BMW F 850 GS Adventure 2023 — Specifications

Update, slight evolution, adaptation to market temptations? The F 850 GS Adventure saw 2021 as a time to enrich its equipment. The entire family is entitled to it, with features to appreciate daily use.

Since then, ABS Pro (cornering ABS) and traction control DTC are now standard. The motorcycle also gains a USB socket on the dashboard, LED turn signals, and the color TFT screen with connectivity functions. There are no changes to the parallel twin, except that it is ready for Euro5.

On the options front, things are also changing. Low-set seat, revised lowered suspension... but it is mainly with the Pro Riding Modes that we see the revisions. The Dynamic Mode is recalibrated, a pre-select button can be installed on the right handlebar for the 4 Modes, ABS deactivation now passes through the Enduro and Enduro Pro Modes, and the pack includes engine braking control. A 40 Years edition allows you to stand out while celebrating 4 decades of GS.

Thus equipped, the BM maintains its 'mid-range' positioning and retains its passport to flirt with the sleeping Allan Quatermain within us.

Arriving in autumn 2017 to replace the eponymous 800, the F 850 GS awaited its 'Adventure' version as all good Bavarian touring motorcycles should. Little sister of the R 1250 GS from which she borrowed its travel guide and its desire for elsewhere, the F 850 GS takes flight with the arrival in the catalog of this 'Adventure' derivative.

Differentiated fairing, more protective and more masculine (as the Bavarian firm likes to specify), taller, wider and two-position adjustable windshield, handguards and engine guard. This allows you to immediately differentiate this upgraded mid-size trail version while promising better protection from the elements. On closer inspection, we also note that ergonomics have been slightly optimized with wider enduro-style footrests and a brake pedal and gear selector that are adjustable here. A longer luggage rack made of stainless steel also differentiates this "Adventur'ière" more suited to welcoming zulupack and down comforters with a winch. Thus adorned, the F850 GS Adventure and its passenger, connected by a double-reinforced handlebar raised by 15 mm, will be able to attempt to push the horizon with more ambition...and less back pain.

But what would a true adventurer be without a propensity to swallow kilometers as one devours one's budget at the gas station... In this game, the Adventure makes enormous progress and sees its tank go from 15 to 23 liters, which allows it to travel a minimum of 550 kilometers. That's Paris-Düsseldorf without stopping at the pump. Or Johannesburg-Durban for the most exotic among us!

Of course, laden with its equipment, this F 850 GS gains weight and climbs to 248 kg fully fueled, or 15 kg more than the standard version.

But let's return to the heart of the machine, housed in a new steel tubular trellis frame (the old one was aluminum) which is stiffer and more robust. Compared to the F800GS Adventure it replaces, this 850 incorporates an engine completely revised and ready for multiple occasions. BMW has seriously looked at its parallel twin to offer more. With more space in the cylinders, it will be able to give a lot of sound. The displacement increases to 853 cm3, or 55 more. Power reaches 95 horsepower at 8250 rpm and a torque of 9.4 mkg at 6250 rpm. That's 10 hp and almost 1 mkg more than on the previous F 800 GS Adventure. The entire set of modifications results in a reversal of place for some peripherals. Thus, the secondary chain transmission passes to the left and the exhaust pipe migrates to the right. BM had done the same type of operation when its 1200 GS adopted the liquid-cooled boxer. Why? Because with an exhaust pipe on the right of the bike, you avoid burning yourself when maneuvering the bike on the left side; the side we use the most.

Like the F 850 GS, the Adventure is full of electronics, as standard or optional. Let's start with the original equipment, which includes two Riding Modes (Rain and Road), DTC, ABS Pro, and a full modern dashboard - This 6.5-inch high-tech screen offers a much more modern display and allows you to manage music, the phone and the vital parameters of the machine. But as with BMW, a visit to the amuse-bouche box can quickly tempt you. It is thus possible to equip the F 850 GS Adventure with electronically adjustable ESA suspension, a quickshifter, Pro Riding Modes - which adds Enduro, Enduro Pro and Dynamic -, LED signature headlight, Dynamic brake light, emergency call system, Keyless Ride keyless start system. As usual, BMW offers different packs to access different options depending on the intended uses (Comfort, Touring, Dynamic).

This machine will of course be bridable in A2, which constitutes an asset for the one who will be the springboard for a beginner aiming to compete for the queen 1250 GS when his experience (and his wallet) will have grown. But thinking about it, in its touring version, this mid-range trail will ultimately have almost nothing to envy its big sister, except for the famous final transmission by cardan, a formidable balance and the breath of the big 1250.

M.B - Manufacturer photos