I Have Purchased a(n) Thing!

by "benjrblant" (benjblant)
Published 10/03/2017 at 12:18

Tags: two wheels good ; bmw ; motorcycle ; f650gs
STARS: 13

And it has a roundel.

A 2005 F650GS with 33,000mi. It’s a single cylinder 652cc with twin spark plugs producing 50hp and 44ftlbs, comes with BMW’s ABS and heated grips as all of these models do, plus some bigly Touratech aluminum panniers carrying nearly 41l of crap per side.

Should make for a great first bike mainly as a commuter plus the occasional weekend getaway ride. I still love the LX450, but I’m really looking forward to driving something that’s a tad more fuel efficient and can hit 60mph in less time than it takes to cook a pizza.

Replies (23)

"Nothing" (nothingatalluseful)
10/03/2017 at 12:26, STARS: 1

Super jealous. I mean I guess I could sell the Cougar and get a bike, the thought has definitely crossed my mind. I just fear I wouldn’t ride nearly enough.

"HammerheadFistpunch" (hammerheadfistpunch)
10/03/2017 at 12:27, STARS: 1

Sweet! Im jealous.

"BobintheMtns" (bobinthemtns)
10/03/2017 at 12:29, STARS: 2

Congrats! And dope panniers! They look big enough to use as a bathtub on camping trips!

"Highlander-Datsuns are Forever" (jamesbowland)
10/03/2017 at 12:38, STARS: 1

Sweet ride. That was my Mom’s first bike. She loves it. She does a lot of gravel so she runs dual sport tires. It’s fast enough for most anything and seems to handle great.

"benjrblant" (benjblant)
10/03/2017 at 12:39, STARS: 2

Dreaming of all the stuff I can fit gives me the warm&fuzzies.

"benjrblant" (benjblant)
10/03/2017 at 12:42, STARS: 0

Motorado has an 09 KLR with 8000mi for $4200, plus the owner of that shop, Ron, is a super great guy. Owns a decked out 100 series to boot.

If you’re concerned about not riding it enough, I’ll generously offer my time to add some miles to it for you.

"benjrblant" (benjblant)
10/03/2017 at 12:49, STARS: 0

Plus Motorado hosts weekend adventure rides periodically. I forget the frequency, but mostly day trips to the mountains or some service roads.

"Nothing" (nothingatalluseful)
10/03/2017 at 13:01, STARS: 0

Oddly enough, when I lived in VA, my roommate had a GSXR600. I put more miles on it than he did before it was stolen from our townhouse. I put probably 5k of the 7500 it had on it.

My wife rolls her eyes a bit when I mention bikes, but she rolls her eyes at anything vehicle related since I swap things out so frequently. I tried to play it up on the added garage space if I swapped the car for a bike.

"themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles" (themanwithsauce)
10/03/2017 at 13:01, STARS: 2

KLR. It’s what I ride. I don’t always ride it on every nice day, but it doesn’t really mind. They’re easy bikes to care for and great on fire roads and easy trails, as well as potholed city streets and unhurried byways.

"Nothing" (nothingatalluseful)
10/03/2017 at 13:04, STARS: 1

That’s what is on the radar. I figure neither my wife or son are terribly interested in the Cougar (my son is, but only brief rides), so I could simply get something I ride solo. I’d love to have both, but my wife would probably frown at the 2 toys eating up precious garage space.

"benjrblant" (benjblant)
10/03/2017 at 13:27, STARS: 1

KLR was also high on my list.

"cabarnett" (cabarnett)
10/03/2017 at 15:26, STARS: 0

Damn, now I wanna get another. I had one for a bit.

Pro-tip: don’t get rear ended by a 22 year old girl. It fucking sucks.

"benjrblant" (benjblant)
10/03/2017 at 15:27, STARS: 0

I’ll try.

"benjrblant" (benjblant)
10/03/2017 at 16:46, STARS: 0

Now that I think of it, I’m somewhat surprised there’s no two-wheeled content on O&E.

"Monkey B" (monkeyb)
10/03/2017 at 17:02, STARS: 1

Nice, I ride an F800ST. My only complaint is parts prices, but it’s a good machine. Enjoy!

"bob and john" (bobandjohn)
10/03/2017 at 23:53, STARS: 1

Fun fact: from 07 later the f650gs was a twin based off the f800 motor, while the single was renamed the g650gs

"benjrblant" (benjblant)
10/04/2017 at 00:22, STARS: 0

I did a fair bit of looking into it, decided that 800cc was overkill for a first bike. 650 was at the upper limit of what I wanted but it seemed like such a good fit.

"Hammerdown" (hammerdown32)
10/04/2017 at 14:16, STARS: 1

Congrats!

"brianbrannon" (brianbrannon)
10/07/2017 at 23:09, STARS: 1

My buddy has the same bike. Exhaust goes through both sides but the catalytic converter is on the left so that luggage will get hotter.

"brianbrannon" (brianbrannon)
10/08/2017 at 13:06, STARS: 0

I have a KTM 1190 Adventure. I can take you on some easy off road stuff. I recommend watching all the how to ride adventure bikes off road videos.  

"benjrblant" (benjblant)
10/10/2017 at 15:41, STARS: 0

Thanks! I’m trying to lock down my sea legs before winter hits in full force. I’ve been absorbing as much information as I can track down.

"brianbrannon" (brianbrannon)
10/11/2017 at 13:18, STARS: 0

The most important thing to fix on that bike if you want to ride it off road is the abysmal foot peg location

"benjrblant" (benjblant)
10/11/2017 at 13:23, STARS: 0

If I’m being honest, it will probably be 90% commuting and around town with maybe 10% light fire road service. It came with some brand new Conti Trail Attack2 tires and I might just ride them til they wear out.