My BMW F850 GS: Significant observations while riding around Ladakh

Riding position is a god send , haven't felt any pain anywhere either seated or stood up.

BHPian nitro.1000bhp recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Currently riding around ladakh and it's been a week now, did the nubra valley circuit. Going to do the pangong, tsomoriri circuit tomorrow.

Some observations about the F850. If you let the rpms drop too low in high passes then it bogs down for a split second which gives me the jitters as momentum drops you really feel the heft of the bike. Some clutch work is needed to keep the engine on boil.

Front suspension woes are amplified around these parts, the damping is inadequate and maybe the preload too. Me being less than 70 kilos , it's shocking how bmv managed to get it so wrong. Partly my fault as I was carrying the kitchen sink and commode too. Got to leh and got rid of some bags, was a lot better after.

The fuel cap has a mind of its own (damn keyless start) . At times it opens readily and sometimes you have to turn the ignition on and off to get it open. Could have given a key just for this alone imo.

Rest is all well and good. The electronics as usual are flawless and had my back at most scenarios. Changed tyres before coming here to metzeler karoo street for some off-road performance. Not very happy with the front though. It tips into the turn quite

Easily but won't hold the line. Tends to understeer and suddenly loses grip. Not very progressive the way it slides. Won't recommend this tyre atleast for the 850gs.

Had a small mishap when parked outside a cafe in leh. Bike was parked at a steep angle. Once I started the bike, due to the vibrations it moved forward and got off the side stand and fell into a ditch! Luckily the people in the cafe helped get the bike up. The givi bash plate took the full brunt of the fall and protected the engine case. Highly recommended this.

Riding position is a god send , haven't felt any pain anywhere either seated or stood up. Feels tailored to my size Seats are supremely comfy too.

Added Baja squadron sport lights as stock lights are like fireflies in a jam jar. Had to get the hexcan can bus too totalling around 50k, gulp!!. Hefty price to pay but it is what is. Need to be able to see so I'd say money well spent. These are plenty adequate and don't see the need for the more expensive Baja pro ones.

Range varies between terrain , altitude and speed. Around these parts iam getting around 4.5L per 100km average which I think is amazing for this class of bike. On the plains it was about 5 to 5.5l per 100km.

That's all for now. Will post more as I go along.

Attaching Some pics for your pleasure:

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