I took my 1200gsa in Friday for a new tyre/ MOT and the dreaded bung fitting so i thought i'd book a loaner in case in took a while. i'd originally booked a GSA so i could fit my rear BMW bag to the rack but for some reason there wasn't one and the first offering was a GS but the bag wasn't a straight on/off like the GSA so i said no, second up was a 1600 and that was an even bigger no no where i planned to go, third up was the 850 adventure with the same rack so i said yes i'll give it a go.
I must say i was very impressed and it turned out to be very enjoyable, the handling was sweet enough, size wise it was similar height and felt roomy enough. The screen was obviously smaller but it very effective. It didn't quite have the planted feel of the GSA but that's probably down to less bulk. Performance wise i'd say there ain't that much in it between that and its bigger brother and when its pushed it certainly moves. All the power anyone needs in the real world.
I had a decent ride on it and thought i'd be just as happy riding this as my GSA so when i come to change it will definitely be on the list and price wise they seem decent good value. Next time i might give the alloy wheel version a go as the spoked wheels do my head in when it comes to cleaning, but that's just me. I suspect the new transalp will be a similar mover performance wise and that was under consideration at some point down the line but the tubed tyres is an issue, for me at least.
I suspect the 850's are often overlooked but they shouldn't be. I'd certainly recommend a test ride and ideally back to back with the bigger brother. Its now definitely on my list of possible's for the future.
I must say i was very impressed and it turned out to be very enjoyable, the handling was sweet enough, size wise it was similar height and felt roomy enough. The screen was obviously smaller but it very effective. It didn't quite have the planted feel of the GSA but that's probably down to less bulk. Performance wise i'd say there ain't that much in it between that and its bigger brother and when its pushed it certainly moves. All the power anyone needs in the real world.
I had a decent ride on it and thought i'd be just as happy riding this as my GSA so when i come to change it will definitely be on the list and price wise they seem decent good value. Next time i might give the alloy wheel version a go as the spoked wheels do my head in when it comes to cleaning, but that's just me. I suspect the new transalp will be a similar mover performance wise and that was under consideration at some point down the line but the tubed tyres is an issue, for me at least.
I suspect the 850's are often overlooked but they shouldn't be. I'd certainly recommend a test ride and ideally back to back with the bigger brother. Its now definitely on my list of possible's for the future.