F800GS & F650GS opinions and alternatives

I'm looking to replace my '07 BMW F800S with something more suited to ADV riding. This will be used as a short distance commuter, weekend fun rides on paved and dirt roads as well as 2-4 day trips consisting of a mix of highway, backroads, dirt/gravel roads and hopefully a BDR or BDR style trip. I'm not expecting it to be the best at everything i'm asking, just good enough to enjoy getting out there.

I've enjoyed the F800S a lot; it does what it's supposed to very well. It did act up once and the independent shop I usually go to didn't even want to look at it after I said "BMW". I managed to fix it myself, though it was one of those repairs where you try a bunch of things and something works, but you don't necessarily know what actually fixed it. I do find BMW's to have more tech than I need or want, and I worry about what could go wrong. That said, older F800GS's and F650S's seem to be what I keep coming back to as options to replace the current bike with. Tenere's are really appealing but are too expensive and too tall for me (30" inseam).

Any feedback on the F800GS with respect to reliability and known issues? Am I going to hate the F650GS single after riding any distance on the highway? Any alternatives you would suggest?

Thanks!

I don't have any experience with the F650 GS single. The F800GS is not that different from what you already have. Relatively unenthusiastic engine, annoyingly short 6th gear, frustrating clutch and throttle response in technical terrain. The clutch isn't a problem on gravel, wider roads, or the street, just depends on what you really want to do with the bike. You already know about the engine and transmission as I think they're the same. Evil handling in sand - they very much have street bike suspension geometry. All that said, they make good low stress commuter bikes, and some of these things are only a issue if you're actually going to end up in techincal or sandy areas - which some of the BDR routes do have.

Weak points in my experience were poor skidplate mounting (damaged oil pan, mounting bolts, etc several times hitting stuff), weak suspension (limited tuning options, shock is very soft for adventure use and will generally fail the shock and/or the upper mounting bolt if you ride off road with luggage, the geometry issue in loose terrain), fuel pump problems, and ECU problems. 

They're good enough as street bikes and if you're not aggressive at all, will be fine as an adventure bike in terms of performance, but my ride group went from 7 people with F800s to zero. People got tired of breaking rear shock bolts and having trips ruined by electrical issues. Most are on Africa Twins now, along with some newer/taller/more expensive bikes that sound like aren't in your market. I don't remember the height difference between a T7, F800GS, and Africa Twin being notably different. 

Is it capable enough for what you want? Yes, but in my opinion there are better options. Last I looked the first gen CRF1000L africa twins went for similar money, and in my opinion are much better adventure bikes. 

I agree with gearhead.  I found the F800 uninspiring to ride, not eager to turn and not all that great off road.  The f650 is a good bike, but there are far better thumpers out there that make much more power and are quite a bit lighter.  For a thumper my favorite, hands down, is a KTM 690.  

There really isn't one "do it all" bike, I think the Aprilia Toureg is probably the closest, if you can stomach the sparse dealer network...

I rode a Rotax single BMW for about a mile before I wanted to take it back.  I'd read all the hype but found it wholly less pleasant than a KLR. 

The thing with a lot of "ADV" bikes is they are tall-ish and the weight is carried up high, which sucks off-road. I'd want to sit on a lot of different bikes and see what you think suits you as far as height and weight distribution, as they vary a lot. I didn't like my Suzuki V-Strom on gravel AT ALL, while my Tiger 800 was much more manageable. Eventually, I went with a Himalayan/Scram as even that was a lot of 'work' off-road and I'm not getting younger. 

Middle of the road choices would be Honda CB500X, some of the KTMs, Tenere 700 and new Chinese offerings like the Benelli and CF Moto. 

From your description you are asking a lot of a single bike and it will be a struggle to find one that does it all. I know; I've looked myself. There will be compromises no matter what you pick. I've decided two bikes is just a better solution, but I have the space and money to do that.

Wonder if you might find the likes of the Guzzi V85TT more suiting.

I think I demo rode an F650 a few years ago, and found it buzzy a hell.
I did demo ride the F750GS last year and was astonished at how poor a bike I found it to be, especially in traffic.

Anyways, just about any BMW dealership should let you take the f800GS out for a demo ride so you can see what you think of it.