BluepoofBikes Motorcycle Adventures

Beak extender for the Beemer

Well, if it's just going to sit there, I may as well make it pretty.

Write-up for installing an F800GS beak extender

Super easy, and I think it looks nice. :)

1550-mile review

Saturday will be my 1-month anniversary of owning the 2009 F650GS and, since I'm at 1553 miles now, I thought I should give a more thorough review. :)

So, in no particular order...

Engine

I'm digging the additional 20hp that the twin has over the thumper.  It's not so much horsepower that I'm scared of the bike (yes, I'm a pansy) but it's way more comfortable on my freeway commutes, especially when I need to pass someone or accelerate quickly down an on-ramp.

I've still noticed a couple of moments of snatchy response but I think it's rider error instead of the motorcycle.  The bike is really quick to small throttle movements and sometimes I'm just sloppy with my throttle control. 

Transmission

Very smooth.  Shifting is trivial and I've never hit a false neutral.  Speaking of neutral, it's super-easy to find with the engine off or on (like when sitting at a stoplight).  No more hunt-and-peck for the green light!

Handling

It sorta creeps me out to have a low suspension bike! I keep thinking I'm about to drag something.  It's the weirdest feeling.  Also, I suddenly have no chicken strips on my rear tire.  I think these two points are related.  Hrm...

The bike handles really well.  Really tight twisties (10mph) are a little rough but I think that's because I tense my shoulders up -- it makes it hard to maneuver even with the wide handlebars.  The bike really holds to a line well,though.  I don't fight the bike in a turn or have to do a million tiny adjustments entering the apex.

Ergos

The seat is a torture device.  Get rid of it.  I did! I went up to Rick Mayer Cycle two weeks ago and got a custom seat.  Now my butt is happy.

Other than that, ergos are pretty darn good.  My only complaint is that the clutch lever is too far out from the handgrip, even when adjusted all the way in.  I have to twist my wrist out slightly to reach the lever, which is bugging my tendonitis.  I just ordered a Wunderlich clutch lever which claims to bring the lever closer to the handlebar (this was backed up by a fellow shorty on T3h Intarwebz), so hopefully this will be a non-issue soon.  

Oh, and the F800GS windscreen works really well.  I don't know how it would be for taller riders, but I like it a lot.  I don't get a lot of helmet buffeting.

Braking

Love it!  No problems at all.  This is my first ABS bike though I can't honestly say I've noticed any difference.  Granted, I haven't had to do any emergency stops at all yet, so I'll keep you posted if I change my mind.

Off-Road

I've hardly done any off-roading at all so far, so this section won't be fleshed out yet.  

I did a few miles of gravel road on my way to Rick Mayer and, to be honest, I didn't like the stock tires at all.  I felt very squirrely.  New dualsport tires must go on the research list. 

Non-Optional Options

The non-optional options are growing on me.  I've used the heated grips a few times and the onboard computer is great.  Given my druthers, I'd rather have had the under-tail storage than the tire pressure monitors, but so far its readings match up with my tire pressure gauge, so at least it seems accurate.

I think that's it so far.   Questions?  Hit me up and I'll try to get to them ASAP.  :)

Farkle is mostly complete...for now.

The Beemer is looking a lot less stock these days!

So now, we've got:

• F800GS windscreen 
• SW-Motech skidplate
• SW-Motech engine guards
• Moto-Sport Panniers luggage brackets
• Givi topcase rack 

That's looking more like one of my bikes, wouldn't you say?

I'm heading up to Rick Mayer Cycle tomorrow to have a custom seat made -- I absolutely love his saddles -- and then I think my wallet is done for a while.  Whew.

100 mile review of the F650GS

Yesterday was my last day of vacation, so I put it to good use by trying out the new bike.  

I was a little apprehensive at first since I wanted to head to the city for some bridge shots, but break-in procedure states to keep the bike under 5000 rpm.  That wound up being no problem -- I'd forgotten (how? dunno!) that the twin has SIX gears instead of the thumper's five.  Highway cruising at 75mph in 6th gear kept the bike happily under 5k rpm.

Obviously this isn't an ideal freeway ride review since I did have to watch the rpms, but I can confidently say that the bike will work out for those inevitable long hauls.  Downshifting into fifth had enough power to pass people with ease and cruising in sixth was comfortable.  Once the bike can go over 5k rpms, it'll go all day at 80mph, by which of course I mean the safe and legal freeway speed.

I had a little bit of wind buffeting -- not as bad as the taller riders whose reviews I'd read -- but I'm going to hold off on that because I do have a F800GS windscreen on order from the dealer.

30 miles of freeway later, I was in sunny San Francisco.  Time for 19th Avenue and the "stop and go traffic" test! 

Once again, the bike did great.  No overheating (or even warming), no complaints from my clutch hand, no problems putting a foot down every block on the San Francisco hills.

And then I was at Fort Point; time for bike porn!

After a few dozen pictures, I had some unintentional U-turn practice as I got hopelessly lost in the Presidio.  This happens every time I'm in the Presidio and you'd think that I'd remember my way out eventually, but no.  However, I can now say for certain that the twin F650GS is good at parking lot U-turns. ;)

Can't complain, though, as the Presidio district gives photos like this:

Baker Beach:

OK, enough Golden Gate Bridge!

I turned southwest, towards the Sutro district, to pick up the Great Highway south along the coast.

There's not much to review about this bike from this section of road; it's about 40mph and fairly straight, with enough stop lights tossed in to make you have to watch the traffic.

I did entertain myself at said stoplights by spotting myself in duplicate in the F650GS's cockpit.  Hey, look, it's me!  Hi, me!

The Great Highway does, of course, offer more opportunities for bike porn.  So here ya go.

I need to do a separate entry about the onboard computer on this thing -- one of the "non-optional options" that hiked up the MSRP.  I'm a gadget lover, so I confess to loving it, but I swear the thing is probably smarter than I am.

I do wonder why they gave the largest amount of real estate to the single most useless piece of information.  Does anyone ever really need to know what gear they're in?

Not surprisingly, the F650GS handles long sweepers really frickin' well.  The Devil's Slide area was pretty free of traffic and toodling along at about 50mph was fun and easy.   The bike holds a line really well in these conditions and I barely had to think about lane placement at all.  Yum.

Lunch at Cameron's in Half Moon Bay: spinach and artichoke soup with garlic fries.  Nom nom nom!

Time to hit some tighter twisties!  I kept going down the coast for a while, then peeled inland at San Gregorio to hit Stage Road.  Time for some one lane, 1st or 2nd gear curves!

Once again, the bike did great.  There were some times that I wanted "1st and a half" gear, but I think that was mainly because I was still keeping the bike under 5k rpm.  If I could have gone higher in 1st gear, I don't think I would have even noticed the gearing "problem".  Clearly I'll just have to go back to Stage Road over and over to retest. ;)

Along this section, the bike also hit triple-digit mileage! Woo!

I kept on the one-lane curvy theme back up through the Santa Cruz Mountains, turning onto Old La Honda and winding and weaving over the summit back towards Portola.

Once again, the bike was a ton of fun to ride.....and to photograph. :)

The forested portions of Old La Honda even gave me some wet-and-pine-needly curves to play on.  Not a slip nor a slide from the Beemer!  I didn't take many photos of this section as the lighting was bad and there were just enough cars so that I didn't want to block the road, but here's the idea.

So that was my shakedown ride of the new bike.  I really had no complaints at all -- none that won't be nonexistent once I can go above 5000 rpms, at least.  

New toy!!!

Yum.  Yum yum yum yum.  :) :) :)

This is the low suspension model and it fits me perfectly.  Yay!  This one also doesn't have any of the engine twitchiness that the demo bike I rode had.  I don't know why that one was so super-abrupt, but the bike I wound up with has a wonderful engine and wasn't spazzy at all.

20 miles on the odometer and counting!