F650 Series?

[JasMoto]

I searched the forums, but was unable to find anything pertaining strictly to the F650 series.


There seems to be a decent used market of them, going for a reasonable price. Are these bikes suitable for a new rider? I have dirtbike experience, making the dual sport style of bikes a very comfortable thing for me. However, I do not care much for the look of dirtbikes/hardcore dualsports -- again, this makes the F650 bikes perfect as they have more of a street look.


Anyone have any input?

Thanks,


--Jas

[old-n-slow]

There seems to be a decent used market of them, going for a reasonable price.

Anyone have any input?

Thanks,


--Jas

Where did you find this reasonable market for used ones? I have been thinking about buying a new one as used ones up here seem to be priced so close to new that it would be foolish for me to buy used when I can get three years of warrantee if i go new.

I think they are a great all around bike. Good on the highway, same for logging roads etc. BMW claims they get about 80 miles per gallon too, which adds incentive.

[RandK]

HI:

Please excuse my assumption that you are referring to A BMW F650 GS.
If so, I am confused why anyone would want anything else.

Kathy and I are new to this motorcycle thing and made a mistake of buying a Buell Blast (luckily only one) on which to get "more experience".
Quickly, instantly, realized we made a mistake and started looking again. Got pointed in the right direction and found a 2002 650 and then a new low chassis 650 for Kathy. In my opinion these bikes where made for the road and adapted to off road versus the opposite. Plenty of power, very forgiving and easy to learn make them a great bike for starting on yet plenty of room to grow with them also. The 4 gallon fuel tank makes for plenty of miles between stops. The fuel tank is under the seat somewhere and makes for a low CG with the associated benefits. From the research I had done the engines are well thought of, are long lived, and very reliable.

I laughed about the heated hand grips, Kathy loves hers, but must admit that I have "tried" them on a cold morning ride or two. I am not aware of another mid-sized bike with ABS but others on the forum follow those things closer than I.

We travel extensively and were looking for a lighter wt bike, easy to transport, the 650 fits the bill, being a little over 400 pounds. In fact, we loaded them on the back of the truck last night getting ready for the trip to MI.

Guess I would just say we are very happy with our 650's, you should have seen Kathy's smile after her first ride on her new bike. A few weeks ago there were only 7 miles on it, now its pushing 500.

The 2002 bike was about 7500 dollars, 12,000 miles but also had the helmet trunk and side expandable bags. It also came with a soft tank bag and an extra seat. The 2005 low chassis bike was something over 10,000 but we had them add a head light modulation device and an LED brake light. The dealer included the two hours of installation time. I thought I might run up there and show them how to do it in half the time. I did the same work on the 2002 in about a half hour after getting the right parts.

We have not had them off road but have heard of people taking them on trails. We are looking forward to some of the many dirt roads in rural MI this summer.

RandK

[Lion_Lady]

Have you been to f650.com? The site is dedicated to all f650s both the original (no GS/CS models) and the belt driven CS as well.

I've got a CS - the belt driven model. LOOOOVE it. I've put nearly 8000 miles on mine in a year

It is an excellent starting out bike or "re-entry" bike. Built for around town commuting and capable of longer trips as well. I average 55 to 60 miles per gallon of gas (87 octane), so it is cheap to run as well.

Pam

[Toyuzu]

Keysman has a CS, too. You can see pics of his and stories on his blog here: http://www.mixography.com/blog/weblog.php

I've read a story about a guy riding all over the world on a F 650 GS, too. They seem to be pretty good bikes, but then what BMW isn't?