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Photo by Alessio Corradini, on the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia, of two locals

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Alessio Corradini,
on the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia,
of two locals



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  #1  
Old 22 Nov 2012
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F650gs single exhaust question
I finally managed to get around to viewing that F650GS single whose panniers I asked about a while back.

The bike was not for me unfortunately - I got a bunch of bad vibes about it like leaking front shock, mismatched wheels and ill fitting bodywork at the steering head.

But one of them has piqued my curiosity. Basically, no matter how hard you revved it, nothing came out of the left hand side exhaust. Is this how the germans intended it? It would seem crazy to me to have a whole "decorative" exhaust? Or is it (one of the) real problem(s) and I was right to walk away?

Thanks in advance.
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Old 23 Nov 2012
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From your description of the front end issues, you did the right thing in walking away - it is a buyer's market after all, especially during the winter.

For the exhaust, that is standard.
It is one single exhaust with a connector pipe that links what looks like a twin exhaust; the LHS contains the catalytic converter while the RHS is the silencer box - hence all exhaust gases exit on the RHS only.
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Old 23 Nov 2012
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Originally Posted by s445203 View Post
I finally managed to get around to viewing that F650GS single whose panniers I asked about a while back.

The bike was not for me unfortunately - I got a bunch of bad vibes about it like leaking front shock, mismatched wheels and ill fitting bodywork at the steering head.

But one of them has piqued my curiosity. Basically, no matter how hard you revved it, nothing came out of the left hand side exhaust. Is this how the germans intended it? It would seem crazy to me to have a whole "decorative" exhaust? Or is it (one of the) real problem(s) and I was right to walk away?

Thanks in advance.
I'm curious to know what you mean by mismatched wheels.
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Old 23 Nov 2012
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@Walkabout - wow! So if I'm understanding you correctly, the exhaust gases leave the engine, go through the cat in the LHS exhaust before coming out the RHS exhaust? And the LHS exhaust has that look just for show. That's a new learning!

@electric_monk - It was an 8 year old bike. The front wheel looked that age, looking used, with some rust patches on it. The rear looked like it had just rolled off a production line. The final bit that smelled was the tax disc was two years out of date, so it had probably sat unloved somewhere for that time.

Looks like I made the right call - too many questions marks raised. Thanks all.
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Old 23 Nov 2012
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I have seen a setup with a non-cat silencer on the left with gases coming out there and a round tool box on the right where the other pipe used to be, looked good.
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Old 24 Nov 2012
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Originally Posted by s445203 View Post
@Walkabout - wow! So if I'm understanding you correctly, the exhaust gases leave the engine, go through the cat in the LHS exhaust before coming out the RHS exhaust? And the LHS exhaust has that look just for show. That's a new learning!

@electric_monk - It was an 8 year old bike. The front wheel looked that age, looking used, with some rust patches on it. The rear looked like it had just rolled off a production line. The final bit that smelled was the tax disc was two years out of date, so it had probably sat unloved somewhere for that time.

Looks like I made the right call - too many questions marks raised. Thanks all.
Correct about the exhaust and Mark makes a good point about fitting an after market exhaust to make better use of the space, remove the catalytic converter, free up the flow of gases, and, probably, make a better noise.

As for the bike you looked at:
Walking away was still the best thing to do, but you could also do that as a negotiating tactic (buyers market).
My main concern in your first description was the ill-fitting plastics which may mean that it has been crashed (as distinct from just dropped at slow speed).
A two year old tax disc is nothing of concern however; it could easily be SORNed for that duration - more important is how it was stored during time off the road + the maintenance it has received.
Basically, was the bike loved (or at least cared for) or abused??
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Old 24 Nov 2012
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Thanks @walkabout - and makes perfect sense. It was an 8 year old bike with 10k miles on the clock for UKP3k. It's not the bargain of the century, though seemed like a fair price. My issue was that if I had to sum up the bike in one word it would be "tatty" - quite a few rust spots. I don't expect immaculate from an 8 year old bike, but it's got me to thinking that as an absolute beginner in the world of AMC, I'm probably better off spending a bit more and getting something which looks like it's had a bit more TLC. I'll try to look at a V-strom this week which may fit the bill - 2011, 8k miles and absolutely fully kitted out to be driven into a crate in Heathrow for just a little more than the BMW.

Thanks again for all your help.
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Old 24 Nov 2012
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No worries, I am not a raving enthusiast for any particular manufacturer of bikes including BMW. Probably the opposite would be nearer the mark in that I like to try out different bikes. There is quite a bit in the Suzi tech forum about the "wee strom" so you can get some good info about it from there.
Yes, a 2011 model should be good - there was a model change last year, so the prices of the earlier version fell, logically.

For information, I sold a 2005 650GS with 12K on the clock at a final price of £2650 back in August; that was done "quick and dirty" for my convenience (there is a ready market for second hand BMWs, but there are plenty of folks who hold out for what amounts to an unrealistic expectation about the price - on both the buying and the selling).
So, the asking price in your case was not totally unrealistic as an asking price (it takes at least two to come to a final price, more in the case of an auction).
Good luck with your searching, but most of all enjoy the ride.
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Old 30 Nov 2012
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Just to share "what happened next", and the final point where this no longer belongs in the BMW tech section

I bought a pristine 2011 wee strom with 8k miles on the clock, with 6 months warranty left. It had everything it needed for me to put it on a plane: full luggage set, crash bars, bash plate, heated grips, scott oiler, taller screen and was really in showroom condition. Price: £4.5k, which seems quite reasonable given the cost of the accessories. Realise it's not the most enigmatic of bikes, and it does look a bit too monied for my taste, but for a beginners trip, I probably value the reliability more and it seems the right compromise:

Here's the pic:


Thanks all.
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