BMW F800 GS LED Light Outfitting Guide

October 14 2021

The BMW F800 GS is an adventure bike for the everyday rider, but it can be made better with the addition of LED lighting accessories from DENALI Electronics. DENALI is your source for fog lights, driving lights, DRL daytime running lights and high intensity brake lights. Here are some of our most popular products for the BMW GS. Click on the button to shop all products that fit your new BMW F750 GS. 

 


Polaris RZR Products



BMW F800 GS


Polaris RZR Products

Featured BMW F800GS DENALI Accessories


BMW F800GS Lighting & Accessories 

BMW F800 GS

Think back to 2008. BMW’s R1200GS had more than hit its stride with a more nimble chassis, less weight, and more power. But adventure riders, both from the touring side of the fence but especially those who wanted to go further off road, kept asking for something even lighter, even nimbler. Cheaper, too, if you can manage it, BMW. 

There was clearly room between the R1200GS and the single-cylinder F650GS, and BMW filled that gap with the F800 series. Actually, it was a number of models on the same framework, using a newly designed parallel-twin engine (sharing nothing with the opposed-twin “boxer” engine in the R1200GS) as the center point. The first F800GS arrived along with a confusingly named F650GS, which actually displaced 800cc but was detuned for newer riders. Riders liked the new engine’s broad torque curve even if its drone-like sound reminded them they could be mowing the lawn. And, after a few weeks, they learned to look for the fuel filler next to the seat rather than behind the handlebars, since BMW had put the tank below the seat.

The F800 and F650 Twins were immediately popular and it wasn’t long before DENALI had a lineup of products just for Bavaria’s newest twins. For example, there’s a model-year-specific light mount for the 2013-2018 BMW F800GS and 2014-2018 F800GS Adventure models that bolts to the main frame and requires no modifications to the fairing or other bodywork for installation. For the U.S. market, the F800GS Adventure came with standard engine crash guards that can be used with a DENALI clamp mount to carry accessory LED driving lights—even if the dealer fitted OEM accessory lighting. (We’ve covered that, too.)

BMW was an early adopter of CAN bus electrical systems, which DENALI leveraged with the CANsmart Accessory Controller. Not only does CANsmart allow for super quick plug-and-play installation (including adding a SoundBomb horn, which usually requires an external relay), but the rider can manage the lights, horn, and optional B6 LED tail light through the existing hand controls. CANsmart also combines features, like a Flash to Pass feature that quickly strobes the LED driving lights when the high beam is pulsed by the rider. BMW also thoughtfully put in a switched power source for accessories, though it used a proprietary connector; fortunately, DENALI has a Switch Power Adapter to make triggering accessories so much easier. DENALI also has a wiring adapter to connect a SoundBomb horn’s wiring harness to the stock horn connector, enabling a fast installation without having to cut the factory BMW wire harness.

BMW’s F800GS and F650GS (along with the short-lived F700GS) finally gave way to the totally redesigned F750GS and F850GS for the 2019 model year, but not until turning a whole generation of riders into BMW adventure-touring fans.