Rumor at the dealership: The F800R might be sold in the states soon

[jsanford]

I stopped by the dealer to pick up yet another replacement knee armor piece for my Rallye pants, and the parts guy mentioned that BMW might bring the F800R naked bike to the US.

Is this a bike any of you would consider? I have to admit that in the summertime, I enjoy riding my Monster or the Guzzi more than the F800ST--but under any other conditions I'd rather have the BMW.  I'd be very tempted to trade it in for an F800R.

[falconati]

I'd rather have an 800cc sized boxer engine instead of the parallel twin, but I absolutely love the styling

[mike in oregon]

I'm with you on the engine, but also would rather have a single, bucket headlight, not the "Bill the Cat" look.   Speedy treating ya' right, Falconati?

[sagerat]

You couldn't give me that hideous bike.  Really.  

But you could give me an 800GS or an 800ST.  

[Rincewind]

Very interesting news, I really like that bike.  

Can it do 150-180 miles a tank?  As I recall its capacity is only about 4 gallon.  What's the valve check interval?

Jsanford how would you compare the German twin to your Italian twins?

[forester]

That's a beauty, but they already have a better one.

[falconati]

I'm with you on the engine, but also would rather have a single, bucket headlight, not the "Bill the Cat" look.   Speedy treating ya' right, Falconati?

Agreed about the headlight.  I could get over it, but I prefer a single or at least not the funky look that BMW has used in many of its models.

And yes, I'm loving the Speedy  

[motormike]

I would not consider that.  I actually like the look and specs of the F800ST.

[cole]

I like it. Although I  would rather see a  800cc boxer.

[RBEmerson]

R80?    

[Tyrroneous]

Compared to the nakeds that Triumph or Ducati or practically anybody else makes, that thing is ugly.  

[MadOzodi]

The only reason I'd consider the F800R is because I have a really good BMW Dealership no more than 15 min. away.  But I'd have a hard time picking it over a Street Triple R.

[Rincewind]

That's a beauty, but they already have a better one.

I don't live next to a drag strip.  I live next to hills with lots of sharp blind corners.  

Compared to the nakeds that Triumph or Ducati or practically anybody else makes, that thing is ugly. 

Yes that's true, but compared to them this BMW can take sidecases and has stock pillion grab rails.

[MadOzodi]

K 1300 R...

[DogBoy]

I like the F800 platform bikes and really enjoyed riding an F800st. That parallel twin is a great engine. However, the Street Triple just seems better in every way. I'd spend my money on the Triumph.

[Rabidsnipe]

I like the F800 platform bikes and really enjoyed riding an F800st. That parallel twin is a great engine. However, the Street Triple just seems better in every way. I'd spend my money on the Triumph.

+1

[chornbe]

USD forks aren't always the end-all, be-all. For instance, the Z750R has USD forks... non-adjustable, fixed valving USD forks. For the price point that the F800 machines are living in, that's what you'd be looking at.

[chornbe]

Strange to see BMW go away from the belt drive though.

Yeah, IMO, that's a part of the F800-ST that makes it a killer machine.  

[atadaskew]

Yeah, IMO, that's a part of the F800-ST that makes it a killer machine.  

W/o the belt drive, I see no reason to get the F800R over a Duc Monster 796, Triumph Street Triple etc.

[BobW]

W/o the belt drive, I see no reason to get the F800R over a Duc Monster 796, Triumph Street Triple etc.

Good point.

[HipGnosis]

W/o the belt drive, I see no reason to get the F800R over a Duc Monster 796, Triumph Street Triple etc.

It'll be even more/less 'so' when (if) they make a 'street' triple w/ the new 800 engine.

[maddjack]

Its no longer a rumor, they are bringing a Limited edition here according to the BMW E-mail  Sent to me.
Me , slight interest because it can be bagged and wind shielded,, I am once again going to look at the ST800.

[BlueRidgeKat]

Its now up on the BMW webiste. Four colors to pick from. I think its a mean looking naked. I'll take a white one.

Some more pics and info
http://www.webbikeworld.com/BMW-motorcycles/bmw-f-800-r/

[falconati]

Matte white, please

[Rincewind]

I like the Alpine white with the red/blue...  



What is the price?  It is not listed on the BMW site.  Nor have they converted the specs to US..  

If this bike had been here when it came out in Europe, I may have bought it instead of my Street Triple.

[falconati]

It's free  

[Rincewind]

It's free 

A free BMW - you are a card. 

[BlueRidgeKat]

Unable to find any info on a price either. Also odd that they have nothing listed on the site concerning option packages or accessories like a centerstand etc.........

Maybe I'm overlooking it somewhere.

[Rincewind]

Unable to find any info on a price either. Also odd that they have nothing listed on the site concerning option packages or accessories like a centerstand etc.........

Maybe I'm overlooking it somewhere.

There was a list of optional accessories in the link you last posted for WbW...  about 3/4's of the way down the page.    

Includes optional center stand, sockets, shields, heated grips, hard luggage, etc.

[Dave the slave]

I've always liked this bike, and I've test ridden several of the BMW models, the only one I walked away from smiling was the F800S.  If the F800R has the same smile factor it's in the running for me.

[Rincewind]

Too bad the tank is only 4.2 gallons, though reviews say it gets close to 48mpg (at least in the ST version).

[Dave the slave]

Too bad the tank is only 4.2 gallons, though reviews say it gets close to 48mpg (at least in the ST version).

Granted you can't compare directly due to price, but you can compare the intended audience.  But the Ninja 650, Monster 696/796 and the Gladius all have the same or smaller.  Novice/intermediate riders probably would be happy with it.  Or people like myself who would buy this bike as a city and commuter bike.

[Oilhed]

I like the F800 platform bikes and really enjoyed riding an F800st. That parallel twin is a great engine. However, the Street Triple just seems better in every way. I'd spend my money on the Triumph.

It needs something, a little piece of aluminum or perhaps carbon fiber on either side of the radiator.  Not a big piece of plastic bodywork.

[Rincewind]

I am mostly interested in whether it can hold a candle to the Street Triple R in the performance and handling department, or if it will feel too soft in comparison.  In the comfort/touring category the F800R has the advantage, but if it's considerably less composed when pushed hard I'm not sure I want it.  

[Windblown]

A face that only a mother could love comes to mind.  I mean seriously, if I built a bike in my garage that looked like that folks would be saying "WTF, how did you manage to get a bike that ugly?"

[BlueRidgeKat]

There was a list of optional accessories in the link you last posted for WbW...  about 3/4's of the way down the page.    

Includes optional center stand, sockets, shields, heated grips, hard luggage, etc.

I totally overlooked that.

Yeah the thing is rather ugly but in more of a bad ass kind of way which was probably the idea.

[ConPilot1]

The ugly factor is done in kind of a cool way though.
Definitely would make one look twice at it.

They still need to get rid of the Bill the Cat headlights and go to the Triumph-style double Bugeyes.

[Rincewind]

I joined up at the F800riders.org site and found this nice pic  

[jsanford]

I like the F800 platform bikes and really enjoyed riding an F800st. That parallel twin is a great engine. However, the Street Triple just seems better in every way. I'd spend my money on the Triumph.

I know I just said this in another thread, but I test rode the Street Triple on a demo truck day and, truly, it was one of the most boring bikes I'd ever ridden; completely Fuel-injected with an android-like delivery.  Disappointing as I really liked the ergo's.  Probably opened up it would have that triple-growl trumpet delivery but there wasn't a whiff of that at street speeds, which is the reality of 80% of the time I spend riding.  It's the only Triumph I've ridden that behaved this way.

My F800ST started out a little overly functional, but over time (and a few firmware updates) has settled in nicely and has a decent growl and throttle feel. It's get-up-and-go doesn't have the seat-of-the-pants feel of my Duc, but it's still fun to go fast as it executes brilliantly (handles well).  It's nice to say that at 18k because one of the aspects I loved most about my F650 was its smooth, well-broken-in engine.  It's great that the parallel twin has seasoned as well.

[Rincewind]

Fair enough assessment of the Street Triple, jsanford!  I'm sure your Monster has more personality in the lower RPM's.  Electric/android-like power delivery is probably a negative if you like lumpy twins, though I would describe it as smooth instead.  The 675 does growl more at higher revs, but you are right that it doesn't light the world on fire at lower revs.  Demo Truck tour is probably not the best place to enjoy that bike.  But horses for courses - if we all liked the same thing, it would be a very boring world.  

I'm still looking to get a ride on a F800 to see if I may like the new F800R model.  I look forward to seeing one at the dealer.  The headlight seems not-so-visible in the videos I've seen.  

Here's a recent Italian test.

[Rincewind]

Thanks for the article link, nochrome.  MSRP: $9950 Base; Premium Package $11,395 (heated grips, ABS); $495 Desination Charge.

That pricing with accessories puts it pretty close to the Monster EVO (ABS/DTC- $11995) and Speed Triple (non-ABS) prices.  That's pretty stiff competition.  Plus the base F800R is $1000 more than the base Street Triple or Aprilia Shiver.