BMW F 800 GS (all years) Maintenance Schedule

This is the maintenance schedule and service intervals for the BMW F 800 GS, BMW’s middleweight adventure motorcycle, made from model years 2008 through to 2017.

The BMW F 800 GS was first announced in 2007 for the 2008 model year, when it was introduced along with the new F 650 GS (with the same capacity detuned parallel twin motor, and other lower specs).

The original F800 GS was powered by a 798cc four-valve-per-cylinder DOHC parallel twin engine that made 63 kW (71 hp) @ 7,000 rpm, and maximum torque of 75 Nm at 4,500 rpm, relatively low.

The engine didn’t change significantly until the BMW F 800 GS was retired. Between 2008 and 2017, the maintenance schedule in the manual stayed the same, and all parts used (spark plugs, air filter, etc.) remained the same.

(The only change is that after the ride by wire update from late 2016, you no longer have a throttle cable to lubricate. So if you have one, lube it. Otherwise, don’t!)

In mid May 2013, BMW also announced the F 800 GS Adventure, based on the same platform.

In late 2017, BMW updated its line, replacing the F 800 GS with the BMW F 850 GS for the 2018 model year.

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BMW F 800 GS service intervals

The BMW F 800 GS has service intervals of 6000 mi or 10000 km. At each service, change the oil and do a list of checks (listed under “annual service” check items).

BMW also recommends you change the oil every year, regardless of distance.

The valve service maintenance interval is every two services (12000 miles or 20000 km), and BMW recommends you change the spark plugs every four services.

One unusual maintenance item on the BMW F 800 GS is replacing the fork fluid, which BMW recommends every 30000 km or 18000 miles.

What you need to service the BMW F 800 GS

Luckily, the parts needed to do a basic service on the BMW F 800 GS have remained the same across the years, as the engine wasn’t updated significantly from a maintenance perspective.

Part	BMW F 800 GS part spec
Oil	BMW recommends using BMW Advantec Pro 15W-50, their own brand, but you can use other 15W-50 synthetic oils of high quality (API SJ/JASO MA2).
Oil filter	The standard oil filter is BMW part 11 42 8 409 567, which is equivalent to Hiflofiltro HF160RC.
Air filter	BMW part number 13 71 8 529 998, which is equivalent to Hiflofiltro HFA7913.
Spark plug	The standard spark plug is an NGK DCPR8E per the manual. BMW part number is 12 12 7 690 603.
Brake fluid	Use DOT 4 brake fluid, e.g. Castrol DOT 4, or you can get BMW part number 83 13 2 445 461 for the official stuff
Brake pads	Part numbers for the brake pads are 34 11 7 705 216 for the front brake pads (you need 2 pairs) and 34 21 7 722 884 for the rear.
Cable lubricant	Use Protect all cable life to lubricate moving cables.
General grease	Use a lithium soap-based grease for external pivot points like the kickstand etc.

BMW F 800 GS maintenance bits and pieces

Maintenance schedule for the BMW F 800 GS

Below is the maintenance schedule for the BMW F 800 GS. It has been adapted to be a little easier to read and to fit this screen.

Notes

Keep following the schedule in the pattern shown (every 1, 2, 3, or 4 service intervals)
Follow the earlier of time-based or distance-based intervals. E.g. change the oil every 10000 km / 6000 miles or annually.
The maintenance schedule doesn’t specify an interval for coolant. However, for other F 800 motorcycles, the service manual recommends a service interval of 4 years.

km x 1000	10	20	30	40
mi x 1000	6	12	18	24	Every
Conduct standard BMW annual service (see below)					Year
Engine oil change with filter	✓	✓	✓	✓	Year
Check valve clearance		✓		✓
Replace all spark plugs				✓
Replace air cleaner insert		✓		✓
Check or replace the air filter element	✓	✓	✓	✓	Year (if riding in harsh conditions)
Change oil in telescopic forks			✓
Change brake fluid in entire system					2 years
Change coolant (see notes)					4 years

BMW F 800 GS maintenance schedule

Standard Annual Service — BMW F 800 GS

The standard annual list of service items is below.

Two notes:

[D] means items that a dealer does.
[CT] is for models with a cable throttle, before the Ride by Wire update in 2016. Other maintenance items are 100% identical.

Standard scope of service — BMW F 800 GS
[D] Performing the brief test using the BMW Motorrad diagnostic system
Check coolant level
Check/adjust clutch play
[CT] Check accelerator Bowden cable for ease of movement, chafing and kinks, and play
Check the front/rear brake fluid level
Check the front/rear brake pads and brake discs for wear
Visually inspect the brake lines, brake hoses, and connections
Check tension of spokes and tighten as needed
Check the tire pressure and tread depth
Check and lubricate the chain drive
Check side stand for ease of movement
Check centre stand for ease of movement (when fitted)
Check the lighting and signal system
Check the steering-head bearing
Check the engine start suppression works
Final inspection and road safety check
[D] Set the service date and remaining distance to service
Check charging state of battery
[D] Confirm the BMW service in the vehicle literature

BMW F 800 GS – standard scope of service

About the BMW F 800 GS

The BMW F 800 GS was an all-new model when it was launched in 2007 for the 2008 model year. It used the same basic parallel twin engine as the BMW F 800 ST, which was launched shortly before it.

Before the F 800 GS, the small adventure bikes that BMW offered (along with the R 1200 GS of the time) were single-cylinder 650cc thumpers. BMW continued to offer these for a while in the form of the BMW G 650 GS, but that line has now been retired.

But the BMW F 800 GS had an uncommon engine style for BMW — the parallel twin. BMW used a 798cc dual overhead-cam liquid-cooled parallel twin for both its F 800 GS and F 650 GS twin, though in different states of tune. The F 650 GS was also generally lower spec in brakes, suspension, and some other components.

An unusual characteristic of the F 800 GS’ parallel twin engine is the firing order. It has a 360 degree crank, which means one firing cycle for each crankshaft rotation. The pistons move up and down together. This means the sound is just like that of boxer engines, which have the same firing offset.

BMW claims it gives the engine excellent torque characteristics, but similar claims are made of engines with other firing orders by other manufacturers (e.g. Yamaha claims the same for the Ténéré 700 with its 270-450 firing order).

The pistons moving together leads to some vibration, which is smoothed out using a balance shaft. Despite this, the F 800 GS is still a vibey-bike — something to be expected. All BMW adventure bikes share this characteristic.

As you’d expect from an adventure bike, the BMW F 800 GS has ample suspension travel. The front forks (which are conventional forks, not Telelever like on the R 1200 GS) give you 230mm of travel.

The wheels are spoked, and the tyres are Continental Twinduro (in standard trip) which are capable on a variety of terrain types. Brakes are Brembo, with optional and later standard ABS.

There were some updates for the BMW F 800 GS:

2008-2012: The original 798cc parallel twin F 800 GS with optional ABS.
2013 – 2016: Updated engine, still a 798cc parallel twin, with slightly more power and torque (higher in the rev range). Added an updated display, optional ASC and ESA, and standard ABS in both models, as well as cosmetic changes. BMW introduced the BMW F 800 GS Adventure in 2014.
2017: Same engine, but now with ride by wire with ride modes, updated silencer, new instrument panel, and other minor updates including Euro 4 emissions compliance.

Even though the F 800 GS got nicer looking and more high-tech over time, the engine stayed mostly the same, and so did maintenance.

The only aspect of maintenance to change over the F 800 GS’ lifetime is that with ride by wire (in 2017), you no longer have to check and lubricate a throttle cable as part of regular maintenance.

Tires for the BMW F 800 GS

The BMW F 800 GS ships standard with the following tyre sizes and pressures.

Wheel	Tire size	Tire pressure (cold)
Front	90/90-21	2.2-2.5 bar (one-up to 2-up/with luggage) 220-250 kPa / 32-36 psi
Rear	150/70-17	2.5-2.9 bar (one-up to 2-up/with luggage) 250-290 kPa / 36-42 psi

BMW F 800 GS tyre sizes and pressures

Manual for the BMW F 800 GS

The maintenance schedule for the BMW F 800 GS came from the user’s manual. We used a few from different years and compared them. You can see screenshots below.