Ann – BMW F650GS
Lucas - BMW F650 Dakar
Why BMW? Well, it had nothing to do with brand loyalty, price, performance, reliability or anything else in particular. We needed two “adventure” bikes (Ann doesn’t share), so it made sense to buy two bikes which were mechanically identical. It means you can carry fewer spare parts and tools, and for mechanically-challenged types like us it meant we only needed to become familiar with the idiosyncrasies of one model of bike.
But that doesn’t really answer the question. You see it really all came down to height. Ann’s that is. We considered, looked at and sat on all kinds of bikes, but the only one which Ann could even get close to flat-footing was the Beemer.
Are they any good?
Yes...
They’re amazingly economical for a big bike. We’ve never been brave enough to try this, but theoretically you could get 570 highway kilometres from a tank, if you’re prepared to just plod along.
They’re more capable off-road than we are, although the GS can be a bit of a liability, ground clearance-wise. That said, its been everywhere the Dakar has.
The motor is torquey, which helps when you’re carrying a ton of stuff, and the bike will happily sit all day in a Jakarta traffic jam without complaining.
... and no.
They’re a bastard to work on. The designers of this bike were firmly in the form over function camp, with something as simple as a coolant check requiring the removal of eight screws. We wouldn’t mind so much dealing with their other faults, like water pump seals, if they didn’t require three days to fix.
They’re not really adventure bikes when you load them up with luggage either. They’re just too heavy. That’s probably a criticism you could level at any of these sorts of bikes though. More weight equals less fun.
Bits
Jesse Panniers
These 3mm aluminium boxes are built like the proverbial brick out-house, but there are other equally good panniers out there.
We like them because they don’t increase the width of the bikes beyond the mirrors, are tough enough to protect the bikes in a fall, and likewise have prevented the odd leg from becoming trapped.
We don’t like them because they’re heavy, are an awkward shape to pack, and have trapped the legs of both of us in spills.
SW Motech Crash Bars and Centre Stand
This German gear, unlike the Jesse stuff, is precision engineered.
The design is well thought out, tough, and the fit and finish is first class.
Other Mods
K&N Air Filters
Difficult to fit, we had to shave off the ends of the air boxes to get them in. Well worth the hassle though.
K&P Stainless Steel Oil Filters
Just rinse with petrol and you’re good to go.
Deka PowerSport Sealed Batteries
When topping up the non-sealed OEM battery requires the removal of twenty screws and the entire fairing, and the alternator has a nasty habit of overcharging and boiling it dry, this is another no-brainer.
Possum-catcher Removal
While not strictly necessary, we’ve heard stories of them getting all mangled up and flying off. But the main reason to cut them off is that the bikes look way cooler without them.
John Deere Document Canister
These are great for storing tools, or anything you like, out of sight and out of the way.
Cheap as chips.
Tools
Yeah, we have some of them.
Spares
We didn’t go berserk with these, subscribing to Murphy’s Law of Carrying Spares, which states – “Whatever will go wrong, you’ll never be carrying the right part to fix it.”
That said, we do have things like water pump kits, clutch and throttle cables, clutch and brake levers, inner tubes, metal weld, duct tape etc...
Tyres
Once you’re on your way and into somewhere like Southeast Asia, you often have to buy whatever’s available. Hence, at the time of writing we’re both on Bridgestones. Ann is pretty happy with her Battlewings, which seem to compare favourably to the Michelin Anakees the bike came with. The Trailwings Lucas is running are Ok on tarmac, get all out of shape on gravel, and are next to useless in mud.
On the other hand, this is a picture of a Trailwing after 25,000 kilometres. You can’t complain about that.
Information
BMW Rep-ROM
An electronic repair manual, this is the BMW mechanic’s bible.
We downloaded their “How To” series of DVDs, which gave us enough confidence to fix the scary bits ourselves. Come to think of it, we downloaded their entire website.
Things we’d do differently
Ann says she wouldn’t be seen dead on one of these, but every time Lucas passes a Honda showroom, he gets an overwhelming urge to trade the Beemer for a Wave 125.
