Bmw F650st
BMW F650ST
CYCLE WORLD TEST
CAN A SENSIBLE SINGLE FIND STATESIDE SUCCESS?
FORMER TELEVISION EVANGELIST JIM BAKKER IS out of prison and soliciting donations again, Nissan is resurrecting the sporty Datsun 240Z and bellbottom jeans are back in style. So why shouldn’t BMW try its hand again at single-cylinder motorcycles? After all, Germany’s biggest bike builder sold 230,000 Singles worldwide over a 41-year period.
Why not, indeed?
BMW built its first vertical-Single in 1925, the 250cc R39. Essentially half of the R37 Twin, the ohv pushrod engine generated all of 6 horsepower at 4000 rpm. Though not as popular as the twin-cylinder Boxers, subsequent Singles served well as everyday, entry-level transport. But by 1967, they were history, having fallen victim to a growing trend toward larger-displacement, multicylinder machines.
Three decades later, BMW is back in the street Singles game, focusing once more on the entry-level commuter market. Using Aprilia’s enduro-style Pegaso 650 as a blueprint, engineers created the F650 Funduro, a dual-purpose bike powered by a liquid-cooled, dohc, four-valve Rotax-built engine.
Since the F650’s overseas introduction in 1993, BMW has sold more than 30,000 units, 80 percent of which were purchased by young, first-time motorcyclists. Now, BMW is bringing 1750 F650s to the U.S., hoping to market them to affluent collegians, re-entry riders and women. Two versions will be offered: the standard Funduro and the more street-oriented F650ST tested here.
Like the Funduro, the ST is built by Aprilia to BMW specifications in Noale, Italy. Both bikes are similarly styled and tuned, but the ST is better suited for pavement use by virtue of its narrower handlebar, lowered rear suspension, smaller-diameter 18-inch (as opposed to 19-inch) front wheel and Metzeler street rubber.
Other differences include black-faced speedo and tachometer (an analog clock replaces the Euro F650’s water-temperature gauge), plus a sportier fairing, front fender and engine spoiler. Lastly, the plastic fairing “hoops” that insulate the rider from the engine and exhaust header pipe are painted silver rather than black to match the frame.
The F650 is BMW’s first chain-driven motorcycle, which might meet with some discord among shaft-loving Beemerphiles. “We’ve shown the bike to a lot of people and asked their opinions,” says a company spokesman. “The fact that it has a chain doesn’t seem to bother anyone.”
Displacing 652cc, the engine doubles as a stressed member of the chassis. The steel frame has bolt-on cradle tubes and the upper pressed portion serves as the dry-sump engine’s oil reservoir. Front and rear suspension is conventional, consisting of a 41mm telescopic fork and a centrally located shock absorber, both manufactured by Showa. The fork is non-adjustable; the shock has spring-preload and rebound-damping adjustment.
Sporting BMW logos cast into the clutch and countershaft covers, the engine breathes through a pair of 33mm CV Mikunis, each with its own intake port. Spent exhaust gases exit through a twin-port stainless-steel header and catalytic converter to a largevolume muffler positioned high on the left side of the bike.
Through its 7500-rpm rev range, the
counterbalanced engine pulls vigorously, providing a smooth, effective blend of low-end torque and high-rpm horsepower that is accompanied by a muted exhaust note. Acceleration (0-60 mph comes in 4.5 seconds; quarter-mile in 13.61 seconds at 93 mph) and top speed (102 mph) are on par with KTM’s Duke 620 and MZ’s Yamaha-powered Skorpion Tour. Less vibration is transmitted to the rider, though, especially at highway speeds.
To make serious time in the twisties you’ve got to bring the revs up-way up. Downshifting the five-speed transmission, whose lever moves easily through average-length throws, to fourth-or even third-is a prerequisite. Though there’s a bit more chassis pitch (stiffer springing and increased damping control would help immensely) under hard acceleration and braking than we would prefer, the bias-ply Metzeier ME33 Laser front and radial MEZ2 rear hang on tenaciously, offering excellent grip, rain or shine.
Horizon-tilting lean angles will cause the footpegs and sidestand to ground, though the centerstand is tucked out of harm’s way. If you opt for our testbike’s ultra-wide touring luggage, however, take special care: The leading edges of the Touring saddlebags contact the tarmac well before the tires lose traction. During an afternoon of backroad blasting, we managed to grind holes in both bags. Perforated undies, anyone?
The smaller-capacity City bags impart no such cornering limitations.
Disc brakes provide good bite and plenty of fade-free stopping power. BMW’s literature suggests a four-piston Brembo front caliper, but our testbike-and every F650 we’ve seen-wears a floating ftvo-piston Brembo mated to a solid-mounted drilled disc. A floating, single-piston Brembo caliper and a solid-mounted drilled disc (9.5 inches in diameter as opposed to the 11.8incher up front) are fitted at the rear.
Organically styled, the 650’s neatly integrated half-fairing provides good wind protection, particularly from the neck down. Reliefs sculpted into the sides of the slightly bulbous 4.6-gallon gas tank offer room for the rider’s knees, and the stepped seat, despite fixing the rider in one position, is all-day supportive. Same goes for the passenger pillion. Of minor criticism are the grips, which are too short to suit full-size hands.
Overall, though, fit and finish are beyond reproach. Controls and switches fall readily to hand and foot (really, they do). Sidepanels butt perfectly against frame spars. Corrosion-resistant hardware is employed throughout. The seat and saddlebags latch securely-every time.
Unlike other bikes of its genre (of which there are currently few, at least in the U.S.), the F650 has a long litany of options, which includes a dealer-installed suspension-lowering kit that reduces seat height by more than 2 inches. Priced at $495, the kit comes with shorter sideand centerstands. Also offered are heated grips, a bigger windscreen, a 22-liter top case, the aforementioned selection of saddlebags, plastic handguards, an electrical power socket, an alarm, foam grips, a fitted rain cover and crash bars.
Great, but how much is the base bike? At $7490, the F650ST costs more than some 600cc Fours, machines that accelerate faster, stop harder and offer crisper handling. While there’s no denying that fact, there’s also no denying the F650’s broad-ranging versatility, a trait many narrow-focus sportbikes and cruisers lack. “On paper, it didn’t make sense to us, either,” concedes a BMW spokesman. “Riding it was the clincher.”
No argument here. In the end, though, it remains to be seen if 1750 Americans are willing to pay top dollar for a sensible Single.
BMW F650ST
$7490
