First (BMW) adventure bike opinions requested

[ops.normal]

Hi all

I've been riding for several years and have a CBR600 F4, a nice wee ship that has done a good job. However I'm keen to get out amongst the gravel and do some much more serious touring than the commuting and day trips I do on Charlie Rocket, the honda.

I've been putting together bits of research for the last month or so, and trawling trademe trying to get a feeling for whats out there and what it'll set me back. It comes down to a couple of questions that a spreadsheet of stats won't answer.

For the Beemer riders out there, I'm trying to get a feeling for how capable a touring and gravel/very light off road machine the f650gs is - either the standard machine or the Dakar version, and whether there is an appreciable different between them.

Secondly - from an inline 4 point of view - should a single cylinder ship put me off long days, or should I be trying to find a parallel twin 650gs in my price range?

The guts is I'm unsure whether to get a higher Kms 650gs and build up some experience (read, potential for dropping it on gravel is high) or fully commit to something much more serious - maybe an 1150gs. If I went for the big machine, I'd have to sell the Honda to fund it, whereas I could probably hold both for a year if I can keep acquisition below 5 or thereabouts.

Apologies to the Suzuki 650 fellas, I've read good things but have European blinkers on

Any thoughts and feelings would be most appreciated. Cheers!

[blackdog]

Skip the f650 and move straight on to a GS. I imagine you will be far less disappointed that way.

[ops.normal]

As in the 1150? Just re-read my post, to be clearer I should have mentioned only looking at gs models, not the road bikes

I reckon the 800gs would be the machine for me, but no second hand ones around that fit the dollar profile

[Gremlin]

raftn should be along in due course, this would be something right up his alley, as he's been through a similar thing, has a G650GS I think? He reckons it's a pretty perfect choice I believe.

What you have to do is decide what you want to do. The single cylinder choices are a bit smaller and lighter, still able to punt along the road but not be a handful in the more adventure type stuff. Certainly when starting out, the last thing you want to try and deal with is a big bike with the extra weight etc. Even big bikes will be fine in gravel with the right tyres etc. When getting more adventurous expect to drop the bike in the tougher bits (it always goes wrong at some point - if not multiple points) so you'll want to be able to pick it up afterwards and carry on.

You also don't want to look at something fun (believe me, the gravel gets boring and easy after a while and you go looking for more fun) and pull back because you're riding something too big.

I have a R1200GS Adventure, basically the monster of the adventure bikes, which most would avoid for rougher stuff as it's a handful, but then I do a lot of road etc as well... no luxury of 2 bikes here. If it was a gravel play bike I'd definitely look at something more in the 400-650 range.

[blackdog]

As in the 1150? Just re-read my post, to be clearer I should have mentioned only looking at gs models, not the road bikes

I reckon the 800gs would be the machine for me, but no second hand ones around that fit the dollar profile

More research required on your part then. An f650 is most def dual purpose. I have never heard of a 650gs, perhaps you are thinking of the cs650 scarver?

And yes, if you can find a gs800 that would be an excellent machine to see you through the first couple of years before stepping up if you think you need to. Alternatively just buy a 690 enduro and really live a bit.

[GSers]

Go with the GS they are very capable machines once you get used to them. I think you will find that the 650 rolls in around 200Kgs or there abouts and the big bikes around 245Kgs When they are rolloing you dont notice the weight so much. Most offs are at low speed. One thing they dont like is wet grass and mud once the weight gets away on you they take a lot of holding up.
Keep an eye on trade me there are a few deals going on out there at the moment. They are still good at 100 000kms
BUT I WOULD SAY THAT

GSers

[ops.normal]

Skip the f650 and move straight on to a GS. I imagine you will be far less disappointed that way.

My apologies - I got confused: http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/moto...-458315512.htm

Figured you were talking about the gs models but wanted to confirm

Thanks for added info to date!

[raftn]

Hi all

I've been riding for several years and have a CBR600 F4, a nice wee ship that has done a good job. However I'm keen to get out amongst the gravel and do some much more serious touring than the commuting and day trips I do on Charlie Rocket, the honda.

I've been putting together bits of research for the last month or so, and trawling trademe trying to get a feeling for whats out there and what it'll set me back. It comes down to a couple of questions that a spreadsheet of stats won't answer.

For the Beemer riders out there, I'm trying to get a feeling for how capable a touring and gravel/very light off road machine the f650gs is - either the standard machine or the Dakar version, and whether there is an appreciable different between them.

Secondly - from an inline 4 point of view - should a single cylinder ship put me off long days, or should I be trying to find a parallel twin 650gs in my price range?

The guts is I'm unsure whether to get a higher Kms 650gs and build up some experience (read, potential for dropping it on gravel is high) or fully commit to something much more serious - maybe an 1150gs. If I went for the big machine, I'd have to sell the Honda to fund it, whereas I could probably hold both for a year if I can keep acquisition below 5 or thereabouts.

Apologies to the Suzuki 650 fellas, I've read good things but have European blinkers on

Any thoughts and feelings would be most appreciated. Cheers!

Always a hard choice, many options available to you. I went with the single 650gs, you can read my review of it here..

http://rogerfleming-raftnn.blogspot....ke-review.html

I am getting close to 10000-kms now and am more happy than ever with it, for me being new to gravel it has been ideal. It is a hoot on the road as well, very easy to ride. My personal thought is to get your skills up on a smaller single like the 650 before jumping into the bigger bikes. Welcome to the world of adventure riding.....it is very addictive.

[Kokopelli]

We have an F650GS, the twin in the garage. It's my wife's bike. She had an F650GS, the single before. The twin is much more capable and not much heavier than the single. The twin is also cheaper and easier to maintain. However, if you want a really nice BMW, buy an Airhead GS :-).

[Oscar]

Basically it all depends what your definition of adventure is.

I bought an F650GS Dakar in 2002, and was somewhat dissapointed.
Based on the riding we do, I'd classify it as a gravel capable road bike.
Ironically, the larger two cylinder F650/800 is much more capable off-road.

[dmoo1790]

Basically it all depends what your definition of adventure is.

This comment hits the nail on the head. It _sounds_ like you won't be doing anything too off-roady. If so, then you want a bike with good road characteristics and don't need to worry about off road drawbacks. So can you live with less top end from a 650 single? If yes, then you'll have just as much fun on twisty roads as you have had on the CBR. I moved from a CBR1000RR via a DRZ400 to my 690 and the 690 is just as much fun on a twisty road as the 1000 and it doesn't scare me as much. If you think you'll miss the top end of the CBR600 then you're better off with the F800GS.

[Ender EnZed]

We have an F650GS, the twin in the garage... The twin is also cheaper and easier to maintain.

Ironically, the larger two cylinder F650/800 is much more capable off-road.

This is news to me, would anyone care to elaborate?

[blackdog]

Someone needs to mention the budget, before we can make any realistic recommendations anyway.

http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/mod...800xc%2011.htm

[Oscar]

This is news to me, would anyone care to elaborate?

The single cylinder F650GSD has a mediocre power to weight ratio, was top-heavy and is quite peaky for a big single. The fuel injection on mine made it idle too high, which made it a handful on greasy downhills (the fact that the rear brake had a habit of overheating didn't help this problem ).

The 800 twin isn't much heavier, and its additional power (and better bottom end)makes all the diference.
Simon Crafar actually said that the F800GSA was a better bike than the 990 Adventure...

[ops.normal]

These are exactly the things I've been weighing up

Someone asked about budget - if I sold the Honda in a rush I could get maybe four and a half for it (2000 model with 35 km). I could dedicate another 4 to the project - changing jobs at the mo so tying up more than 9 total in bikes would get me twitchy.

I really like the look of the 800gs, even the 800xc tiger is fair game - unfortunately these bikes aren't old enough to be close to my reach. Someone rightly pointed out the size of an 1150 or 1200 gs, and I think theyre spot on - would be daunting to try to learn a new skill set on such a machine.

I leaning towards a cheaper, high Kms 650gs to cut my teeth on and confirm that the adventure stuff is for me (pretty academic, but gotta be sure :P) and then in a year or two when I'm not a complete newbie I can look to wind up on an 800gs or similar.

If I take my time hunting for the right one at a good price, it'll tick all the boxes and be easy to shift when I'm ready to upgrade. The whole process will be good fun too - I'm 6'2 but have never ridden anything other than sports bikes. Looking forward to it all.