http://www.adbmag.com.au JUNE 2019| 75
Adventure ($21,195 rideaway from
June). Time will tell.
Dollars obviously dictate the bells
and whistles, which BMW provides in
abundance on the F 850 GSA Rallye for
$19,765 (plus on-roads), but don’t
underestimate actual touring ability.
All five 850 models come standard
with the incredible TFT dash. Australia
is a dusty place and this dash never gets
too dusty to see all the important info
like – “ahhh, what mode am I in?” or
“Who’s trying to call me while I’m
doing this photoshoot?”
Do we even need all those ride modes
and silly info displays like the name of
the song playing through my Bluetooth
comms system? Of course not! Riding
with them is nice though. It spices up
the ride a bit. And who doesn’t want to
view their album artwork on the dashThe F 850 comes into its own when
the track gets snotty and you start
getting anxious. Well, I get anxious. I
like that little anxiety brain buzz when
my eyes open like dinner plates just as
I’m confronted with tackling a big
obstacle at the edge of my ability, with
no way out!
If BMW ever offers me a free bike, any
day now I reckon, I’ll need something to
tackle my favourite tracks, which are a
beautiful combination of rough, rocky
and steep. Yep the stuff of most ADV
riders’ nightmares (obviously not ADB
readers’ nightmares). The 850 is the
bike for really veering off the beaten
track on that long tour.
So might be the newest “playaz in da
hood” (or should that be “da woods”),
the Yamaha Ténéré 700 (about $16,500
rideaway from December) and KTM 790
The is the bike for really
veering off the beaten track
on that long tour
or know how much phone battery they
have left or if you have mobile reception
to call your daughter on her birthday
and tell her how awesome your new
bike is?
The 850 is built for huge rides and
once you’ve tried little luxuries like
cruise control, heated grips and
adjustable screens that add very little
weight, they’re hard to live without.
The ride modes get the thumbs up from
me. Road and Rain are standard and,
with a dongle plugged in under the seat,
you get Dynamic and Enduro plus the
magnificent and absolutely necessary
–Enduro Pro mode. Why so good?
If you ride with knobbies, or even the
brilliant Metzeler Karoos, you’re going
to want to lock up the rear and also
select a level of traction control to suit
the terrain while preserving the tyre.BMW F850GS
Adventure Rallye
SPEX
ENGINE
TYPEDOHC, four-valve, parallel twin
DISPLACEMENT853cc
BORE & STROKE84 x 77mm
COOLING Liquid
COMPRESSION RATIO 12.7:1
FUEL METERING Bosch EFI
TANK CAPACITY 23L
TRANSMISSIONSix-speed constant-mesh
CLUTCHWet multiplate with anti-hop
DIMENSIONS
WHEELBASE1593mm
SEAT HEIGHT 875/860mm
GROUND CLEARANCE N/A
WEIGHT 244kg wet
SUSPENSION
FRONTSpring-cartridge 43mm USD, 230/215mm
REAR Gas-oil monoshock, 210/195mm
BRAKES
FRONT Twin-piston fl oater, 305mm discs
REARSingle-piston fl oater, 265mm disc
RUNNING GEAR
HANDLEBAR Tapered alloy
FRONT TYRE Metzeler Karoo 3 90/90-21
REAR TYRE Metzeler Karoo 3 150/70-17
PRICE & CONTACTS
PRICE$19,765 plus on-roads
WEBbmwmotorrad.com.au
PHONE 1800 813 299
WARRANTYThree yearsMuffl er has moved to the right-hand side We might not need so much info, but it’s niceJosh wants custom options for Enduro Pro modeThere was a bit of steam evident at Tom GrogginCrank up the height on your windscreenTankbag adds to the height of the package