The F800GT has been on my radar for quite a while as well. It seems like a fine bike. If you knew me better you'd know I'd wait for 8 years after they came out and look for one with moderate miles, in good shape, and for not a lot of money.
That's about what I did in the end.
I hadn't intended to buy one. I had a perfectly good Honda NT700V that I loved. But it was a sunny spring day last year, and I'd gotten out of the dentist's office early and decided to just check out the local dealership. They had both of the bikes that were on my short list. The Yamaha FJ-09 and the BMW F800GT.
The FJ didn't do much for me in the showroom. It was a bit too tall for my 5'6" body and short legs. And the styling had too many sharp edges...and the seat did too. I went over and sat on the F800GT and it felt great. The salesman said I could take it out for a ride, so I did.
One of the complaints I've read about is severe vibration in the handlebars. Magazine reviewers say it's enough to put your hand to sleep. So I wanted to see if this was true, or not. My first impression of the bike as I pulled out onto the highway was, "Wow! This is smooth!!" Not what I expected at all. I made my way over towards the freeway on-ramp and was impressed by the torque in comparison with my NT. Where I'd normally have to shift down, I didn't on the GT. I entered the on-ramp and decided to open the throttle up. I wasn't ready for this. The scenery was like in the Star Trek shows where the Enterprise goes to light speed. Everything on the sides went to a blur. The only thing in focus was the end of the freeway on-ramp where there were some flashing lights...and it was getting large, really really quick!
I got on the freeway and was cruising along in 6th gear and again, noticing just how smooth the bike felt. I could feel some vibration in the handlebars, but nothing bad, and certainly not any worse than on my NT. Hmm... So I downshifted into 5th. Same thing. RPMs up, but nothing bad for vibration. 4th...same thing. 3rd...same thing. I don't remember if it was in 2nd or 1st at 60 mph that I found the really bad vibrations. Yes, it was enough to put my hand to sleep. But seriously...1st gear at 60 mph? Who rides like that? Not me, anyway.
The other thing that impressed me, was how stable the bike felt. I was in a lot of fast moving, heavy traffic. I expected some turbulence from the trucks and other vehicles, and found none. I filed that away in the back of my mind, wondering if it was a one-off experience or not. It wasn't.
I kept riding along for about an hour on side streets, working my way back to the dealership and looking for the other flaw in the bike...the scorching hot heat coming off the engine. I couldn't find it. The temp was about 70F and I sat in stop-n-go traffic for quite awhile with the fan kicking on, and didn't feel anything. Hmmm...
So my wife and I left for a vacation in Palo Alto to see our youngest daughter who is getting her PhD from Stanford. I asked my wife if in my looking at the GT...if I decided to buy one...would she mind? Her reply was, "I mind financially...but you're going to do it anyway." Wow!!! Green Light!!!
So I went back to the dealership when we got back. Test rode the FJ-09 to be sure I wasn't missing anything. I disliked the FJ-09 so much, I only took it around the block. I took the F800GT out again, and it still wowed me. So I negotiated with the head salesman for an hour, and we were still at least $1000 off on making a deal. I told him, that he was also competing with the used bike market too. His reply was that his bike had a warranty.
So a week later, a friend of mine found a Craigslist ad for a 2014 F800GT up in Maple Falls. He had it priced at $300 less than the Kelley Blue Book...which put it a couple thousand less than the "new" demo model 2015 I'd ridden at the dealership. The mileage wasn't bad either. Only about 2300 miles were on the bike. And this is where it pays to buy used...his intention had been to take the bike touring, so he'd done the research to get the best mods for the bike to make it comfortable. He thought he had about $2000 in accessories on the bike. I counted it up later, and it was closer to $3000 he'd spent. And since he was about my height...it all worked for me too.
I've owned mine for a year now. I've used it as a commuter bike in Seattle, riding it all year long. It's sweet. The vibrations aren't an issue. There is heat coming off the frame, but nothing strange on this one. I've taken several long day trips on it (10-12 hours), and I find I come back far less tired than I did on any of my previous bikes. A couple weeks ago, I rode it up to Heather Meadows at the end of the Mt. Baker Highway where the ski lodge is. I was really thankful for the ABS and stability control. I hit numerous snow patches going up (and later down) and the bike stayed upright with no slippage. Those little options were doing what they were designed to do. It is incredibly flickable in corners. And yet it is very stable also eating up miles on the freeway. IMO, it is a great blend of "sport" and "touring".
And did I mention it weighs only 470 lbs? Moving it around in the garage or a parking lot, is a breeze.
Chris
