Bike review: BMW F650GS

Alright, so I had the chance to ride a 2007 BMW F659GS today. A friend of mine left it in town to sell and told me to look after it. Then he said there is a nice loop near the storage unit.... Put two and two together...

Here it is:

Here are the basics: 652 cc single, 50 hp, chain drive, 5 speed, and all is 386 pounds.

This is a taller bike than I have ridden before, so a slight worry about getting my feet down. But, I could get my toes down once I put weight on the bike, so a little more comfortable. The seating position is pure standard. Feet almost half way between being under my knees and under my hips; arms slightly extended out to the wide bars. I know the mirrors look pretty small in the picture, but keep in mind that those hand guards are plenty over-sized and the mirrors are almost as large.

On to the ride: the power delivery is smooth and predictable, coming with a light clutch pull and wide friction zone. Goose the throttle and you get a strong pull from the big thumper, but not so much as to be intimidating.

The rake felt more relax than the bikes I'm used to, so less twitchy than a sportbike. Accordingly, the steering was heavier than I expected, but once it leaned over, it stayed planted.

Lastly, the brakes: I didn't try to do any full braking (borrowed bike, remember?) but they were also predictable and gave pretty good feedback. I don't know if the bike had ABS, but I wasn't about to find out.

Overall, it is a fantastic ride, and a relatively new rider should be able to handle it pretty well. Assuming they are tall enough to feel comfortable with the height. Also, it reminded me I need a bike of my own.

Knowing Your Limits

A couple of days ago, I was driving to the store. It had just finished raining and the roads were beginning to dry. As I sat at the light to turn onto Route 11, I saw two cruisers go past-heading north, the direction I was going to turn.

Shortly, the light turned green for me and I proceeded up to the next light, which had just turned red. I noticed something as I came to the light: the cruisers had been caught by this second light. But, there was a problem. Apparently, when the light turned red, the riders had decided to stop on the drying road. One of them must have locked a brake (I couldn't tell if it was front or rear, not having seen the get off). One of the bikes was lying on its side in the intersection, being picked up by the rider.

I tell this to remind people: if you don't have the space to stop safely, don't. When you are so close to the light that you can't stop safely, you are close enough that there will not be cross traffic if you go through as it turns red. Also, practice quick stops. It makes you learn those distances and speeds. It also helps you instill the proper reactions to locking a brake. If you are riding with a group and some of you get through a light, just wait on the other side for your fellows.

The Winter of My Discontent

The Buell lives, after a long winter of disuse. I hooked the battery up to a trickle charger last night (and took it back off before bed to be sure the battery was up to holding a charge). Fired up this afternoon after a few minutes of cranking the engine. Now to get it inspected, change the oil, and probably get it some new tires.

In other news, my wife is right: taking the bike for a spin around the block really does improve my mood.