continental tyres were new to me, but I could not fault them on either grip or stability. The Metzeler tyres on the ST seemed to have slightly better ability to soak up bumps in the road and will probably last longer.
BMW F800ST
The sport touring version in the F800 series shares most of the features with F800S. The differences are higher handlebars, taller windscreen, more extensive fairing, and luggage rack and specially designed and easily mounted luggage. Our ST also had a main stand which makes it easier to park with heavy luggage. For maintenance you hardly need the main stand for anything but cleaning under the engine block or changing tyres. Our ST was set up a bit softer than the F800S for comfortable touring. ST shares an extensive LCD panel with useful information such as time, fuel consumption, temperature, coolant temperature and gear indicator. The speedometer is two stacked round analogue clocks that shows speed on top and revs below. The taller windscreen enables you to tuck completely in if you are on a fast motorway and the more aerodynamic fairing creates even more stability which is needed with luggage and a pillion. The luggage rack is not just a tiny piece of aluminium attached at the rear. It is actually big enough to be useful. With the fuel tank under the seat you do not have to remove the tank bag each time you fill up with petrol either. The modifications over the F800S have also added a few kilos of weight. The taller handlebars make sure you can sit upright in comfort with less weight over the front. But it also takes away much of the sporty edge that the F800S has got.
Conclusion
BMW has really pulled out all the stops to create a good and fun midrange sportsbike in the F800S. I would personally always choose the S for the ST purely for the fact it is so fun and easy to ride both slowly and fast. However if you are in a tourers state of mind you will love the purpose made luggage and comfortable ride with the same great parallel engine. There is a great future for the F800.
F800S
+
One of the best handling midrange bikes on the market.
