2011 BMW F800R Review

[Kevin_Duke]

Very impressive to get an FZ1 running nearly even with the Z1000 down low!

[Morbo the Destroyer]

Originally Posted by Jeff Cobb

And to meander back a little more on topic, today Kevin gave me the F800R. It's a nice bike. Love the fact the Euros actually spec good (Michelin) tires on their bikes, instead of so-so OE Bridgestones and

Ok, pop quiz: Your imaginary rich Uncle has a Z1000 and an F800R, both brand new, sitting in his garage. He says you can have one to ride for the next few years.

What would you do, Jack? WHAT WOULD YOU DO??

[Duken4evr]

Thanks for the sorta off topic post. Now to keep the ball rolling or meandering, as the case may be, a couple months ago we were going to mod a Z1000 but it was late in the year, so Kawasaki asked for it back. Perhaps we could see if Ivan could help us with the 2011 Z when we get one? I know he does good work. Any other suggestions for it?

Ivan is very active on the FZ1 board, as the FZ1 is so darn jacked up from the factory that he has made good money tuning/fixing it for us. He is a businessman after all!

I asked Ivan about the Z/Ninja 1000. He says they have very mild cams and that the airbox (typical of Kawasaki) is very well designed. He is confident the Ninja/Z can reach 150hp without losing any low end with a cam swap, compression increase and raising the rev limit a tad.

That is a bit too much work and expense for me though. As it sits, the Ninja/Z wakes up real nicely with an exhaust. One owner on the board says his tweaked bike will pick up the front end at 4,000 rpm. That sounds like fun! If I owned one of those, I would add a Pipercross filter, Akra full exhaust and a PCIII with Ivan's map and call it a day

No doubt Ivan would be interested in participating in your project! I sure would be interested in reading about it!

[CrazyBiker]

I agree with Duke. I also own a fully modded FZ1 and to me at this moment if it is going to be replaced, the new Ninja 1000 is the prime contender. Big factor is I OWN my FZ1 vs having to spend another 4-5k on the Ninja for a slight gain in midrange. However MCN reported better mpg figures with the Z1000SX or Ninja 1000 - 41 mpg vs FZ1s 35 mpg. Now thats a perfect tourer.

[Kevin_Duke]

Originally Posted by Morbo the Destroyer

Ok, pop quiz: Your imaginary rich Uncle has a Z1000 and an F800R, both brand new, sitting in his garage. He says you can have one to ride for the next few years.

What would you do, Jack? WHAT WOULD YOU DO??

I'd opt for the 45-horse upgrade and take the Z1000! The F800 will make for a nicer commuter and is lighter and has a better set of optional equipment, but for someone like me, I'll take the hooligan Z1K.

[Kevin_Duke]

Originally Posted by CrazyBiker

I agree with Duke. I also own a fully modded FZ1 and to me at this moment if it is going to be replaced, the new Ninja 1000 is the prime contender. Big factor is I OWN my FZ1 vs having to spend another 4-5k on the Ninja for a slight gain in midrange. However MCN reported better mpg figures with the Z1000SX or Ninja 1000 - 41 mpg vs FZ1s 35 mpg. Now thats a perfect tourer.

Stock to stock, the Kawi motor is vastly superior, both in terms of grunt and fuel economy. The Ninja 1K not only has decent wind protection, but it also has an extra gallon of fuel capacity, which can be a significant benefit depending on what kind of riding you do.

We hope to put the FZ1 against the Ninja to see how they shake out. It's just disappointing that the Yamaha shows such a hug midrange power deficit in stock form. The dyno chart from Duken, stock to stock, doesn't even look like bikes of the same displacement!

[Kevin_Duke]

Originally Posted by Duken4evr

No doubt Ivan would be interested in participating in your project! I sure would be interested in reading about it!

I wish Ivan was located closer to SoCal! I'd love to bring readers a sidebar on how the bike react to light modifications like a pipe and PC. Sadly, the amount of variable and extra time to do it makes it problematic for us and our small staff. Even in this recession, there's no shortage of new bikes to test - thankfully!

[Jeff Cobb]

Originally Posted by Morbo the Destroyer

Ok, pop quiz: Your imaginary rich Uncle has a Z1000 and an F800R, both brand new, sitting in his garage. He says you can have one to ride for the next few years.

What would you do, Jack? WHAT WOULD YOU DO??

Even though Kevin answered a question you posed in reply to my post, I'd say I too would want the Z1000.

[acecycleins]

Z1000 if my knees could handle it.

[Kevin_Duke]

Originally Posted by Jeff Cobb

Even though Kevin answered a question you posed in reply to my post, I'd say I too would want the Z1000.

Sorry about responding to a forum thread to an article I wrote!