BlueDog

Looking to pick up a bike in the next month or two. Had been set on getting a Ninja 650R until a friend convinced me to at least LOOK at a used BMW. Found this one on a local dealers site. What can anyone tell me about it? Opinions?

<img src="http://www.bobsbmw.com/motorcycles/images/used/zh15076/profile-lg.jpg">

Also, does locality to the shop weigh on your decisions of what you get? The BMW shop is so far out of my way that if I were to get one, its unlikely that I'd visit again, unless it had an issue I didn't think I could tackle myself. The Kawa/Honda/Yama shop is only 12 miles and on my way to/from the office.<ul><li><a href="http://www.bobsbmw.com/motorcycles/zh15076.html">2003 BMW F650CS</a></li></ul>

BSK

valve service every 6Kmiles along with oil change.

its overpriced at bobs bmw though. but the bike will last forever if you take care of it.

also, the bike is low maintenance so you shouldnt have to worry about much. biggest job is valves but the faq has my writeup in it on how to do them.

i can work on the bike for you instead of taking it to the dealer as well. that includes changing tires at my house.

i ride around 12K a year so mine is apart twice per year.

5 gears 40hp 50lbs torque.. very torque and you are going to be able to keep up with most bikes on curvy roads etc.<ul><li><a href="http://f650cs.wikidot.com/">http://f650cs.wikidot.com/</a</li></ul>

BeeRock::Riding Red

I rode one in capetown south africa for about 5 minutes. then I swapped onto the bmw 1150gs.

the bike is flickable but the single front brake had me weary of stopping fast if I needed to. I did a a couple hard accels on the bike up to 90mph and back down to 0mph. It didnt stop quick enough for me to be comfortable. So I chose the 1150 gs over it.

BlueDog

What would you say is a good price for it?

I was also told that its actually a Rotax motor/Aprilla frame?

BSK

has a very picky engine management that follows a certain starting procedure. also very easy to overfill the engine with oil. its semi dry sump the engine holds .5 liters at the most while the frame holds 2liters so a lot of people overfill the bike with oil.

power is more than enough for riding around dc and riding the dragon. i got some videos online of me riding the dragon on the bike and flying up on everyone.

as for the brakes: i have no complaints and issue with my heavy weight stopping. if the bike has abs just grab a handfull and let the thing slow itself down.

just go to bobs and test ride it. all the bad things about the bike:

no 6th gear
very involved 6k service
semi uncomfortable seat after long day of riding
frame will get superhot during rushhour traffic with the oil heated

overcome the good things:

very lightweight, you can throw the bike around
cs= city sport its made for city riding
awesome gas mileage when conservative 75mpg, good mileage 53mpg with me riding like i am in germany and running as a messenger
no fancy smancy stuff
belt drive barely needs any maintenance

i wouldnt pay more than 5 for it unless it just got brand new tires and a valve job.
bobs usually has them overpriced due to their uniqueness. there is a guy on craigslist that was selling one.


here are my 2 cents as a rider for nearly 11 years:

think about what you want the bike to do; as in take you to and from work

be able to tour the country (possible with the cs but it will be a tight ship)

take two people around all the time etc

the cs is awesome for commuting and city/mountain riding.

for super long distance riding the seat will need to be upgraded and you would need some more electrical power maybe to get the gps, heated grips, heated cloths etc working.

if you look into the faq you will my bikes setup with lots of stuff on it.

EDness

i've seen BSK's bike.

Like what BSK said, depends on what you want to do with the bike. personally I'm into speed so obviously i got myself a sportbike.

For the money i still think DRZ is the best bike for commuting/city rides. If you have the dough maybe a hypermotard.

BlueDog

Still consider myself a n00b rider. Have had the license for a few year, but only rode when I could beg/borrow a ride.

&lt;the sky is falling&gt; Having something that's good on gas for commuting is what's prompting me to get a bike. The allroad is just killing me on gas and I use approx 1/4 tank each day to get to/from the office.

I have no desire to set speed records, do wheelies or other squirrel stunts. So, high cc/hp is not a priority.

I'd also like it to server double duty as a weekend fun machine, throw a pack and tent on the back, head down Skyline Drive, and camp for the weekend. Comfort is important, but don't need/want a cruiser.

My wife most likely would never ride on the back of it, and until the time comes she lets me have a girlfriend, I doubt I'd ever have a passenger.

This would be the first bike I've OWNED.

Having raced enduro karts for many years, I consider it a "one-up" on your average n00b rider. I'm always very aware of whats going on around me, escape routes if anything unexpected happens. I fully realize that on a bike I'm an "invisible target" and need to ride accordingly.

Owning a farm (3 horses, 8 dogs, cats, etc), a track car (944), and an Audi (allroad), I'm plenty busy mending fences, building outbuildings, keeping up with 10 acres of lawn, that I need something reliable and fairly "maintenance-free."

Hopefully that helps... am I still barking up the right tree as far as bikes?

BeeRock::Riding Red

if you dont want to worry about reliability get a japanese made bike

BSK

insurance, protective gear and wear and tear on the stuff will get you.

BSK

they lowered the speedlimit going up skyline from 211 as well as place white rumble strips all over which are not an issue with the bike in terms of noise but superslicky when wet..

vdot didnt think on that one