BMW F 650 CS reviews

Usually my arms and rear hurt after long rides. With this new F650CS, I've been able to tour the country in comfort. I'm an overweight guy, so I need a bike I can feel safe on...and this is definitely the one for me. I've owned many other brands of motorcycles before, but BMW will have my business from now on. I'm very happy with my new purchase! Show less

I have read the reviews here and would just like to post a little feedback. I currently ride a Aprilia Futura and its a flawless machine.My wife is now new to riding so we took a strech and bought an 05 650Cs. This bike is a hoot as someone commented. A single cylinder belt drive and its got plenty of zip trust me. Corners like a dream,looks great heated hand grips, I wish I had them on my bike. Many call it a starter bike but its far from it. When it comes to wind everythings equal, my bike weights in at 500+ and the Beemers 380. I don't feel any worse off for it because many bikes with large fairings only act like a cross sail where the 650 has gaps for the air to just run through. I love my bike but this bike is a real joy to ride and I've riden a few. Good luck!! Show less

Mine is a 2003 with no ABS. I've got 8000 miles on it with no problems. Very slight surge in mid range that I cured completely by better fuel and using a cleaner to keep the injector clean. I cruise all day getting from one area to another at 80+ mph and push the bike pretty hard. After riding other big singles, this is THE thumper to have if you need to cover any real distance since it is so smooth at speed. I replaced the original Metzlers with Avon Distanzias. Made a big difference on the pavement, tracked straighter and kept a line. Not so good in the dirt though. I run two sets of big lights, and the 400 watt alt keeps right up. The seat is a little too firm for me, and I don't like the narrow footpegs. I'm a big guy and would like to be able to add more preload to the rear shock. It's too soft when I'm all loaded up on a trip. The Dakar takes a load WAY better than a KLR or XR and I like the accessories availablity. I have had NO problems, and as I said I run it pretty hard. I would highly recommend the DAKAR for anyone who likes to cover some country, on the street or two track fire trails. It is an excellent machine for combination requirements, it's just not a dirt racer. Show less

Coming from beat up rural 125's the Dakar is an absolute pleasure, its just heavy enough for off-road use, but with tkc80 tires it still administers a reasonable performance. Accelerating to any legal speed is effortless, not instantaneous, but not a task. At high altitudes is the only time I feel underpowered. I comfortably do 900 mile days fatigued only by the dim factory lights in the evenings. I carry all the gear I need to survive indefinitely and can still pick the bike up easily. Ultimately if you are only going to own one bike, and want the option to leave the tarmac this bike trumps everything. Vital accessories:
Improved lights
Alloy hand guards Show less

Outstanding Restarter bike! Balanced, Smooth and nice zip. Wonderful tight space handling. 25 years without a cycle has created a huge window for improvement. The F650 is smooth and a delight to lean into corners. It's a bike you don't mind running on the gravel or two track and you can ride for 6 plus hours without huge fatigue. Wind is a challenge due to bike weight and limited wind screen, but is managable. It's clearly not a dirt bike, but on the more open off road when you want to let it run 40-60mph it's far more comfortable and managable than an offroad two/four stroke 250/450. Show less

I purchased a 2005 BMW F650 GS Dakar in late summer of 2004 after evaluating comparable Honda, Kawasaki, and Suzuki models. My intended use of the bike was 50% easy trail riding and 50% casual around town riding. My actual use since purchase has been 80% trail and 20% street. The 20% street part is riding from home to various off road trail networks. It's great to be able to trail ride without having to own a toy hauler or ramp your bike into and out of your pickup. What I like about the bike:

Comfort. A very comfortable bike both on and off road. Nice seat position. Good handlebar width and height. Heated grips. Virtually no vibration.

Street handling. A surprisingly agile bike on twisting asphalt roads.

Fuel economy. 61 miles per gallon off road.

Appearance. Looks cool. What I don't like about the bike:

Cost to purchase. At least 50% more than the others.

Cost to maintain. What? Over $200 for an oil change?

Weight. At about 425 lbs., it's a little unwieldy in some off road situations and for some off road riding styles.

Front forks. A bike this expensive and intended for partial off road use should come standard with a more sophisticated front suspension system.

ABS switch. A flashing red light from the instrument cluster whenever ABS is disabled. Annoying. To switch ABS back on, you must stop, shut the bike off, wait a few seconds, then start the bike back up again. Very annoying. In summary, I'm very pleased with the performance of this bike both on and off road. It's a pleasure to ride. For those whose off road riding style tends toward racing, jumping, and difficult single track hill climbs, the F650 is probably not the best bike. But for more moderate dual sport riding, it's hard to beat.

Show less

Love this bike, it's all it needs to be a trail bike. I actually have done some serious off road and love the momentum the bike has. The gears are great, and the bike would benefit from a 15 tooth front sprocket. On the highway I find it to have a great riding position and to be all you'll ever need to go touring or cross country. I know people that have ridden this bike way over the weight limits of the bike the world over. So, plenty of power to go anywhere, and a lot better than the bigger stablemates on the BMW line up. Great to work on, easy, it's all right there. Solid build quality and excellent very strong motor and chassis. I have toured the U.S. with mine and cannot say the bike had any issues that could not be solved on the road, ever. It's also a crowd pleaser! Everyone loves the bike. Show less

I have experience on just about every type of bike including a gold wing, Harley, FZ-1, FJR, Honda ST 1300, Honda cruiser, Kawi cruiser, and on and on. This bike is as close to a do-it-all bike as I can come. It's great in the city, where the wing was a handful in tight traffic. It's great on the gravel dirt back roads where the FJR/ ST 1300 dare not tread. It can do highways, although I don't think it has the power for 2 up riding on the highway. Engine runs best at 5-6000 RPMS. Some vibration above that. I like the sit up straight riding position as opposed to the sport bike ride. I like the low seat height just like a cruiser that allows me to get both feet flat down. The heated hand grips and accessory plug for the heated vest extended my riding season down to 20 degrees. I last road 1-19-05 in Illinois winter weather. I recommend a Cee Baily higher windscreen as well. It really helps at highway speeds. The expandable boxes work great. The 1200GS was just a tad too tall for me. I've ridden this bike in rain, cold to 18 degrees, and wind and been comfortable. The only thing I don't think it could do is 2 up highway tour- I don't think it has the power for 2 up at highway speed, but back roads would be fine. Bike likes to be revved, doesn't have a whole lot of low end grunt, so there's more shifting in the city. My current two bikes are the Yamaha FJR and the BMW 650, but I felt more comfortable on the BMW in poor weather conditions. Front end gets a little light above 80 mph, even though there is a fork stabilizer. Keep the bike within its limits and it's the perfect all-arounder. Show less

I bought this bike new in San Diego and rode back and forth to Tucson, AZ (400mi) on a regular basis for a year. The bike handles great on the freeway at 90+ mph. I did a few detours onto the dunes at Glamis and the bike did great until I swapped the rubber to Metzler Tourances. Been in Tucson for 2 years now, put some knobbies on and regularly go off road with the bike. The body work handles abuse, I have dropped the bike many times and suffered no more than minor scratches, broken mirrors and broken indicators. This is truly an all around bike. It has enough power for solo touring (two up if you travel light), it handles great on the twisties (or rush hour traffic), and can handle some serious off road. Show less

First street bike in 20 years. Handles, turns, brakes like a much smaller bike. Not quite as light as a true off road bike but handles light trail riding and gravel. As a light std bike it's fabulous on the lean and throttle through the winding roads. Can get buffetted in heavy winds but is comfortable on a 300-400 mile day tour. Show less