Rather than quote everybody, here is the great big response from one F800 rider who has owned the bike for 3 years and has gleaned lots of info from the F800 riders forum, rather then rely on "hearsay".
Price : F800s start at low $10g's. Cost more? Yes, but it has some neat features for its price, its well engineered, has Brembo brakes, braided brake lines, standard heated grips, fat mid range torque, stunning fuel economy and the reviews on the bike are quite positive, and hey, its a BMW.
Suspension : This bike was designed for a large cross section of riders. From beginners, to "reentry" riders, to women (they offer a low seat, and low suspension option), to old guys and everyone else in between. Yes, the front end is pretty soft, low tech and its quite obvious this is where BMW cut costs. But many like it the way it rides in stock form. Its obvious, some don't. Im one of them. Nothing that $300 of RaceTech goods (emulators, stiffer springs, thicker oil), a saturday afternoon, and some elbow grease, and you have a very decent suspension set up. Otherwise, if you want FULL adjustability, you can opt for the Traxxion AK-20 cartridge kit.
Brakes : Besides adding cost and complexity. Why add radial brakes? The F8 already employs braided brake lines, massive double 320mm Brembo discs and calipers. It stops quite well. Here is where the engineers decided that this was all it needed at this price point, and the reviews show that the F800 stops quite well against other bikes in its class.
Parts prices : Yes, anything BMW specific is quite pricey. But the usual stuff, like filters, pads and other consumables are typically priced and can easily be bought on the aftermarket. For BMW parts, you'd be best to hit up a forum, ebay, or buy from the US to save some. But admittedly, their parts are grossly expensive.
Maintenance : its a very simple bike to maintain. oil changes are a snap, coolant changes, brake fluid, as are other maintenance items. Adjusting the valves is trickier, but much easier than doing a vtec VFR800. Several backyard mechanics on the forum checked their valves with very little difficulty.
Overall : "Every" bike has compromises, as seen in my research of bikes I've considered, or may buy in the future :
-The S1000RR was criticized for having "cheap" suspension and brakes against competitors, yet the bike handles and brakes quite well, esp at its price point. Its all about the engineering!
-Ducati 796 - why is it that if I spring for the ABS option, we get stuck with a smaller gas tank? In 2011, engineers cant design a bike to fit an ABS system without shrinking my gas tank so that I get less smiles per mile? But its got nice forks and radial brakes, so it must be ok, right?
-Kawasaki Ninja 1000 - why is there no ABS option on this bike? They offer it overseas, but they don't see as a nice option for us? Its a great all round bike that can be used for sport and touring, has adjustable windscreen, and available bags. So wheres the ABS all its competitors offer?
So, all in all..... what a potential customer has to decide, is if the F800 shortcomings, or any bike for that matter, are ones they can live with.
Cheers.
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