A place to meet and chat about everything bike related in the North West. I decided to start this forum for riders in the North West because I have been a member of other forums and a lot of their rideouts mean you have to travel a long way, or just never get to meet them. Hopefully this forum will start a community off in the North West and get some rideouts going. Please feel free to take a look around the site, although you may need to register to get the full benefit If you have any suggestions please contact me at Email
Is neither a 650, nor is it much of a GS, which is a confusing introduction to the machine. But if the marketing people were guilty of some convoluted thinking, BMW's engineers appear to have known exactly what they were doing, as it's a cracking good motorcycle. Easy rider: Steering is light and natural and the bike has exceptionally good balance In fact, the F650GS is such a capable bike it may just have spread more confusion by upstaging the F800GS it's derived from, offering not a lot less for a lot less money. The two bikes are closely related, starting with the F650's 800cc engine (see what I mean?), which is basically the same as the F800's twin-cylinder, liquid-cooled unit, but retuned to produce 71bhp against the 800GS's 84bhp? With an easier delivery and more torque at lower rpm. The bike is called the F650GS partly to help distinguish it from the higher-spec 800 (although you would have thought there are less confusing ways to do that), and partly because it's meant to be the direct successor to the old F650GS. That was a single-cylinder machine of 652cc capacity which stood at the foot of BMW's range as the company's entry-level machine, and very popular it was too.
The new 800cc F650GS deserves to maintain and build on that popularity as it retains the old bike's relaxed and easy riding qualities while adding more performance (with no extra intimidation for novices). In particular, it has a much less fussy ride at low revs around town. Single-cylinder bikes don't like being lugged around in the bottom regions of their rev bands as the lumpy power pulses resonate through the transmission, causing the bike to jerk and shudder. advertisement The new twin though is happy to be trickled along at little more than walking pace with reasonable smoothness. Then turn the twistgrip and it pulls away smartly and predictably, moving into the strong mid-range where it's most comfortable. Like the F800ST (the original road-bike derivation of the F800 platform) the response to small throttle openings is a little too immediate for novices, but it's less in evidence on this bike than on its relatives. Rev the GS hard and the power falls away and it feels flat, but there are plenty of riders who would never explore this region of the engine's performance anyway (Jamie). Other differences between the 800 and 650 GS models include lower-cost alloy wheels in place of the 800's spokes (spoked wheels are better for off-road riding) and a front-wheel diameter of 19in instead of 21in. But if the wheels merely nod at off-road ability (hence the uncertainty about the GS tag), they work better for road riding, for which these bikes will be used almost exclusively. The steering is light and natural and the bike has exceptionally good balance that makes it simple to manoeuvre at low speeds, while stability at a faster pace is fine. The smaller front wheel means the seat is lower too, an easy 30.1 inches from the ground (Jamie). Other changes are relatively small, with a different exhaust system, no off-road-style sump guard, one front disc instead of two and a different screen at the front, which takes some of the wind pressure off at speed but does little more than that. The sum of the changes is 15lb less weight and a much more noticeable £1,200 lower price. Look at it another way and you might wonder if what you get by paying an extra £1,200 for the F800GS costs is worth that much more: it has off-road ability and more top-end horsepower, neither of which most people will use. If anything, the 650GS's engine feels more lively and willing to spin lower down where it's used the most.The 650's suspension is lower spec, too, but again it's not especially noticeable apart from a slightly choppier ride and a reduced ability to deal with bumps at speed, but it's nothing you'd complain about. Push it harder and it will wallow gently over undulations, but at this level it's all perfectly acceptable. As a mile-muncher the 650GS is pretty good, as the 3.5-gallon tank should be sufficient for 150 miles, and maybe more because the bike should easily exceed 50mpg and, with gentle riding, will manage 60mpg or more. A shame the seat isn't more comfortable, though - it has you shifting around after about an hour. The important thing to add is what a pleasure the bike is to ride. The motor is crisp, the handling secure but willing to change direction, the feel of the bike is wieldy and responsive and it's plain fun. You're supposed to move on and up from your first big motorcycle, but I suspect there will be plenty who are perfectly happy where they are. BMW F650GS tech/spec Price: £5,495 on the road. Availability: On sale March 8. Contact: BMW (GB), 01344 426565, www.bmw-motorrad.co.uk Engine: 798cc, twin-cylinder four-stroke with eight valves; 71bhp at 7,000rpm, 55lb ft of torque at 4,500rpm. Transmission: Six-speed gearbox, chain final drive. Performance: top speed 115mph, average fuel consumption 55mpg. You'll like: Mid-range power, stability, style, price. You may not like: Gearchange notchiness, seat comfort. Alternatives: Kawasaki ER-6n, Suzuki DL650 V-Strom, Triumph Tiger, Benelli Tre-k
The other admin and I have decided to see if any of you lot would be prepared to give up a weekend in the summer to do a sponsored ride in aid of the Northwest Air Ambulance. Up to now this is just a starting point, if you have any comments or queries -Click Here- is the place to air them.
The proposed format will be to set off from Devils Bridge on a Friday afternoon and arrive back there on the following Sunday evening. Keiron has suggested following the cost of England and Scotland. See below
You can see the whole route in detail -Click Here- The total distance is according to Google 673 miles and should take around 17 hours. So We would need to do approx 4 hours riding on Friday, 7 on Saturday, and 7 on Sunday. We can stop for rests and refreshments every 100 miles or so. But there will be no hard and fast rule just as and when.
The enrollment is now closed for this Ride. I'm sorry if you have missed it but we had to draw the line somewhere. We will keep you informed of our progress and how much we raised as soon as we know.
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