A woman's perspective in Alaska
Written: Jan 21 '02
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Reliability: |
 |
|
| Comfort: |
|
|
| Handling And Control: |
|
|
| Quality and Craftsmanship: |
 |
|
|
Pros: Lowering kit,
Easy handling
Cons: High center of gravity
Minimal wind shield
The Bottom Line: Excellent for the smaller rider who wants a BMW. A man or woman looks hot and at home on one. It's excellent for the tour to Alaska or around town.
|
|
|
| sevillatravis's Full Review: 2000 BMW F 650 |
I've had a couple of clunker MCs before, but I would call my 1999 F650 my first "real" MC. Realizing mine is not the 2000 model, it is almost exactly the same, minus a feature or two.
It didn't take long for me to get used to handling my new F650. Although, the high center of gravity combined with my lighter weight (150 lbs) made me unusually susceptible to moderate winds. I was also a bit insecure with my ability to lean into curves for this reason. After convincing my husband I needed the lowering kit (which meant he could no longer ride it at 6ft 7" tall) I was *much* more comfortable, felt safer and more in control than I felt possible. My riding enjoyment improved 75%.
I must add, living in Alaska, we have some fun dirt roads. We went on the Denali highway which is 120 miles of dirt road. The pavement ends about 10 miles in, which was where the Harley's and other street bikes turned around. We took those dirt and gravel roads like they were freeway. I even passed my husband on his R1100 GS because of the advanced maneuverability of the F650.
On that ride with us was a buddy who rode up to Alaska on his F650 from California. Just before meeting up with him, he had attempted the Haul Road going to Prudhoe Bay (to the oil fields). It is the roughest gravel road you've ever seen where the rocks are more like razor shards than mere pebbles and the semi's pass you without mercy. He had a great ride and safely avoided the speeding rigs, until he hit a rough spot at high speed. Over he went with his F650 tumbling along after him. He was bruised but unhurt thanks to good riding gear and his bike's forks were bent. But darned if that thing didn't keep on purring like a kitten! He was able to ride the F650 for the rest of his trip and back to California without trouble.
The only trouble I've had was when it was brand new and in a heavy rain; the bike stalled on me and could not be revived, leaving me stranded 100 miles from nowhere in Alaska. Needless to say I was *very* angry. By the time we got it to the BMW shop in Anchorage, they tried to tell me there would be a charge to fix my bike that had less than 1000 miles on it and was under warranty! My husband got on the phone to the company headquarters and they set the dealer straight paying for the repairs. Supposedly this stalling-when-wet was a problem reported with other F650's as well. It should be fixed now, but I've yet to ride in another downpour since then. Hopefully that was corrected on the 2000 model.
For some simple stats, I recommend getting an additional seat cushion. My rear end really hurt after a whole day of riding, but I am not a hardcore rider and could be more sensitive than the seasoned biker. My buddy from CA. said he did fine on the Corbin seat he had installed. My lower back also hurt quite a bit as well as my wrists from the throttle. That was fixed with a throttle assisting device. I also wished for a higher wind shield so I could take my face visor off. These are all things you can get after market though. The discomforts were the same if not less than I would have experienced on any other MC though.
If anyone has a question, feel free to email me.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 8000
Condition: New
Model Year: 1999
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
sevillatravis
|
|
Location: Missouri
Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
Sevilla has a Master of Social Work and works with the deaf when she can.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.