My New F650GS

[Boxer]

Some of you already know the story....a few were there to witness the event...and it has its sad side and its happy side...but what I ended up with is a second bike in the form of a 2007 F650GS, factory lowered. After much soul searching, Sparky confessed that she does not want to ride anymore on her own. That's not the sad part. The sad part is that her leg still has not healed and shows signs of long term recovery. The spill she took in the ditch at the Fall Bash in Ozark just smashed her left leg and maybe she didn't get back up to walk on it soon enough, and get the blood flowing through properly. She walks, but sometimes with great pain and with a slight "limp" favoring that leg. Its very tender to the touch still in certain areas and the doctors say there is nothing wrong with it. So hopefully it will eventually get better with exercise, etc.

I now have a F650GS and it needs a few things before I can comfortably ride it more than a couple of hours. I'm having a local upholsterer redo the seat and have ordered some Happy Trails case brackets for some kind of cases which I will either build myself or make something like ammo cans work. I got an 18" Cee Bailey windscreen at Christmas for it hoping that it would spark Sparky's interest in riding, but she still would not ride. Every time she considers it, the leg hurts again. (I hate to suggest it, but I'm thinking psychosomatic, But thats okay.)

Long story short, I just might be taking the F650 to Wyoming in July. I've been riding it almost every day, even with the crummy seat, and it grows on you. Its a little slow to get going (not like the Roadster at all in that regard) but at top end it smooths out and has good pull up to 90 or 100. That's plenty of highway muscle for me. And it gets 70 mpg with the expensive fuel we have now. The lowered aspect of it will prevent me from going through any trails pretty much, but I never had a hankering for that anyway, even though I love to watch Joe in the woods with his 1200.

As I ride it more and accumulate miles I will post more comparisons to my beloved RR. OU812 wants to buy it from me, but I don't know... I think I'll hang onto it for a while.

[Just-Beeming]

Boxer
I got an F 650 2005 for my birthday in December. It was cold so I fussed around on some short rides with it and quite honestly it just left me feeling ...'nah....it's OK but its no RR.'
This weekend at our Oregon Rally I took it dual sport riding for the first time. Now... keep in mind that I am a 50 year old who has not touched a hill climb since I was 17.... I was anxious and intimidated that everyone else would do well and I would be crashed in the muck...
Quite the contrary. We started up the mountain in some soft dirt and a few rocks, no problem.
We hit some loose gravel and the back end wavered then quickly found its footing...on I went
Singing its praises as I rock hopped in second gear bringing the joy and adrenaline rush that I have not felt since a 17 year old. onward into the ride I went, Screaming with joy as I climbed the tough hills with its beautiful ruts and washouts, potholes, limbs and boulders!!!!!
Arriving at the top at a lookout I was transformed...a dirt rider!!! I love this bike!!!!

Just-Beeming

[moonbandito]

Get to know the www.f650.com website. It'll help. I rode a '97 F650 Funduro for 38,000 miles and really liked that motorcycle. They are simple, light (for a BMW), and keep their value pretty well. I've used the 'tall' Aeroflow screen and prefer that over the Cee Bailey. Parabellum also makes a good screen for the Fer.

Springs and shock may need replacing depending on your weight.

consider an extra set of wheels with 'knobbies' (TKC80s) for off road. You can ride fire roads and desert dry lakes and have a lot of fun with the F.

Let me know if you get tired of the F. It's the KLR of BMWs!

[indigoid]

They're a great bike. Having a second set of wheels for dirt is a great idea, that's what I've done, though in my case I kept the stock 17" rear/21" front wheels for dirt use and added the 17"/17" motard wheels from Excel for commuting. The little front wheel really transforms the bike -- 2" lower at the front than a Dakar, and 1" lower than a plain GS. This affects posture more than I'd expected, in a positive way. Here's a pic:

[GS George]

i too have an '07 factory lowered F650GS. i rode it from my home in NY to Gillette for the national two years ago. switch to a 17 tooth CC sprocket as it makes a huge difference if your gonna be riding the slab for any length of time. i have tried lots of windscreens and the Ermax or the Wunderlich offer the best wind protection i have found. as someone else said check out the chain gang (F650.com) which is the definitive site for all things F650.