Sooty09
Registered user
F650 - Best bike in BMW range
Ill not apologies for being a Kawasaki Versys rider, its the Jap alternative to a 650GS. Im on my second after a car ran into my first Versys. The problem is this bike is not filling me with the same enthusiasm, I did 15000 miles in 10 months on the old and it was a joy to ride after years of having BMW 1150 Rs and a Triumph Tiger. My wife has stayed loyal to BM and has had a 650 GS single for six years and has moved on to a new F650 twin which she loves.
I am very impressed by the way her bike works in all circumstances but feel no attraction to this model, so on Saturday I went for a test drive on a few BMWs.
First out was the F800GS. I love the image of traveling round the world but found this model fails to impress me much. Its over tall with quite poor suspension, the front forks are USD for cosmetic reasons only , the brakes were not very good and generally the power delivery was a bit disappointing.
Next out was the R1200GS. A bit wobbly to start with and the low down power is much less than my old R1150s. Where as I could ride all day in 5th on the 1150 I needed to swap between 3 and 4 for the tight back roads, 6 was only usable on A roads. The clutch was wooden and the gearbox no improvement on the old. I did like the bike though, the soft suspension worked very well on the route I use to test all my bikes.
Im now used to 65-70 mpg so it would be a shock to go back to 45-50.
The problem with the bike is it needs revving hard to get the best out of it, the tight dales route I use never allows it to perform fully.
The final test was on my wifes F650GS. This is the bike I thought my old 800 Bonneville would be, it revs freely and pulls like a tank, In 4th at 4000 it just pulls cleanly without any vibration or fueling glitches. The bike is very stable and the budget suspension just works, Im 100Kg and only the worst stutters get through. The bike is low and very sure footed, no worries about toppling over at the lights etc. Its good at 50 to 80 mph, with brisk acceleration available at these speeds. The small screen works surprisingly well. It will continue to pull to 90+ but after that you need to re-think which bike you need. One + point for me is the fuel consumption (running his and her bikes at 15000 per year soon adds up) My wife usually gets 75MPG,I thrashed it and still got 65. Lastly the service costs are very low, £130 for the 6000m.
My conclusion is the F650 is the best bike (For solo use) in the current BMW range, it needs a better padded seat but otherwise is just right as delivered. I cannot explain why this version is so much better in the steering, suspension and power delivery than the 800GS. Its so much easier to ride on tighter roads than the GS1200 and it handles much better. Of course this is only if you are nipping out solo for a trip through the dales or to the coast (the use 95% or more GSs will be used for) and the bike is a bit Girly but for me it ticks all the boxes ( 15000 miles PA / 3 weeks continental touring PA, and dozens of weekends touring the UK over the last 25 years)
Ill not apologies for being a Kawasaki Versys rider, its the Jap alternative to a 650GS. Im on my second after a car ran into my first Versys. The problem is this bike is not filling me with the same enthusiasm, I did 15000 miles in 10 months on the old and it was a joy to ride after years of having BMW 1150 Rs and a Triumph Tiger. My wife has stayed loyal to BM and has had a 650 GS single for six years and has moved on to a new F650 twin which she loves.
I am very impressed by the way her bike works in all circumstances but feel no attraction to this model, so on Saturday I went for a test drive on a few BMWs.
First out was the F800GS. I love the image of traveling round the world but found this model fails to impress me much. Its over tall with quite poor suspension, the front forks are USD for cosmetic reasons only , the brakes were not very good and generally the power delivery was a bit disappointing.
Next out was the R1200GS. A bit wobbly to start with and the low down power is much less than my old R1150s. Where as I could ride all day in 5th on the 1150 I needed to swap between 3 and 4 for the tight back roads, 6 was only usable on A roads. The clutch was wooden and the gearbox no improvement on the old. I did like the bike though, the soft suspension worked very well on the route I use to test all my bikes.
Im now used to 65-70 mpg so it would be a shock to go back to 45-50.
The problem with the bike is it needs revving hard to get the best out of it, the tight dales route I use never allows it to perform fully.
The final test was on my wifes F650GS. This is the bike I thought my old 800 Bonneville would be, it revs freely and pulls like a tank, In 4th at 4000 it just pulls cleanly without any vibration or fueling glitches. The bike is very stable and the budget suspension just works, Im 100Kg and only the worst stutters get through. The bike is low and very sure footed, no worries about toppling over at the lights etc. Its good at 50 to 80 mph, with brisk acceleration available at these speeds. The small screen works surprisingly well. It will continue to pull to 90+ but after that you need to re-think which bike you need. One + point for me is the fuel consumption (running his and her bikes at 15000 per year soon adds up) My wife usually gets 75MPG,I thrashed it and still got 65. Lastly the service costs are very low, £130 for the 6000m.
My conclusion is the F650 is the best bike (For solo use) in the current BMW range, it needs a better padded seat but otherwise is just right as delivered. I cannot explain why this version is so much better in the steering, suspension and power delivery than the 800GS. Its so much easier to ride on tighter roads than the GS1200 and it handles much better. Of course this is only if you are nipping out solo for a trip through the dales or to the coast (the use 95% or more GSs will be used for) and the bike is a bit Girly but for me it ticks all the boxes ( 15000 miles PA / 3 weeks continental touring PA, and dozens of weekends touring the UK over the last 25 years)
) - no damage to the BMW Aluminium panniers or their frames.
...........
Au contrare, I run my F650GS with the standard seat plus an Airhawk on top which means I have much more room than most people. If necessary I can let the air out of the Airhawk when offroad but I rarely bother.
