BMW introduced the first successor model in the F Series - the F650GS - in the northern spring of 2000. This all-new funduro combined a high standard of comfort, all the qualities required for riding with a passenger and excellent handling on the road, with everything needed for light off-road riding.
It is the first single-cylinder in the world equipped with Digital Motor Electronics and a fully controlled catalytic converter, and as an option, like all BMW motorcycles, it comes with ABS. The F650GS has been extremely successful in the marketplace. Production of the F650GS and F650GS Dakar at BMW's Berlin motorcycle plant exceeded 30,000 units by summer 2001.
In September 2001, BMW introduced the F650CS, the second successor model in its single-cylinder series, at the Frankfurt and Milan shows, and last month at Big Boys Toys in New Zealand. The F650CS is not a redressed version of its predecessors. It is an all-new motorcycle in terms of design and substance.
My immediate impression was that the motor needs revs. With only 60km on the clock, I was not about to put this into practice. I actually enjoy and appreciate well-engineered motorcycles, and I hate making them suffer. With peak power about 6800rpm, I figure it needs to be worked in the 5500 region to get the best out of it. The engine spins quite freely and doesn't produce the low-down torque of some big singles.
Whereas the previous singles have a dual on-and-off road purpose, the F650CS is unashamedly a road machine. Its home is urban boulevards and city streets.
Its purpose is to get you around comfortably and quickly. The new storage space concept within the central fairing offers plenty of possibilities for accommodating the odds and ends needed for everyday living. Low seat height of just 780mm, or an even lower 750 mm as an option, makes the F650CS ideal for smaller riders.
The bike is bristling with new features and fresh ideas. BMW does not introduce new ideas flippantly. Considerable research and development goes into everything they do.
Perhaps the most radical design feature of the F650CS is the single-sided swinging arm and toothed drive belt, a combination never seen before in motorcycle construction. In launching the toothed-belt drive, BMW is opening up a new chapter in the company's 78-year history of rear-wheel motorcycle drive technology. For 70 years, from 1923-1993, all BMW motorcycles came exclusively with BMW's characteristic shaft drive. This remains the most service-friendly and longest-lasting drive technology, and is featured on all two and four-cylinder BMW's to this day.
In 1993, BMW used a chain for the first time on the F650 and then on the F650GS. The toothed-belt drive should prove to be an excellent alternative for motorcycles like the F650CS, which are intended for road use only. The drive system is quiet, requires no lubrication, is clean and easy to service, and lasts at least twice as long as a drive chain. The toothed-drive belt on the F650CS is 26mm.
The storage options in what used to be the petrol tank area are another radical design feature. A soft tank bag, made of a special water-repellent fabric and featuring easily removable tightening straps, is simply fastened to a railing and fits conveniently into the storage box, in front of the rider. The bag can be removed, and a helmet placed in the cavity secured and left with the bike.
A plastic hardcase of about 10 litres volume fits conveniently into the storage compartment and on the railing. It can be removed and carried with handles attached. The helmet and baggage spider is made up of three flexible plastic arms with metal inserts, and a locking mechanism for fastening and securing the helmet or other baggage within the storage compartment. Based on the design of the hardcase, there is also an audio system with two integrated, weatherproof active loudspeakers, and a stereo amplifier with both manual and speed-related volume control. The sound source for the audio system is a portable. The petrol tank, incidentally, is now under the seat beneath the rider.
Other luggage options include a softbag made of robust, watertight nylon with a capacity of up to 27 litres, which fits quickly and conveniently on the luggage rack without slipping around, and may also be used as a backpack.
Another softbag with a capacity of about 35 litres fits on to the passenger seat and may be connected if required with the softbag for the passenger rack, in the process forming an extra-large backpack with additional capacity To conserve space and accommodate the storage area, a principle already introduced on the first generation of the F650 has been employed - the frame of the motorcycle is used as the engine oil reservoir, instead of a separate oil tank. Accordingly, the two upper arms of the bridge-type frame are connected to one another at their lower end, taking up to 2.5 litres of engine oil. These steel profiles have a larger cross-section than usual, which also ensures a higher standard of stiffness. The panels on the side profiles are not just for good looks, but also protect the rider's legs from the heat off the engine oil.
The single-cylinder motor has DOHC four-valves and is liquid cooled. Modification to the airbox and the new exhaust system meant the cylinder charge cycle had to be re-configured, providing a slight change in performance data - maximum output 37kW or 50bhp at 6,800rpm. The F650GS does that at 6,500rpm. Maximum torque is up from 60Nm to 62Nm or 46lb-ft, and is developed at 5,500rpm.
The elegant, silver-painted 17in three-spoke cast aluminium wheels are also brand new. A special feature of the rear wheel is its "curved" design from the hub to the rim, resulting from the accommodation of the brake and toothed-belt sprocket on the right-hand side.
F650CS comes with a 300mm single-disc brake at the front, featuring a two-piston floating calliper and sintered metal-brake linings. The rear-wheel brake is also a single 240mm disc with a single-piston floating calliper. ABS anti-lock brakes, developed especially for BMW's single-cylinder model series, are an option on the F650CS.
The little screen is effective on the motorway, and the instrument cluster carried over in its basic design and features from the F650GS is housed in the cockpit behind it. The speedometer and rev counter come in a new graphic look reminiscent of a modern watch.
The controls are all good - light clutch, simple indicator control and smooth five-speed gearbox. The brakes are, well, it's a BMW and few companies can claim as much brake technology development as BMW. Most of my riding was in and around the city, where the bike is in its element. The steering is light and the riding position perfect for the purpose. The F650CS weighs 189kg with a full tank of gas. The factory claims a top speed of 174km/h. As a practical city slicker, it will be hard to match. Price will be between $15,000-16,000.