G650 XChallenge - is it durable?

[JohnnyBoxer]

For those who've got them.........what are they like?

I've had 2 Dakars, so know the 650 Rotax motor - is it very different in the XChallenge G series?

Are they durable?

How do they crash in the dirt?

Any problems to date?

Dirt performance - ist it ok?

Road performance - is it bearable??

So many questions......................

Tell me more

 

[peten]

Just spent 2 days on an XChallenge at the BMW off road course and it seems like an outstanding bike. Much better performance from the engine and more ground clearance than a standard 650GS.

Interestingly lot's of the 650GS's had broken plastics etc by the end of the course, whilst the majority of the XChallenge bikes seemed to be in one piece.

I'm seriously considering one...

 

[Gaz]

Are they durable?

Only 900 miles so far so can't tell.

How do they crash in the dirt?

Dropped mine 3 times first day cos a certain Mr Holloway recommended I inflate it to about 7 foot tall. I soon learned that lesson.
The bars obviously hit dirt first but other than that I can't even see where the rest of the bike touched down.

Any problems to date?

Nope, nothing significant. Neutral light can be slow to come on and I've a squeak from the front end sometimes off-road but nothing else.

Dirt performance - is it ok?

It's very forgiving for relative off road novice like me. Robbie C likes it and so does Garry H, who has huge experience.

Road performance - is it bearable??

It's got enough zip to get past that pesky car who's just holding you up at 65 on a country lane. I'm on MT21s so no full on cornering. Big fork dive takes some getting used to again after a GS12.

I absolutely love it. After 27 years of bikes I think I've finally found the perfect dual-sport not_too_heavy bit_nippy cool looking bike for how I want to ride now ... and it's not gonna get me killed or banned.

 

[steve g]

So far so good

I too have a Dakar, so its easy to make comparisons. Certainly accelerates quicker through the gears and far more flickable. Cruises well around 70 on the motorway. Though Im 5'11" its still quite a high seat height. Far greater ground clearance, it will get to places where the dakar wont! Went out on Sunday up through the Bm offroad school, passed by 2 teams under instruction en -route to Sarn Helen the roman road then onto "the gap" road via Brecon. Generally very pleased will change the tyres after the first service.

 

[araspitfire]

When I was on the basic offroad course in May, definately one and possibly two (it was confusing there at the end ) X challenges showed up with a broken shifter spline... (shifter in hand with the hole filled... )

Not sure what happened to cause that mayhem, but I can think of lots of things I'd rather have broken...

Al...

 

[Mav]

I heard about this on course as well. The guys there have put gear levers on from the original 650's as they are more bendy (and therefore less likely to break the spline) The downside is that you can bendy them in and not realise until you try, and fail, to change in to second gear

Apart from that, I was very impressed with the XChallenge. It really is a very different bike from the Dakar (have owned one for a little over a year). Where the Dakar is 80/20 (road/off-road), the XChallenge feels more like 50/50, maybe even 40/60.

 

[Garry H]

For those who've got them.........what are they like?

I've had 2 Dakars, so know the 650 Rotax motor - is it very different in the XChallenge G series?

Are they durable?

How do they crash in the dirt?

Any problems to date?

Dirt performance - ist it ok?

Road performance - is it bearable??

So many questions......................

Tell me more

I have tried Gaz's and was quite impressed
Much better than the 650 dakar i had off road
Dirt performance...Is pretty good
Seems to crash fairly well

3 things i didn't like

There's a cylinder missing

There's 50 HP missing

And it doesent say HP2 on the seat