My new Dakar

05 BMW F 650 GS Dakar discussion forum:


My new Dakar

My new Dakar 
David P said 2005-09-08 07:32 
 
I bought a new 05 F650GS Dakar about 2 weeks ago and now have over 400 miles on it. I´m quite happy with it so far, both on and off road. It has lots of power and a comfortable ride. BMW should add a sixth gear for more relaxed highway cruising. For low speed/technical riding off road you may want to drop one or two teeth on the front sprocket as 1st and 2nd gear are somewhat tall. I´ve heard the engine smooths out after some break-in time but there is a noticeable buzz felt in the bars and foot pegs between 4700-5200rpm (72-78mph). It feels better at 80mph and above. The break-in has been more agressive and my gas mileage has been 60-75mpg. I´ve heard this improves with mileage. The bike will easily hit 100mph. The speedo and odometer appear very close to accurate specs. For me, the seat is comfortable for only about an hour on the highway, and more so if I slide back to the wider/thicker part of the seat. I´m 5´11"/170 and get the toes of both feet on the ground at stops. While seated upright the airflow off the windscreen hits me in the upper chest which leaves my helmet in clean air. Highway wind buffeting is not bad to 70mph but much worse in the vicinity of large vehicles. For long distance highway rides I´ll obtain a larger windscreen that can be switched in a matter of minutes. The brakes/ABS work well but I´ve noticed some rear brake squeal at times. The heated hand grips work and should be nice when colder weather comes around. From my experience (and many others), the bike will run fine or even better on 87 octane fuel and the dealers can even program the bikes computer for this if it´s not already standard. BMW wants you to bring the bike in for all scheduled services and will check the computer for anything that may develop into a problem later. I believe the warranty is 3 years/36,000 miles with roadside assistance is included. If you didn´t know, the fuel tank is actually under the seat (nice) and the exhaust is not dual, it crosses over and exits out the right side (left side is sealed). The exhaust is fairly quiet, especially at a moderate cruising speed. I´ve had no problems with the Dakar and get positive comments about it´s appearance. 
 
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