Cruising in 6th . . . I was just thinking . . .

[CycleRob]

Weather for Monday (tomorrow) and the next few days is rain. Monday says 100% chance of heavy rain. Wednesday 70% chance of heavy rain. It looked iffy this morning but late afternoon the sun came out. I still had chores remaining, but screw that . . . I'm going for a ride. Destination is an address in Winder GA, that turned out to be 45 miles away. Plug in the Widder vest, grips on high and away I go. I wasn't feeling that good so the heat made it so much better. Fall is approaching and a lot of motorcycles were out there. Almost every one of them waved to me first. I waved back.

After I get thru the Gainesville congestion there's many miles of country state road 53 south. It takes me past the Road Atlanta racetrack, that's 19 miles from my house. Cruising at 58MPH in 6th gear and I can't even feel the engine running. The EFI fueling is as perfect as can be. Very smooth. I'm watching the instantaneous MPG display change with the hills up & down. It varies a lot, from 54 to 98, but steady state level road at 45MPH is an amazing 78 MPG! Raise the speed to 55MPH and it drops to 67MPG. Add 10MPH more to 65 and the MPG drops to the mid/upper 50's. That's still great mileage, but as you can see, speed kills.

Also was thinking about adding barbacks. The ad says they increase handlebar height by 25mm (1.0") and move them back 25mm (1.0"), producing an overall handlebar displacement of 35.4mm (1.4") at a 45 degree angle from the original position. OK. While riding I moved my clenched left fist to that position and used my fingertips holding on the throttle to match the same setback. I was surprised at how much more weight went on the seat of my pants. Sitting in the more upright riding position for a few minutes wasn't as "better" as I thought it would be . . . . for about $110. Then again, I'm holding up the weight of both arms, rather than resting them on the bars, so the SW-Motech Bar Risers will be added this fall.

My round trip was 90 miles of just over the 35, 45, & 55 MPH speed limit riding . . . a very pleasant trip. Why it was pleasant is mostly because of the very responsive, nearly vibration free motor and the engine's deep muffled exhaust sound. The OBC trip average returned 67MPG. Granted I was riding nice-and-easy, but you can't beat that with any other bike with the same (dyno tested) 79HP the F800ST has. Sweet.

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[Boxer]

Rob,
I was thinking the same thing yesterday, but already busy doing chores that I had put off for weeks, so all I got done with the bike is adjust my headlight/aux lights and cut out a half oval on the bottom of each side of my windscreen that obscures the headlight bolts. I also added some X-Pel headlight protector film to the headlights. Its supposed to withstand a marble size rock at 120 mph.

When the nice weather cam out, it was too late for me to go...plus I was still resting up from the week. :-)

You should ride my bike a short ride and see the ergo difference! Maybe thats why my butt hurts all the time. The bike seems to run smoother as it accumulates miles. Approaching 4,000 now.

[OU812]

Almost every one of them waved to me first. I waved back.
.

You waved back? That has to be a first!

[CycleRob]

Boxer,
Approaching 4,000 miles? You passed me already. You irresponsible single guys sure have a lot of free time to ride out of state . . . on a whim.

Just kidding. My rides are just less than yours are when days, hours or miles are the criteria. It was the same when we both had the 50R OilHeads. I have the (marvelous!!) belt drive and your GS has the chain, but I bet you feel the same about going back to a Boxer motor bike. NOT!

Just comparing the engine's overall character alone, the F800 is the clear winner. Add in the slick transmission, flawless EFI, lighter weight, easy replace cable operated clutch, super fuel economy, complete Hi-tech instrumentation, and lower owner-do maintenance costs . . . . it's a clear winner. It's raining now again, but tomorrow I'm riding some 25+ miles away to a scenic rest area on Buford Dam, which has 3 hydroelectric generators and holds back the finally overfilled Lake Lanier. It's the same big lake that's way-down across the street from my front lawn, that 2 years ago the drought caused water level was down over 19.5 FEET! Not a pretty sight then. Now that it's over full by over a half foot, a picture with my new bike in the foreground will record 2 really good, very useful, naturally beautiful man made products. From there I'll make it a point to visit another distant favorite spot in GA stored in the GPS. Heated vest, grips on Hi, with camera, snacks & soda in the Givi tail trunk. The day is mine.

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[CycleRob]

. . . What a sweet ride it is in the cold weather! Went out today after 3PM when it was 50F (10C) with insulated ski over-pants, heated vest and grips on high. I'm so spoiled. I like being warm on the bike. Destination was water and electric bills delivered to their miles apart drive thru drop boxes, a trip to the bank and the drug store. Even though I had a lot of chores at home, getting away while the weather is still good took over. It has not run for over a week of nasty weather. It starts with no throttle after 3 audible compression strokes and goes up to a heavy, laborous sounding 1,200 RPM cold idle. I really like the stock exhaust's sound. Helmet, gloves, plug in the vest and I'm gone. The engine gets up to operating temp in about 3 miles and seems very responsive after that. None of that heavy flywheel, big thunky gear changes that have to be well coordinated like with a Boxer. It's zip - zip - zip, no clutch shifter snicks and the big number display says 4th gear, effortlessly cruising with it's pleasant 4-stroke purr. Those very light flywheels also mean cruising speed changes are quick and with just a tiny throttle change.

Nice ride. So little effort to do anything. No weighty handling caution needed for slow go manoeuvres. Just whip it in. Cycling thru the OBC display parameters my average MPG went from 70 at startup to 57 when I finally turned it off in the garage. The cold weather really takes it's toll on the fuel economy reading. Last time I rode it I gassed up some 20 miles away and made it thru every traffic light on the green doing 50 MPH almost all the way to my house, getting that 70 MPG.

I guess I can say it in this section because it'll be less likely to diss so many Boxer riders. For the way I ride I'm liking my new ST much better than the OilHead. Even without the TeleLever and powerful 700W car alternator of the old bike.

In the drug store parking lot as I was about to leave, the white van's door opened right next to me. An old black woman from the driver's seat said loudly to me "I like that bike . . . it's beautiful". Over the noise of the traffic I loudly replied "I like it too!". The door closed. Her daughter in the back seat had a grin from ear-2-ear. So there you have it. A bike that dazzles age, race and gender, when it's parked! Its pleasantries riding it adds to that. Maybe it's just the color?



Edit: to change photo provider, plus text enhancements.

[OU812]

I am still watching your derogatory comments rob........

[owldaddy]

I guess I can say it in this section because it'll be less able to diss so many Boxer riders. I'm liking my new ST much better than the OilHead. Even without the TeleLever and powerful car alternator of the old bike

I feel offended now..... LOL. I'm glad your enjoying your new ride Rob. I have to admit, if I were to replace the R, the 800ST would be at the top of the list. My practical side wins out at this time though, the R is paid for.

[CycleRob]

I had a destination to check out some 35 miles (56.3km) away. The amazingly well stocked but empty of customers Northern Tool store. I let the bike run for a 2 minute warmup while getting the GPS, vest plugin, helmet and gloves ready to go. I left at 5 pm when it was 59F (15C), the first warm day after a hellish 2 weeks of very cold weather. Once I got it into 6th gear a half mile up the road I reset the Avg MPG display of 57. That was a trip to town with a few high RPM blasts thru 1st and 2nd gears. The roads I took today were state highways with about 20 mostly green traffic lites. Speed limits are 35, 45 and 55 MPH but I moved with the traffic about 5 MPH higher. What I noticed after the engine was hot is that the iMPG readings were higher than normal by about 8--10 MPG. The same speed, the same familiar section of road the same calm winds as summer, but the readings were much higher! Cold, dry winter air makes more power than hot, more humid summer air. When I finally got home from the 73 mile ride the Avg MPG display said 69. That's amazing for the 8 or 10 traffic lites I got stuck at. The same trip in summer would be 67 or less depending on the traffic and red lites. If I had taken the much faster 70 MPH speed limit of Interstate 985 the Avg MPG would be like 60. After 3 times confirming the OBC's Avg MPG reading within 1 MPG of the actual fill-up and odometer calculations, I have reason to trust the readings it displays.

I have read about the temperature reading flashing at 38F. Today it happened to me the first time and I saw it flashing "38.3" (3.5C) about 5 miles from home on the return trip. Cool. It switched to temp display mode, warning me about icing conditions, even though I had the instantaneous MPG (i-MPG) displayed.

My new F800 is a better cold weather bike than the 50R was mainly because of the better wind protection and a thermostatically controlled water cooled engine that not only warms up really fast but it cannot be overcooled by very cold weather. It starts with a subtle whirr and idles immediately whatever the temperatures. It runs sweet. It is very nearly vibration free. It shifts like a Honda. It gets better fuel economy than a Prius Hybrid. It does not sound like a BMW. It is the go-to bike when a new R1200R is just too expensive and too heavy.

When you're ready to put the traffic jam overheating, the very costly splines, bearings and clutch slaves behind you, be sure to get the OBC, heated grips and CenterStand.

.

[CycleRob]

Went for another ride with a purpose today. Left at 4:27pm for Fry's Electronics store when it was 59F (15C). The newspaper said NY and CT were getting snow/sleet today . . . . wow, do I remember living with that 2 wheel nightmare when I lived there. Same day, different place, I'm wearing just my dungaree Jeans on the bottom, but heated vest and jacket with the winter liner in place. It's sunny and warm here today, but by nightfall it will drop into the upper 40's (upper single digits C). The North Pole nylon ski overpants were in the Givi tail trunk for the trip home.

I'm on the same secondary state roads again with the 35,45,55 MPH speed limits (56.3, 72.4, 88.5 km/Hr) plus the 70MPH speed limit (112.6 kph) on a short section of I-985 on the way home. You don't have to go fast to enjoy riding an F800ST.

This time my 6th gear thoughts turned to monitoring and mentally recording what I realized were many entertaining sensations of controlling a precision quality machine. All this was going on just riding along easy with the light volume of traffic. They are: The immediate and linear throttle response. The smooth NO SURGE almost vibration free steady-state running. The fully releasing yet smoothly engaging wet clutch. The light effort snick-snick shifting. The finely tuned audio symphony emanating from the exhaust pipe at any RPM or loading. The cool even pulse sound it makes on a high RPM sequential gear down shifting engine decel. The minimal driveline lash and total quiet of its belt final drive. The phenomenal 60+ MPG fuel economy combined with radical 800cc sportbike acceleration. It's the whole package that positively adds together to create that impression of quality and precision. You'll not get those things with most bikes, let alone all of them together in 1 bike. Many Hondas will come close, but BMW and Rotax created a really good one that has them all. You may not be aware of or experience it all on a new bike's short test ride (I didn't) but they all will find you after break-in when your just cruising along in 6th gear. It makes that big chunk of cash removed last year from my savings account AND the handsome gold R1150R I traded in for it . . . . a satisfyingly good trade!

I got home a few minutes before 7pm when it was cold and dark. I was warmed by the heated grips and Widder vest the whole way. It was a good ride. Before I turned the key off I wacked the throttle open 2 times to let Ann know I have arrived. It had nothing to do with hearing the really rapid WOOTAAAH . . . WOOTAAAH accell/decell of the very light flywheeled engine. Honest.
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[OU812]

You might let me take it for a spin this season?

[dgates]

I am thinking of trading up the R1150R for a more true sport touring bike. Looking for better wind protection for longer rides (500+ miles). I have been thinking about the 800ST.
The first person I thought of was CycleRob to see how he is liking his new bike and if there are any mechcanical bugs that need to be worked out etc...
Is there anything one should look out for on a used 800ST?
Enjoy reading these posts...
Thanks,
Doug

[sweatmark]

I am thinking of trading up the R1150R for a more true sport touring bike.

Seems that everyone's "sports touring" definition is different. For my Rockster, I'd define the machine as un-sporty... I've used the simile "friendly & useful like an old pickup truck". I'm glad that that bike accepts conventional sportsbike tire sizes, so I can have some choices about stickiness versus longevity. I'm also glad that the R1150R has moderate weight: enough mass for stable road riding, but not a 700+ lb. touring pig.

Since I intend to ride Mrs. Sweatmark's F800s at a few trackdays this year, I'll report later about the "sporty" side of the F800S/ST. Pretty darn sure the F800S will be a bit quicker than my Buell XB track toy.

For touring, I like the R1150R's capabilities and stability. System cases rock, bikes handles pillion weight pretty well. Can't forget the mega-watt alternator either. However I try, there's always too much crap shoved into the luggage and strapped onto my poor Beemer, and I'm glad it manages my clutter well.

[Buckster]

Doug,
There is another forum for the F800 bikes. You can Google it. There were a lot of problems with the early bikes so you may want to take some time to investigate. I don't remember the specifics.

[OU812]

My RT does everything well and much lighter then my past LT. I wish I could try every BMW, but the local dealers have no test rides.

[owldaddy]

I wish I could try every BMW, but the local dealers have no test rides.

Oh man they are missing out. I bought my R because the dealer insisted I test ride one. Once I rode it, I was hooked. I stay away from that place these days (other then on free food, or rally days lol), I might get sucked into test riding a 800ST..... That could be hazardous to my wallet.

[OU812]

Yes they are and so is my wallet, or what's left of it.

[CycleRob]

Switching from the 50R to the F800ST, the most dramatic change is with the lighter weight. Then the liveliness of the engine and narrowness of the bike appears. Riding it you'll appreciate the full instrumentation, especially the one inch (25mm) tall gear position numbers (+N).

I recently had an opportunity to ride an R1150R that I just synchronized the TB's on. I declined.

.

[CycleRob]

It rained today, but 2 days ago I went for a ride that lasted for 118 miles (189.9km) in a beautiful sunny day where the temp varied from 72F down to 58F (22.2C to 14.4C) when I got home after dark. I didn't even need to put on the ski overpants stored in the Givi tail trunk. Sweet!

This time my attention focused on 2 things. The engine's lively power curve and the gear position indicator.

Gear position indicator: I do kinda have an awareness of what gear I'm in (without counting), but the big fat one inch tall LCD number/letter displayed sure does make it a whole lot easier! It changes instantly with the gear change and it never lies. 1-N-2-3-4-5-6. In neutral, there's also a bright green indicator light with the indicator group. So bright it registers in your peripheral vision. A few times I was cruising along with the traffic in 5th, thinking I was already in 6th . . . until I looked down and saw that big "5" in the display. Ooops. It also helps when slowing down and stopping, as 1st gear does not audibly whine loud on decel like the OilHead did. I no longer take off in 2nd gear when there are many audio/visual distractions around me. Cool.

The power curve: With the OilHead, when you twisted on 1/4 throttle from low RPM's the engine responds with a huge initial thrust, then you sense the power tapering off with increasing RPM if you hold the throttle at that same 1/4 open setting. With the Rotax F800 motor the same frozen 1/4 throttle increase gets you a big initial thrust and power that gradually increases from there with the RPM increase. It feels great. You sense an eagerness to play that adds to the 2 wheel experience. A smaller DOHC water cooled engine with a much better engine management system and a 12:1 rather than 10:1 compression ratio are the reasons. Running up thru the lower 3 gears past 6,000 RPM with only 1/2 throttle each time is something you'll just want to keep doing. You do have to choose where you do that rev-and-shift take-off because 6K in 3rd is kinda fast!

BTW, The Battery Tender is connected to my truck!

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[CycleRob]

Today was our first 2-up ride in 2010. Address destination was entered under the Zumo's internal battery power before I started the bike. The Givi tail trunk, which serves as a solid backrest, was removed for this trip because we didn't need it and it makes passenger mount/dismount much harder. We're riding 11 miles in 59degF (15C) at 3:10 pm to a business 11 miles (17.7km) away that sells the SunSetter awning. We wanted to see it up close and in person. Nice bright sun, a solid blue Georgia sky, with almost no wind. Leaving our driveway, we waved to our work gloved neighbor Mary, who was bending over doing some spring yard maintenance some 30 feet away.

As you know, smooth take offs and shifting is required so you don't spook your passenger with unexpected accelerations. With the F800 smooth shifting is very easy, without giving it any thought. It just happens. The clutch pull is smooth and light. The engagement point has just enough of a transition point to impart good feel and when the lever is pulled in just away from that engagement point, it completely releases. Just like a dry clutch in that respect and almost unusual for a wet clutch. The snick-snick shifting is also low effort and never stinging or crunchy. I glancingly noted identical 3,100 RPM shift points with just a crack of the throttle and I'm in 6th gear in a few seconds. They were identical shift points because I was using my hearing to choose them. Ann wasn't even hanging on. Just sitting there behind me, enjoying the flying in the open air experience. So trusting. A nice easy take-off where the deep muffled exhaust notes can still be heard over the wind. It has the sound quality of a precision machine. Maybe the tall stock windscreen makes that possible. Every time I hear that exhaust music I give a silent to the BMW engineers. I finally got a stock exhaust I won't have to modify or replace!

Because the bike is so light, the engine's very light flywheels and the EFI's immediate response easily create too much acceleration for the distracted passenger if your too quick with the throttle in 1st or 2nd gear. I had to shout inside my full face helmet for her to HOLD ON at 2 different traffic lites where just sitting on the seat without holding on wouldn't be safe. There was already one backward jerk-lurch when I took off a little quicker at a previous stop. Not holding on is her biggest (and only) riding flaw. Without the Givi tail trunk mounted, I have to take it easy, unless I feel she's holding on.

It was a nice ride. It had a purpose, but somehow it felt like recreation. Soon we'll be taking rides to eat out somewhere out of town. Ann and I really like the excellent pizza joint near Boxer's house. Too bad it's such a short ride for him.

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[CycleRob]

Now that winter has broken here in the USA, even in places like Chicago, most everybody has been out riding at least a few times this year. Today I logged 102 miles (164km), pushing the bike's main odometer to (only) 5,365 miles (8,634km).

In the spots where the rush hour traffic slows me down, I don't fight it. No reckless passing or frequent lane changes just to gain a few yards (meters). The red traffic light changes to green and the cars in front of me accelerate like they only have 20HP. Slow. A 50cc bike would only need half throttle to keep up with them on the take-off. That's where the Rotax motor underneath me shines. It is because of it's precise fuel injection that no clutch shifting even at a low 2,500 RPM with very tiny throttle openings generates a slow/smooth take-off. The engine is so responsive, smooth and lightly loaded I could even use a lower shift point. That capability will be very beneficial when the engine is very hot and cycling on the radiator fan this summer. Higher RPM's just add more heat faster, at a time when it should be removing it instead.

The trip home put me on I-985 (posted 70 MPH [112.6 kph]) cruising at 80 (128.7 kph) with the faster traffic. It was the quickest way back and I haven't taken it for a long time on the bike. The GPS arrival time told me I was going to be late for my cell phone promised supper arrival time by over 6 minutes. That's why I took the highway and raised my cruising speed. The arrival time lost only 2 minutes because of the speed increase. The instantaneous MPG reading cruising 80 was bouncing around the lower/mid 50's MPG (21.3 km/L) at that speed. Because of the slower much easier riding I did on the first half of the trip, the trip average I read before I turned the bike off was 67 MPG (28.48 km/L). My usual average is in the low 60's with shorter rides. Have never gotten below 58 MPG (24.6 km/L) yet. Still running Regular grade Chevron with NO pinging. You gotta love that!

You wanna go fast? No problem. It purrs. You gotta go slow? No problem. It purrs. Those extremes and anywhere in between, the exhaust note is always pleasant. The thrust is linear with the throttle and the engine always quietly behaves. No Power Commander, Tecklusion or shadetree TPS tweak tuning for this engine. It's about time the engineers got almost everything perfect.

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