2024 BMW F800GS Review | BMW give its road-targeted, and budget-friendly, middleweight GS model a boost in capacity and performance

Although it is a bit disappointing BMW have invested so little love in the F800GS adventure bike in its 2024 update, by the same token it is hard not to be impressed by its spec and price tag. The new engine has given it a feeling of being a more substantial product than before and that was its major downside, so arguably they didn’t need to reinvent the wheel. And anyway, that’s what they did with the BMW F900GS.

With the heavily upgraded F900GS moving to a very off-road targeting and the F900GS Adventure quite a handful due to its extra weight (and neither able to be restricted to A2-legal), the F800GS now seems to have found its natural place in the middleweight GS model range. It’s a shame it lacks the new inverted forks of its siblings, if only to improve its kerb appeal, but overall the F800GS is a solid, and assured-feeling, middleweight adventurer. Not outstanding but effective.

As before the F800GS runs a 19in front wheel where the F900GS models have 21in items and the cheaper GS also has cast wheels instead of spokes and more relaxed geometry. Although giving the bike slightly heavy-feeling handling, which is especially noticeable at slow speed, once the pace ups this translates into a very sure-footed feel.

Slower steering than some rivals, the F800GS’s geometry is definitely set for stability over agility but that’s not to its detriment as it is very assured in bends and that helps it feel confidence-inspiring. A low seat height of 815mm is good to see and there is the option of reducing it to 760mm through an extra low seat option and also even dropping the whole bike by 20mm on its suspension. Speaking of suspension...

In standard trim the GS’s shock gets rebound and spring preload adjustability, however adding a Dynamic ESA shock costs £400, which is money well spent as alongside semi-active damping, you also gain electronically-controlled spring preload adjustment. With two active modes (Road and Dynamic) as well as three preload settings (solo, with pillion, solo with luggage), swapping settings via the switchgear makes a noticeable difference to the ride.

Road gives a very well cushioned ride quality with Dynamic firming it up enough to make the bike feel more taut without going too far. It’s a box that is certainly worth ticking but why didn’t BMW upgrade the GS’s forks this year?

Where the F900GS models gain fully-adjustable inverted forks for 2024, the F800GS retains its non-adjustable telescopic items. Visually a disappointment as they instantly make it look the budget option in the GS range, they perform well enough but there is no room for movement if you are either heavier or lighter than BMW’s design caters for.

• Related: Check out MCN's expert comparison test of the BMW F900GS Adventure against Triumph's Tiger 900 Rally Pro

The brakes, which are the same twin Brembo two-piston set-up as on the GSA, perform much better thanks to the GS weighing considerably less and the ABS Pro is hard to fault.

The F800GS runs the same 895cc capacity engine as the F900GS models, however it is in a lower state of tune so it doesn’t exceed the top power threshold for restricting down to A2-legal. With a peak power output of 85.8bhp and 67.2ftlb of torque, it gives away 17.7bhp to the F900GS but only 1.5ftlb of grunt, which is the important figure.

Where on the older F750GS you tended to feel a bit short-changed on performance (76bhp with 61.3ftlb), the F800GS rights this wrong thanks to its boosted mid-range. More than happy to roll-on in top gear to overtake cars, the F800’s engine never feels like it is a downgrade and during most riding conditions it matches the F900’s performance. In fact, overlay their torque curves and they are almost identical.

This focus on the area of performance road riders actually use is an enormous improvement and you seldom, if ever, miss the extra power the F900GS has as it is all located above 7000rpm and BMW’s parallel twin isn’t an engine that lends itself to being thrashed. It generally averages around 50mpg.

Overall the GS seems well built and the 13 owners who have rated the F750GS online seem to be impressed, scoring it an average of 4.8/5 for reliability and build quality. The F800GS is effectively the same bike with a bit more capacity, so the build quality and reliability shouldn’t be at all compromised in the update.

• Get the gear: Check out MCN's list of best kit for adventure bikes.

The A2-restricatble middleweight road adventure bike market is quite a busy segment and at £9995 (plus £720 for cruise control and a quickshifter) the GS is competitively priced and well-specified against the mainstream rivals.

The KTM 790 Adventure costs £10,499 (plus £859.87 for cruise control and quickshifter+, £243.78 for heated grips, angle-responsive electronics as standard), the Honda Transalp is £9699 (non-angle-responsive electronics, no option of cruise control, quickshifter £255 extra, heated grips £185), the Triumph Tiger 850 Sport (the 900s can’t be restricted) costs £10,095 (non-angle-responsive electronics, no option of cruise control, quickshifter £405 extra, heated grips £171) and the Suzuki V-Strom 800RE is £10,999 (quickshifter as standard, no option of cruise control, non-angle-responsive electronics, heated grips £357).

The BMW’s electronic assists (ABS and TC) are angle-responsive as standard, which is great to see, there are two power modes (Road and Rain) with the option of adding more (Dynamic and Enduro), heated grips and a TFT dash with connectivity - but should BMW have stopped there?

You can’t help but feel cruise control and shift assist pro should be included on a £10k bike rather than being £360 (each) options as that does boost the GS’s price quite considerably. There again, they are options on most of the competition as well and the GS is very competitively priced – even once you have ticked their boxes (see Insurance, running costs and value).

If you want to splash the cash and upgrade the GS, BMW are more than happy to take your cash. The GS comes in white as standard with Sport and Triple Black £215 paint options. The Comfort Package (cruise control, luggage holders, keyless ignition, GPS holder and M Endurance chain) is £885 and Dynamic Package (Pro riding modes, shift assist pro, Dynamic ESA) is £855.

You can also spec an extra low seat (760mm), seat height reduction, tyre pressure monitors (£195), adjustable screen system (£215), SOS call (£300) and A2 power reduction kit as well as screen and luggage options.