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New F650GS....any review on this new bike?? New F650GS....any review on this new bike??
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Photo by Andy Miller, UK, Taking a rest, Jokulsarlon, Iceland

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Photo by Andy Miller, UK,
Taking a rest,
Jokulsarlon, Iceland



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  #1  
Old 20 Jul 2008
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New F650GS....any review on this new bike??
Just starting to think if I change my standard F650GS 2007 to the new F650 with the 800cc engine. I will appreciate any good or bad comments on this new bike ?? Thanks!
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  #2  
Old 20 Jul 2008
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I'm enjoying mine and you should notice a massive performance improvement: F650/800GS road test reports by UKGSers - ::. UKGS'er.com .::
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  #3  
Old 20 Jul 2008
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Tim,
With all of your comments and discussions about this bike I think I have my mand made up. This week I will ride the Demo bike in all kinds of conditions an post my comments!!
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  #4  
Old 21 Jul 2008
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How comfortable are people to take a new model of a bike? Personally, I would prefer to wait until it is a year or 2 old before taking it to remote places so that issues can be found and ironed out. I'd certainly welcome some more power on my Dakar, but not at the expense of confidence that the bike can take the pace. What are your thoughts?

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  #5  
Old 23 Jul 2008
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Very good point dotcaf. My interest in knowing more about this bikes I think is more into the power and looks (it´s always nice to have something new..). But thinking smart, I would also think is more adecuate to wait some months and see what happens with this nice bike. The comments con people who have ones have been pretty good, but I still haven´t heard of someone who has taken a long and adventurous ride....let´s wait for that!!
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  #6  
Old 23 Jul 2008
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new bikes
just a couple of points on this, firstly the engine is pretty tried and tested as it has been around for a couple of years in other models and secondly, surely someone is always the first to ride any new bike on an 'adventure' and test it out... it happened with the Tenere, Transalp etc etc. Ultimately, there is only one way to find out, try it and enjoy it.
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  #7  
Old 23 Jul 2008
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THE RIDE IS ON....!!
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  #8  
Old 4 Aug 2008
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My New F650
Hi, I have been looking at this site on and off for the last 18 months (now I have bike, I have joined). I bought the BMW F650 GS 2008. I am pretty new (again) after having ridden bikes in my teens and for a while in my mid 30’s.

I seriously considered the Suzuki V-Strom 650 after talking to a guy in Ecuador and reading much in the forums about them. But more recently, I swung to BMW. I went to the local dealer and sat on a R1200 GS. It was very daunting, I felt like I was sitting on a truck. They had a new (2008) F650 GS demo; I arranged a ride, thought about it for a few days, put a deposit and bought one.

I plan to do some adventure rides here in Australia to see if this is the bike that will handle my planned trip from Cape Town to Egypt, then further, Inshalah.

I like the power, it handles well on corners ( I have only had it a week), but have yet to really try it out.
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Old 4 Aug 2008
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Not too bad for a first post dualpurpose: makes a change from the usual "hi, this is me, how are you, blah blah", from one total stranger in some part of the world to another.

Nice bike by the way: how much are they in your neck of the woods, or is that a trade secret?
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  #10  
Old 4 Aug 2008
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Congrats dualpurpose, I am in the dilema of buying the F650 twin in order to replace my F650 single cilinder. I have read hundreds of comments about this new BMW and most of them are very good. Hope you get the best out of this motorcycle and keep reading in order to find those small details that you can improve on this great bike.
Think in investing on a radiator and motor protector, they come very exposed..!
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  #11  
Old 5 Aug 2008
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2008 F650 Gs
Thanks for your comments. It cost A$16560 ride-away. As soon as I got it, the first thing was an Airhawk seat cushion, next, crashbars, which was a good idea. I was pushing over gutter lip and it got away from me and fell over. Like I said, they're heavier than the older bikes. Also, I have learned, put it on the side stand before trying to get off. Anyway, next I put a RadGuard on. I bought a Hepco Becker Topcase, 42Ltr, but somehow I think it might be too big for when I travel, I have yet to get panniers (maybe the 37Ltr H&B) but they can wait for now. I realize I need to keep the wait low down. Maybe a bashplate and headlight protectors next!

Went for a ride with a couple of old mates on Sunday. They had new (2007) Bonnevilles, nice for road ride, but that's about all. But I got the F650 because I want to eventually travel where ever the bike will take me. And after having pre-read much about the F650, I believe this is the bike (for me). Considering my age, I think the "eventually" will need to be next year sometime.
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