Backtrack Tuesdays: 2001 BMW F650GS Dakar
From the land of schnapps comes a sleeper. BMW, fresh with success in last year's renowned African rally, introduces the BMW F650GS Dakar dual sport. Sporting the checkered flag as its body graphic, poised in the manner of its racer prototype, bearing a handful of leading edge technological advances, the Dakar promises to leap to the head of the adventure touring class.
BMW and Austrian engine supplier Bombardier-Rotax have developed the 652cc single cylinder engine of the F650GS jointly. New technology on the F650GS includes Digital Motor Electronics and fuel injection developed by BMW-- the BMW Engine Management System (BMS). BMS controls fuel delivery and ignition timing based on airflow and density, ambient temperature, and throttle setting. The cylinder head is reworked from the Funduro model and is equipped with a twin exhaust that is lighter, less restrictive, and more compact. For final measure, BMW borrowed a combustion chamber and intake design from its high-performance automotive engines. It incorporates a 43mm downdraft throttle body which positions the injector close to the throttle butterfly for maximum fuel atomization.
Ergonomics
All periodic maintenance components are easy to get to. Inside a small glove box in the rear rack, a tab is pulled to release the seat. This allows access to fuses, tools, and the air filter. A three-piece white plastic shroud (molded to give the impression of a fuel tank) covers an oil filler tank, battery, air box housing, and radiator. The 4.5 (US) gallon fuel tank is nestled below the seat.
The hand control levers are nice and flat. The shifter and rear brake lever are solid and without undo play. The windscreen is set at a steep upright angle. Its unique form, small size, and kick-forward at the top provide for a surprising amount of wind deflection. It permits the rider a lot of open space up front yet allows you to pick-a-line nearly down to the front of the 21 inch rim.
The handlebars are narrow for a dual-sport. The bars are complimented with weights with plastic hand guards mounted to them. They are effective in deflecting wind but lack a metallic support band at their rear.
The cockpit is well proportioned. The handlebars, foot pegs, and seat height are comfortable for an average size rider. Taller riders will have a snug fit. The cockpit layout and especially the relatively low seat height yield a low center of gravity. BMW states that one can interchange varying thicknesses of seat cushions to further adjust the ride.
The indicators, lights, and gauges function nicely. The turn signals emit plenty of light. Their stiff extension mounts will be prone to break upon impact. The gauges are well lit and have white-marked increment dials visible in all situations. The odometer and trip meter are digital. The instrument housing is covered with an easily marred silver plastic finish. The luggage rack (if you could call it that) is completely plastic-two molded pieces join together at the center to form the rack. These two pieces tend to separate under heavy vibration and load. The rack has a nice glove box feature but could use some beefing up.
The head and taillights perform admirably. Side marker reflectors add to the bike's visibility. On the downside, the metallic mounts of the rear side reflectors come in contact with the lower mudguard under heavy load and when the suspension is being worked. Our test bike developed a number of superficial cuts on the guards.
In the Streets on the Road
I set out from the Del Mar, California based BMW facility with the checkered-flag adorned Dakar. The bike lets me know it is cold-blooded as we move onto the streets of Ontario. Even warm, it tends to stall. While the Dakar moves well in the city streets it exhibits an annoying tendency to enter neutral when downshifting from second to first gear. I make a mental note to myself, "perhaps the bike requires further break-in miles to be at its best." Traffic guides me up, around, and onto the interstate heading through Los Angeles. Within 10 miles I realize I'm on a very unique 650 single. The bike is smooth, very smooth, with excellent mid-range and top end response.
After 40 miles of normally nerve-racking LA freeway, a smile comes over my face. Hit the throttle at 65 mph and the bike accelerates sharply. Mid-range and top end power easily moves me in and out of clusters of careless autos. The bike is a dream in freeway mayhem. After a second 40 miles, I'm ready to do it all again-- I'm having fun driving through LA traffic! I enter an 18-mile stint of twists. This is familiar territory-twists I've ridden a hundred times before on other bikes. What impresses me here is the ability of this bike to lean. I am able to carve lines that I've never imagined on a bike of this type. The sweet handling is more than the Metzler Enduro 3 Sahara's-- a well-proven multi-use tire-can account for.
On the Motorway
The Dakar is superb on the interstate. It can hold its own with the biggest tourers, cruisers, and sport bikes. The frame of the machine is made of square stock steel; it provides an underlying stability and assuredness on the open highway. The bike has a slight quiver between 4,000-4,300 rpm's in fifth, but not enough to be concerned about except on long touring stints. The Dakar has top end power to spare. The bike would make a fine tourer with a conventional (not two-up) load.
Due to fuel injection, there is no petcock and no fuel reserve. Instead, an indicator lamp illuminates on the dash panel. BMW claims the fuel warning light signals when the equivalent of 25miles remains in the tank I found the indicator warned me when approximately 1.5 gallons were left. The bike delivered a consistent 50 mpg throughout the test. This tells me it has 200 miles of range-adequate for adventure touring.
Off-road in the Desert
It is autumn in the desert and the grayish sky blends to an assortment of dry rocky mountains. Visibility is a hundred miles or a few hundred yards depending on your relation to the nearest dust storm. Expansive plains and millenniums of erosion spill onto dry lakebeds with extra-terrestrial textures. The bike is fully loaded with camping gear but glides easily along two lane open desert highways, carves through twists, and remains steady in crosswinds. It gains speed easily while ascending long uphill grades and runs evenly through changes of elevation.
I turn onto a dirt road and cross a dry lakebed making my way up a rugged canyon. The smooth dirt turns to loose and planted rock. Two tracks whittle to one then open up again, varying back and forth thereafter. Goat-trail country-sharp up and down turns, banks, washes, plenty of granite-the kind that eats you up and spits you out unless you keenly pick-a-line. The Dakar feels at home here. The low center of gravity allows for grace in the rough. The generous travel (8.4 inches front and back) helps. The relatively low seat height of 31.5 inches ( this is an actual measurement; BMW specs indicate over 35 inches) makes me feel 'down in' the bike and I can make sharp, precise turns at low speeds. The twin piston Brembos allows me to grab just the right amount of slow to negotiate the next line while avoiding breaking traction. The bike finds the straightest lines seemingly on its own.
Off-road, the bike continues the annoying second to first neutral stop. It doesn't matter whether the bike is coming down from a higher speed run or whether goat trailing. Additionally, the bike's tendency to stall remains ever present. The stalling occurs most often after de-accelerating from a speed ramp to a near stop. Occasionally the bike stalls while simply putting along on the trail. The stalling happens often enough to raise concerns when tight trailing. I would want it remedied on my machine.
After goat trailing, I lead the Dakar into the open desert. Once again, in all conditions-dirt roads, cross-country, and loose and firm soil-- the Dakar handles with confidence. It likes the open desert trails as much as tighter pine forests.
Final Thoughts
At its zenith, dual sporting requires a motorcycle perform well in situations varying from tight mountain goat trails to transcontinental touring. Few motorcycles can claim prowess across the continuum.
The F650GS Dakar is not perfect. There is the strange neutral and the stalling. Additionally, the test bike leaked oil from the air box overflow reservoir where pooled, misted overflow from the crankcase accumulated.
Still, the Dakar's foundation is close to ideal. It may be another 30 years before a bike with design innovations rivaling this one comes along. Though pricing and lack of aftermarket accessory availability are potential arguments against the Dakar, the agility, solidity, and superb power band add up to say, ''I'm best!"
In my opinion, the BMW F650GS Dakar has the ingredients to be the best dual sport adventure tourer available in the USA. And that is saying a lot.
Editor's note
F6S0GS Series: A Mixed Debut
While the F650GS Dakar performed reasonably well throughout our test, the US and worldwide debut of this bike has proven frustrating to new owners and dealers alike.
First, there were curious and mostly isolated electric problems. In some cases, for example, the starting motor would engage with the key in the hand of the owner ( the starter relay fuses together due to low voltage in the battery).
In November 2000, the National Highway Transportation Administration (NHTSA) issued recall no. 00V267 concerning fuel tank issues on 2001 BMW F650GS and F650GS Dakar motorcycles manufactured between March and July 2000. Early fuel tanks were susceptible to developing cracks in an area near an insert used to mount a carbon canister. Dealers replaced the defective tanks. By far the most vexing issue concerns surging and stalling in the fuel system. Some bikes do not have this problem, some have both, and some-like our test bike-have one. Industry reports indicate BMW is aware of the problem and has reprogramming fixes to the EFI in the works.
Originally published February 2001.
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