BMW F800GS Adventure 2013 Allroad Touring Enduro

The BMW offers an interesting upgrade, the BMW F800GS Adventure 2013 which is a factory tune up version of the basic BMW F800GS 2013 model. What makes the GSA so strong in allroad? It is the overall performance and few important features supporting the outcome. The BMW F800GS Adventure 2013 has 21 inch front wheel and spoked rims which is the only choice for gravel and dirt road riding. The big front tyre with the wide handlebar makes the steering and riding much easier. Large foot pegs are good for riding in standing position and a tall & wide windscreen provides truly sufficient wind coverage. The 24 litre rear tank provides somewhat reasonable refuelling range for longer legs, but hardly over 500km / 310 miles in practice. The BMW F800GS Adventure 2013 touring enduro is perfect for demanding adventure touring and solo riding.

I think that the BMW F800GS Adventure 2013 offers one of the best combination of really relevant allroad touring features without being quite so heavy for the most challenging routes. For sure it is a compromise like every single bike. It is not designed for extreme offroad riding which requires far less weight and much more agility. It is not a wild riding machine on tarmac in everyday riding. More like a sensible and easy going bike. As soon as the BMW F800GS Adventure 2013 -rider leaves the urban safety and heads on gravel and dirt roads in the outback for a coupe of days, the GSA shows how dynamic and agile it really is. Without a doubt the BMW F800GS Adventure 2013 is the leading model of the medium size allroad touring segment.

 
The key BMW F800GS Adventure 2013 features are:

BMW F800GS Adventure 2013 Instrumentation

Even the standard instrumentation of the BMW F800GS Adventure 2013 is sufficient for touring as long as there is at least a good GPS navigator to assist. On top of analogue speed and rev gauges, there is a digital multifunction LCD display, but without taking the onboard computer, it provides only the basics. The BMW F800GS Adventure 2013 onboard computer and LCD display provides the following information:

I recommend to choose the onboard computer due to the extra convenience. The gear indicator is sometimes useful when approaching the red traffic lights and not braking with the engine. Now the rider is slightly behind the proper gear to continue if the lights suddenly change and the rider has not counted gears in mind. The temperature indicator is also a practical help when estimating the proper amount of riding apparel early enough. The extended BMW F800GS Adventure 2013 LCD features provide additionally:

BMW F800GS Adventure 2013 Engine

The BMW F800GS Adventure 2013 water cooled twin cylinder engine delivers 85HP and 83Nm torque which is quite enough for solo adventure touring with a reasonable amount of payload. The power of the 800cc twin cylinder is practical, but when riding on two close to maximum load, it is not enough. The GSA is not ride by wire throttled which means that there is no cruise control. As long as routes are challenging, no-one will miss the cruise control, but most of us ride also on tarmac and today I would consider it as a standard feature. The GSA is fitted with an engine guard as standard, but the skidplate is not at the same level. I would recommend to protect the engine better and get a real skidplate since the BMW F800GS Adventure 2013 can be taken to challenging conditions.

The BMW F800GS Adventure 2013 engine requires at least 95 octane fuel, but the factory offers optionally also 91RON settings as extra. Perhaps many of us are not missing it, but again this should be a standard feature, not optional extra. The GSA is made for adventures and such settings are relevant when routing heads to exotic destinations. Is it really that expensive..

BMW F800GS Adventure 2013 Fuel Tank

The BMW F800GS 2013 -fuel tank of 16L is clearly too small for allroad touring through most remote locations and the BMW F800GS Adventure 2013 has fortunately a 24L tank. Long distance touring requires reasonably big fuel tanks and the refuelling range should be above 500kms / 310 miles, due to the reason that fuel stations are sometimes quite rare at the outback and changes in network can be quick. Note that also touring weight elevates the fuel consumption from the factory estimations.

As standard the BMW F800GS Adventure 2013 has a pannier rack which protects also the rear fuel tank. One disadvantage of having a rear tank is, that the weight distribution is slightly less ideal. Slightly because the payload is anyhow mostly at the back and no-one can keep the overall touring weight close to the center of gravity. Anyhow the fuel at the back puts more load on the rear wheel making the front wheel a little bit lighter than otherwise. Therefore I would not choose the BMW F800GS Adventure 2013 for riding on two with a heavy load and head to challenging surfaces and conditions.

BMW F800GS Adventure 2013 Equipment Accessory

The standard BMW F800GS Adventure 2013 is not fully geared up. There are few basic accessories that would be good to add for serious touring. I would recommend to choose aluminium side panniers, the center stand and a good engine skidplate for the BMW F800GS Adventure 2013. A pair of good auxiliary LED lights would at least be a practical safety measure, but basically every motorcycle requires more illumination performance in the dark. Note that the GSA alternator produces moderate 400W which is not a lot and installing too hungry driving lights would be not a good idea.

The factory knows very well what the BMW F800GS Adventure 2013 -riders need along the road and offers as first edition a special LAUNCH series of 1000 units which includes on top of the standard GSA:

I think that adding stability ASC or suspension ESA control systems to the BMW F800GS Adventure 2013, would be quite unnecessary. The twin engine itself is already very resilient and learning to control the power in question, should not be hard at all. The bike is mostly for solo riding and adventure touring which narrows down the real need to change suspension settings. Therefore I would use the money for other touring and traveling equipment.

BMW F800GS Adventure 2013 Comparison

Compared to the basic model BMW F800 GS 2013, the BMW F800GS Adventure 2013 offers 8L (2.1USgal., 1.8UKgal.) more fuel capacity, a side pannier rack, reinforced rear subframe to support the maximum 443kgs (977lbs.) touring load, a taller touring windscreen, a comfort seat, offroad foot pegs, an adjustable foot brake lever and engine crash bars, but it`s also 15kgs (33.1lbs.) heavier and offers 4kgs (8.8lbs.) less payload capacity. About 5,6kgs (12.4lbs.) difference in weight comes from the larger fuel tank and the rest comes from the crash bars plus fairing differences. Basically the GSA is a factory upgrade for adventurous touring and the 800GS is a simplified basic version which leaves the options open for personal preferences and tuning. The difference with the fuel range and with the rear subframe have quite an effect on final composition, but I appreciate the longer fuel range and would like to keep the routing options as open as possible. Those who enjoy tuning the bike, probably prefer the BMW F800 GS 2014.