In 1993, BMW introduced the F650 "funduro" built in Italy by Aprilia and gifted it the reasonably well proven rotax engine.
The
appeal of the F650 was a solid base for a bike that could do anything
and be run very cheaply. Carb models could average over 57mpg and the
newer FI models averaging over 67mpg boasting a tank range well over 200
miles.
Our
F650 was the Strada (ST) version, which was introduced in 1997 with a
shorter wheel base, 18" front wheel and lower seat height. Making the ST
the more road biased version.
We
took a trip to Southend to view a blue F650 with low owners, full
service history, heated grips, engine crash bars, new tyres and full
hard luggage. One evening later that week saw us riding it home!
Initial
thoughts of the F650 was the very good handling on low speed
manoeuvres, a silky smooth gearbox and a punchy amount of torque
available as soon as you twist the throttle. With a 50 mile motorway
trip home in the cold and dark the initial grin very quickly turned into
serious doubts by one simple thing: the buffeting at 70mph.
Seriously it was bad, not helped by forgetting ear plugs. A taller screen was ordered and this did settle some of the buffeting around the head but it was never enough to completely avoid it.
Seriously it was bad, not helped by forgetting ear plugs. A taller screen was ordered and this did settle some of the buffeting around the head but it was never enough to completely avoid it.
Our
F650 was used for everything; commuting, fun and green laning. Oh yes,
we took this beast off road with fully road going tyres, the result was
interesting but we managed to keep it upright and fly through the odd
rutt and puddle.
Maintenance
was simple on the F650, with 12,000 mile service intervals and a centre
stand making for easy chain adjustment. We do have to admit the dry
sump took a few oil checks to get used to, starting the engine for a few
minutes before checking the oil on a dipstick didn't come naturally.
As
mentioned above, the gearbox was silky smooth through all gears and
allowed for very quick clutch-less shifting when on the move. The 650cc
single, 50bhp, engine was good until a point, and this point was trying
to cruise on the motorway with some luggage on the bike. Which became
clear when travelling to and from the motorcycle live show in
Birmingham. The bike felt like it was almost struggling between 75/80mph
and had very little puff above that.
To throw a complete comparison the lower end of the rev range was actually pretty good with enough torque go accelerate quickly in and out of traffic and throw the bike into a corner knowing there was some power to push you out the other side, even when making a hasty escape from the flights the front wheel wasn't adverse to popping up.
To throw a complete comparison the lower end of the rev range was actually pretty good with enough torque go accelerate quickly in and out of traffic and throw the bike into a corner knowing there was some power to push you out the other side, even when making a hasty escape from the flights the front wheel wasn't adverse to popping up.
In
short, the F650 was a reasonable all rounder, quite good fun to throw
around and very easy to ride on the limit with those skinny tyres which
was great fun. It was incredibly cheap and easy to run and maintain.
It's just a shame the bike did have some annoying flaws.
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All the best
BirotarUK
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