scathing review of the X-challange....

That guys is on a serious anti BMW agenda. The only way to tell is to ride one for yourself.
 
Three cheers for the guy - he's entitled to his view!

What most people do (to some extent) is to talk up their product to justify their purchase decision. It's good that he's got the courage to say that he's made a mistake.

Greg
 
Greg Masters said:
Three cheers for the guy - he's entitled to his view!

What most people do (to some extent) is to talk up their product to justify their purchase decision. It's good that he's got the courage to say that he's made a mistake.

Greg
Click to expand...

Either that or he's just a serial test pilot, that is now trying to justify abusing someone else's time and bike, and ease his conscience??

Can't see where he's coming from really. I helped pick up a DR350 last weekend after the rider had binned it for the umpteenth time, and came to the conclusion that they are no lighter at all !!

As for power, would it have extra restrictions on the motor for emissions controls? or does that fact that it doesn't SOUND as loud as his dr automatically mean it's lacking in ponies?:augie

still, 10/10 for making me laugh on a sunday morning....
 
He's right about the fork dive and finding neutral

I'm no wheelie expert but I'd say it has a lot to do with gearing.

No doubt he's got an opinon on many things in life based upon a fleeting exsperiance.

Based on my fleeting exsperinace of his thread I's say he's a A+ knob
 
It's the same as those who say the old 650 dakar is underpowered and rubbish off road, not every bike suits. To me the Dak is a super little bike, and does more than I expected it to.

If the XChallenge is anything like the Dak, you have to rev it to really make it go. Not what you normally d on a single, but once you figure it out, they go very well. I dare say his old plodder is just a bit stronger feeling in the bottom rev range compared to the X. I'd be fairly happy to take on his DR with either the Dak or the Xchallenge.
 
He's posted the same on AdvRider

If he thinks that a DR650 will smoke a XChallenge............then i'm Dutchman:augie

True tosser

The XC has some shortcomings, but all are relatively fixable

A Sherco450 Enduro rider couldn't shake me off on the XC in Thetford Forest and he was amazed

3 XCs in the Top 10 at this year's Cambrian...................don't think there were any DR650s in the top 50:mmmm
 
It seemed to be a fairly balanced report.

But,let's face it,X Challenge owners on this site are hardly going to agree with him,are they ?
:rolleyes:
 
JohnnyBoxer said:
3 XCs in the Top 10 at this year's Cambrian...................don't think there were any DR650s in the top 50:mmmm
Click to expand...

Only a couple of years ago at the Cambrian I beat Rick on his HP2, I was on a DR650... I was also on a mission:D
 
Wreford Miles said:
Arsey said:
It seemed to be a fairly balanced report.
QUOTE]

Explain?

was it this bit: After just 15 minutes I pulled a U turn and rode back to the owners house
Click to expand...


The guy went to try the bike with the intention of buying it-he doesn't come across as a tyre kicker.

But it was so obviously not right (for him) that he knew within 15 minutes.

Sounds fair-you can generally suss out a bike pretty quickly.Most bikes either feel right or wrong instantly.

It's normally only stuff like comfort etc that needs more time,and this wouldn't be such a factor on an X Challenge.

Surely he's entitled to his view without being called a BMW basher because he dare criticise the bike ?

And like he said,he was the third person to try it and not like it.
Click to expand...
 
Arsey said:
Wreford Miles said:
The guy went to try the bike with the intention of buying it-he doesn't come across as a tyre kicker.

But it was so obviously not right (for him) that he knew within 15 minutes.

Sounds fair-you can generally suss out a bike pretty quickly.Most bikes either feel right or wrong instantly.

It's normally only stuff like comfort etc that needs more time,and this wouldn't be such a factor on an X Challenge.

Surely he's entitled to his view without being called a BMW basher because he dare criticise the bike ?

And like he said,he was the third person to try it and not like it.
Click to expand...



You can't please all of the people, all of the time

Some like the bike, some don't ..........I do

I've had plenty of dirtbikes, mainly Jap singles and some KTM strokers

The XC is a great dualsport, not hardcore enduro

They are better ridden on the dirt:rolleyes:
Click to expand...
 
Timolgra said:
Only a couple of years ago at the Cambrian I beat Rick on his HP2, I was on a DR650... I was also on a mission:D
Click to expand...

At Garmisch in 2007 there was a Moto track and some of the BMW factory riders did demo Mot races

There were 2 XC's, 2 450X's (factory race bikes) and 2 HP2's

Multi world Moto champion, Stefan Everts was on a HP2 and he was 2 laps behind the rest

The XC's went faster than finished ahead of the 450's - how I don't know as most of riders was of a similar standard - race winners and champions in their field of bikesport

It was a weird 16 min Moto race

Before the start you would have bet money that the 'new on the block' 450x would have smoked the rest, but it didn't...... the XC won everytime

Couldn't have been the rider............but the 450X gives away so much weight to a XC, you would have thought an XC wouldn't have finished ahead

How.................fecked if I know?
 
F650GS Dakar vs X challenge

Hi All,

I read the "review" and find that some of the points are correct. I have an F650GS Dakar which my wife rides. I have done a few green lanes on a borrowed X Challenge and they both share many of the same characteristics in terms of the engine. One of the things that I find has always been lacking on the BMW 650's is a low down torque curve which is useful off road to pick the front wheel up to get over logs or whatever other obstacle is in the way. Now clearly that is not a big problem on most green lanes but its a nice to have "feature". This is a general characteristic of most other bikes I have had (Husqvarna TE610, Honda XR's, Yamaha XT, Yamaha DT, R1200). In terms of the suspension setup I feel that the X Challenge feels more nimble across rocky surfaces when compared to the Dakar. In general the Dakar is great on dirt roads and other off road riding but it feels heavy in the slow stuff when compared to the X Challenge. I have no idea what the actual weight specs of the bikes so it maybe just a "feeling". All up I feel for any new rider that does a mix of on and offroad the bmw's are a great choice for flexible dual purpose riding. If the user is experienced they may want to look at something a little more "enduro" and a little less dual purpose.

Thats my 2 cents worth for the review, All up the moral of the story is to buy the right bike for the purpose.. I guess if you want a true enduro bike the G450X is probably the best option in the BMW range.. If you want a dual sport bike the X Challenge is a great all rounder for most riders abilities.
 
Makes you wonder if he set the suspension before setting off?

I found the steering on my XC very vague and unpredictable till I found the right settings for the front shock (preload and rebound) and the correct amount of air in the rear one.

Dale
 
Chris said:
Sorry to rejuvanate this old thread, but as a point of information, the OP in the HU thread linked in post #1 is a well known forum troll, all of whose utterance deserve to be treated with contempt.
Click to expand...

He's as entitled to voice his opinion as i am to ignore it :D

20,000 miles on my XC now, it can't be that bad!

Welcome to the forum BTW
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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