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  #1  
Old 6 Sep 2009
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Bmw F650
Hi. Could anyone please give me a quick run down on the differences between the various F650 variants.
We are looking for a second bike for my wife and an F650 would seem to be a good buy. Looking on ebay it seems reasonable to pick a something like 2002 to 2004 for around 2k.
But there seem to be so many models, We're looking for a bike which will be used mainly on the road but can cope with some gentle trail riding and rough roads. The seat height must be low, which rules out the Dakar version (which would be too expensive anyway)
There seems to be a Funduro, GS and a CS.
It looks like they switched fom chain drive to belt about 5 years ago and I guess one of these would be preferred.
Any information and/or opinions would be appreciated.
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Old 7 Sep 2009
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From what I understand the old Funduro was replaced by the GS and CS with the CS being belt driven for it's entire factory run and therefor would be not preferred on any non paved roads.

The GS is chain driven and differs from the Dakar by having a 19" front wheel and less suspention travel and I think height as well.

They are quite sporty and comfortable both on road as well as off road. Like everything they have their shortcomings which if you know how to use a spanner and lube some bearings you're fine with.

I find the normal GS turn into the corners a bit to quick, but I've only ever riden bikes with 20" wheels.
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Old 7 Sep 2009
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1993-2000 F650 Funduro Carbed engine, chain drive, 19-inch front wheel
1996-2000 F650 ST carbed engine, chain drive, 18-inch front wheel.
2000-2008 F650 GS FI engine with underseat tank, chain drive, 19-inch front wheel.
2000-2008 F650 Dakar, as above with 21-inch front wheel.
2002-2006 F650 CS, FI engine and underseat tank, belt drive, 18-inch front wheel.

All F650's have Aprillia build quality and BMW service quality with the additional bonus that half of BMW's techs don't understand anything that can't be plugged in. Price is going to be based on how they've been used and hence how grotty they are. A good one will do anything asked of it. A bad one will be a mess.

Things to look for:

Get a multimeter on the battery, low voltage or heat probably means the VR is on it's way out.
Dip the oil. Chocolate brown means the water pump seal has gone.

I had two Funduro's. The 93 did what BMW's reputation said it would, the 99 did what modern BMW's seem to do, it dropped to bits. IMHO, shop on condition and don't be fooled by the badge. Personally I'd look for a Yamaha or Kawasaki.

Google Chain Gang, they are the internet F650 group and have a very good FAQ.

Andy
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Old 11 Sep 2009
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Thanks for the replies. I'm certainly a lot clearer now on the various models but I'm still not sure it's the right bike to go for. Trouble is all the bikes which have anything resembling off-road capabilities seem too tall.
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Old 11 Sep 2009
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Is it for a trip mate ???

The 650's are ok for pottering about the UK on but a pile of unreliable poorly made crap to travel on...

Do a search for low travel bikes. There are HUNDREDS of threads.
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Old 11 Sep 2009
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Hi, I have only a little experience of the F650 GS single but I'd say it is very heavy when stationary. It is a lovely bike to ride on all road surfaces but too low and heavy for anything other than a rough, rocky track. At a steady 65mph it has vicious bar vibrations--my left hand was numb for 3 weeks after leaving it! It does 73mpg quite easily. It is known that many of them have bad peeling of engine paint.
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Old 12 Sep 2009
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tedmagnum View Post
Is it for a trip mate ???

The 650's are ok for pottering about the UK on but a pile of unreliable poorly made crap to travel on...

Do a search for low travel bikes. There are HUNDREDS of threads.
Here we go again. Don't listen to Ted. He's a nice bloke but is incapable of changing his opinion when reasonable arguments are put forward. He's never had one, and never comments on the reasonable arguments.

It's an awesome bike to take anywhere. The best thing about it is the availability of the info on it. Haynes manual, Chain Gang FAQ, maintenance DVD which even tell you how to split the motor your self, parts fiches on the software your dealer have, electrical diagrams, diagnostic equipment, user mods, the list goes on. If you still have problems with it that have been discussed at lenght....... well. You know where I'm going with this.

The technical info mentioned here is correct though. The Funduro DLbiten mentioned is indeed an Aprillia. Good bike, but now old fashioned. The early GS BM put together themselves (with Rotax's powerplant) had FI issues. Typical BM. They don't test like Yamaha does. Also, BM is useless with aftermarket service in my experience.
The twin spark is what you want IMHO. The later versions are the best with most issues ironed out.
There are also lemons. But ask me about my DRZ400E so called bullitproof bike which is currently at the dealer under warrenty.
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