ADVENTURE IS IN YOUR BLOOD
You live for challenges. You keep moving even when others give up. You overcome any obstacles. Difficulties become new opportunities for you. Adventure is in your blood. The F 850 GS can handle any terrain with ease thanks to its 21-inch front wheel. Let your thirst for discovery guide you purposefully towards your goal: the F 850 GS will take you there, no matter what the road takes. And regardless of the number of mud areas. The factory-installed Connectivity option gives you access to navigation, telephony, multimedia and useful information about the motorcycle.
The clear and uncluttered 6.5-inch LCD display ensures nothing distracts you from the road. As a result, you will have even more time for what matters most. And even more opportunities to discover what lies beyond the horizon.
Eternal battle: HONDA Africa Twin & BMW F 850 GS
TRANSMISSION
In some respects,
the BMW 850 GS and Africa Twin are very similar. Both engines are liquid-cooled parallel twins with four valves per cylinder. As the name suggests, the BMW two-cylinder engine displaces 853cc. Honda increased the piston stroke for the Africa Twin by 6.4mm, resulting in a displacement of 1084cc. The power of the BMW F 850 is 90 hp.
at 8,000 rpm versus Japanese 102 hp. SUSPENSION AND CHASSIS
Both bikes allow you to adjust the rear suspension preload with the turn of a knob, but the Honda comes with a robust 45mm fork compared to the 43mm fork on
the BMW 850 GS .
The Honda's front and rear suspension travel—9.1 inches and 8.7 inches—is slightly greater than the BMW's 8 and 8.6 inches. Both motorcycles have a 21-inch front wheel, but the BMW GS 850 has a 17-inch rear wheel, while the Africa Twin has an 18-inch rear wheel.
Stopping power also tips slightly in the Honda's favour. the BMW 850's 305mm discs , and the Africa Twin features four-piston radial-mount calipers. Both the bikes come with ABS and luckily both the systems can be switched off.
TECHNOLOGIES
The Africa Twin features Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC), multiple ride modes, Apple CarPlay and a 6.5-inch TFT touchscreen.
The BMW F850GS motorcycle offers the same, albeit as options. Automatic Stability Control (ASC) and two driving modes, Road and Rain, are standard. If you upgrade to the optional Pro and Dynamic ESA modes, you get electronic suspension as well as a 6.5-inch TFT display (vs. the standard analogue LCD unit) that allows you to connect to your phone via Bluetooth and opens up a ton of additional options.
The BMW 850 comes with an optional Gear Shift Assist Pro system. More commonly known to most people as a quickshifter, this system allows you to shift up or down gears without pulling the clutch lever.
Since these two bikes are similar in many ways, let's look at some other numbers. An important indicator of seat height for Honda is 850-870 mm, and for BMW F 850 GS – 835-860 mm. But the F850GS has the option of an 815mm seat with lower suspension and a height of up to 890mm.
Then we move on to the two most important indicators: weight and fuel tank capacity. Almost the same weight: 229 kg for BMW and 227 kg for Honda. The Honda's 18.8-liter tank is 4 liters larger than the BMW's. Having a bigger tank and less weight is a big achievement for Honda. As a result, the interesting thing is that in fact there is no right or wrong answer to this question.
EVEN MORE GS SPIRIT
An imposing image: you and your F 850 GS with its distinctive silhouette. The motorcycle's design language communicates its readiness for adventure in every surface, every edge and every joint. From the rear end to the forward-positioned fuel tank and LED headlights with optional daytime running lights that resemble a canted fork, design elements are ready for off-roading just as you are ready for unique adventures. The galvanized radiator frame in the Rallye and Exclusive versions will give your motorcycle a special appeal both on and off the road.
New season, new lifestyle, new impressions! A short note about the first days on a new moto, based on fresh emotions, so to speak, so that it is not forgotten later and becomes covered with moss. I’ll write a detailed review during the season, when the motorcycle, I hope, will be tested in all dimensions, such as long-distance driving and trips to dirt roads and other off-road and obscenity.
Continued below.
So what we have, a new BMW F850GS 2021 with zero mileage, maximum equipment, red color, mileage is now around 150 km, running-in. I was looking for it in this color, I don’t like the other two, the black one has clumsily made stickers, the blue one with yellow wheels doesn’t exist either.
Why the middle goose? Switched to it after five seasons on a Honda CBR1100XX. I wanted something as universal as possible, since I can only afford one motorcycle. He must be able to do everything, maybe not everything is perfect, but he must.
Initially I was drooling over the S1000XR, the power and emotions, every turn of the throttle was ecstasy, that’s all, of course, but. But it is not universal, the suspension is stiff even in Road, its element is also asphalt, maybe a little bad asphalt, but nothing more. After much thought, I dismissed it, besides, there is no point in taking it used now, there is a new XR on the way and try to sell the “old” one later, plus the light is not LED, the instrumentation is “old”, etc. I brushed aside crossovers altogether; I don’t want to be limited to the asphalt, so the Yamaha Tracer 900 is there too.
Why not Africa? I tested Africa, but it wasn’t the same, I wasn’t hooked at all. I definitely won’t turn the handles of the suspension, I didn’t like its rolliness and general “not fun”, it looks like it’s on a serious side, it’s more of a long-range motorcycle. But with its advantages too. For example, there is better wind protection, a slightly deeper engine, it goes very well on the highway, but in the city it lacks maneuverability. There is no nimbleness in it at all, the brakes are not very informative for me. In general, I was a little disappointed after the test, not my type of spendthrift and that’s all. If someone comes in, the sales speak for themselves. DCT is not my thing either. Tube rubber too, why do I need it?
Why not KTM 790-1090? Unfortunately I couldn't test them. The appearance of the KTM is not mine, it doesn’t fit. 790 is very small, I think the wind protection is worse. 1090 is already without new technologies, but it costs a lot and it disappeared from the official KTM website, I think it was discontinued.
Why not Ducati 950? I didn’t test it either, and I was frightened by little problems in the Italian style, such as glitchy remote controls, rust on the manifold. The price is above my budget, overall exoticism, very wide steering wheel and without the ability to remove the turn signals from the steering wheel mugs. And of course the beauty is visual, I really, really love Ducati.
Operation Yes, I'm completely shocked! Essentially, I moved from the technologies of the late 90s to the most modern ones, having bypassed at least a couple of generations of motorcycles. The tidy is chic, this is the future, I don’t understand who else is making stuffiness out there behind the arrows, everything is readable, everything is visible, even in the sun. A lot of information is displayed. You can make maps through the BMW app, a great thing, it shows the direction and where to go, I got everywhere perfectly. Why then have a navigator at all? Only if there are no cards at all, probably. Keyless entry, cool! I’ve already forgotten the key a couple of times in previous motorcycles, either in the case or in the ignition, now this paranoia will not happen.
The suspension works great, on the Road it’s soft, it lays down straight, you can drive over all sorts of joints, rails, cracks without noticing, and jump over speed bumps. Dynamic immediately adds rigidity, and the difference is far from cosmetic between the suspension modes.
fork is without adjustments, but really, who is constantly turning the fork? I would not. The fork is not set up softly, my weight is 85 kg, my height is 178. It’s ok for me, there is a bite, but not huge, I wouldn’t call this fork soft, it’s average. Suspension modes change only the rear shock absorber, but since the suspension is electronically adaptive, it also eliminates the dive and general swaying, turns are confident and without any hint of loss of connection with the wheels.
The front 21″ wheel feels much better in terms of control than on Africa, I feel it perfectly. The motorcycle is nimble and nimble, you want to mischief and maneuver on it. It feels much smaller than it actually is. You ride it like a small motorbike, and not a big serious touring car. It doesn’t feel wide in the city, the main enemies are gazelles and large jeeps, crossovers and sedans are not a problem, you fly over their mirrors.
The engine spins perfectly very quickly, the speed in 1-2-3 gears soars instantly. 4-5-6 is more for the track. The quickshifter allows you to shift up and down, your fingers are still reaching for the clutch, but I’m getting used to it. It kicks a little rough when switching from 1-2 and 2-3, but not critical in my opinion. The brakes are informative and sufficient, of course, these are not the standard Brembo radials in my opinion in the S1000XR. But for 21″ wheels everything is fine, better than on a blackbird with reinforced hoses.
It’s very cool to brake later and throw off gears with spitting from the muffler... mmm... delicious!!!
There are vibrations, but the hands do not itch, they are so large and do not strain. Yesterday I drove about 100 km, after the XR my hands were itchy, but that’s not the case here.
I immediately ordered SW-Motech arcs. The plans also include panniers, headlight protection and higher glass. After 120 it starts to blow into my neck-middle of the helmet area, I need to take the flow higher. I want to install the adjustable glass from the F850GS Adventure. By the way, there is no wind in my feet.
By the way, why not the 850th Adventure? Larger tank, wind protection, adjustable glass. The problem is that it costs 150-200k more and there are almost none, but it didn’t fit into my budget of up to 1 million rubles. Yes, and I don’t like the look and it’s heavier, then it’s easier to add a little more and take 1250 goose, why waste time on trifles.
Adventure for comparison, for those who haven’t seen it:
In general, I’m delighted so far, I don’t see any obvious disadvantages for myself, I’m happy with the choice.
Oh yes, a small tank of 15 liters. Yes, but if I’m going to places where there are no gas stations within a radius of 200-300 km, I’ll take a 4-liter canister or a couple with me. The average consumption is still in my run-in phase, highway 5.2, city 5.8 approximately.
Reviews of BMW 850 Rating: 4.7 out of 5 2 reviews found
21.04.2012
I can talk about this magic of the German automobile industry for hours. I wanted this exhibit for a very long time, one might say I dreamed of it since childhood). There were a lot of cars, the main ones were Infiniti fx 45, Cadillac srx, cts II, BMW 330 (passats, SUVs, Saabs), there was nothing to compare with, in short, at the time of purchase I had an SRX, I bought the car as a second one - for the summer (I bought it in early 2009) . I spent a long time choosing, mainly looking for a living body, so that it wasn’t broken and so that everything was original, I found it - there was no limit to joy, the car was of course destroyed, the engine was dead, the exhaust was full of holes, the paint was terrible), the interior was 3+ (gray), suspension – it was only possible to drive on a stand, but the body is really ideal). In short, a couple of days, I decided to take it. In the end, I paid 380 rubles, the first day I decided to go for a drive, to see how, of course, everything was thundering and the jammer was screaming, but it still gave me pleasure, the engine worked at 60 percent, but still fired up), amazed looks from right and left, pointing a finger was a pleasure )…Initially, the budget for repairing the device was about 600 rubles, I’ll be honest, those options that are on Auto.ru, which sell for 400-500 rubles and write that everything is ideal there, this is bullshit, 91-95, the car cannot be everything is in order: the rubber bands are all terrible, it’s better not to raise the windows, everyone is scratched - they can barely walk, the chassis is no good, the interiors are ruined, I’m generally silent about the engine, if the capital has not been done, then you can’t even consider it... In short, I started doing it, found it colleagues in owning this marvel and then it turned out that I had not prepared at all) 31club rules, I am very grateful to Kostya and Oleg, they are just a guru). It turned out that restoring it to perfection would cost upwards of a million ((((Of course there were doubts, my friends were pointing fingers at their temples), but a dream is a dream, I rolled up my sleeves and went ahead. I started with the engine, I had a 5 liter 300 hp m70, I drove 110 km, but obviously twisted, 2 liters of oil per hundred square meters, decided not to restore it, the decision was made to buy a contract one, turned up quite by accident at the 31st club, 5.4-326 hp m73 engine, completely restored - completely recapitulated, made at a factory where aircraft engines are repaired, As far as I remember, it cost the owner 10,000 dollars, I picked it up for 120 rubles (huge, just a huge thank you). And so the engine in St. Petersburg brought everything to Rebuilding at Ligovsky (profi-super), they removed the engine and off we go - it turned out: most of the rubber bands, tubes, filters, all sorts of elements for cooling the brakes, the cooling system, became unusable, some parts were missing, in short, to the store. During the purchase process, I decided that I would change the entire suspension. I took all the rubber bands in a circle, adjustable Koni shock absorbers, new springs, respectively levers, stabilizers, silents , caliper repair kits, new hoses, pads, shock mounts, rear bushings, Zimmerman brake discs (perf), almost all the plastic for cooling the brakes, new batteries for 100 each. In the process, I tried to find disks, went through a bunch of options, decided to take type 3 shnitzer, searched for 2 months, the hell is clear, only the original, I contacted A1, they only found it before - 1500 euros per disk). The result was found by a good friend in Moscow for 100 rubles, practically new (again, thank you very much), at the same time I was looking for tires. If I describe everything I bought, I can just take a catalog of parts and buy everything, which is actually what I was doing) While the parts were coming, I decided to paint, completely disassembling the interior and removing everything under the hood, when I took everything off, I was horrified), realizing that the project has already gone beyond 600 and has already reached 800 rubles (of course I don’t count the money to buy a car). I decided to paint it with new paint and 76 blue, while I was waiting for the paint, all the parts arrived, and the paint was only on the way, in short, my nerves were frayed) They painted it in a month, then gave it to install the engine and suspension... While everything was being installed, I decided to buy an M-body kit, change all the rear ones lights (they were worn and scratched), replaced the front glass, took assembled front glass lifting mechanisms, hood grilles, washer motors, emblems, gasoline filters, new gasoline pumps, in short atas). While everything was being installed, I was looking for someone to reupholster the interior. I wanted to do everything in the Schnitzer style, I found a design for a salon from Schnitzer on a German website, and found a company that does reupholstery (later I bought it). I started picking up the skin. We took premium Monaco - white perf, white, black, black husky, and of course Alcantara (the material alone cost about 80 rubles), a new carpet under our feet. White stitching, it was decided to do schnitzer embroidery, done in A1. Lord, what did I go through, while all this was being done, I was missing a piece of leather, I didn’t like how the roof was re-stretched, I had to redo the front seats, when they took them apart, it turned out that both the right and left ones needed to change the control units and heating (( (I bought everything new... I decided to paint all the plastic piano black. Naturally, while everything was removed, it was re-coated, all the foam rubber of the air ducts was replaced, everything was removed and washed... While they were reupholstering the interior, they completely made Shumka, the bottom with liquid Shumka, I don’t remember now how it was called (I decided to make music, I took a PIONEER DEN-P 88 RS II head (it fits well into the interior), I decided to change the speakers to the original ones, but in good condition (surprisingly, I found them), Hertz sub, Kicx amp, in short, waste, waste, spending. In the process, I ordered all sorts of little things: door latches, floor mats, bedbugs, the devil in a mortar is shorter. I took Schnitzer parts from the A1: pedal covers, gear knob, riser handle, nameplates (together for 1000 euros) The time has come for the exhaust, through the A1, I ordered the last hamman cans in the world for 850) it cost 80 rubles, when they started to disassemble it, it turned out that cans wouldn’t be enough, I decided to change everything) Say it’s too much, I think so, but I wanted the ideal, I bought pants, the first, second knee, they made Euro4 ), for the money the scribe came out, but the sound is amazing and the realization that everything new warms the soul) We also had to completely change the electrical wiring, the original of one braid - 40 rubles (Of course, in the process all sorts of nuances were clarified, which also cost a penny (((The whole process took 2 years, I recently calculated what it all amounted to, counted about 1,300,000 investments (details in the logbook), not counting time, nerves, searches, etc. Now I can say absolutely for sure that the one who decides on such a project will First, you need to consult at the 31club; if you take a car for 500 rubles, then work on the strap is almost guaranteed for you). I can roughly imagine what kind of cars are from Japan, even if the car has been sitting in a garage for 20 years, I know for sure that a lot of things will have to be done! I know people who, as soon as they bought a car, purchased spare parts for 30,000 euros, I know a person who, for the entire Lema 3.5 has invested in the ownership history, changing everything every year) The car is expensive, but once you bring it to mind, you will not regret it, the true delight of both the driver and everyone around is simply euphoria) 6.0 up to a hundred, drifting in corners, spinning the wheels in third gear, the roar of the engine, 300 km on the highway, inimitable design, in a word, a DREAM car! During the entire time I owned it, I drove 2000 thousand, but these 2 pieces are the most unforgettable in my life) But I can roughly describe the main thing: Engine: 150 RUR with removal of old and all attachments and installation. Exhaust: 4 parts about 120 RUR including disassembly and installation. Painting: about 150 RUR including disassembly and materials. Interior reupholstery: about 150 with assembly and materials. Wheels + tires: 150 RUR (19 Schnitzer type-3) m-body kit (front, rear, frame): 60 RUR + painting. replacement of the entire suspension (including brakes and discs and work): approximately 150 RUR This is already 900 RUR Well, then: new engine mounts, new hoses, new fuel pumps (assembled ), new wiring, seat drive, windows, window lifting mechanisms, gearbox bulkhead, new clutch assembly, new hood opening mechanism, a bunch of rubber bands, pipes, taillights, pumps, brain firmware, filters everything, sound insulation, music, a bunch of new bugs and cogs, Schnitzer parts, all sorts of liquids, ... but right now I just can’t remember everything), but off the top of my head, 400 thousand ... recently another 200 were added, well, just little things)))) But the main thing is time in all this, something you wait a week, or a month, to find a company that understands the details and understands what one of the main points is doing! Example: I took the wheels to a tire shop, one of the nipples was broken, the result was 4 months of waiting, nowhere to be found, horror, only in A1 directly from Schnitzer and then on the 3rd attempt, they sent 2 for 350 rubles (although it would seem such a small thing) (((
