First (BMW) adventure bike opinions requested

[sidecar bob]

I spoke to a BMW dealer about buying an 1150gs & all he said was, spend the extra & buy a 1200gs.
It is the best bike I have ever owned by a fair stretch.

[Box'a'bits]

I know you said you would prefer BMW, but.. there are plenty of cheap Dr / KLR / DRZ / TT bikes out there that will allow you to go much further for far less. Please don't get too blinded by the BMW branding / marketing. The older F650GS / Dakars are economical to run, but are heavy (190kgs +) & expensive (you pay a premium for the branding) compared to any similar bikes.

If you insist on getting the F650GS, get the Dakar - the 21 front wheel is well worth it. Another option might be the G650X Challenge

If you want to learn to ride gravel / adventure - light is right.

But as you've already found, everyone has an opinion.

[Frodo]

I had an F650 and now have an Aprilia Pegaso Trail (similar heritage to the BMW but with a Yamaha motor).

The main issue I find with these bikes is that they're too small for pillioning, both in terms of chassis and horsepower. Otherwise they are fine on the open road and on gravel - I rode from south of Jackson Bay (Haast) to Nelson Lakes in one day and would hapily do it again. I think nothing of a 5-600km day.

But if I had the choice now, I'd get a F650 twin or F800.

[_Shrek_]

6'2 an't short I've had the 650Gs & now on my 2nd 1150Gs both good bikes, but as you are new to the adventure side I would say go for a 650Dr, KLR 660XT all lighter than BMW's & cheaper after a year, go & get 1150Gs or 1200GS great for off road when you get use to their size but they do go place's

[clint640]

(read, potential for dropping it on gravel is high)

I know you don't want to hear this, but given the above, why buy the heaviest, most fragile & most expensive to buy parts for bike in it's class? The pose value of a BMW evaporates pretty quick when you've got a bunch of DR & KLR riders standing around pointing, laughing & taking photos before they help you pick it up

If onroad comfort is a higher priority then the F650 does make more sense as it excels at that.

Cheers
Clint

[Oscar]

I know you don't want to hear this, but given the above, why buy the heaviest, most fragile & most expensive to buy parts for bike in it's class? The pose value of a BMW evaporates pretty quick when you've got a bunch of DR & KLR riders standing around pointing, laughing & taking photos before they help you pick it up

If onroad comfort is a higher priority then the F650 does make more sense as it excels at that.

Cheers
Clint

You called?





heheheheheh

[Transalper]

lol, 2000 F650GS is the only bike I ever owned which I grew to hate. The Dakar version probably would have been a bit better with the big wheel. Horrid shuddery thing to ride unless you kept it buzzing.... but I got sucked in by the advertising hype and grin it gave me on the short sealed road test ride I got.
Might as well kept using my CBR1000F on gravel instead (except I broke that on the seal).
Went from that to the 600 Transalp and now even my pillion is happy... me too!
Better gravel, better sealed road, better two up ability. Don't pull at the seat of ya pants like the DR650 does going through the gears though.

[ops.normal]

I'll admit the marketing team at BMW do their jobs well, and there's probably a good bit of sucker factor there - they are obviously good bikes with plenty of guys happy with them, but whether they are ideal for this job is another question.

If the plan is only to hold a bike for a year or 18 months, which (if not a Beemer) is likely to hold its value best? Totally different question I know, but very interested to see what you all think...

Cheers!

[Transalper]

If you anything like me you'll reach a point and say stuff it, and get what you wanted back in plan A.... in which case go for the 2000+ F650Dakar.
They're a bit awkward to stand on (you get a bit bow legged around the tank bulb that's not actually the tank) but for seated adventures remembering it suits nice smooth stuff better, like you say lots of people do seem happy with theirs.
Otherwise if you buy cheep enough, what ever you get wont have much value to loose.
Unfortunately you need to start somewhere to create a base line for comparison to go more or less technical terrain from.

[Devil]

A surprising amount of you seem to be confused about the BMW GS range, and consequently you're causing confusion with the OP.

If the name starts with GS, its a suzuki.
If its followed by GS, its a BMW :P

Just to clarify for the thread starter:
An F650GS - if made in the 90's or early to mid 2000's - is a single cylinder 650. It also comes in a dakar version with the difference being it has 21" front spoked wheel as opposed to the standard 19". Recently, this bike was tarted up and re-released as the G650GS, and the G650GS Sertao (the 'Dakar' version).
The NEW F650GS is an 800cc parallel twin, sharing an engine (albeit in a detuned state) with the F800GS.

As sidecar bob mentioned, if you want to look at one of the big boys - the R1200GS really is a leap ahead of the R1150GS (R series are all the big boxer twins).

Perhaps see if you can borrow the F650GS single and see what you think, before you commit to a whole lot of money on one.

I have an R1200GS Adventure too, and LOVE it. I do plenty of road riding and its a sweet toy in this department. It is definitely heavier and less agile than the 650's offroad however.

[JATZ]

What about a Tenere ?...

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/moto...-460634334.htm

just putting it out there

[Gremlin]

It is definitely heavier and less agile than the 650's offroad however.

The bike's ability is only limited by the rider's imagination (and stupidity)

[Crim]

Perhaps see if you can borrow the F650GS single and see what you think, before you commit to a whole lot of money on one.

Great idea that, see if you can have a spin on a range of 650's and then work out wether BMW is worth twice a DR or KLR to you, if I was you I would go cheap and cheerfull to start with - amazing how many people on this website have had bigger, more expensive bikes and then gone for a DR - biggets bang for your buck out there! (I love my KLR but it is bloody heavy to pick up which I seem to have to do quite often)

[Devil]

The bike's ability is only limited by the rider's imagination (and stupidity)

You'd know.

:P

[dmoo1790]

The bike's ability is only limited by the rider's imagination (and stupidity)

And maybe by sand, Gremlin? Huh? Huh?