Looking for new ride

[bmdubyou]

Can we ask this on here? I was wondering what to look for in a used F650? How many miles are people getting on their bikes? are their things to watch for? Any major problems? Certain years more reliable?

[PacWestGS]

Mac, there are certainly more qualified here than I, but what I have heard is the engine is good for 80K if cared for. Some people have 000,000 on their's without many problems. And the little buggers have been ridden around the world more than many other bikes.

I heard the 2001/2? or which ever first came out with fuel-injection and a single spark plug had some issues with surging, but I really don't know if it was that much of an issue. They have since fixed this and the newer ones are really reliable and smooth.

HTH, they are a great little bike that is not so little. :thumb

Doc

[PUDGYPAINTGUY]

Can we ask this on here? I was wondering what to look for in a used F650? How many miles are people getting on their bikes? are their things to watch for? Any major problems? Certain years more reliable?


Check out F650.com in the FAQs and there is an answer for just about everything including world peace and the meaning of life, well maybe that is too far but certainly all issues pertaining to the bike is addressed in rather great detail.

Certainly the maintenance and care of the bike would influence longevity, and if you get the maintenance DVDs that are offered on the site you will see that the work is very simple. A real confidence builder for knowing that whatever may go wrong will be easy to fix. Just a thought anyway.

[sgborgstrom]

The BMW "powers that be" went to a single sparkplug when they did the switch from carburetors to FI. Much like the surging found on oilheads there are many fixes out there, each with it's own champions. An assortment of software upgrades were made available too, which helped. I wouldn't worry too much about it They went back to 2 plugs in '05(?) which I believe helped too, at least we don't here too many folks gripping about it on those bikes.

Steering head bearings don't seem to last too long on these bikes either.

My 2001 dakar has been a great bike, the others rarely get ridden anymore.

Steve

[PAULBACH]

Here is another useful 650 site with a foreign perspective:

http://www.f650.co.uk/

Traded in my R1100RT for my 2005 F650 CS. I simply was not doing any touring on the RT and the RT is a lot of bike to move around in the garage.
:jawdrop

In retrospect it was one of the smarter moves I have made. I ride a lot more; get over 60 miles a gallon and the CS runs strong. Height 5’ 11” and 250 lbs – full figured kind of guy Did add a GIVI topcase for trips to the grocery store, running other errands. and locking up the Nolan

For awhile the side case availability was an issue but found Happy-trail.com makes a very nice line of luggage for the CS. Jesse suggested them.

Another big plus is the belt drive. There are no splines to lubricate; expensive job that operation. There is no chain to oil and clean with a toothbrush or other cleaning aid and then lubricate again. Just clean the belt with compressed air and job is done in less than a minute. :thumb

Give one a test drive. That test drive at local dealer, MAX sold me.

And about the touring – solved that problem by finding a K75.
:bikes

[bmdubyou]

Oh wow...very cool! I didn't know they had a belt drive. WHich ones had that? My 84 kawasaki 440 had a belt! Loved it! 60MPG sounds really great too!

[sgborgstrom]

Belt drive was found on the F650CS, aka "scarver". Note use of the past tense, this model was discontinued after 2005. Which doesn't mean you can't still get one, in fact you might just get a good deal.

Steve

[PAULBACH]

It is a long story and some customers felt "shafted" but BMW lowered the cost of the F650 CS by a thousand dollars.

There should be some great deals out there.

:clap

[PacWestGS]

There is one sitting on the 'used' floor at South Sound BMW right now.

South Sound BMW (http://www.southsoundbmw.com)

Fixed URL

Go to USED BIKES 7,290 for an '05

[PAULBACH]

Take advantage of a test drive. I think you will be surprised. :newtoy

Just keep tack above 3K and you will fly. Just think about making a turn and the bike takes you there. Heated grips should come in handy this weekend.

Paul

[bmdubyou]

I'd also like to possibly do a bit of off-roading so I'm now looking at GS models more closely. I wonder if anyone has some insight on the F models compared to the bigger brothers (like the 80's-90's 100 and 1100's)??

I wonder if the powers that be have thought about adding another category on here for the dual-purpose bikes!

[PacWestGS]

Mac,

What kind of 'Off-Roading' do you have in mind?

I just got back from a quick (short) off-roading adventure with the Dakar on some single-track stuff, lots of water, lots of rocks (softball size), roots and ruts. Up and down steep gravel hills and high-banked ORV trails. The F650GSD is a hand-full for what I would say (An extremely experienced rider: MX and ISDE type racing past). I got to thinking, would I have wanted to take the R1150GS on this same trail today, the answer would be 'NO'. Could it be done, 'Yes', but a lot of work and probably some cussing too.

The F-bike is what I thought it to be, but it is still not a 200# dirt bike with lots of on tap instant power to get you out of something you got into. The Dakar was so mellow in fact that I almost fell over in some of those corners because it was slow to build stabilizing power to the rear wheel. It does however haul a$$ through straight woops and the suspension works pretty well for that.

The big 'PIG' is in it's own on fire/logging roads and improved dirt roads, but reminds me of a street bike in handling, heavy on the front tire no matter how far you get back on the bike. The lighter more maneuverable F650 was again what I thought it would be, a dual-purpose bike that can go where you want to go and then cruise down the highway at 70-mph all day long.

The Dakar with more suspension and 21" front wheel is probably better off-road than the 'Classic' but both would get you into trouble just fine.

How much trouble do you want to find? :D

Doc

[bmdubyou]

Well, Doc, thanks for the review! That was just what I was hoping to hear! I wont be doing much heavy duty dirt riding. We do own some woods that have some 4 wheeler trails & some old logging roads that are overgrown which run down to the creek. It would be fun to be able to get down there once in awhile but I would still like something with enough juice to do a few trips in comfort (as much as possible) on as well. Ive been looking at all the different 650 models and cant hardly tell which ones are the off-road ones. HOw many models are there & what are the differences in them??

[PacWestGS]

HOw many models are there & what are the differences in them??


Mac,

Go to BMW Motorcycles Enduro (http://www.bmwmotorcycles.com/bikes/group.jsp?g=enduro) and see the differences between the Classic and the Dakar.

The big difference is the Dakar has an extra inch and half of suspension F/R, two-inches more ground clearance, a 21" front wheel compared to a 19" wheel and the windscreen is different. There may be some minor technical details that are changed but they are pretty much the same bike, just a little difference in handling and tire choice.

The Classic can also be ordered with a lowered frame for vertically challenged people.

They stopped making or importing the CS last year which was a street version belt-drive (super commuter) bike, but you can still find some here and there.



I still like my 1150 the longer street oriented tour or two-up travels and I think what you said about going down some jeep trails to the creek the bigger GS (11XX or 12) would be just fine for that.

HTH

Doc