Unveiled at the 2007 EICMA, better known as the Milan Motorcycle Show, the F 650 GS has taken its sweet time getting to India. Autocar India who scooped this information estimate the F 650 GS to land in May at a price between Rs. 8.5 and 10 Lakhs, on road Pune. At that price point, who is complaining? If you understand BMW Motorrad nomenclature you would assume the 650 has a 650 cc engine, but this time though, the 650 shares the same 800 cc straight two-cylinder in the bigger F 800 GS. In the F 650 GS the engine puts out 71 horsepower which is around 14 hp lesser than that in the F 800 GS. The focus for the F 650 GS is on the high torque at lower engine speeds and excellent economy. Peak torque is rated at 75Nm @ 4500 rpm.
Colors available for the F 650 GS are currently White Aluminium Matt Metallic, Bairritz Blue Metallic and Lava Orange Metallic.
Colors that were initially available for the F 650 GS were the Iceberg Silver Metallic, Azure Blue Metallic, and the Plain Flame Red. In 2010 though, these colors seem to have been discontinued.
The belt drive and single-strut swing arm, which are ideal for pure on-road use, have been replaced by a light chain drive, which, in combination with a very stable aluminium profile double-strut swing arm, offers particular advantages in offroad driving in particular, says BMW. Tipping the scales at 200kg, the F 650 GS isn’t a light bike, but as Autocar points out, the weight isn’t obvious when in motion.
Compared to the bigger F 800 GS power in the F 650 GS is reduced by varying the valve timings, the front wheel is 19 inch opposed to the 21 inch on the F 800 GS. The F 650 GS also gets conventional telescopics, not USDs and at the rear there’s a gas pressure spring strut. The seat height is also lower.
Two channel ABS is also available on the motorcycle, which can be switched off for off road use.
The F 650 GS should have a list of accessories that you can buy from the dealer.
