Friday, April 27, 2012

BMW G650gs 10000km review and bling.


Well the GS has just had it's sixth month birthday, and is also coming up to its 10000km service.  I know by North American standards this mileage is not high, but for me and the  fact a good portion of it has been off road it is good going.  I thought  a updated review would now be in order.  My first review is contained here.

It is also a good opportunity to show how the bike is looking now from when I first brought it home.  The "farkles" I have added.

But first a quick 10000km review.

When  I brought this bike it was always my intention to get a bit further a field and to explore those roads that I have always have had to ignore when on a street bike.  Of course this meant that for me some training was in order as my off road or even gravel road experience was very very limited indeed.   Contained in the previous sentence are all the reasons why this bike was such a good decision for me.  It is so user friendly and forgiving that even a newbie on gravel like me doesn't get into to much trouble.  In fact it's limitation on where it can go are down to it's rider not the bike.

In the short time that I have had it it has been over some very rough and rugged terrain.  In fact to say it gets hammered at time's is probably more the correct term.  Of course it has handled all of this like it's reputation insists it should.  I have had no issues with the bike what so ever.  It has been a great bike to begin new adventures one.  

On very tight twistie's it will keep up with even big sports bike, it is nimble and seriously at times I think it is the most fun you can have with your clothes on.  It really is a bloody hoot.  I have of course added a knobbly to the front, and I will be adding one to the back also over winter.  Obviously you lose some of that road feel when you do that.  The tourences that were on the bike when I brought it are fine for the road and most gravel, but will leave you wanting on anything more serious like sand and rocky stuff.....trust me I have pics to prove this!   

As I said in my first review, I can not compare this bike to other models, but as far as my needs and requirements are concerned it has more than fulfilled them.  I also really like the look of the bike, it is a bike which I feel very attached to and I love how the bike now looks.

STUFF!

So what have I added? Holy crap where do I start?......I so love Touratech, except it is a pain being in NZ because the USA  wont ship here, only the German branch.  Not that I suppose that is a big deal but there are the odd items which come up on the USA sight which don't come up on the German sight.

1) Headlight Grill protector.

1)  Front Headlight Grill:  Of course you can get the clear one, but I loved the black grill option, thought it gave the bike a nice aggressive look.  Protects the front headlight and is removable.


2)  Sump Guard:  Standard requirement on all these types of bikes.


3)  Crash Bars:  Same reason as sump guard, but they are worth there weight in gold   Not that the bike has many fairings but what it does have at least gets protected.


Hand Guards

4)  Handle Bar risers and Hand Guards:  You can't have one of these bikes and not get up on the foot pegs, rising the bars is required for me anyway (178cm's) When I ordered them from Touratech it was recommended to get the longer break cable as well, so both were fitted at the same time. 



5)  Renthal Bars:  Not by choice, but after my wee off down the bank I bent the original set,  these are a lot stronger of course there is the risk that some thing else will break next time.....but hey,lets worry about that next time.  Some one did say the firs time you drop a BMW you will bend the bars, they do seem very soft.


6) Chain Guard:  The original big plastic thing didn't impress me at all....it looked cumbersome and stuff got caught  in the back where it wraped around the rear wheel.  I much prefer the cleaner and minimalistic look of this guard.


7) Duck Bill:  Cosmetic only, but at only $76 I just like the way it looks on the bike.  

8)  Side Stand Plate:  Very helpful in soft stuff, doesn't sink in. 

9)  Pivot pegs:   These are not on the bike yet, although should be here soon, got to be better than the originals that dig in to your foot after prolonged use.




10)  Caribou cases,  I never liked the BMW top box, although it is practical I was never impressed with the look.  I wanted to add additional luggage capabilities anyway.  After a bit of searching I settled on the Caribou cases, they are extremely tough....seriously very very tough, and I prefer the squarer top box rather than the other.  I have yet to put hem to a real test, but I do like the look, and the service from Roger in Colorado was excellent.  They were easy to fit, water proof, and just look great.






34 comments:

  1. 10K already! Not giving the Trumpy as much love now eh? I've done about 9K on the DL now and loving it too - for it's performance but also more importantly the places it's taken me. Adv bikes are fantastic fun!

    Have you tried Touratech Oz for your bling? I got a gear lever outta them easy as. Twisted Throttle is also good to deal with.

    Will be interested to see what rubber you end up on and how well it works for you...

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    1. Adrew meole mate, I have done 8000 on the Sprint as well, but 4700 of that was when I was in the South Island. I looked at those other places bur yet to buy anything....carnt wait for new rubber

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    2. Glad to hear it. I seem to do a combined mileage of around 20-25K a year. The South Island trips usually account for 3-5,000 of that - be great if it could be more. Connie has 82K on the clock and DL 22K.

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    3. Sprint is just over 50000km's, I think we woud all like to do more!

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    4. Touratech USA will ship to you if you like, I've had it done, but must be via email. They'd prefer you use Germany, but as you say, some items don't show on the German site.

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    5. Thanks Allan, I remember you mentioning that the other week. I will kepp that in mind for sure. I really need to stop buying stuff........

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    6. Just a suggestion for you, try Touratech Australia. They are in Adelaide, and very good to deal with. Full range of gear too.

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  2. Nice! Some excellent darling with lots of emphasis on the functional side. I do like the chain guard! I hadn't realized that you had replaced the handlebars.

    The Caribous are very nice and sturdy looking. Glad they were easy to install. No damage to them whatsoever if you continue letting her nap on grass and sand. ;) They do look quite a bit like Pelican boxes. Which I know are indestructible.

    Glad you are having fun and exploring.

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    1. Lori: They are Pelican boxes designed for the bike, man are they tough. Yes I had to replace handle bars when I bent them. It was a mission I tell you.

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  3. Roger:

    It's a good looking bike with all of your farkles, and you are certainly putting all of those accessories to the test

    bob
    Riding the Wet Coast
    My Flickr // My YouTube

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    1. Thanks Bob, I do try and get value for money.!

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  4. 10,000 is awesome. I think that is a lot of miles for 6 months. Good job.

    I like all the farkles that you have added. If you ever need anything from a usa website, let me know. We should be able to order it and ship it to you if it works out easier for you or you can't get it some where else. We wouldn't mind helping you out.

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    1. Thanks Brandy for the offer, I may require it at some time. We are a great country to ride a bike...just a pain to buy stuff though.

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  5. Excellent review Rog - very tempted myself but I don't bounce too well these days :-).

    However, if you were a REAL mate, you'd loan it to me for long-term evaluation. An adventure bike is rather wasted on you big city types whereas being a country yokel, I could put it to good use with a ride on the dirt up to Fletcher's Bay on a daily basis ;-).

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    1. Geoff: You know that i would have no issue doing swap a bike! Of course if you didnt spend most of your time jet setting around the world you would perhaps have more time to ride it!

      Such a delight to have you bcak offering words of wisdom to the unwashed.

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  6. Aye aye aye....

    All the bling on yer new to ya tart!

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    1. Thanks Mike...........I actually have no idea what you said, but I have a Scottish friend and I am going to get him to interpret.

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  7. Looking good, the Caribous are supposed to be really tough. I'm enjoying your adventures.

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    1. Thanks George, I am loving my adventures to. So much fun. The Caribous are indeed very very tough. S\till cant wait for adventure to Alaska to begin, make sure you keep us informed of your progress.

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  8. Roger, I think that 10K in 6 months is actually pretty good going seeing how it's your second bike and a recreational vehicle at that. Family commitments are less demanding for me now that my son is grown up, but I still struggle to find the time to go riding as much as I'd like!

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    1. Thanks Jules, Can we ever do enough miles? It is hard jugglng family and passions...buy we try. I have managed to rack up about 10000kms on the sprint as well.

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  9. Keep up the good work, I've had mine for 15 months now and just crossed the 23500km mark. God only knows how much I spent on 'extras' for 'Gerty'. Excellent kms per tank anything upto 360kms. She sturggles a bit on the highways always needing that extra gear, but for the Alps she was fantastic. Where did you get the Duck Bill from?

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    1. That is great mileage mate, good to see it getting used a bit. I agree with the fuel usage, it is excellent. Because I am running knobblies front and rear I take it pretty easy on the road any way, but when I had a pillion it was sure a struggle.

      I got the nose cone from my BMW dealer, they ordered it in for me, it is the same one that is on the SEARTO, cost was about $86 NZ .
      Thanks for stopping buy.

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  10. Hi Roger,
    I am looking at the G650GS. How does it handle on the open road. Some reviews have said there is a vibration at 100kph. Have you experienced this. Looking forward to easing into some not to drastic off road adventures.

    Cheers
    Tony

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    1. Hi Tony.

      Personally the little vibrations really does not bother me. There is a little there, but then it is a single as is to be expected.
      Overall it is a great wee bike which suits what I brought if for in the first place.

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    2. Thanks Roger. One other thing, how do you find the wind buffeting? I took a Sertao for a ride yesterday and the wind buffeting over about 70km/h was really bad. The seat on the Sertao is much higher than on the GS so I am thinking that was the problem.

      Cheers

      Tony

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    3. I think there sre seeral after market screens which will solve th rproblem...for me it depends on what helmet i am wearing.....strange byt true.

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    4. I've tried the sertao screen, and a larger one still. Let me know if you replace yours and I'd be happy to buy your shorter screen.

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    5. Sure mate, although mne is a bit scratched from some unfortunate adventure into the bush....

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  11. Hi Roger. Have you had any issues with the gearbox on the Sertoa...especially finding neutral? The net is peppered with references to this problem...Not sure if problem has surfaced in this donk after assy started in China. My local BMW dealer has tried to convince me the issue in finding neutral is common to a lot of big single pot engines but friends with DR650's, XT660's and KLR650's don't have this problem. Thanks for your time taken in response. Terry.

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    1. Hi Terry first of all thanks for stopping by, yes some times it doesn't like neutral. Personally it does not worry me at all. It seems to be a quirk with this bike. I have gotten use to it. If you want to discuss it more feel free to email me at raftn@xtra.co.nz

      Rog

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  12. If you adjust the clutch free play at the lever to the thickness of a dime, neutral is easy to find and all shifting is easier.Every new 650 I've seen has too much slack and it increases as the engine warms up.

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  13. What size cases do you have??

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