New Bmw F650 Debuts
NEW BMW F650 DEBUTS
IN A STARTLING DEPARTURE from tradition, BMWfamed for its multi-cylindered, shaft-drive, made-inBerlin motorcycles-will sell an all-new single-cylinder, chain-driven dual purpose motorcycle that is built in Italy.
The new bike is the F650 (see Roundup, Cycle World, September, 1993), a machine positioned by the company as a “funduro” bike appropriate for new and re-entering riders, and for those who don’t wish to cope with the size and weight of a larger machine. Its lines are dual-purpose, its styling is Italian, and its parentage is mixed.
That mix comes via an engine built to BMW specification by Bombardier-Rotax in Gunskirchen, Austria, and via the F650’s final assembly point: the Aprilia plant in Noale, in northern Italy. This is neither as inconvenient nor as unlikely as it sounds-the two towns are not all that far apart, and are separated more by mountains, culture and an international border than by distance. With the F650 showing what appear to be very conventional technical specifications, it is this mix of parentage and politics that makes the bike interesting.
With the bike scheduled for introduction at the Frankfurt Motor Show-still five weeks away at presstime-BMW has announced only the bike’s broad strokes, preferring to keep the details secret until the F650’s formal unveiling. What is known is that the bike is powered by a liquid-cooled, twin-cam, four-valve, carbureted 650cc Single that will be built in two states of tune. Standard will produce 48 horsepower and 42 foot-pounds of torque, with a “learner” version, designed to meet Europe’s new rider-licensing regulations, producing 34 horsepower and 35 foot-pounds of torque. Vibes are tamed via a balance shaft, and 6200-mile service intervals are called for.
The engine is mounted in a single-loop steel frame made of square tubing. A conventional fork offers 6.7 inches of travel, while the single-shock rear offers 6.5 inches of travel. The front wire-spoked 19-inch wheel wears a single two-piston brake caliper and an 11.8inch disc, while the rear 17-incher uses a single-piston caliper and a 9-inch disc.
The completed machine, ready to ride, is said to weigh 417 pounds, a figure achieved in part by liberal use of plastic body parts, including the 4.6gallon fuel tank.
The bike, designed and developed in just two-and-a-half years, is said to be capable of speeds of more than 100 mph. At present, BMW has no plans to sell the F650 in the United States. That doesn’t mean, however, that it will not be sold here eventually.
“We’ll see what it can be priced at, and see what kind of a market exists for the bike here,” a BMW spokesperson told CW.
German price for the bike, which is scheduled to go on sale in Europe late this year, has not been announced.
John F. Thompson
