-Did Mike scare your friend off, Tarka?
I forgot all about this thread; -what do you want to know?
I have not heard there are something bad/wrong with the new twin-spark-Scarver.
But I know there are recalls for the first ones, like mine.
-How old is the Scarver your friend want to know more about?
The belt:
A man in USA rode 90 000 miles, and then there was some loose theeths, and he decided to replace it, but he did'nt have to.
I have seen pebbles in a belt and it did not make any damage.
When I was taking class to get my license I rode the Scarver and an old F650; I forgot what bike it was after 3 minutes - thay was wery much the same to ride.
I rode a Honda, a Triumph with three cylinders, a Yamaha and one I can't remember the name of; When I got the Scarver I was soooooooo happy! It was so perfect for me! And that is NOT because of my legs; I got legs for all BMW's except the HP2. (But who has; that bike is high/tall!)
It's easy to change oil and oil filter; I do it myselfes.
I changed the air filter myselfes too.
And my boyfriend and I changed one shim, one for one exhaust valve.
As it do not have a centerstand it helps a lot to buy new tires at a BMW garage; they have the special stand for the Scarver. (The special one for the other F's looks the same, but they wont fit.)
Remove rear wheel:
Use the special stand (if you can), remove the silencer, and remove the small parts in the center of the wheel, and pull the wheel to the left (direction where the silencer was) and the brake calipper and disc is still at the bike.
If your friend need a bike with locable panniers and want to be two up on holiday, I guess the F 650 GS is better for him.
There are nice looking panniers from Krauser, and there are a top box from BMW for the Scarver. I'm happy with the special rucksack to put at the rear seat. And I love to put a bag in the hole in front of the seat! Or I can lock my helmet in that hole. Or, as I did this summer; put some pieces of melon there! Friends and people passing took a piece and eat - fun!
-Why do I not want to trade my Scarver with a baby GS?
1: Because of the belt! It's so clean, and perfect for lazy boys and girls! I do not have to do anything!
2: Because of the design and the hole! I love that!
3: I'm the boss of Club Scarver, and I want to be that for a looong time!
There are girls AND boys in
www.clubscarver.com - it's not a girly bike!
If your friend is shortlegged it does not matter if he buy a GS or a Scarver - same high. And there are three sizes of seats - no adjusting.
The Scarver is, as far as I know, the only 650 with all this:
A belt, ABS, injection, katalytic converter, hazard lights, heated grips, adjustable shock absorber (not all) and a power socket. And the hole!
I love him!
When people tell me I must be rich because I ride a BMW with injection and ABS and all that, I tell them I can't afford any other bike; -it do not ''drink'' much petrol! 0.35 litres per 10 kilometres ( a Norwegian mil) in a bad day!
Anything more you want to know?
Please ask!

Liv.