On Track Off Road No.183

That helps make it plenty of fun off-road,
where the fairly high handlebar, slim seat
and serrated footpegs all come in useful
when you’re standing up.
Whether off-road or on, the F850GS is a
sensibly updated parallel twin that is quick,
versatile and capable of tackling everything
that a larger-capacity adventure bike can do.
It also has the benefit of relatively low price
(£9875 in the UK), at least in its basic specification.
Not that most buyers will choose the base
model. Many will pay extra for the F850GS
Sport (£10,755), which includes heated grips,
quick-shifter and cornering ABS. And plenty
of bikes will be kitted out with options including
Dynamic ESA semi-active suspension,
cruise control, keyless ignition and
centre-stand.
One reason for the current rise of mid-capacity
adventure bikes is that this latest breed
can incorporate those electronic and other
features, which large-capacity models have
had for years. Perhaps the main drawback,
in the case of the F850GS, is that doing so
brings its price close to the basic cost of
the mighty R1200GS, with its extra dollop of
power and character (and, yes, weight).
Most riders looking for a GS will doubtless
fall for the familiar charm of the huge-selling
boxer, but BMW’s comprehensively uprated
parallel twin is well worthy of consideration.
As one of the advance guard of adventure
super-middleweights, it has set the bar
temptingly high. Those new arrivals from
KTM and Yamaha are going to have to be
mighty good to beat it.