'Normal' GS or GS Dakar?

[andy123]

Hi,

I'm in the process of flogging my VFR750fs so I can buy a BMW 650 single, lot's of reasons not least that I ride through the winter and the roads in our area are falling apart.

Now, I'd like a Dakar but I'm trying to get to the bottom of 'need' and 'want' ... apart from the suspension mods is there any further significant differences that will increase the cost and complexity of running and home servicing between the standard F650 GS and the Dakar version?

Also, what are the big service points, I've looked into the 24K service and there is nothing too nasty for the home mechanic but are there any other mileage thresholds where stuff tends to need replacing, e.g. fork seals, exhausts?

Many thanks for any advice and if you know someone who would like a nice VFR750fs in good nick please point them in my direction so I can hurry up and get my 650,

Andy

 

[John Armstrong]

Hi

Basically the 650 single GS and Dakar are the same bike except that the Dakar has a greater seat height and a different screen. You can fit higher / lower seats to both bikes. The Dakar has a slightly bigger screen than the normal GS. AFAIK there's no differences in the running gear on the two bikes servicing wise.

There are differences though when the age of the bike is taken into account, that is there's single spark and twin spark Dakars and normal GS's. The water pump can cause problems on higher mileage bikes which doesn't do the head gasket any good. IIRC BM specifically warn against fitting radiator guards or fork protectors because of the perceived probelm with airflow onto the water radiator. If I was fitting guards I'd fit one of the oil temperature gauges that replaces the oil filler cap so you can keep an eye on the engines temperature.

 

[andy123]

Much appreciated, John,

Andy

 

[barrym]

The other main difference of course is the wheel size. 21" front on the Dakar, 19" on the GS.

If like me you do mainly road work, then you may find a better choice of tyre available on 19". I actually had Avon Roadriders on mine which I don't think are available in 21".

Either way you will benefit from a Dakar seat as the extra foam is much kinder on the bum!

HTH

 

[Annette]

Seat comfort is all subjective and down to the individual rider. I could easily manager 600 miles in a day on my F650GS.

I also had fork protectors and did a lot of high mileage in horrendous weather with no problems whatsoever.

They're great bikes, but are fairly agriculture in both sound and gear change. This is entirely normal and you either love them or hate them. Being a single cylinder engine, you may notice more vibration than on some other bikes too.

But they are great fun, really easy to service yourself and unbelievably economical on fuel.

 

[JonL]

I had a 650 Dakar a few years back - cracking bike, handled well but I didn't like it for long motorway runs. I was given a normal 650GS as a courtesy bike during a service and God it was an awful ride in comparison - felt all the bumps. Get the Dakar for a more comfortable ride on the crappy roads you say you ride.

 

[ChrisH Kerry]

I was given a normal 650GS as a courtesy bike during a service and God it was an awful ride in comparison - felt all the bumps.

Had my F650GS for about a month now and thought it would be going straight back on For Sale website cos it was as JonL described, however I persevered and discovered the rebound damping was set to hardest... lowered it somewhat, changed the fork oil and I'm begining to quite like it now Kerry roads are as bad as any and the GS copes comfortably with them now. I would've preferred a Dakar I think, but I have my Transalp which is similar. Good luck with your search!

 

[Flipfly]

If you are road riding only, then go for the GS. If you have off road aspirations and the length of leg required, go Dakar IMHO.

I have a Dakar (also have a VFR in bits in the garage). I've had bigger bikes and have now settled for the wee bike as my play thing.

The 1150GS was a better road bike in the sense of sitting at 90mph touring, but the Dakar takes me back to my youth. Low power just means ya have to be right on top of ya riding to beat traffic and much faster bikes

The bumpier the road, the further sports bikes go into reverse, the b'stards always whoop ya on the straights though

Bit of a marmite bike. I find the longer I live with it, the more I love it and all it's faults. No other bike is capable of the all round ability of the Dakar IMHO, and certain none are as cheap to run. Mine is cheap to ensure, run on the slightest wiff of petrol fumes and doesn't eat brakes or tyres unless you off road.

 

[andy123]

Thanks to all ... have gone for a 'normal' GS as my road riding will far outweigh the off-road opportunities and I suspect what I consider as 'off-road' will be well within the normal ones ability from what I've seen.

So, the VFR gets px'd on Tuesday for a shiny F650 which has a deposit on it ... some may have seen it on Autotrader, it's the '03 silver one with about 1700 miles on the clock ... that's your cue for teeth sucking and shakes of the head

 

[will]

f650

Well done Andy that looks mint saw it last night with those miles should last you years , glad you asked question let us no how you get on with bike i'm thinking similar to you
Will

 

[ChrisH Kerry]

Hope you enjoy your new purchase! I'm sure you will and at that mileage it's like a new 'un...

 

[andy123]

Right, after a change in circumstances and plan I've actually ended up buying a 54 plate Dakar (it had nothing to do with my juvenile side either ).

Not sure if Alex still has that mint 03 GS but it was in remarkable condition and he comes across as a nice bloke so someone is going to get a great low mileage 'normal' GS.

Sooo, just ridden the Dakar back 100 miles on the motorway and I was very pleasantly surprised at how nicely it putters along at 70-80, it's a really great motorway cruiser and that was back to back from dropping off the VFR which is at it's best on the M'way ... however, I had to take a slight detour on the way back on some rougher roads, no I did, I really did have to ... and had an absolute blast. What an amazing bike.

I can't give a full comparison to the normal GS but would endorse to anyone that the Dakar does seem to offer a little extra and this does not come at any loss against the broad functionality of the normal GS ... I'm sure it won't be too long before it gets some more aggressive tyres on it to allow some exploration of the local BOATs.

So, thanks to all and maybe I'll meet in you in person at some point

 

[mainsnigel12]

F650GS Dakar Differences

I have read your post with much interest.

I haven't been on a bike in 25 years and am looking to the GS to be my re-entry into the world of biking!

I'm looking for a F650 Dakar on a limited budget and have been looking at an 04 with 22,000 miles on the clock that's a bit "tatty" and an 01 with only 8,000 miles under its belt that has been well looked after but i didn't know if the upgrades they did to the newer version are worth spending the extra money on as the 04 bike is £500 dearer & not as pretty!

As you are all much more knowledgeable that me i was wondering if someone could advise me.

Many thanks
Nigel

 

[Dansin]

I have read your post with much interest.

I haven't been on a bike in 25 years and am looking to the GS to be my re-entry into the world of biking!

I'm looking for a F650 Dakar on a limited budget and have been looking at an 04 with 22,000 miles on the clock that's a bit "tatty" and an 01 with only 8,000 miles under its belt that has been well looked after but i didn't know if the upgrades they did to the newer version are worth spending the extra money on as the 04 bike is £500 dearer & not as pretty!

As you are all much more knowledgeable that me i was wondering if someone could advise me.

Many thanks
Nigel

04 onwards is FI and twinspark. Generally gives better fuel economy but not much else is different. The single spark bikes can suffer from surging. Both can suffer from engine corrosion, especially around the water pump. Leaky fork seals are easy to fix, check steering head bearings for notchiness.

Neither is particularly new so I would buy whichever one looks to have been looked after better and rides better, which I suspect is the older one.

HTH

Dan

 

[wildbeeste]

Head bearings are made out of chocolate - non BMW bearings are available for less money
Uprate the front forks with better springs and oil and it makes a great handling bike sublime
Make sure the front brake is as good as you can make it and apart from top speed and outright acceleration it is the bike to have. Great fun.
Wish I still had mine.
www.f650.com used to be a good site for info

 

[Bulleteer]

I have read your post with much interest.

I haven't been on a bike in 25 years and am looking to the GS to be my re-entry into the world of biking!

I'm looking for a F650 Dakar on a limited budget and have been looking at an 04 with 22,000 miles on the clock that's a bit "tatty" and an 01 with only 8,000 miles under its belt that has been well looked after but i didn't know if the upgrades they did to the newer version are worth spending the extra money on as the 04 bike is £500 dearer & not as pretty!

As you are all much more knowledgeable that me i was wondering if someone could advise me.

Many thanks
Nigel

Hi Nigel,

I'v started riding a borrowed 2001 F650Gs at the moment.
The previous owner dropped a tooth on the drive sprocket which makes her better on the back roads but lowers cruising speed on the Motorways.
I was surprised to see that it has two carbs, but also happy that its not fuel injected as I like to keep things simple.
Im finding the 01 bike easy to ride despite my small stature.
Personally I'd prefer older bike with lower miles, however Im a complete BMW newbie and may be missing out on important points.

Bulleteer.

 

[Flipfly]

You've lost me guys, I thought all the F650GS's were fuel injection

The funduro had a carb IIRC, but my 2001 Dakar defo runs fuel injection.

The later bikes has twin spark and slightly different screen n clocks.

I've never had a surging issue with my single spark.

 

[komatias]

in 2001 they made the f650 fl which was the funduro limited edition...it only came in silver. That had carbs.

F650GS bikes only have FI.

 

[Flipfly]

in 2001 they made the f650 fl which was the funduro limited edition...it only came in silver. That had carbs.

F650GS bikes only have FI.

Thank goodness, I thought I was loosin me marbles

 

[Bulleteer]

in 2001 they made the f650 fl which was the funduro limited edition...it only came in silver. That had carbs.

F650GS bikes only have FI.

Yup, that sounds like the one Im riding at the moment.
It seems a bit slow to start, are they prone to slow starting ?