BMW essentially invented the adventure touring market when the company introduced the R80G/S three decades ago.
Although it didn't set the sales charts alight at the time, the machine was the forerunner to 1000, 1100, 1150 and 1200cc machines which followed.

As the years passed and the GS models got bigger (BMW dropped the slash in the name pretty early on) a few riders complained about the increasing size and weight of new models as they were introduced, which is part of the reason why the 1200 GS is substantially lighter than the 1150 it replaced.
However, there's no getting around the fact that the R 1200 GS is a very big motorcycle, and so when BMW introduced its 800cc parallel twin it was only a matter of time before a GS version of the bike was introduced.

The $17,490 + ORC (two year unlimited kilometre warranty) F 800 GS offers most of the performance of the 1200 at a much lower price, with a lot less weight. It's much easier to throw around offroad, but still offers big bike feel on the bitumen.

Unlike most of the bikes on Cycle Torque's big adventure trip, the F 800 GS turned up without accessories or luggage a mix-up with our departure date meant the luggage BMW was sending up didn't arrive in time. Luckily, our local BMW dealer, Brisan Motorcycles, loaned us an Oxford tankbag and one of the crew (Gareth) owned a BMW roll bag, so that was pressed into service on the 800. BMW offers a huge range of touring accessories for the GS including its own tankbags, top boxes and panniers, so you can tailor the bike to suit your riding style and preferences.

Powering the machine is a smooth middleweight twin. Like any parallel twin there are enough vibes to let you know it's there, but the modern design means the vibes never intrude.
Power and torque outputs of the motor are moderate, with a claimed 85 horsepower being produced. This is more than enough for adventure riding.

For the adventure trip I was pleased to see heated handgrips as standard, but disappointed there were no handguards.
I was also wondering if long days in the tall saddle would be comfortable, and was surprised at just how high the seat was anyone with ducks' disease will struggle.
The GS also has a power socket next to the ignition, perfect for powering a GPS or charging your phone in a tankbag.

BMW has chosen to keep some components of the F 800 GS conventional, at least in part to reduce costs. There's no Telelever front suspension, USD forks are used. At the back there's a dual-arm swingarm and chain drive, rather than a shaft and single-sided swingarm. Those conventional items don't change the fact that the F 800 GS is a pretty unusual bike though: the styling is typically BMW GS unusual, the fuel tank lives under the seat and the indicator switches confuse everyone the first time you use them (but are great once you work it all out).

ABS on a GS is switchable, so if you want to be able to lock the brakes in the dirt, you can.
At a little over 200kg the GS weighs in heavier than the single cylinder bikes on our trip but considerably lighter than some.
Could this be the perfect balance between weight, performance, comfort and handling?

Part 2 - August 2011 Issue

OVER 10 days of outback touring across all sorts of bitumen and gravel roads, the BMW F 800 GS test machine performed absolutely faultlessly. It didn't miss a beat or put a foot wrong at any stage.
About the biggest complaint was from a couple of riders new to BMW, having trouble getting used to the indicator switches being on each handlebar… but I've done enough miles on BMs that I now actually prefer this system.

I'll admit it took me a few days to really warm to the 800 GS's charms. At first it felt underpowered for a multi-cylinder machine, but I'd been riding the KTM 990 Adventure R: another time I jumped on it I thought it felt too much like a road bike, but I'd been riding the Yamaha XTZ660: but when I rode it up the Bridle Track to Hill End I really did start to understand the balance that is the F 800 GS.
In this machine BMW has tried to build balance between weight, size, performance and handling, and all at a price competitive with other manufacturers' offering.

So the engine performance isn't stellar, but it offers more than enough for the average rider and plenty on loose surfaces. The parallel twin motor is also fairly light, allowing BMW to make the bike a lot easier to throw around than its 1200 range, which in turn inspires confidence in tough conditions.
The GS is also compact in its dimensions, feeling only a little larger than the single cylinder bikes on the tour.

The package adds up to a machine which isn't so small to be tiring for long rides on bitumen (although protection from the tiny screen is minimal) but isn't so big as to sap confidence in tough conditions off road.
The conventional forks and single rear shock are also well balanced to offer decent wheel travel and bump absorption off road without wallowing too much if you're trying to press on along good bitumen.
Like most bikes on this tour, you need to customise an 800 GS to make it really suitable for adventure touring. There's no luggage standard, indeed no storage capacity at all - not even a rear rack. BMW has a whole compliment of luggage available and there are aftermarket options available too.

I'd add a set of handguards, although that's more for protection against hitting things rather than keeping the weather at bay: the bike has heated handgrips standard, and was the only bike on this test with heated grips. I'd also ditch the thin plastic engine guard in favour of an alloy model.
Tyres for all adventure bikes are a conundrum: good performance off road usually means a tyre which can wear out in just a few days of sustained high speed road use, whereas more road-oriented tyres don't offer the confidence off road many riders feel they need.

Here's the secret: drop the tyre pressures of your more road-oriented tyres when riding off road and they will perform much, much better. So find room in your luggage for a pump so you can keep tyres inflated at the right pressure for the conditions and you'll get a lot more life and confidence from your rubber.
The riding position of the GS is a little unusual: I feel the footpegs are set a little to far forward, which makes riding standing up a little less comfortable than I think it should be, and makes getting from sitting to standing take a fraction of a second longer than it should, too.

BMW's F 800 GS is an awesome mid-range adventure bike. It's a real package that is not-to-big, not-to-small.