The BMW F 800 GS Adventure

Martin Child

The popular German middleweight gets a more adventurous brother…

As they’ve done in the past with the flagship R1150GS and R1200GS models, BMW has announced that an Adventure model will compliment the F800GS. Designed to allow the rider to go further for longer, the F800GS Adventure’s increased fuel capacity (up 50% to 24 litres) is now claimed to offer 600km between drinks. This has been achieved by having a rear fuel tank added under the saddle, held in place by a reinforced subframe. As is BMW’s want, the list of optional abbreviations is PDL (Pretty Damn Long), and includes ASC (Automatic Stability Control) and ESA (Electronic Suspension Adjustment) and ATA (Anti theft Alarm). These compliment the ABS system and LED lights that comes as standard and has us thinking WTF will they do next?

Other features are an optional Enduro mode that, at a touch of a button, allows the effects of the ASC and ABS systems to be downgraded for the dirt. This task will be helped by the addition of off-road tyres, wider footpegs, a reinforced and adjustable rear brake lever, engine and tank protection bars, as well as the extra creature comforts of a bigger screen, more comfortable saddle and heated grips.

As with previous models, BMW expect the Adventure model to sell about 50% of the base model’s total, and the $18,550 (+ORC) machine is due in Australia in August of this year.

Miles Davis, BMW’s Marketing Manager claims the bike is ideally suit to Australia’s topography. “So often when riding this country you come to a track and wonder, ‘Where does that go?’ This new F800GS Adventure model will allow you to explore such tracks without being worried about your fuel load. Plus, the wider pegs and adjustable ASC package allows a more enduro-specific experience.”