Sorry - moving this to the modification forum, makes more sense there!
No wait - this does seem the best place for it, original question attached below:
Hi All,
The bike I have is as described below:
BMW F800S in red
BMW Trip Computer
ABS
BMW Alarm and Immobiliser
Side and Centre Stand
BMW Heated Grips
BMW panniers inc inner bags, same key as ignition
FSH, 21k miles
Large Givi Top Box
Brand new front discs and pad
Brand new rear wheel assembly (old one rusted)
What can I do to get a bit more power out of the old girl? Its a 2006 model with around 89BHP but if I’m honest, I think around 100BHP would keep me a happy chappy and this would then be my bike for life. I like the bike, does everything I want town and on the motorway, but a bit more “oomph” wouldn’t hurt especially on track days.
On the forums I am told that a Power Commander doesn’t really do that much for it (people got 1-2BHP more but found that town riding was deteriorated) hence any advice welcome.
PS and don’t say “take off your panniers and top box!” as they are super useful when visiting friends for the weekend!!!
Hmmm. I personally would change the bike, but the link below suggests a new exhaust and powerbox could do the trick. I’m not sure that you would really feel much benefit though…
I don’t mean to sound negative but we’ve had threads here about doing similar to a sports bike and a full exhaust system and remap can get you about 5bhp which depending on the bike is about 5% gain for the thick end of a grand. Someone can correct me if I’m wrong but in general there aren’t really substantial gains to be had unless you spend a fortune which is money up the wall. I think if you want more power consider a different bike.
Joby is right. There isn’t really a way to get a significant power gain from the engine without spending a lot of cash getting it race tuned, eg ported and honed, re-jetted, full exhaust system…
You’d be better off sticking with what you’ve got, or shopping it in for a bike with more native power.
Shame to hear but what I expected… Basically up to £1k spending may get me around 5BHP if I’m lucky, hence best thing is to get another bike if I miss the extra oomph that much.
My only issue is, there isn’t much else that can do lots of town, motorway and still have a space for my panniers and top box!?!
There’s plenty, for example the Bandit 1250SA is great both in town and on the motorway, and has enough power and more than enough torque to keep you grinning. And plenty of space for panniers and top box.
So much for BMW “quality” lol. Never had that problem with my 2007 Suzuki :hehe:
GSF1250 - agreed great bike, however my BMW is only 189 kilos while the GSF is 240kils… I am just under 6 foot but a bit skinny, hence dont want all the extra weight!
R1200S - known to be very vibey at higher speeds… plus not sure how you would add panniers and topbox. No pics anywhere shows it with them
Fazer 1000 - That is the best other choice and a bike that I have looked at before. However, older 08 models do not have ABS although as a package it is an excellent bike due to the R1 engine not being detuned. Only issue with the one I was going to buy is the £1,200 insurance quote compared to my current £500
Nope it’s 229kg, and there are options for shedding weight, like getting an aftermarket exhaust (which most owners do, which means you can get brand new, standard exhausts for peanuts). And the engine is so smooth and torquey that you probably wouldn’t notice that extra weight around town. The weight does come in handy on motorways when there’s a sidewind - the bike remains solidly planted and doesn’t get blown about. Makes for very smooth and relaxing long-distance journeys.
Kevsta that’s wet weight with full tank of fuel, using that measure the OP’s bike weighs 204 kg. The weight’s not that bad and can actually work in your favour, as stated above. And can be reduced if need be.
