[TusharK]

BMW Motorrad has announced the launch of the F 850 GS Pro and F 850 GS Adventure Pro. The bikes are imported as Completely Built Units (CBU) and are priced at Rs. 12.50 lakh and Rs. 13.25 lakh, respectively. Both prices are ex-showroom.



The design of the BMW F 850 GS is based on the bigger bikes from the GS family. It features an asymmetrical headlamp, hand-protector bars, black fixed fork tubes, gold rims and galvanized radiator cowl.



The F 850 GS Adventure comes in Kalamata Metallic Matte and Black Storm Metallic paint schemes.



Powering the F 850 GS is an 853cc, 2-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine that produces 94 BHP @ 8,250 rpm and 92 Nm @ 6,250 rpm. The engine is mated to a 6-speed gearbox. The bike comes with four riding modes: Rain, Road, Dynamic and Enduro.



The F 850 GS comes equipped with a 6.5-inch TFT display with the BMW Motorrad Connected app and safety features like ABS, ASC, traction control and Dynamic ESA.

Deliveries of the BMW F 850 GS and F 850 GS Adventure will commence in June 2022.

[neil.jericho]

A fellow enthusiast mentioned the other day that with Triumph's Tiger Sport 660 being overpriced and the bigger Tiger 850 / 900s not offering what many Triumph fans want, a lot of potential adventure bike buyers, will start looking at the F850GS very seriously! I can certainly see a segment of the market moving to the BMW camp in 2022. Triumph's loss will be BMW's gain.

[Rocky_Balboa]

Anyone had luck with taking a test-ride of the F850GS or the GSA?
A friend and I have been trying to reach-out to Tusker BMW but in vain.

[jrchhabra]

Still no suspension adjustability in the front :(

[VellVector]

Originally Posted by Rocky_Balboa

Anyone had luck with taking a test-ride of the F850GS or the GSA?
A friend and I have been trying to reach-out to Tusker BMW but in vain.

I'm very doubtful that the 850 will be available for test drive yet or even in the immediate future.

However with the new BMW dealer opening in Bangalore this month, they may open with a larger selection of bikes to impress on day 1.

[bf1983]

Originally Posted by jrchhabra

Still no suspension adjustability in the front :(

That's the problem with buying a non flagship product. In comparison the Africa Twin is the flagship from Honda which is why it's tricked out with all the bells and whistles in features. However the BMW 850 isn't the flagship so they purposely reduce a few features to coax people to instead buy their flagship 1250 GS instead of the 850.

[GoBlue]

Originally Posted by jrchhabra

Still no suspension adjustability in the front :(

However, it does have D-ESA for the rear shock which the Tiger 900 Rally Pro doesn't get, neither does the Africa Twin. And, it's priced a fair bit lower than either.

That makes the BS6 850GS a sweet proposition.

Haven't felt the need to adjust the front suspension on my ATAS, the stock settings work well. Perhaps the 850GS's stock damping configuration could be decent as well.

A motorcycle can be more than the sum of it's individual cycle parts seen in isolation, if it feels decent as a package.

[jrchhabra]

Originally Posted by bf1983

That's the problem with buying a non flagship product. In comparison the Africa Twin is the flagship from Honda which is why it's tricked out with all the bells and whistles in features. However the BMW 850 isn't the flagship so they purposely reduce a few features to coax people to instead buy their flagship 1250 GS instead of the 850.

The Street Triple R gets adjustable suspension while having many more pricier models in the Triumph stable and even a pricier variant in the Street triple lineup itself. In my humble opinion, 13.25 L is fair amount of money to be able to offer adjustable suspension. The renowned off-road prowess, on and off road presence, dynamics d/t the boxer engine, touring comfort, luggage handling capacity, adjusting headlights, are already big enough attractions to buy the 1250. Also, gs to gs the 1250 costs 8 lacs more (only mrp, ~80k for road tax) than the 850 (about 164%), so I personally doubt that anyone who wasn't already considering the 1250 would consider it after comparing the specs to the 850 (exceptions are always there, this is just my personal opinion).

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by jrchhabra

Still no suspension adjustability in the front

Originally Posted by bf1983

That's the problem with buying a non flagship product. In comparison the Africa Twin is the flagship from Honda which is why it's tricked out with all the bells and whistles in features. However the BMW 850 isn't the flagship so they purposely reduce a few features to coax people to instead buy their flagship 1250 GS instead of the 850.

Interesting, I found the other way, there is no Electronic suspension on the Africa twins in the Indian variant as opposed to what they offer elsewhere. BTW, in which countries do 850 offer front fork adjustments?

Originally Posted by GoBlue

A motorcycle can be more than the sum of its individual cycle parts seen in isolation, if it feels decent as a package.

Well said, I also cannot set front forks on my 1250 GS

[jrchhabra]

Originally Posted by GoBlue

However, it does have D-ESA for the rear shock which the Tiger 900 Rally Pro doesn't get, neither does the Africa Twin. And, it's priced a fair bit lower than either.

Sir, I never tried to compare it to the Tiger and Africa Twin.

You yourself have an AT and i'm pretty sure you're aware of the heritage and reliability for which honda commands a premium. Also it's proven off road credentials.
The 13.25 is an inaugural price and the tiger 900 rally is not priced very far from it at 14.35.

Yes, there are a few bikes which are set up well from the factory but all of them are set up according to an average rider weight of about 70-80kgs.

I have personally changed the suspension settings on both my bikes (street triple r and zx-10r) multiple times to get the bike feeling perfect for my weight, the roads i frequent and my riding style. I personally have paid for, utilised Mr Dave Moss's remote tuning help/service and can attest to the difference it made to my riding experience.

Yes, most people may not adjust their suspension throughout their ownership, however, it is undeniable that doing so will only improve their ownership experience in the long term, and also impart a lot of knowledge about the working of the suspension components in the process.
Adjustable suspension may not be essential for a good bike, but it can definitely make a good bike feel great.

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Interesting, I found the other way, there is no Electronic suspension on the Africa twins in the Indian variant as opposed to what they offer elsewhere. BTW, in which countries do 850 offer front fork adjustments?

Sir my remark was me expressing my dismay at BMW not offering adjustable suspension in the upgrade. It would have (in my personal opinion) made the already great package even better.

I'm guessing that the need for the adjustability is what prompted Touratech to make a cartridge kit for the 850, which adds the extra adjustment.

Regards

Mod Note - Please use the Multiquote function or edit the post instead of back to pack posts & Quote only the releavent portion.

[bf1983]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Interesting, I found the other way, there is no Electronic suspension on the Africa twins in the Indian variant as opposed to what they offer elsewhere.

I wasn't really comparing the Indian version of the Africa twin with this bike. I was talking in general that non flagship products usually compromise on features as they would want you to buy a higher end product. The suspension is one area where manufacturers usually compromise on. Adjustable front forks is not very common which is probably why BMW reserved it only for its flagship.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by bf1983

Adjustable front forks is not very common which is probably why BMW reserved it only for its flagship.

Noob question, how do we adjust forks on the 1250 GS?

[tanayr]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Noob question, how do we adjust forks on the 1250 GS?

You have the new 1250 40th Anniversary right? If it's a Pro (and I think BMW does not sell the Standard in this colorway) then the Dynamic ESA does this for you automatically, depending on the riding mode selected and the weight of the rider and/or pillion by acting on the front and rear central shock
You CAN set ride height to min, max or auto though.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by tanayr

If it's a Pro then the Dynamic ESA does this for you automatically, depending on the riding mode selected and the weight of the rider and/or pillion by acting on the front and rear central shock

Yes, as a part of Dynamic ESA, but not standard on the regular. So was curious to know.

[Rocky_Balboa]

Originally Posted by Rocky_Balboa

Anyone had luck with taking a test-ride of the F850GS or the GSA?
A friend and I have been trying to reach-out to Tusker BMW but in vain.

Thanks to Tusker BMW, I managed a Test Ride of the new 850GS (finally).

The 850GS now comes loaded with Keyless Ride, Gear-shift Assist Pro, LED DRL etc as Standard equipment (they were packages earlier).

I found the Front way too soft (I weight ~100 kgs) and almost washed away at the left curve from Residency road signal towards St. Marks Road. And for a ~355kms run bike; the gear-shifts were harsh, was stuttering in 1st gear (in motion) and the Front Brake feel was different every time I braked and never confidence-inspiring (a lot of dive).

The same route on the Tiger Rally Pro was a lot of fun and though the front on the Tiger was soft, it wasn't diving as much as the GS and I was able to take curves with precision and confidence.

I managed to move (not ride) the 1250GS and boy-o-boy, that was precision balanced and so damn light on foot and astride.