Take adventure a step further
Better for your getaway than regular GS
For those who follow motorcycles religiously, the nature of BMW’s latest adventure model, the appropriately named F800 GS Adventure, is what you’d call self-explanatory. Take a standard 800 GS, install a bigger fuel tank for added range, a larger windscreen for better wind protection, a thicker seat for better long-term comfort, along with about a half-dozen relatively minor accessory bits, and voila, instant middleweight GS Adventure.
But for those a bit less knowledgeable about the intricacies and nuances of our dear two-wheeled world, a slight confusion regarding an Adventure version of a supposedly adventure-class model would only seem normal.
Being from the first group, I could boringly commence a dissertation on said intricacies and nuances, but there may be a better way to explain this Adventure thing.
It is my belief that each type of motorcycle can be defined by a single moment when a very particular set of circumstances come together. For a sportbike, that moment would take place on a racetrack during, say, a 200 km/h corner, knee skimming the ground and chest pressed down on the tank.
For a cruiser, it might occur lolling along a particularly scenic road while traversed by the heavy rumble of a big V-twin. But for an adventure model, that special moment would probably occur in getting up close and personal with the magical landscape of a far and away land; as in getting inside that landscape in a manner that might normally only be accomplished by foot.
Many adventure models will allow their riders — those who actually take the bikes off-road, anyway — to live that experience, but the purpose of BMW’s Adventure versions, like this one, is to take the adventure a step further.
They accomplish this by allowing access to farther destinations with a higher degree of comfort, in this case thanks mainly to a seat with thicker padding than the slim F800 GS’ perch (also making it 10 millimetres higher at 890 mm) and to better wind protection. The 50-per-cent longer range allowed by the larger 24-litre fuel tank (versus 16 for the standard 800 GS) doesn’t just extend the range, it also permits much deeper treks into the wilderness with peace of mind regarding fuel.
Protection bars for the bulging plastic tank located under the seat (BMW says it designed its shape by making it as big as possible without interfering with the rider and passenger leg movement) also serves as a mounting point for the optional side luggage, just one of BMW’s extensive accessory range for the new model.
As for the rest of the differences between the standard F800 GS and the new Adventure version, some — such as the reinforced rear subframe, the wide enduro footpegs and the engine protection bar — are standard equipment, while others are factory-installed options, including the ASC traction control with Enduro mode and the ESA Electronic Suspension Adjustment.
As these options only add a few hundred dollars each to the Adventure’s $14,950 price ($1,500 more than the regular 800 GS), they should be given serious consideration.
But if the Adventure isn’t a better off-road machine, what, then, is its purpose? Thanks to its improved range and better comfort, it will take you further both on and off-road with basically no handling penalty during off-road riding.