Highlights
- Fewer than 30,000 miles from new
- Fitted with a lowering kit
- Sold with various spares and accessories
- MoT with no advisories until May 2023
The Appeal
Motorcycling should always be enjoyable, but other road users can sometimes take the pleasure out of it.
Wouldn’t it be great if you could get away from it all and get off the road, just you, your bike, a secluded track and some beautiful scenery? You’re by no means alone, hence the popularity of the dual-sport motorcycle, a large machine intended for both on- and off-road use.
Wouldn’t it be great if you could get away from it all and get off the road, just you, your bike, a secluded track and some beautiful scenery? You’re by no means alone, hence the popularity of the dual-sport motorcycle, a large machine intended for both on- and off-road use.
BMW arguably invented the dual-sport with the R80 G/S of 1980, which won the gruelling Paris-Dakar Rally four times between 1981 and 1985. Various other BMW GS models followed (GS means Gelände/Straße, meaning ‘off-road/road’), and the F650GS appeared in 2000.
In standard guise, it was a typical dual-sport, but BMW went one better with the F650GS Dakar, which was much more heavily oriented towards off-road use.
It came with a thinner but larger-diameter 21-inch front wheel, longer suspension and a thicker, higher seat. The Dakar name, incidentally, was no throwback to the past; a BMW F650RR had won the Paris-Dakar in 1999 and 2000.
In standard guise, it was a typical dual-sport, but BMW went one better with the F650GS Dakar, which was much more heavily oriented towards off-road use.
It came with a thinner but larger-diameter 21-inch front wheel, longer suspension and a thicker, higher seat. The Dakar name, incidentally, was no throwback to the past; a BMW F650RR had won the Paris-Dakar in 1999 and 2000.
Although it looks very much the off-road bike, reviewers praised the F650GS as being very usable in urban environments as well. It is genuinely a go-anywhere bike, so what more can we say? It will be your faithful and loyal companion no matter where you go nor how rough the going may be.
This one has been tried and tested off-road to the vendor’s satisfaction and still presents in lovely all-round condition; you wouldn’t guess that it had been enthusiastically ridden over unmade roads in Turkey.
Even so, it remains a low-mileage bike with fewer than 30,000 miles covered, so we’re sure it’s got many more adventures left in it.
Even so, it remains a low-mileage bike with fewer than 30,000 miles covered, so we’re sure it’s got many more adventures left in it.
The History and Paperwork
- Sold new through Prestige Motorcycles Ltd. of Bexleyheath to Mr. Martin Hogben of Stanford, near Folkestone, Kent
- Purchased by the vendor (the fourth owner) in 2018 and taken on a Turkish motorcycling holiday
- Paperwork includes the V5, MoT certificates issued between 2009 and 2021, the original sales invoice and several invoices for new parts and maintenance
- The bike was MoTed on 18th May with no advisories. The certificate has been misplaced but the results may be checked online
The Condition
- Excellent presentation with only minor blemishes despite off-road use
- Supplied new with heated handlebars and pannier boxes
- Spare tyres and aftermarket seat included
When bikes get used off-road, it tends to show, but it must be said that this bike has survived remarkably well. It has gone off-roading as far afield as Turkey, but it still presents as an extremely clean bike with very little to fault cosmetically.
We know it’s a low-mileage bike, but we are still surprised by how good it looks. As far as the paint goes, it has only minor, superficial scratches which could probably be removed with T-Cut, and even they are not plentiful.
There are just a couple of chips on the nearside rear seat support, and a small area of damage on the nearside handlebar, but otherwise this really is an exceptional machine.
There are just a couple of chips on the nearside rear seat support, and a small area of damage on the nearside handlebar, but otherwise this really is an exceptional machine.
The seat has a few marks across it, but no real damage. We can’t really criticize it at all considering it’s 18 years old, but if it isn’t to your taste it doesn’t matter because a spare seat by Corbin is included in the sale. The Corbin seat is said to be more comfortable, and looks to be in very good condition.
Apart from the extra seat, the bike is also supplied with a centre stand, two spare sets of road and off-road tyres, and the optional twin pannier boxes with which the BMW was ordered new.
Unfortunately, there is evidence of the bike having fallen over once in the past, with a few scrapes on the offside mirror and handlebar shield to show for it.
Fortunately, the bike itself incurred no further damage as the pannier box bore the brunt of the impact.
Fortunately, the bike itself incurred no further damage as the pannier box bore the brunt of the impact.
The Mechanics
- Sophisticated water-cooled, four-stroke, dohc single-cylinder engine
- Starts on the button and ticks over wonderfully
- MoTed in May with no advisories
It wasn’t good luck that was responsible for BMW winning the Paris-Dakar in 1999 and 2000.
It would have had more to do with the fact that BMW’s bikes were superbly engineered, solidly built and more sophisticated than virtually anything else at the time.
As well as having a water-cooled dohc engine, it also featured computer-controlled fuel injection, a catalytic converter and a Nikasil-lined cylinder. It had a high compression ratio and, from 2004, twin spark plugs. It all combined to create an engine with a reputation for excellent fuel economy, low emissions and a high power output.
It would have had more to do with the fact that BMW’s bikes were superbly engineered, solidly built and more sophisticated than virtually anything else at the time.
As well as having a water-cooled dohc engine, it also featured computer-controlled fuel injection, a catalytic converter and a Nikasil-lined cylinder. It had a high compression ratio and, from 2004, twin spark plugs. It all combined to create an engine with a reputation for excellent fuel economy, low emissions and a high power output.
Having not even covered 30,000 miles from new, this bike’s engine has seen relatively little use and so we suspect the bike still rides as if it were new. Having heard it idle, it certainly sounds to be in the best of health.
The MoT tester would appear to agree with us, since the BMW has passed its MoT every year without a failure since 2009, and it has done so without picking up a single advisory point since 2015.
There is only one deviation from standard, as the vendor has fitted a lowering kit to bring it down to a more comfortable ride height.
Even with that, it shouldn’t hinder the BMW’s capabilities, especially considering that the Dakar was raised somewhat higher than the ordinary F650GS in the first place.
Even with that, it shouldn’t hinder the BMW’s capabilities, especially considering that the Dakar was raised somewhat higher than the ordinary F650GS in the first place.
Summary
BMW was arguably the inventor of the dual-sport motorcycle with the R80 G/S, and it has produced class-leading motorcycles on a number of occasions since.
The F650GS was one such class leader, closely related to the Paris-Dakar-winning F650RR. While the Dakar version of the F650GS was specially made for off-road use, it remained an eminently practical and comfortable road bike – some might say a perfect all-rounder.
The F650GS was one such class leader, closely related to the Paris-Dakar-winning F650RR. While the Dakar version of the F650GS was specially made for off-road use, it remained an eminently practical and comfortable road bike – some might say a perfect all-rounder.
This example has proven itself on off-road trails as far afield as Turkey, but remains in excellent shape despite the rough going it has had to endure. It has not been pushed beyond its capabilities, though, as the sound of the engine and the MoT tester’s glowing report show that it remains in fantastic health.
If you want a bike that can be relied upon to take you absolutely anywhere, this is it.
If you want a bike that can be relied upon to take you absolutely anywhere, this is it.
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