BMW F 850 GS First Ride Review
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- 2019 BMW F 850 GS First Ride Review
www.revzilla.c...
Spurgeon takes BMW's new F 850 GS out for a ride to explore the merits and limits of this brand-new machine. BMW's GS line is legendary in the adventure community, but how does the new model stack up against its predecessors? Follow along with Spurg on his first ride review of this hotly-anticipated adventurer.
Spurgeon is in his element doing bike reviews on the road (or off). Excellent knowledge-share, gorgeously produced, and quite a useful video for someone wanting to know what the new 850 is all about. And no ads? Yes please! BIG thumbs up all the way around!
"I'm missing a mirror here, we've already had some fun." I love that statement.
If this was priced in line with the Triumph Tiger 800 xca, I think most of the gripes would melt away. BUT, if you look at what KTM is doing with the 790, the only thing BMW has over it is the dealer network.
Depends how much you add to the spec. The price can be doubled with extra's the base spec bike is lower than the 790 will be. The tiger xca is a load more than base xc. The xcx is somewhere in the middle
Even if priced inline with the XCA, the XCA has skid plate, handguards, heated grips/seat, cruise, center stand, brembo brakes, WP suspension, and panniers as a promo add-on.
The new Triumph Tiger 900 is going to smoke it!!
Considered this but ended up with the KTM 1090 R. Not much weight difference and the 1090 proven off-road and so far a good traveler. Lacks some of the gizmos but has the essentials.
When you think you're doing offroad and a wild nighthawk appears...
😂😂😂
Same old cheap suspension, cheaper to manufacture frame, Chinese engine, gained 20 kilos, lost a litre of fuel capacity, lost the badass underseat tank. All that cost cutting and still priced close to 1290r or an adventure sports. BMW, you feeling okay?
It also seems like the new beak makes it much harder to do high fender modification as well. How come stupid bikes like the urban GS or scrambler get a high fender, while bikes that people regularly ride into mud and stones are stuck with this dangerous abomination?
Nailed it
BMW motorcycles are produced in Berlin, except the 310s designated for the Asian market. Pricetag is hefty, though.
Remember when the 800 was supposed to be the cheaper alternative to their liter adventure bikes?
@@joevidya in the old days BMW was a synonim for quality now it just is a product and nothing more. Just a money maker with actually no positive innovation. I Can actually get more for alot less allmost anywhere even RE became more Quality than BMW. Sadly.
$17k? Yeah OK BMW, do whatever u want. I would rather buy a 2 year old F800 for half the price.
@J K Exactly, especially if you're buying a dirt bagger.
@mld You can buy a like new, used KTM 1090 for $11k or less
Also enter Yamaha's Tenere 700, which those damn bastards aren't releasing into the U.S. until 2020. It's already out in Europe
and the old models look so much better . this new motor and weird exhaust header looks like a beefed up GS 650 G ...
In Sweden it will come in September.
Thats a huge price tag...the 800gs is not $5000 less capable. I paid 12 for mine (demo bike) in 2016
When that Nighthawk 650 rounded the corner that really spoke volumes to the reality of "Adventure" motorcycles current offerings. Here is a $17,000 BMW that has no adjustable front suspension and is doing the same fire roads that a $1000 30 year old bike is doing. Manufacturers are making road bikes that are often too expensive and heavy to push to the limit on difficult trails. They want to sell you "adventure" but you're really just buying a tall road bike with knobbies. Im not saying these bikes don't have their place, but for f*** sake 17K for a MIDDLEWEIGHT ADV bike is ridiculous. Why on earth would anybody ever buy this when the Africa twin and 1090 are 4-5K cheaper and just as capable offroad?
MY 03 F650 GS can go where this can go and travel a thousand mile sto and from the dirt. I bought it two years ag for about $3k. No, I dodn't have all the electronics of the new bike, but I never needed it.
@@tombyrne1142 Never really liked the F650 until I test rode one. I have a V-Strom and I've finally accepted that it's not really an off road bike, gonna grab me that '03 Dakar I tested to mess around with off-road
Pass. In the spirit of applying fiscal common sense in the ADV bike market, I bought a farkle loaded five year old 690R with 1200mi for half the price of a new one. I've been no less satisfied. Everything is worth what the market will bear.
It's 2018, anything with BMW badge ensure tons of internet hatred. As a youngish person, I like the improvement on this bike. The F800 with its gas tank tail looks hideously bulbous, I will happily lose 1 quart of gasoline for looks, especially with that new trip computer F850 has. But by far the best improvement is the engine. I have no beef with my phone, my playstation or my Mercedes C-class engine built in China, it's just globalization. But I have real beef with F800 engine's horrible vibration(just google it), anemic sound and power, plus the lack of cruise control. I do agree the F850 front fork would be nice to have some adjustability, but in the Good Ol' USA of base Corolla and Civic costing $20,000+, the MSRP of this F850 at $17K doesn't surprise me. The Keyless Ride, The nice TFT dash, the LED headlights, the Triumph Thruxton sounding engine, the cruise control, with a bit of typical BMW dealer discount in a year or two, I will happily own this bike.
I agree. I am also looking for this one.
I bought the triple black version of this bike today.
Thanks for the quick review and the little wipe out to make it more authentic, Spurg😜 I have to say that I honestly don't understand some of BMW's decisions these days. The lack of adjustable forks on the 750GS I can sort of understand, even though I can't understand why they purposefully hobble it 10 kw (14 hp) down, but on a bike that is supposed to be able to do off-road in high-tec style, I find almost an insult. Well that and the price tag. The KTM 790 Adventure R is available for pre-order here in Switzerland, and the price is around $15000. I think BMW truly screwed the pooch, jumped the shark etc with this one.
Nice review. Would like to see another on the latest 2022 version.
Really nice, informative review, excellent ride and ride by footage as well, really a nice sense of your ride and the bike - thanks so much for the presentation!
Are we getting a part 2 on that CSC SG250?
When will the crack pipe emoji be added to UA-cam? BMW must be hitting a wall or something because the pricing has hit Ludacris speed, or maybe they've gone plaid? These manufacturers keep forgetting that they're also competing with the used market, and not necessarily old junkers, but 1 to 5 year old models that will still do what this 17k bike will do and won't do, for a lot less.
I think they are just able to sell anyway because a lot of people just see bmw and buy it. I've seen a lot of these around.
Bredaxe No wonder BMW are so unsuccessful. They should listen to experts like you when it comes to how to sell motorbikes :)
@RevZilla I see you riding beside an Africa Twin.
How to those two bikes compare? As far as an Adventure Bike?
I am kind of torn between the two.
I hear the Africa Twin is better on the road, but the 850 is better off road.
(Mitigating factor, I am 5'9" with 30" inseam.)
So how does the higher center of gravity, with the new old school tank location, feel? Does it have a steering stabilizer?
yes it does
Nice review Spurg. Your offroad bike experience shows and made me wanna ride in Utah and Colorado too. Great job! But if I would already pay south of 15k I would rather go with the R1250GS and hand over the extra $$$. Other that I wanna see you reviewing the Triumph Scrambler 1200 XC or XE down the trails as a long term test bike. Maybe a review against the 850 BMW instead of the R1250GS would make sense considering the offroad capability of the new Triumph. Always like yall's reviews but missed the gear intro for this test.
Will be curious how the V85TT Adventure will stack up in the class. Fully loaded with cases and guards, heated grips, etc.; same weight and similar power, but for $13000. The base model is $12000.
Is this a good beginner bike?
TFT screen ? Cruise control?
After hearing "BMW brought us here to test..." it's hard to believe that the review will not be biased.
That's how you get access to bikes around release. Otherwise it's a 6 month wait for maybe a well used press bike.
love the video. Just love the location you guys where testing the bikes at. Where abouts what this at?
dirt market seems to be on fire, beemer makes their signature middleweight more, um, pavement capable?! i love that my 800gs feels like a bigger version of my crf250l...
What are your thoughts on the 750 GS?
Nice review, will read the article now to get more info. What jacket are you wearing, Spurg? And did it cope OK with the extreme weather?
It's the Alpinestars Venture R Jacket, though I'll let Spurgeon reply about how it handled the weather. -DrewZilla
*www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/alpinestars-venture-r-jacket
ktm 790 adv r is gonna eat this thing for breakfast
Off road for sure.
@@chrisredfield3240 even on road there are a ton of bikes that are better for the same or even less money.
@@oso1165 depends how better is defined. But there are many other choices. Never compare new with used as with used you have the option to pay whatever you like by sacrificing mileage/age
Made in China for 15k +
@@steve-wu7jp you mean made by humans on planet earth ?
Beautiful machine. Great review! Thanks!
Is it just me or is the F750 GS the most slept on BMW of them all. Didn't even mention its existence.
Not even equipped with handguards or bash plate? The new Tiger is looking better and better.
Does the rear shock upper mount still bend if you take it off a jump ...
Is this the one with the Chinese engine or is it the 750 ?
the 750 and 850 have the same engine lmao
BMW just tunes it differently
@@oso1165 In China, very few buy the F800, they buy the F700 and replace the ECU and make it into an F800.
Here’s the question..or request.. F850 wheels mounted on an F800? Tubes 🙄
is that marshal eriksson?
Nice job on this review..
Having ridden the previous generation on the streets and highways, I did not find it to be lacking power.
good review overall.. I kept waiting for you to compare it directly to the Tiger 800 XC .. maybe you talked about it and the other bikes in the class in the article.. I'll check it out.. but.. when you said "Enjoy the Ride" at the end of the video did you really mean "For The Ride"? Who knows.. but for that price tag I don't think BMW is at the top of the class...
dafobra these first ride reviews aren’t in depth comparisons. I spent a lot more time in the article diving into the comparison. I sold by Tiger to buy a 1090 after testing it last year. I’ll not be getting rid of that bike anytime soon.
@@SpurgeonDunbar thanks for the response.. like I said I figured you went into more details with the article.. I can see myself with an 800XRx one day...
@@AdamSVT the f750gs is a better comparison with the tiger 800xrx
Holly shit Spurg, riding with Sand 3 gloves in the winter? Those heated grips must be like furnaces!
270 crank will sound like a V-twin, should be amazing with some aftermarket pipes!
How did the Chinese engine hold up ?
Hi, there where did you get the black out case for the hero 4 which is connected to the handle bars thank you.
It was DIY. We used the Sena Audio Back for GoPro and just painted the waterproof housing black (except for the lens of course). -DrewZilla
*www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/sena-bluetooth-audio-back-for-gopro-with-waterproof-housing
RevZilla Thanks Drew
You're welcome!
I love having an adventure motorcycle but they’re just big !! Any advice ? Thank you
Big and heavy is good on road.
Even the Nighthawk has adjustable front suspension
Thk you.Enjoying mine.
Why would anyone even consider this over an africa twin?
Gotta test KTM 790 adventure before choosing.
Watching all these new great bikes coming and thinking of Harley. Harley only offers ABS, no TC, No TFT, no electronic suspension,etc. This new BMW is awesome!
Would you guys recommend this for 5k used?
I would be concerned if there is an F850GS for only $5,000. If you're referring to the previous model F800GS, then $5,000 is a good deal for a bike that's a few years old. -DrewZilla
When can you test the KTM Adventure 790r?
YCstamos91 expected to see it at some point in the late spring.
soooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnn
$17,000?
Whats the Helmet Spurge is wearing? :o
It's the Arai XD-4 Catch graphic in yellow. -DrewZilla
*www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/arai-xd-4-catch-helmet
Tenere 700. BMW can get back in the coffee shop. These are the mall-crawlers of the bike world. I don't like KTM, but I'd buy one of those before this nonsense.
What kind of helmet did he use ?
I believe that's an Arai XD-4, but I can't place the graphic. Maybe it's an older one? This one below is the closest I could find. -Kraus-e
*www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/rukka-airall-pants
@@RevZilla thank you !!!!
Ok you convince me, I’m buying the Honda cb500x or the Honda Knight hawk 650😀
Great post, getting ready to pull the trigger on the 1250. Check out Shawn Smaoks vlog, he has a few short rides on the beamers he works on.
If that was the hardest terrain I was going to ride in, I’d take that Honda and keep the extra 16,000 dollars in my pocket.
Whoa, finally released into the wild!!
I know what you're saying that's why I had a tooth my down two in the front sprocket
Give me a reason why I should choose this over the upcoming KTM 790 Adventure R?
There isn't a reason
This ones engine is made in China by Loncin and the whole 790 will be made by CFMoto in China as of 2020. Get the Japanese built T700.
what tires?
They're Continental TKC 80s. -DrewZilla
*www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/continental-twinduro-tkc80-dual-sport-tires
17k LOL 😅
Damn for 17k i'd rather get the 2018 1200GS
Won't have as many toys obviously if you get a 1200 at the same price. You only get what you pay for. Even a s1000xr could be spec'd within this price. Should have heated grips centre stand and maybe some other things. The base r1200gs is actually cheaper than most people think.
@mld if i order to my spec it takes at least 6 months to get the bike built and delivered. To be honest sometimes if the bikes are already built to someone else's spec you should be able to get a good deal. If i go for a f850gs i'm just getting the TFt screen heated grips and a colour upgrade (i don't like red)that's it. Adds just under £1k to the list price in the uk.
@@chrisredfield3240 heated grips is $100, center stand probably a few hundreds more. Not a big deal. Base price should be as low as possible then modify it as you'd like
@@tuyenhoang5546 it's the TFT that cost's. I got comfort pack and dynamic pack for free because someone had already ordered the bike but for some reason did not want it so it was stuck in the warehouse and i got a great deal on it. I only wanted led indicators and a centrestand so that's all i paid for.
Spurgeon at 60 fps feels like a proper bike themed soap opera
Please tell me they dont cost a shit tonne. Looks dope though
Next: F 750 GS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If anyone is looking at buying this bike, look in to the Andreani fork cartridges. Like the 800, the forks are “dumb” and sealed. No adjustment. Only the rear shock is electronic. Probably doesn’t dive as bad as the 800 does but still..no adjustment on an adv fork? BMW, I love your bikes but, come on.
Forget about the bike, show us the full footage of the crash!
BMW make great motorcycles, but the decision to buy one has a lot to do with the heritage of the brand. Sorry, but there is no way I will buy a BMW with a Chinese motor. The 1200 GS is not that far off price and weight wise, I don’t get how this is an alternative.
"Really long in the tooth"
F800GS debuted in 2008, only 10 years ago.
That's considered a long time these days when manufacturers are putting out new models every 4 years.
Is this bike is safe for 15 to 30 minutes traffic? I have a review for this. His bike is over heating in long traffic in phillippines
This is making the upcoming KTM 790 Adventure seem like....why even bother BMW? Or Yamaha Tenere 7--for that matter.
Meh. I'd rather have a Kawasaki even if the BMW cost the same
*KTM 790 ADV R has left the chat*
If BMW just put a nuda engine in the f800gs frame, some decent adjustable forks, fixed the shock bolt they would have a legit competitor against the underwhelming 790r and t7.
@mld weighs as much as my ten year old f800gs.
@mld what tech does the new 790r boast that the outgoing 800gs doesn't have?
I'll admit I'm impressed by the fancy gas tank. Engine is manufactured in China, don't what other cost cutting measures KTM took.
@mld 790r is going to weigh 205kg. Forks will be the same as before.
Imho the pinnacle of adventure bikes was the KTM 950/990r and it all went downhill from there, sadly.
@@khakimzhanmiras 950/990 were nice, but tell me, in which way is 790r worse than those? except 950se of course, i believe it will still be in a league of it's own, though 790r is getting close.
@mld the 790 is 189kg dry i would expect it would be at least 212kg wet if you fill the big tank up it will be even more
Any of y’all got suggestions on a first bike?
If you like this ADV style, consider a 250cc dual sport (CRF250L, WR250R, KLX250). -DrewZilla
Cheap. Something you thrash, trash, tear apart, and learn how to work on. In the meantime, save-up for the best motorcycle you can afford for your style of riding, and once you got some seat time and can keep a bike upright...get that one.
Sweet bike, but at $17k, it’s out of my price range.
Better buy the Ducati Multistrada 950s
So weird without the beard
You can pick up a used KTM 1090 with 15k miles on it for half of the price of this bike. I'm sorry but 17k makes no goddamn sense.
I've read too many BMW nightmare stories. Very expensive, costly repairs, and unreliable. Anyone looking at this should consider an Africa Twin. Some people just like the BMW badge, they're posers.
I have seen the Honda AT up, close, and personal, and it is a beautiful manufactured machine.
So let me get this right, redesigned bike, bigger motor bigger price tag but same displacement as a f800gt or f800r. well guess what I'm gonna be walking by when I go to the bike shop, no I take that back I wont be walking by I'll be in a all out sprint
Why all the review on flat ground, like to see you take all that weight on a steep descent or deep sand..I have 2014 f800gs standard 410lb dry....got it for 9200 with 650 miles on it!! 2 tooth down on front sprocket...on a steep descent off road i use the engine for braking.. cus the brakes ant doin shiiiitt!
Good to see you lost 41lbs from the stock weight. It's all there if you swap the bits out alloy rear sprocket 520 chain looses a good few pounds as does lithium battery and smaller titanium can to name a few
Chinese engine for that price? KTM making the 790 series in China? Pass on that. You think they would pass on a little of the savings to the consumers.
No front suspension adjustability 🤣
It should be badass fast, built in country, the highest quality the customer can afford, easy to maintane, with lots of market options not just aftermarket. If royal enfield can make a cheapass functioning bike why cant we make a decent cheapass one, is the world this pathetic?
USD17k?
Those crazy Germans!
18.000 and you dont get clickers. What a joke.
Bro stop yelling in the microphone!
Missing a mirror again!
Matte yeah. But this time it was my fault.
You're getting a wee bit full of yourself, don't you think, BMW?
The KLR disappearing =/= BMW deserving a higher sticker price
And it was already too high off the floor to begin with
The takeaway I took away from this was a 17, 36 and egg fried rice. Crap editing and over used sound effects. Lazy. Didn’t like the bike either.
it would better that Bmw motorrad employ its time to create good bike instead of make video, sportswear, helmets, bags and so on. Its brand could spent all its fashion in a few years....
Nighthawk 650. LOL.
This is only for people who must have the BMW badge. Otherwise, pass. Not a good value by any criteria.
LOWER THE PRICE BMW!
Looks like a turd
Can't watch this, silly pointless music drowning out everything he's saying.
This bike makes zero sense at $17,000 +....you may as well skip it, and just get the GS 1200.
17 grand, that's a no from me
Lulz, “Bavarian” Motor Works - aka overpriced Shenyang garbage.
$17 g’s haha; I ain’t so sucka’
The KTM790 will eat it's lunch. You would have to be insane to buy the F850GS over the KTM. It's too fat, heavy, and under powered. I rode one a few weeks ago, very disappointing. I would rather stick with my 3 year old F800GS.