2019 BMW F 750 GS
FIRST IMPRESSION
P74
A NEW HEART
The liquid-cooled, DOHC, eight-valve, four-
stroke engine powering the F 750 GS is a ground
up redesign, with BMW claiming 77 horsepower at
7500 rpm and 61 lb-ft of torque at 6000 rpm, via
the 853cc engine that's both longer and wider at
84 x 77mm bore and stroke compared to the 92 x
75.6mm dimension of the 700.
BMW engineers were charged with not only im-
proving horsepower and reducing fuel consump-
tion, but also reducing the vibrations felt by the
rider at speed. To this end, they've fitted a second
counterbalancer and changed the crankpin offset
from 0° to 90° to give a 270°/450° firing inter-
val and with it, an all-new, deeper exhaust note
compared to the 0°/360° firing intervals of the old
798cc F 700 GS.
That F 700 was fitted with a single connecting
rod between the two main rods to dampen out vi-
brations, but the 850 gets two dedicated counter-
balancers mounted on the crankshaft and driven
by spur gears. The result is one of the smoothest
twin-cylinder motors I've ever ridden, one who's
throttle response can be manipulated up to four
different ways by the two standard ride modes of
Rain and Road, and two optional extra modes of
Dynamic and Enduro (the F 850 GS also gets an
another mode of Enduro Pro).
Getting that go to the chain drive that's been
moved from right to left is a redesigned, six-speed
gearbox that can be fitted with BMW's Gear Shift
Assist Pro for clutchless up and down shifts as a
factory accessory. The clutch is new, BMW fitting
an anti-hopping (slipper) design so you can bang
down the gears and not lock the back wheel up—
the design also helps to give a lighter pull at the
lever than previously.
With the chain drive moved to the left, the
exhaust has been relocated to the right, and the
gas tank, which was normally found at the rear of
the bike under the seat has been moved back to
the traditional place of behind the steering head.
This is one of the more easily spotted improve-
ments made to the chassis design, as the top of
the tank is now taller than the outgoing 700, and
The new dash is superb and offers an absolute
plethora of options for the rider.
Mission control for all the electronic gizmos on the
750. It's been this way for years with BMW motorcycles.
The brakes are pretty small, as are the fork legs. That
alloy rim doesn't like hitting things hard at speed,
either, and can dent easily.
