super good BMW F800St

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My experience has been like finding a super good babe, having a huge blowout fight soon after meeting her, sulking around for awhile, deciding it's totally without hope, waiting, meeting for coffee, and by New Years, everything is peachy again.

I love the bike. Mine had a fuel pump failure combined with an erratic engine ignition pick-up. Major Problems that should not have happened. It was a disappointment, a very big one.

I've bitched about all that, and I've since shut up about the bike until I had some time to think about ownership and the bike itself.

It's fixed, my confidence in it has for the most part returned, and by early Summer, as long as it has zero problems, it will be a keeper again. I have been grabbing rides here and there as the weather has allowed, and I'm looking forward to having fun with it this season.

It has plenty of power. It will do fine. I'm short, and I bought the lowered version and the really low seat. That part has worked out brilliantly, compared to my R1150R's, I feel very relaxed on this bike. The last thing it is is top heavy, I sold my K1200RS after just 12 months because it was silly top-heavy.

The computer is very nice to have. I was skeptical at first, but I've come to enjoy it.

The bike handles perfectly.

I haven't had the ABS come on, and I probably won't. I don't ride very quickly. In the 3 bikes I've owned with ABS, I've only seen it come on once, on my 05 BMW F650GS. I feel ABS is an expensive gimmick, and would buy a bike without it. But, this one had it, so it's no big thing.

Living with the belt drive is unique. No maintenance, silent, clean...you can't ask for more, there isn't any. You just don't think about final drive any longer.

You'll want to change the front fork springs. The OEM are way too stiff for a 170# rider. They banged the heck out of me. Put in progressively wound Hyperpro springs, and it's like a different motorcycle. That is the one change to this bike I feel is mandatory, unless this is going to be a track bike for you.

I will still say it's a good bike to own, if you want a touring bike that isn't real heavy. The long wheelbase makes such a light machine stable in winds. It has spoiled me against heavy bikes, that much is certain. I can wheel this thing around like it's a 250. But, it has the midrange torque and stability of a big bike. The engine's powerband is also brilliant.