BMW F 850 GS (2018-2023, including Adventure) Maintenance Schedule and Service Intervals
This is the maintenance schedule and service intervals for the BMW F 850 GS, BMW’s middleweight adventure motorcycle, made from model years 2018 onward. It’s the same maintenance schedule for the BMW F 850 GS adventure (the GSA).
The BMW F 850 GS was announced at the same time in late 2017 for the 2018 model year.
It was announced at the same time as an upgrade of the lower power, more road-oriented bike with a detuned version of the same motor, the BMW F 750 GS.
The new F 850 GS is powered by a liquid-cooled 4-valve 853cc parallel twin with a 270-degree crankshaft. It makes 70 kW (95 hp) at 8,250 rpm, a roughly 10% upgrade over the previous BMW F 800 GS from which the new bike has taken the mantle.
In mid-2020, the BMW F 850 GS received a few new updates, including standard ABS Pro and DTC (previously an option), LED turn indicators, and a USB port.
From the 2024 model year, BMW replaced the F 850 GS with the BWM F 900 GS.
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BMW F 850 GS Service Intervals
Overall, the BMW F 850 GS has 6 000 mile or 10 000 km service intervals. At every service, change the engine oil and oil filter.
Every year, conduct the standard BMW service (see the checklist, below).
The major service for the BMW F 850 GS comes every 12 000 miles or 20 000 km, at which point you change the spark plugs and check the valve clearances.
BMW also wants you to change the fork oil every 18 000 miles / 30 000 km.
Change the brake fluid regularly.
Finally, make sure you maintain your BMW F 850 GS’ chain.
What you need to service the BMW F 850 GS
Despite the minor update in 2021, the parts needed to do a basic service on the BMW F 850 GS have remained the same since launch, as the engine wasn’t updated significantly.
| Part | BMW F 850 GS part spec |
|---|---|
| Oil | BMW recommends using BMW Advantec Pro 5W-40, their own brand, but you can use other 15W-50 synthetic oils of high quality. Recommended spec is API grade SL, JASO MA2. |
| Oil filter | The standard oil filter is BMW part 11 42 7 721 779, which is equivalent to Hiflofiltro HF160. |
| Air filter | BMW part number 13 72 8 561 572, which is equivalent to Hiflofiltro HFA7801. |
| Spark plug | The standard spark plug is an NGK LMAR8J-9E per the manual. |
| Coolant | Don’t get into pointless online arguments about coolant… just use BMW Coolant. |
| Brake fluid | Use DOT 4 brake fluid, e.g. Castrol DOT 4, or you can get BMW part number 83 13 2 445 461 (BMW DOT 4) for the official stuff |
| Brake pads | Part numbers for the brake pads are 34 21 8 569 412 for the front brake pads (you need 2 pairs) and 34 21 7 722 884 for the rear. |
| Chain maintenance | A Motul chain care kit is a popular kit of tools and fluids to keep your chain clean and lubricated. |
| 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. |
Maintenance schedule for the BMW F 850 GS
Below is the maintenance schedule for the BMW F 850 GS. It has been adapted to be a little easier to read and to fit this screen.
Notes
- To avoid repetition, the maintenance schedule is cropped at the 40000 km / 24000 mile point. After that, repeat the services as shown every 1, 2, or 3 service intervals.
- Some items (like the oil change) need to be done at the earlier of the time- or distance-based interval, e.g. annually or every 10000 miles / 6000 km. Your service reminder will also tell you, but you can use this schedule to be ready.
- See below for regular service items that should be done every year.
| km x 1000 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mi x 1000 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 | Every |
| Standard BMW service (see below) | Year | ||||
| Engine oil change with filter (BMW Advantec Pro 5W-40, HF160) | X | X | X | X | Year |
| Check valve clearances | X | X | |||
| Replace all spark plugs (NGK LMAR8J-9E) | X | X | |||
| Off-road use: Check or replace the air filter insert | X | X | X | X | Year |
| Normal use: Replace air filter insert (HFA7801) | X | X | |||
| Change telescopic fork oil | X | ||||
| Change brake fluid in entire system (BMW DOT 4) | 2 years |
Standard scope of service — BMW F 850 GS
The standard annual service list of items is below.
Note: [D] means items that a dealer does (unless you have that equipment).
| Standard scope of service — BMW F 850 GS |
|---|
| [D] Performing vehicle test using the BMW Motorrad diagnostic system |
| Check coolant level (top up with BMW Coolant if necessary) |
| Check/adjust clutch play |
| Check the front brake pads and brake discs for wear |
| Check the rear brake pads and brake discs for wear |
| Check the brake fluid level, front and rear (top up with BMW DOT 4) |
| Visually inspect the brake lines, brake hoses, and connections |
| Check spoke tension and adjust as necessary |
| Check the tire pressure and tread depth |
| Check and lubricate the chain drive (Motul Chain Care Kit) |
| Check side stand for ease of movement (grease with lithium soap-based grease if necessary) |
| Check centre stand for ease of movement (grease with lithium soap-based grease if necessary) |
| 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 |
About the BMW F 850 GS
The BMW F 850 GS is BMW’s middleweight travel enduro motorcycle. It’s sometimes seen as the smaller alternative to the BMW R 1250 GS, but the truth is that because of its different motor, lighter weight, and unique personality, it’s just a very different motorcycle.
It’s an update to the BMW F 800 GS, but there’s much more to it than a name change — and much more to it than even the new engine, though that’s a big part of it.
The core of the BMW F 850 GS is the 853cc liquid-cooled parallel twin engine. It makes a peak of 70 kW (95 hp) at 8,250 rpm, with peak torque of 92 Nm at 6,250 rpm, neither low nor high.
The power band of the F 850 GS means that you can use it anywhere in the rev range. It’s geared so that you can do low-speed work when you need to, but also cruise effortlessly along the highway using its cruise control.
One significant change in the F 850 GS vs the previous model is that the engine now has a 90 degree journal offset and a 270 degree firing order.
This 270-degree parallel twin design gives the engine a different torque characteristics and a raspier sound that some say is similar to that of a 90-degree V-twin engine.
Like many BMW street-oriented engines, it would be a disservice to just consider that the the F 850 GS’ parallel twin makes its peak torque at 6250 rpm, as it makes nearly all that torque (over 70 Nm, or 75% of peak torque) from as low as 3000 rpm and all the way to the redline. So this isn’t a bike you need to rev up to get power out of it.
The engine has two counterbalance shafts in front of and behind the crankshaft, driven by spur gears from the left of the crankshaft. These give the new engine a much smoother personality than the outgoing block.
There have been many enhancements to make the BMW F 850 GS more rideable and usable in everyday life. These include
- A self-amplifying anti-hopping wet clutch. This is both easier to use at the clutch lever, and also helps with using the friction zone, e.g. while braking or down-shifting.
- A quick shifter, which BMW calls “Gear shift assistant Pro” — lets you do quick up- and down-shifting without even using the clutch.
- Relocating the exhaust system to the right hand side, so that you can manoeuvre the motorcycle when parked from the left without risk of burning yourself
The BMW F 850 GS has tubeless tyres. It still has a 21-inch front tyre, giving it more off-road agility than the 19-inch front tyre on its little sibling.
The BMW F 850 GS Adventure (the GSA) is the same basic bike, except with
- A larger tank (23L vs 15L usable volume)
- Standard crash bars
- A taller standard screen
- Different luggage options
Both the F 850 GS and F 850 GSA have the same long-travel suspension, wheel and tyre options, TFT display, and other options.
From 2020, BMW made ABS Pro (cornering ABS) standard across the F 850 GS and F 750 GS range, making them an even more compelling option.
Tires for the BMW F 850 GS
The BMW F 850 GS ships standard with the following tire sizes and pressures.
| Wheel | Tyre size | Tyre pressure (cold) |
|---|---|---|
| Front | 90/90-21 | 32-36 psi (2.2-2.5 bar) (one-up to 2-up/with luggage) |
| Rear | 150/70-17 | 36-42 psi (2.5-2.9 bar) (one-up to 2-up/with luggage) |
Reference — Manual for the BMW F 850 GS
The maintenance schedule for the BMW F 850 GS came from the user’s manual. We used a few from different years and compared them and they’re identical. You can see screenshots here.
You can download the user manuals for different years of the BMW F 850 GS directly from BMW’s website here.
