The BMW F650 is a family of

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

s developed by

BMW Motorrad BMW Motorrad is the motorcycle brand of BMW, part of its Corporate and Brand Development division. It has produced motorcycles since 1923, and achieved record sales for the fifth year in succession in 2015. With a total of 136,963 vehicles sold i ...

beginning in 1993.Motorcycle News, February 2009, p29 Models included the F650St Strada and from 1994, the F650 (dubbed the 'Funduro') which, due to some subtle differences, was considered to be a more dual/multi purpose motorcycle with some off-road capability. The 1993 - 2000 F650 was the first single-cylinder motorcycle from BMW since the 1960–1966 R27, and the first chain driven motorcycles from BMW. Newer models (post-2000) included the F650CS Scarver, F650GS, and F650GS Dakar.

1993–2000: F650 and F650St Strada

The BMW F650St Strada was introduced to Europe in 1993, a variant F650 (dubbed the 'Funduro') in 1994 and then to the United States in 1997. The BMW F650 models were jointly designed by BMW and

Aprilia Aprilia is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer founded immediately after World War II in Noale, Italy, by Alberto Beggio. The company started as a manufacturer of bicycles and moved on to manufacture scooters and small-capacity motorcycles. ...

, who also launched their own very similar model called the Aprilia Pegaso 650 (a 654cc single cylinder, 5 valve motorcycle). The BMW version was assembled in Italy by Aprilia and these were powered by the Austrian 652cc single-cylinder, 4 valve

Rotax Rotax is the brand name for a range of internal combustion engines developed and manufactured by the Austrian company BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co KG (until 2016 BRP-Powertrain GmbH & Co. KG), in turn owned by the Canadian Bombardier Recreational Product ...

engine. It was the first BMW motorcycle with chain drive since the 1960s. The two variant models of the F650 motorcycle had some subtle differences which determined their utility bias: the F650 'Funduro' was the more dual/multi purpose with more off-road capability due to the longer wheel base, more ground clearance and taller seat height, a higher front fairing and a larger 19inch front wheel, the F650St Strada had slightly smaller dimensions and an 18 inch front wheel. Both models used two 33 mm Mikuni carburetors. In 2000, BMW introduced the F650GS to replace the F650, and the F650CS Scarver to replace the F650St Strada variant. In 2001, the original F650 was discontinued.

2000–2007: F650GS, F650GS Dakar, and G650X

Produced from 2000 to 2007, the BMW F650GS is a dual-purpose motorcycle. It sold over 105,000 units during its production life. It was available in a lowered model with lower seat height from a shorter rear shock, a standard model, and a taller more off-road oriented 'Dakar' model. The Dakar model had a thinner, 21 inch front wheel (as opposed to the street oriented 19 inch) and longer suspension travel for improved off-road handling. It also had a thicker, higher seat. It was named after the

Paris Dakar Rally The Dakar Rally (or simply "The Dakar"; formerly known as the "Paris–Dakar Rally") is an annual rally raid organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation. Most events since the inception in 1978 were staged from Paris, France, to Dakar, Senegal, ...

, which BMW rider

Richard Sainct Richard Sainct (14 April 1970 – 29 September 2004) was a French rally raid motorcycle rider, best known for his three victories on Dakar Rally, The Paris-Dakar rally in 1999, 2000 and 2003. Biography His other notable achievements include winni ...

won on the F650RR in 1999 and 2000. The 'Dakar' specifications put it in the 650 cc dual-sport class, competing against bikes such as the

Kawasaki KLR650 The Kawasaki KLR650 is a dual-sport motorcycle intended for both on-road and off-road riding. It was a long-standing model in Kawasaki's lineup, having been introduced in 1987 to replace the 1984–1986 Kawasaki KLR600, and remaining almos ...

, Suzuki DR650,

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a product ...

XR650L,

KTM KTM AG (Kraftfahrzeug Trunkenpolz Mattighofen, formerly KTM Sportmotorcycle AG) is an Austrian motorcycle, bicycle and sports car manufacturer owned by Pierer Mobility AG and the Indian manufacturer Bajaj Auto. It was formed in 1992 but traces ...

LC4 640,

Yamaha XT660 The Yamaha XT660 is dual-purpose on/off road motorcycles released by Yamaha Motors as a replacement for the XT600. It is a development of the original XT series ('X' stands for 4 strokes, 'T' for TRAIL), a line of motorcycles inspired by those ...

and

Honda Transalp The Honda Transalp is the XL400V, XL600V, XL650V, XL700V, and XL750 series of dual-sport motorcycles manufactured in Japan by Honda since 1987. With the exception of XL750, the Transalp bikes series feature a liquid-cooled, four-stroke 52° V- ...

. A specially prepared

rally raid Rally raid, also known as cross-country rallying, is a form of long distance off-road racing that takes place over several days. The length of the event can be as short as 2–3 days for a cross-country baja to as long as 15 days with marathon ra ...

version of the bike was used by

Charley Boorman Charley Boorman (born 23 August 1966) is a British TV presenter, travel writer and actor. A motorbike enthusiast, Boorman has made three long-distance motorcycle rides with his friend Ewan McGregor, documented in ''Long Way Round'' (2004), ''Lo ...

and his team during the 2006 Dakar Rally while filming their documentary '' Race to Dakar''. The G650X series was released as 2007-year models, consisting of the off-road X-Challenge, the scrambler-style X-Country, and the road-oriented X-Moto. This series was discontinued after the 2009 model year.

Design and technology

The F650GS had several advanced technology features for its time, with computer-controlled

fuel injection Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of an injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in reciprocating piston and Wankel rotary engines. All comp ...

catalytic converter A catalytic converter is an exhaust emission control device that converts toxic gases and pollutants in exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine into less-toxic pollutants by catalyzing a redox reaction. Catalytic converters are usually ...

, a

Nikasil Nikasil is a trademarked electrodeposited lipophilic nickel matrix silicon carbide coating for engine components, mainly piston engine cylinder liners. Development Nikasil was introduced by Mahle in 1967, and initially developed to allow Wankel ...

-lined cylinder, optional ABS and an

airbox An airbox is an empty chamber on the inlet of most combustion engines. It collects air from outside and feeds it to the intake hoses of each cylinder. Older engines drew air directly from the surroundings into each individual carburetor. Modern ...

designed to exploit the airflow pattern of the bike when in motion. Combined with the bike's high

compression ratio The compression ratio is the ratio between the volume of the cylinder and combustion chamber in an internal combustion engine at their maximum and minimum values. A fundamental specification for such engines, it is measured two ways: the stati ...

and

twin spark Alfa Romeo Twin Spark (TS) technology was used for the first time in the Alfa Romeo Grand Prix car in 1914. In the early 1960s it was used in their race cars ( GTA, TZ) to enable it to achieve a higher power output from its engines. And in the ea ...

plugs (from 2004 onwards), excellent fuel economy and low emissions existed alongside high power output. The original F650 single-engine was manufactured for BMW by Austrian company

while the bike was assembled by

. When the F650GS was launched, the full process was brought back in-house. In 2000, the German motorcycle magazine Motorrad reported about a

defeat device A defeat device is any motor vehicle hardware, software, or design that interferes with or disables emissions controls under real-world driving conditions, even if the vehicle passes formal emissions testing.United States Code of Federal Regulat ...

delivered within the BMW F 650 GS. BMW responded in issuing an improved injection as of 2001 and calling back the models from the previous year. Amongst the changes from the original F650, the engine was upgraded to a 43 mm

throttle body A throttle is the mechanism by which fluid flow is managed by constriction or obstruction. An engine's power can be increased or decreased by the restriction of inlet gases (by the use of a throttle), but usually decreased. The term ''throttle'' ...

. The fuel is stored in an under seat fuel tank, and the false tank (where a conventional fuel tank would be) housed the remote oil reservoir (for the

dry sump A dry-sump system is a method to manage the lubricating motor oil in four-stroke and large two-stroke piston driven internal combustion engines. The dry-sump system uses two or more oil pumps and a separate oil reservoir, as opposed to a conve ...

and

battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

. This contributed to a lower

centre of gravity In physics, the center of mass of a distribution of mass in space (sometimes referred to as the balance point) is the unique point where the weighted relative position of the distributed mass sums to zero. This is the point to which a force may ...

for improved handling. The bodywork was redesigned by head BMW designer

David Robb David Robb (born 23 August 1947) is a Scottish actor. Early life Born in London, the son of David Robb and Elsie Tilley, Robb grew up in Edinburgh and was educated there at the Royal High School, Edinburgh, Royal High School, where he played ...

. Due to the high numbers sold, the F650GS developed a large aftermarket accessories range and a sizeable owner community. BMW also developed a large range of factory original hard luggage for the bike.

2008: F650GS parallel-twin

In 2008, the single-cylinder F650GS was discontinued and replaced by an all-new design featuring a 798 cc, parallel twin engine. Intended as a new-generation replacement for the old bikes, the new motorcycle has retained the same F650GS model name, despite the fact that it has a larger engine.

2009: G650GS

In late 2008, BMW relaunched the original single-cylinder F650GS under the new name G650GS in the United States, South America, Greece and Australia. The new G650GS is essentially the 2007 single-cylinder F650GS brought back into production with some minor modifications and with the engine assembled by

Loncin Loncin Holdings, Ltd is a large company in Chongqing, China that distributes throughout the world. It trades under names such as Chongqing Longting Power Equipment, Longting and Loncin (USA) Inc. It is known for its Loncin brand of motorcycle an ...

in China instead of Rotax in Austria, but still using parts manufactured by Rotax in Europe.Motorcycle News (USA), April 2009, page 5 The finished engines are shipped back to BMW in Germany where the bikes are assembled. G650GS models with the Chinese-assembled engines can be easily identified as the engines are painted black while in the earlier European-assembled engines were finished in silver. Before the bike was discontinued in 2007, there was a brief period when the engines were assembled by Kymco in Taiwan. The G650GS received some upgrades over the F650GS of 2007: the engine now produces 3 additional horsepower (now 53 hp) and received a stronger 400 watt alternator. In the United States and Australia, ABS and heated grips are now standard equipment instead of "additional cost options" because BMW sells their bikes through dealers with nonnegotiable accessories packages added and included in the MSRP. An emergency services specific version of the G650GS, fitted with blue lights and sirens, is available from BMW Motorrad's Official and special duty vehicles division. In 2010, at the

EICMA EICMA (''Esposizione Internazionale Ciclo Motociclo e Accessori''), or the Milan Motorcycle Shows is an annual trade show in Milan, Italy featuring motorcycles A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-w ...

show in Italy, BMW Motorrad announced the global availability of the G650GS with a slightly down-rated engine producing . In 2012, BMW released the G650GS Sertão, which is a more off-road capable version. The Sertão fills the product gap that was left when the F650GS Dakar was discontinued in 2008.

References

External links

Specifications for 2006 single-cylinder U.S. Model

BMW F650
at the

Open Directory Project DMOZ (from ''directory.mozilla.org'', an earlier domain name, stylized in lowercase in its logo) was a multilingual open-content directory of World Wide Web links. The site and community who maintained it were also known as the Open Directory ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bmw F650 Single F series single-cylinder Dual-sport motorcycles Standard motorcycles Motorcycles introduced in 1993 Single-cylinder_motorcycles