BMW R1250GS or F850GS - how to choose?
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- Опубліковано 30 кві 2024
- Electric office chairs from Power Seats: powerseats.eu
"We are all going to end up on a GS!" OK, maybe, but on which one?! Is BMW R 1250 GS or F 850 GS the right one? Let's go through some of the differences and make the case more clear. My Instagram page: / thevtold
The motorcycles shown in the video belong to BMW Liberty Motors dealership in Piaseczno (Warsaw), Poland and there you can test ride them: libertymotors.pl/
Background music: "It's Not Over 'Til The Bossa Nova" by Shane Ivers - www.silvermansound.com.mp3; "poquito" from mixkit.co; "theelevatorbossanova" by bensound.com - Авто та транспорт
I took my 2018 R1200 GSA on a 20,000 mile ride in South America from top to bottom and back to middle in 2018. I then took a 2019 F850 GSA from South Florida to Thailand on a 25,000 mile ride. So why switch bikes? Ive had three R1200's and they are heavy pigs to take off-road. riding in the States or Europe, its a dream on paved roads -- but off-road in South America -- I was not happy on occasion when it got real sloppy and dirty. Bringing the F850 GSA was magic - just magic. It is 80% the comfort and power of a R1200/1250 but what it lacks -- it makes up in weight savings and balance. I rode through Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, China, Laos, Thailand and 12 other countries -- often off-road or on bad roads -- and I would ride the same bike again. BMW's own world travel. In all my world travels, occasionally I will find a KTM, but thats rare. I never see Triumph or any other brands... BMW rules because they are so stable and never break down. So, I would totally recommend the F850 to anyone.
Wow dude!
THANK YOU!
The experience you shared is worth gold to me.
This was the review I've been looking for.
Word from someone who actually rides thru countries😏
Seems like someone got stories and videos to share…not only about bikes but places as well
@@Orlov92 from Antartica to Amazon to Kazakhstan and Himalayas. I really have traveled the world either hiking or on bike. Planning next ride on F850.
With my 190cm length I own a 2021 F850 GS Adventure coming from 1200. I always ride single (i.e. no passenger) and as such its a great bike both on and off road, the split for me is 90 / 10 between on and off. The price difference also played a factor and off road the 850 is just a lot better.
Excellent review. Details like pointing out the final drive and the tele-lever versus standard fork are HUGE
I'm glad you like the video. I also believe that the two elements that you mentioned may make a significant difference in everyday riding. Cheers!
I live in Brazil. I have travelled all Brazil and South America with a GS 1200 (sold with 205.000 km after 6 years). I bought a GS 850 recently and the reasons why I did it because its lighter and more manouverable , plus I am getting older (66 years). I do not regret at all. I am used to travel on paved roads with the big GS at 170/180 km/h and with the GS 850 I am also able to drive at the same speed with the GS 850 behaving very well.
If you're happy with the swap, then it's a proof that it was the right thing to do. But damn, the 205.000 km on the clock is mind-blowing. Now, doing that in 6 years on a motorcycle is also other-things-blowing. Nice!
The F850 is more of an off-road bike, the R1250 is more of a road bike. This is from someone that trail bashes an R1250GSA. I'm not saying that the R1250 sucks off-road, far from it. But we have to be honest about this, the 19-inch front wheel versus 21 is your clue about what the bikes were intended for.
Very good points - thanks for mentioning that as it really gives a good view on the matter of comparing the two and choosing the right one.
Well, for me downsizing is NOT an option. I do like the SUV feeling of my big one. And, besides the unique motor makes my big one so outstanding. I just love it, dude!
I went from the 1200 GS to the 850 GSA and am very happy! I think I have outgrown big bikes. The 850 just feels more flickable and like a dirt bike off road. I think the 850's engine sounds better and has a ton of character. The boxer is a little bland. I miss the suspension on the 1200 but that is about it.
Beyond that, the 21" front wheel makes a tremendous difference in the dirt! Price was also important to me. I decided to spend $7000 less.
Yeah, that's a significant saving. What matters at the end of the day is only how much it suits you, and nothing else really. I'm actually happy to read it and thanks for sharing. I've been talking to some riders who have made that switch and are super happy for various reasons. I also believe that it shouldn't - or doesn't need to - be a rule to go from less powerful or smaller motorcycles only to more powerful and larger. Totally not the point. Thanks!
Great decision! I ended up buying its 750 sibling in 2021, although I can't stop thinking that my next (in a couple of years) should be the 1250.
Test rode both bikes back to back during the Motorrad demo tour and found the F850GSA with taller Rallye seat (I am 6'1) significantly better on the pavement in spite of its 21 inch front wheel. The only reason to get the 1250GS is substantial two-up riding and the boxer engine sound which to be honest doesn't matter after maybe 10 mins of riding.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! BTW, I love your shirt with Persian writings, looks cool! 👍
I'm glad you like the video and wow, you actually knew it was Persian - and indeed it was! I love that.
That 204mm spec was with the low suspension option I believe.
love the video. Also, awesome T Shirt!
Thanks and yes, that's a custom T-shirt from one who can actually read it.
I own a 2021 f850gsa ( full options) and there is no hill assist on it. Also if you decide to buy the 850 rallye edition, it comes standard with the rallye seat which is 89cm high.
Thanks for sharing the info on the hill assist.
I have an 850 and never go off road. I find it top heavy and weighty compared to the 1250. Also, despite being slightly lighter, the 850 is a lot harder to pick up, because when you drop the 1250 it only falls to about 45 degrees due to the cylinders. I'm hoping to change to a 1250 as soon as I find the right one.
1250 may have some advantages in this field. I however noticed that I was more eager to take the 800/850 offroad than the bigger GS. At a standstill you can feel that 1250 is heavier, when riding - not, but doing serious offroading, one cannot avoid coming to a stop at certain angles. But I guess it's also a matter of what each of us feels comfortable with. Thanks for sharing!
Maybe I have wrong but regarding suspension travel, it says F850 GS 210/195 and for F850 GSA 230/215. That is why there is constant argument battle which is more off-road orientated GS with shorter travel suspension but a little bit lighter or GSA with longer suspension but heavier. GSA dive much more on the road.
Oh, it says everything everywhere - depending on where you look. That's why there's so much confusion. I do believe that BMW reps would at least know if they're different or not and as far as I'm concerned and could verify it with actual sources, they state that the suspensions are the same. What they don't know themselves is what the numbers are. Quite funny. The difference is there definitely in the case of R1250GS and its Adventure version. In fact F850GS Adventure might be an insignificant amount of height lower than the regular one due to carrying more weight by default, so in turn "sagging" on the suspension accordingly more. That's perhaps an invisible difference. So yeah, this is exactly where most of the confusion comes from but again, according to my extremely deep research, F850GS and F850GS Adventure have the exact same suspension, wheels travel and height (except for seat height due to different seats). I hope this helps.
Awesome video 👍 👏 Thank you for sharing 😊 👌👍👏💯.
Riding from Ireland to Morocco i enjoyed GSA but once in Morocco i wished i had the 850 😢😂 doing atlas mountains then south to the magical sahara desert i unnecessarily suffered on the 1250 and found myself exhausted by the end if the day. My colleague took the 850 so he felt sorry for me and let me swap occasionally which was very kind of him😅👌👍💯🥰
✌❤🍀
I saw your comment a few days ago and it made me wonder. Why was it that you preferred to be on an 850 instead of 1250 when in Morocco? I'm not able to even guess it ;)
I have a 21 f850 Adventure. I went for it because of the big difference in price while still having almost all the same optional packages. Also i ride a lot offroad, and in that aspect the 850 is in my opinion the superior bike, while still keeping some of the street deluxeness that the 1250 has. That said, I used to ride my buddies GS 1250, the engine is a beast in comparison to the 850. Telelever isnt the best offroad in terms of feedback. Rider profile - > Enough money, mostly on road, dont care that much about offroad and loving a powerfull engine? 1250... Love offroad, and wont even come close to use all the power of the 1250 (honestly, few do), while enjoying the top end gizmos of a luxury bmw? 850...
Very good point - both of these bikes can have almost exactly the same equipment added to them. I think it's awesome since BMW gives everyone much flexibility this way.
Did the F850GS have the new M Chain fitted? If so have you had a chance to test it. They brag that it doesn't need maintenance or adjustments. Very informative video. Keep up the good work
Thanks and as for the chain - I don't think so. I haven't done the research on that chain but I'm extremely skeptical. Some timing chains on cars were supposed to last forever too and so far the reality is always different.
Perfect comparison, now I want to take your suggestion I am planning for a gs very soon , my riding will be mainly roads but certainly not sand but off roads mountain terrains so what do you suggest , 850 or 1250 mt height is 5.9 “ honestly I have only used motorcycles with a kerb weight of 197 kgs . Would appreciate if you could guide me on this I m bit confused . 1250 looks but massive with boxer engine I know it’s all about mindset but a suggestion will definitely helps. Thank u for such an amazing video . I forgot to tell I m from india and I m planning for Himalayan tour lone riding 😂 and I m planning for Nepal as well .
Thanks and I'm not exactly sure how much time you're planning to spend offroad but my general rule after taking the big and medium GS offroad is that if you're planning to really spend there a lot of time or the terrain will be demanding, the medium one, so 850 will do better. That I know myself. On the road, the 1250 will have huge advantages like performance, stability at speed and brakes (thanks to Telelever front suspension that doesn't dive). So onroad I'd say that it's more enjoyable most of the time. I'd focus on those two aspects if I were you.
Which would you choose between a F850 GS 2021 and a 1200 GS 2017/2018? Any recomendation? Just can't afford a 1250 brand new. I like off roading but most of the time I'm on road. I use to ride alone (no passengert) most of the time.
That's a personal preference coming into play here but if you're interested in what I would chose myself, then I'd absolutely go for a 2017/2018 R1200GS. Likely 10 out of 10 times. Smaller GS could make more sense if you were offroading really a lot.
Amazing T-shirt.
Yup, a very special one!
I'm having a 2015 F800GS, so I'm sure going for 1250GS, wants to know the difference and pro and con of it. It was always my aim to get a 1200GS those day and now the 2021 1250GS even with better features.
You shouldn't be disappointed with the R1250GS.
I own an 850GS and then rented an 800GS and 1200GS while on a trip. The 850 is much more like the 1200 than the 800. The 1200 had more wind protection and low end grunt, but I was satisfied getting back on my 850. However the 800 felt like it was from an other era with no wind protection and less stability on the highway.
@@bradleyjsmithod definitely the 850GS is far more better than the 800GS, no doubt bout it. All the new electronics and ergonomics are much better.
@@hooha1939 the suspension got shorter and the seat got lower and the weight increased so the 850 was bound to be more stable. I don't think bmw intended for the f800gs to have wind protection must have been just for styling.
On 2nd though, may go for Triumph 1200 Explorer instead of 1250GS. Haha...
Hi sir.im from the Philippines and im planning to buy the BMW F 850GS 2022 triple black.i presently owns and ride my Honda CB 650 R 2021 mdl but im feeling so much vibration on it and a bit uncomfortable.This are rge main reason why im contemplating on this F850.By the way im just 5’6 inches tall with medium built.Can u pls help me decide if i will go with F850 GS or the BMW S 1000 XR or BMW R1250R.
With 5'6" I suggest that you first try to sit on F850GS and see if it suits you. It's pretty tall, so likely a shorter seat could make sense. As for vibration - I know that this can be an individual matter, so it's hard to judge which bike would vibrate more, unless there's a common issue like in the 1st generation S1000XR where many riders were confirming that they experience vibration on a handlebar at certain speeds. R1250R on the other hand should suit your body size the most as it's the lowest and with its center of gravity the lowest (on top of that it's a boxer, which further lowers its center of gravity). I'd start with sitting on some F850GS at a dealership. That might give you a lot of answers.
I’m likely selling my F800 to buy an R1250 this spring. I ride off road but don’t do a lot of technical stuff, mostly exploring decent dirt roads and occasional two tracks in the high desert where I live. I want the extra power for when I have luggage and/or a passenger. The F800 does great in those situations but I can’t imagine it being even close to the 1250 in that regard. I’m also looking forward to the valve clearance checks not required so much disassembly. The F series sucks to check the valves. Too much stuff to take apart.
The performance is indeed a whole different experience on a 1250. Good luck with the swap of the bikes if you go for it!
Because of my height between 5'6" and 5'7" getting the 1250 is out of the question.
How ever I'm wondering if even the 850 might be a bit too tall as well. If I want to travel the country would it be too tall for it?
F850GS is generally taller than R1250GS in terms of seat height and if I were you, I wouldn't necessarily go this path. Less weight doesn't necessarily compensate for that.
At that hight a 2022 cb500x would be nice or maybe a f750gs I know the power is 47hp and 77hp if that's a problem. Even an r9-t urban gs maybe a better choice.
I'm 5"7 with 30" inseam. I had a drz400s for 5 years.seat was 35" high. BUT because of softer suspension, narrower seat it was not a problem at all, on the other hand I also had a zzr1200, if I recall the seat was at 30" but I replaced it with a Corbin seat which was way more wide and if course the suspension of that bike was firmer so actually my feet were not planted better on the ground even though the seat was 5" lower.... you need to seat on the bike to check for yourself.
Thanks for this. Please help me to choose between BMW 850 and BMW 1250. My Hight is 5'7". Age is 40, Now I have Triumph Thunderbird LT.
Not much info about your preferences. I personally would always choose the 1250 unless I was forced to go heavy offroading.
The BMW 750 GS is more road oriented and has a lower seat height. I just got a 2023 and love it.
The Web pages you were showing the dead aspects on between the German website versus the American websithose are 2 different models one was the 850GS on the American and the 850 GSA the adventure on the German website. There is a difference between the GS model and the GSA modelAs far as height Ground clearance and suspension travel.
That's exactly the problem - they don't know themselves. If I remember correctly, it appears that with the model change from F800GS/F800GSA to F850GS/F850GSA, not all websites were updated and hence now the confusion. It's a shame but if my butt would be an indicator (and some other sources confirm the theory too), the suspension travel is lower on the 850 than 800. It seems that there's no difference between GS and GS Adventure which would be the case with a bigger GS, so 1250.
Compared to the 850 the footpegs on the 1250 are much further back (because of the boxer engine), which results in a more cramped, awkard riding position, especially for tall folks. Bigger is not always better as far as ergonomy is concerned.(I own a 850 and have ridden a 1250 for a whole day recently. I am 192 cm tall.) The famous “comfort” of the 1250 is overrated compared to the 850.
My experience is way different. I find the tank of the 850 is where my knees try to grip and is at its widest. Whereas the 1250/1200 gets narrow at just the right spot to get that knee-hugging goodness.
Great job on the editing and pace. Love watching your videos! Only request, can you include standard with metric please 😋
Thank you and I'm very happy that you enjoyed the video. As for the units, do you mean meters instead of miles etc.? Cheers!
@@VToldsMotoShow You state mostly cm, meters, kilometers etc. I know that’s standard in Europe. I feel it would bring a lot of value to include inches, feet, miles etc as well. Like I found myself trying to convert your height to compare it to my own as a comparison.
The 850 is more forgiving on the dirt roads(In SA anyway).
Very good point and I can relate to that. Riding the previous F800GS Adventure, I did take it off the road even though it was a rented bike while I only took the big GS on a quite light dirt road as I wouldn't feel that confident with its weight simply.
You missed answering one crucial question! For a smaller rider which is the easiest to pick up? I'm thinking the Boxer GS as weight centre of gravity is low and it wouldn't lay as flat on its side when down. Just asking for my male friends ;) (the ones that ride with me and rush to assist, although I've only dropped my F750GS once offroad in two years....)
From experience, definitely the boxer is easier :).
Boxer will be easier to pick up.
wow, wont last long on either bike weaving in out of traffic light that.
Ok, so I added a large after market wind shield on both bikes which I agree was a pain on both bikes... I will say one last thing... After covid ends -- I'm going to do another large trip -- greater than 20,000 miles -- and I will take the F850GSA. Sure, I can afford a R1250 so its nothing to do with that... The balance of on road and off road or even bumpy garbage third world roads make only one choice possible for me. If you want to ride on a nice glossy highway or nice back B roads, sure the 1200/1250 rules.
Very interesting - thank you for describing your experiences and learnings. I feel that many riders could agree with your point of view on the offroad matter. Thanks for pointing it out.
That front 850 rim is cheese compared to the 1250
your tshirt❤
A pleasure to wear it ;)
I got an 850 the reason being commuting in heavy London Traffic , 1250 is to bulky and boxer engine sticks out to much …
Psychologically I'm also always bothered by those cylinders. But it fades away with time thankfully.
A video I was long waiting for, thanks!
I've been struggling with this decision for a while. I always to two-up riding so I am sure I would appreciate the power of the big one, plus its comfort as we usually do long rides. However, we don't like, and in fact, we kind of hate, how bulky the 1250 looks! It looks horrendous, specially if you want to use it around the city. The 850 looks more like a "normal" motorcycle, you know, small engine and chain.
We plan to buy I'm December or so, let's see what we end up doing.
Yeah, the big GS makes that bulky impression. You don't feel it when riding but it may stay in your head and that counts too. I bet it's those cylinders sticking out to the sides and a larger front light area. Still, if that's a dealbreaker, the F850GS is there or for example a Ducati Multistrada - V4 or soon now V2.
The boxer engine is not wider than the legs/feet, and it protects the legs/feet and bike if it is ever laid down, plus boxers have a lower center of gravity, plus shaft drive is 10x better than chains and sprockets, plus boxers are German made, not Chinese, plus 1250cc is much more powerful on streets than 850cc. The reason to choose between them is price and how much performance you want on the road or off the road. The 1250 is obviously best for 90% on road, and the 850 is best if you do more than 10% off road.
I am waiting for the new 1300 gs which is anounced on 2023. I am sure you will agree with me. What a great circus you have done for the 1250. How much have you earned for that ?
Where did you find an announcement of a "1300 GS" coming in 2023? Also, what circus and earned what for what?
It is confirmed that the 1300 gs is coming in 2023 and there are already videos on UA-cam from it.
@@VToldsMotoShow2024 !
It arrived and sold in 2023 :-)))
Short answer is, when you have enough money to pay
850 is not a "small" bike its playing in the large category adv bikes with a smaller engine. 2 player on this is no problem at all.
I'd say that you can feel on an 800-900 bike that it's sort of supposed to feel smaller in terms of size. In terms of weight, it's definitely not small, that's right. Engine-wise, to me it would count as noticeably smaller but I guess that it depends on what one compares it to.
Did he heil at the end 😅 lol
Nah, it was a low wave that would stay within the camera’s view ;). Crazy!
i dont like the boxer on the 1250 gs adv the motor ıtself shines out left and right so mutch. it looks disgusting. the 850 is perfect for line cuting in high trafic and 30% offroad.
It's likely not a tragedy with that shaking left and right but there is this movement when you rev the bike while standing still. Just like my SUV now waves left and right when I start its V8 engine and also when I rev it. I must say that there's something magical about it though! I do believe that F850GS should be an easier motorcycle to handle offroad. I'd choose it myself for offroading.
I like how you blur out the speedometer so we can’t see you breaking the speed laws. You may be very good at motorcycle information, but your riding habits will catch up with you. I’ve been riding for 47 years and have been riding defensively, never offensively. Passing on the right in the dirt, speeding in and out of lanes, and lane splitting in lanes not legal, all our recipe for disaster. We know you can ride. We don’t need you to show off to prove it. It doesn’t help young riders learn to stay alive.
Johnny, please take under consideration that you may not be familiar with European traffic rules. In many countries, including the one that I'm riding in, lane splitting is not forbidden and it's the main point of riding a motorcycle. I believe that riding defensively is something completely different from being slow, not overtaking others or not accelerating hard, so I must disagree with your point of view. Maybe it's too fast for you, maybe it's too close, maybe you'd not try to ride off the road yourself, but I see fun in that as long as I feel safe and with enough time for a reaction. All of the points except for "too fast" are legal in here. "Fast" also cannot be determined in a video, especially one recorder with a "fish-eye lens" like my action camera's. So far so good and let's hope that both our styles keep us safe. For slow commuting with as little risk as possible, I got myself a big and heavy SUV. Cheers.
@@VToldsMotoShow I think you're confusing "legal" with common sense. I've ridden worldwide, in some of the worst traffic in the world (Bangkok, Mexico City, Cairo, La Paz Bolivia to name a few) and I've always ridden in a safe manner no matter what laws there are. I only hope you don't confuse my safety culture with inexperience. Best of luck to you, my friend. I only wish the safest of riding for you and everyone out there. Cheers back at you, and if I'm ever your way, let's have a beer....after we ride. :)
@@johnnymoretti and being from europe and on a motorcycle for 40 years now I know a lot of european countries where this kind of driving costs you your license fast. It is simply illegal.
Man that bumblee color is so god damn ugly, it was ugly then, it's ugly now.
I guess a matter of taste then. I'd like it more if there was more yellow.
@@VToldsMotoShow Agree, it needs a yellow subframe or more yellow. Just seems like they wanted to make it yellow but didn't fully commit.
This is VERY illegal riding, mister!
Oh now why would that be?
@@VToldsMotoShow Overtaking from the right side? Lane splitting between the last two lanes (on the right)? It's all illegal, at least in West Europe.
Not to mention the exhibition of speed. We don’t need you to prove to us you can ride. And we don’t need you to put the public at risk when you ride that way. Ride responsibly. Lead by example. I’ve been riding both on and off road for 47 years. All defensive. Never offenses. And always stayed up on two wheels.
Save the money and buy a V Strom😜
Or two ;)
You talk to much,
About what?