BMW F 650 GS
Content
BMW was the only company to emphasize motorcycle safety for decades. The passenger too. It's the same with people on the road if we ignore environmental protection now. BMW is clearly groundbreaking and was the first to rely on aerodynamic driver protection, ABS brakes and electronic fuel injection. ...
Perhaps they are so focused on the internal development of the incomparably larger automotive part of this brand, which accounts for about 97 percent of total production.
BMW is offering a very creative approach to the person with safety components, not just by upgrading equipment to increase the steering angle or increase brake discs for harsher braking. Of course, this is very important. There is also a man, that is, a driver who does not know or does not know how to use the equipment!
This is why BMW actively assists the driver in driving and stopping the motorcycle. For example: unsurpassed and irreplaceable ABS brakes; either safety indicators with a toggle switch on hand, or electrically heated levers to keep the driver from being numb while driving in the cold. Or a good driving school that casts out fear, stress, or reduces overconfidence. And if you add to the sum the rich offer of the boutique, in which the motorcyclist dresses from head to toe in "branded" clothes, the argument turns out to be very loud.
BMW sets production and sales records for the seventh consecutive year with 70 motorcycles produced this year. Also this year, they have risen by almost ten percent, although the German motorcycle market has fallen by just that much. The very radically redesigned F 650 with the GS label was only introduced to the world in March of this year, and it's already selling so well that another shift has been introduced at the factory! Why was the BMW F 650 / GS also the third best selling motorcycle in Slovenia last year?
Yes, the entry into the third millennium began with a change. If you've heard, BMW broke off a seven-year partnership with Aprilia, resulting in 65 first-generation F 650 motorcycles. Now the Germans develop and do everything themselves. GS comes to the market from Berlin. It also has some Slovenian parts that are created in the Tomos. This is an engine cylinder with galvanic resistance against wear of the cylinder walls, an oil tank, a wheel hub, a parking strut.
The well-known dry-sump single-cylinder engine with a new four-valve head modeled after the BMW M3 is of course still supplied by the Austrian Bombardier – Rotax. Instead of a carburetor, the engine has a fuel injection system and related control electronics that also controls a three-way catalytic converter. They state that the engine is now capable of more power, 50 hp. at 6.500 rpm. In Akrapovič, we measured them on a 44 bike, which is a good indicator.
The engine also has a beneficially stretched power curve, constantly pulling and spinning up to 7.500 rpm as the electronics take its fuel. The heavy-duty clutch and five-speed transmission work well with the new pressure plate and respond reasonably well to everything, although early clutch engagement bothered me all the time and gave the impression of poorly adjusted clearance. Feeling it.
In general, the engine is a successful and reliable combination. However, it has one noticeably bad feature. For the engine to come to life, you need a very long start. Fuel injection (its electronics) and refueling take time to get ready. The rotation of the starter may last only three to four seconds. However, definitely too much to not worry about when we know how the old engine started instantly.
For the first time, ABS is also available (at an additional cost) on a single-cylinder engine in this price range. It is slightly cheaper and weighs only 2 kg and was also developed by Bosch. It runs a little slower than on larger bikes, but its help in hard braking, slippery pavement and panic attacks is invaluable.
In critical moments, even an experienced motorcyclist struggles to grab the brakes, and then the bike will surely block and get into an accident. Few are able to brake in a controlled manner at times when time and space are running out. The ABS is simply smarter and more efficient: you push and step on the brakes, and the ABS adjusts to ensure that the case ends almost perfectly. To ride on rubble, you can and should turn off the ABS, otherwise the motorcycle does not stop well.
Where conventional motorcycles have a fuel tank, the GS only has a grill covering the battery, air filter, electrical wiring, and oil tank, and this time also has a volume adjustment window, making dry sump management much easier. engine.
Why the voltage regulator was inserted into an unprotected place next to the motor housing, otherwise behind the aluminum motor shield, I would not know. However, the fact that the plastic fuel tank is now under the seat and the fuel port on the right side, like in the car, is a beautiful and interesting detail. For righteous riders, 17 liters of fuel have noticeably shifted the center of gravity lower to the ground, making the bike easier to ride.
He sits firmly, just 780mm off the ground, with his feet firmly planted on the ground and his body firmly attached to the bike. This is important because the rider also steers the motorcycle with body movements, using their own weight on the pedals or on the sides of the motorcycle. In this regard, the GS is a very friendly and easy-to-ride bike that is also extremely suitable for women and beginners.
In safe driving training, he showed that muscles are not needed at all to overcome the slow slalom between the cones and can be controlled as easily as a moped. The scale with a full fuel tank shows a weight of 197 kilograms, which is a lot for one cylinder. A motorcycle like this could easily weigh twenty pounds less. With a few exercises, even a beginner gets the necessary sense of balance in the motorcycle so that he can safely move it, park (it has a center and side stand) or ride slowly. If one is worried about a very hard riding position on a motorcycle and therefore a high front end, that is the price of a low seat.
The all-new frame, made of square steel profiles, looks like a double laundry clip to which the pipes next to the engine and the ones that hold the seat are screwed on. In theory, very straight lines provide the required rigidity and no abnormal reactions can be detected while driving.
Even on the steepest slopes, the bike remains stable and the wheels are always pointed in the right direction. Also because of the decent suspension. The Showa front fork has an additional reinforcing axle above the wheel to prevent flexing when braking with ABS. The rear center shock absorber has an adjustable spring preload with the wheel mounted on the right side of the motorcycle. Here, after several washes, it is annoying that the labels with the markings for adjusting the spring rate fall off.
With two under seat noise dampeners, a high front fender, dotted mesh on the fuel tank, interestingly shaped plastic and a headlight that leans over the hood, the F 650 GS is a very recognizable motorcycle.
The designers did a good job again, although I also don't understand some of the deviations. Let's say electrical switches. They look cheap with the big plastic keys, but it made me desperate when I moved the pipe switch to the classic turn signal switch position. Every time I wanted to point the direction completely automatically, I felt the sound of a trumpet.
Maybe there is some salt in this design trick, so a loud trumpet saves lives? I would like to know the answer. Well, the motorcycle owner will get used to the derailleurs, as we are all accustomed to the even more unusual derailleurs brought by the K series twenty years ago.
It is a fact that with radical processing the price has increased markedly.
BMW F 650 GS
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
engine: 4-stroke - 1-cylinder - liquid cooled - vibration damping shaft - 2 camshafts, chain - 4 valves per cylinder - bore and stroke 100×83 mm - displacement 652 cm3 - compression 11:5 - claimed maximum power 1 kW ( 37 hp) at 50 rpm - declared maximum torque 6.500 Nm at 60 rpm - fuel injection - unleaded petrol (OŠ 5.000) - battery 95 V, 12 Ah - alternator 12 W - electric starter
Energy transfer: primary gear, ratio 1, oil bath multi-plate clutch - 521-speed gearbox - chain
Frame: two steel beams, bolted bottom beams and seatposts - 29 degree frame head angle - 2mm front - 113mm wheelbase
Suspension: Showa telescopic front fork f 41 mm, 170 mm travel - rear oscillating forks, central shock absorber with adjustable spring tension, wheel travel 165 mm
Wheels and tires: front wheel 2 × 50 with 19 / 100-90 19S tire – rear wheel 57 × 3 with 00 / 17-130 8S tire, Metzeler brand
brakes: front 1 × disc f 300 mm with 4-piston caliper - rear disc f 240 mm; ABS for extra charge
Wholesale apples: length 2175 mm - width with mirrors 910 mm - handlebar width 785 mm - seat height from the ground 780 mm - distance between legs and seat 500 mm - fuel tank 17 l, reserve 3 l - weight (with fuel, factory) 4 kg – load capacity 5 kg
Capacities (factory): Acceleration time 0-100 km / h: 5 s, top speed 9 km / h, fuel consumption at 166 km / h: 90 l / 3 km, 4 km / h: 100 l / 120 km
INFORMATIVE
Representative: Avto Aktiv doo, Cesta v Mestni log 88a (01/280 31 00), Ljubljana
Warranty conditions: 1 year, no mileage limitation
Prescribed maintenance intervals: the first after 1000 km, the next after every 10.000 km
Color combinations: Red; saddle in titanium blue and yellow; mandarin
Original accessories: clock, alarm, tachometer
Number of authorized dealers / repairers: 5/5
DINNER
Base motorcycle price: 5.983.47 EUR
Price of the tested motorcycle: 6.492.08 EUR
OUR MEASUREMENTS
Wheel power: 44, 6 km at 6.300 rpm
Mass with liquids: 197 kg
Fuel consumption: Average test: 5 L / 37 km
TEST ERRORS
- slow engine start
– ill-fitting trunk lid behind the seat
FINAL ASSESSMENT
Recognizable form! In the hands of the GS is so different from the bikes in this class that it takes getting used to the low seating position. Disgustingly slow engine start. A strong argument is the ABS option.
THANK YOU
+ ABS
+ feeling of lightness
+ stability at all speeds
+ engine characteristics
+ accessories
+ minor fall injuries
GRADJAMO
- motorcycle weight
– we miss the classic arrangement of switches next to the levers
Mitya Gustinchich
PHOTO: Uro П Potoкnik
Technical information
engine: 4-stroke - 1-cylinder - liquid cooled - vibration damping shaft - 2 camshafts, chain - 4 valves per cylinder - bore and stroke 100 × 83 mm - displacement 652 cm3 - compression 11,5: 1 - declared maximum power 37 kW (50 L.
Energy transfer: primary gear, ratio 1,521, oil bath multi-plate clutch - 5-speed gearbox - chain
Frame: two steel beams, bolted bottom beams and seatposts - 29,2 degree frame head angle - 113mm front end - 1479mm wheelbase
brakes: front 1 × disc f 300 mm with 4-piston caliper - rear disc f 240 mm; ABS for extra charge
Suspension: Showa telescopic front fork f 41 mm, 170 mm travel - rear oscillating forks, central shock absorber with adjustable spring tension, wheel travel 165 mm
Weight: length 2175 mm - width with mirrors 910 mm - handlebar width 785 mm - seat height from the ground 780 mm - distance between legs and seat 500 mm - fuel tank 17,3 l, reserve 4,5 l - weight (with fuel, factory) 193 kg - load capacity 187 kg
