BMW F650. Anything to look out for?

[98tls]

Got a mate about to get back on two wheels,he asked my opinion on what he should be lloking at and in all honesty there was so many so i gave him a list,he had a browse throuigh what was for sale on Trademe and found a few 650 Beemers he likes the look of,would imagine there fairly robust but before we go and have a look at a couple am wondering if theres anything to look out for other than the obvious,hes not looking to spend a fortune so whatever we look at will have done a few clicks etc,anyone thats owned one got any advice?Do tell.

[blackdog]

wannabiker had one he could give you an honest opinion. Rotax engine I think, bulletproof as long as you keep an eye on the waterpumps.


By all accounts a great allround re-entry machine to be had for not too much money.

[Transalper]

Why an F650?
Tried one, grew to dislike it.
What kind of riding does he think he's aiming for?

I have a nice adventurised 01 DR650 I'm about to put up for sale $5200 including all the accessories such as bashplate, handguards, big tank, topbox mounted to a suzuki luggage rack etc etc. Recently had the engine rebuilt from the piston down too.
Two sets of wheels, forkbrace, spare (original) front mudguard, original tank, braided front brake line.

[Waipukbiker]

Gday, Ive got a 97 F650 Funduro which has done 94,000 kms and it runs like new, Ive seen posts from some USA owners and they are claiming readings of well over 100,000 MILES on their F650. These bikes were built by Aprillia and the Rotax engines are very long lived with good maintenance. There is a very comprehensive FAQ on these bikes which gives a huge amount of info on how to do anything you can think of on them.
Just go to www.f650.com and have a look through.
Some have had some water pump issues, mine was replaced by the previous owner just before he sold it. the other thing seems to be the steering head bearings which may need replacing at higher kms.
With standard gearing, mine does 100kms at 4,000 rpm and it maintains this with a light throttle, heaps of grunt for overtaking.
Everyone has their own opinion on what they think of a bike so the best thing is to check it over thourally prior to purchase.
Any other questions you have, just ask and I will help if I can.

Cheers

[98tls]

Why an F650?
Tried one, grew to dislike it.
What kind of riding does he think he's aiming for?


Why an F650? because when he asked me my opinion on what he should be looking for i gave him a list of possibilities as i saw it,he checked them all out on the net and has come back saying he likes the look of the Beemer,no other reason really.Hes just looking for something to tottle about on with occasional gravel road riding,he wont be doing any serious off road stuff at all.What i did forget to add in my first post is that hes a short arse,whats the height of the BMW like and if there tall can you lower the rear a tad with a minimum of fuss?

[98tls]

Gday, Ive got a 97 F650 Funduro which has done 94,000 kms and it runs like new, Ive seen posts from some USA owners and they are claiming readings of well over 100,000 MILES on their F650. These bikes were built by Aprillia and the Rotax engines are very long lived with good maintenance. There is a very comprehensive FAQ on these bikes which gives a huge amount of info on how to do anything you can think of on them.
Just go to www.f650.com and have a look through.
Some have had some water pump issues, mine was replaced by the previous owner just before he sold it. the other thing seems to be the steering head bearings which may need replacing at higher kms.
With standard gearing, mine does 100kms at 4,000 rpm and it maintains this with a light throttle, heaps of grunt for overtaking.
Everyone has their own opinion on what they think of a bike so the best thing is to check it over thourally prior to purchase.
Any other questions you have, just ask and I will help if I can.

Cheers

Thanks fella thats really helpful.

[FJRider]

They are apparently well capable of wheelstands too ... but no doubt you have warned him of the hidden dangers of doing that ... :innocent:

[Subike]

Daffoyd from the Catlands had one mike,
He seemed to be able to handle it quite well,
He was not virticaly challenged, but was not tall like you either
followed him over Tataka hill last KB rally
did look to have any issues.
And Daffoyd use to carry a decent amount of gear with him too.

[Transalper]

I think the F650's have a fairly user friendly seat height (except the Dakar ones?), mine hurt my tail bone on longish rides for the first few months but I seemed to get used to it so it didn't bother me after a few thousand k's.
They are more focused at the road end of the spectrum.
Lots of F650 owners do stay enthusiastic about them, it just didn't do it for me for long as I wanted more dirt and I also became annoyed with some of the design features making the basic maintenance I liked to do myself a pain compared to most other stuff I've owned.
I had the 2000 model, first of the injected ones, very different to the Funduros.

[cave weta]

Ive had one for the last 4 years or so- its now done 97,000- I bought it at about 66,000.
All Ive given it is tyres chain and sprockets and a battery. It is good for 180kmh with a larger front sprocket. it sits on 100 at about 3500rpm.

Ive been round the south island twice on it and lent it out so that someone else could do the same. it uses no oil makes no odd sounds and starts every time. it has luggage and carries a pillion well. Im 5'8" and it suits me fine. rear suspension is easily adjusted with a big fat knob on the left hand side.

Highly recommended $3500 adventure bike:niceone:

[JATZ]

Lots of F650 owners do stay enthusiastic about them, it just didn't do it for me for long as I wanted more dirt and I also became annoyed with some of the design features making the basic maintenance I liked to do myself a pain compared to most other stuff I've owned.

We had 2 of them and really enjoyed the time spent on them,but like T.A. got rid of them to get something more dirt orientated.
Good comfortable road/gravel/touring bikes if your on a budget

[98tls]

Ive had one for the last 4 years or so- its now done 97,000- I bought it at about 66,000.
All Ive given it is tyres chain and sprockets and a battery. It is good for 180kmh with a larger front sprocket. it sits on 100 at about 3500rpm.

Ive been round the south island twice on it and lent it out so that someone else could do the same. it uses no oil makes no odd sounds and starts every time. it has luggage and carries a pillion well. Im 5'8" and it suits me fine. rear suspension is easily adjusted with a big fat knob on the left hand side.

Highly recommended $3500 adventure bike:niceone:

He was actually looking at one on trademe this week done 66km,around $2500 from memory in what seemed pretty good nick.

[cave weta]

He was actually looking at one on trademe this week done 66km,around $2500 from memory in what seemed pretty good nick.

If its his style of bike - I would recommend he jump at it!- ride em under 100kmh and you get 330 km before they hit reserve!:Punk:

[Skinny_Birdman]

For a bit of balance, and notwithstanding that lots of people have had good runs out of their F650's, I had a 1995 Funduro and thought it an utter piece of crap. It was fragile, vibrated like a tuning fork and was nothing like as good offroad as either the Transalp or one of them DR/KLR thingies. It was good fun on the road, I'll happily admit that. I think that the telling factor is, I know at least 7 people who have owned one in the past, and no one who still does.....

[Waipukbiker]

They were designed for touring on all types of roads, not OFF road. They have been the bike of choice for many RTW Riders and as an example, check this lady out, 190,016 kms on a Funduro touring the world. www.benkapulko.com (I wonder how she managed that on a such a "Fragile" bike.

As to the vibrations, mine does not vibrate, if it did then something would be causing it.

I also know of some who have owned them and have changed to other bikes because they wanted to do more off road riding which ideally requires a 21 inch front wheel which is why BMW have the "Dakar" Model.

Its the old story, "Horses for courses" I use mine just for the road and I love the sound and the grunt of the big, twin carbed single
(Moto Guzi muffler). If I want to go Adv riding I use my Kwaka 250.

They come standard with a centre stand which is soooooooo handy.

I can get around 280 kms before reserve and its working out to approx $10 per 100kms on 95 unleaded.

[iYRe]

i'm going riding with a mate who has one today - and he is looking to sell. Its been meticulously maintained - he's the second of my mates to own this bike. Its got new exhausts, brake rotors etc etc...

Send me a PM if he's interested..

[Skinny_Birdman]

They were designed for touring on all types of roads, not OFF road. They have been the bike of choice for many RTW Riders and as an example, check this lady out, 190,016 kms on a Funduro touring the world. www.benkapulko.com (I wonder how she managed that on a such a "Fragile" bike.

As to the vibrations, mine does not vibrate, if it did then something would be causing it.



I think the thing that was causing it on mine was one large metal thing going up and down inside another metal thing about 3500 times a minute. It vibrated sufficiently to shed fairing bolts with monotonous regularity, unless they were loc-tited in. Fragile - it has several frilly plastic bits in silly places, and mine went through 3 fork seals in 10000km (and yes, the forks were straight and unpitted)... but then, as you say


I also know of some who have owned them and have changed to other bikes because they wanted to do more off road riding which ideally requires a 21 inch front wheel which is why BMW have the "Dakar" Model.

Its the old story, "Horses for courses" I use mine just for the road and I love the sound and the grunt of the big, twin carbed single
(Moto Guzi muffler). If I want to go Adv riding I use my Kwaka 250.



Sorry, I thought I'd posted on the adventure forum. Silly me. My point was that I found it was a good road bike, and it was, as you say staggeringly frugal. But I bought it because I wanted an adventure bike, it was unfit for this purpose, and I'd hate other people to make the same mistake.

[Frodo]

Wow, Skinny didn't like his F650! I rode a Transalp 650 through 9000km of Patagonia seal and gravel and in my opinion the Funduro I owned previously would have been a better bike, smoother, less fragile and generally easier to work on.

That's just my opinion. Just as valid as Skinny's.

Different bikes for different folks. Just ride it before you buy it.

But to come back to the original poster:
- water pumps are a known weak point (mine was fine) - check for weeping water - easy to fix with an aftermarket kit.
- steering head bearings (mine needed replacement - not difficult)
- voltage regulator rectifier can fail - I replaced mine with an F650GS unit.

www.f650.com is a valuable resource.

Cheers

[Skinny_Birdman]

Fairplay, the 650 Transalp is also pretty fragile in terms of its plastic frilliness. But smoother? Interesting! As TA will tell you, I am actually an evangelist for the 600 Transalp, despite no longer owning one.... I wish Honda hadn't decided to bollocks it up with the 650, and by all accounts worse still with the 700.
My question would be, is the non-Dakar GS any better than the Funduro? Built in Germany (I think) rather than Italy, 5 valve FI motor, but is it better? Worse?

[DR650gary]

There ya go. http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/dual-purpose/auction-448103932.htm

Stop looking and start riding.

Got lots of good bits as well, the whole package.

Cheers

[Frodo]

Fairplay, the 650 Transalp is also pretty fragile in terms of its plastic frilliness. But smoother? Interesting! As TA will tell you, I am actually an evangelist for the 600 Transalp, despite no longer owning one.... I wish Honda hadn't decided to bollocks it up with the 650, and by all accounts worse still with the 700.
My question would be, is the non-Dakar GS any better than the Funduro? Built in Germany (I think) rather than Italy, 5 valve FI motor, but is it better? Worse?

Well, I chose to replace my Funduro with an Aprilia Pegaso Trail, which in my view is a better bike than the F650GS. I'd love it to weigh 15kg less and to have 6 speeds, but 90,000km I'm still happy - a 600km day is no problem and is okay in gravel.
I agree that the TA 700 is a step backwards compared to the TA650 (can't comment on the 600) - much more like a V-strom and so more road focused. We had one on he Patagonia trip that damaged the cooling system when it slid on a muddy track - coolant leaked for much of the trip.
Why do adventure bikes get heavier and more complex with each new model? Look at the MCN thread!

[alane]

Had verry little trouble with mine .Been all over the south Island,----you name it,----proly done it.

Also did the dustybutt twice,including Awakino challenge.:niceone:

Now done 90.000km,s.
Light bulbs in the instuments keep blowing. Fan chucked it in ,replaced with 2nd hand vtr250 honda -- 87'--88' (same), thermo switch gave up,(tridonTFS064 $25).Rear brake masta cylinder & light switch,replaced (found aftermarket one cheap)

Tyre selection a bit limited ,if you want a knobbly on the front (19")


i hit the road @ 60kmh near Greymouth once :facepalm: when the chain & sprocket came off the front,(output shaft) & locked the rear wheel,because "old tight arse" did,nt replace the flimsy circlip ,that is all that stops it running off the end of the shaft. (BE WARNED):bleh:

Must admitt though ----I DO think its a bit "wissy "(rymes with pissy) @ times -----mmmmm!! -----well --- most of the time.:blink: :laugh:

But it is comfortable ,SMOOTH (transalper must of put square tyres on his)--- & pretty reliable.
Oh! ------- AND economical for a carby bike.:niceone:

[alane]

AND -----Yea! Its a 94' Funduro I,m talking abought.


AND ---Sorry Transalper :facepalm: --------It,s Skinny birdman that musta put square tyres on his. :laugh:

[Transalper]

AND -----Yea! Its a 94' Funduro I,m talking abought.


AND ---Sorry Transalper :facepalm: --------It,s Skinny birdman that musta put square tyres on his. :laugh:

ha ha, that's alright, the 2000 F650gs I had also vibed across the rev range a lot more than the 600 Transalp or the DR650... but I've felt worse in other brands.

[Waipukbiker]

Good point about that circlip on the c/s sprocket Alane, I tried a 15 tooth sprocket on mine for a while then changed back to the stock 16 but reused the Circlip, will fit a new one asap.

[CrazyFrog]

Bargain for someone who's willing to change the countershaft seal
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=483350402

$2000, plus rego/wof costs, they don't get much cheaper :2thumbsup

[cave weta]

Bargain for someone who's willing to change the countershaft seal
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=483350402

$2000, plus rego/wof costs, they don't get much cheaper :2thumbsup

If it was up this way - I would have it myself!- so easy to fix:rolleyes:

[Waipukbiker]

That is a bloody bargain for those kms.

[matdaymon]

Hey guys, sorry to revive this oldish thread but I'm starting to actively consider an F650 as my next bike to go up to from my 250 Hyosung.
What is the general maintenance costs and servicing schedules like on these and how much does it generally cost to replace the parts such as waterpump that are mentioned above?

I have seen a couple that I plan on testing to see how the 1pot engine is to ride once I get a break from uni but what are they like real world riding on roads/gravel roads handling wise?
Purposes Im looking at one for are daily commuting (short 50km round trip), road touring and generally not dying when I go visit my family in the waikato who almost exclusively live down gravel roads.
Cheers

[ops.normal]

Howdy

Power on the '650 is underwhelming (esp. coming from a cbr600). Also, a heavy right wrist is the difference between 23 and 27 km/litre on my machine. In terms of comfort thought, I'm 6'3" and much prefer the more upright, stretched out nature of the '650 (the dakar version suits me down to the ground).

Having bagged the power output, you quickly get used to the single banger, and the machine is a very capable longer distance bike. I reckon the ratio of enjoyment to risk of bodily harm is stacked well in the favour of the adventure bikes :)

I can't speak with any authority on the servicing costs yet, but a leaky front seal is about to change that.

I would suggest you ride a handful of the same version, as I felt quite noticeable differences between different '650s. Especially in terms of the roll-in feel (commencing a turn) and the suspension feel.

Hope this helps :)

[gammaguy]

rear suspension is easily adjusted with a big fat knob on the left hand side.


I find them more comfortable if you sit in the middle:cool: