BMW F650CS gallery

BMW F650CS gallery (click images to enlarge)
These pics have been "borrowed" from various world-wide web-sites and slightly compressed to make them quicker loading than the originals. BMW have given the F650CS the name the F650 Scarver (Street Carver)

F650 CS (Scarver) road test. 24/11/2001.

By courtesy of Bath Road Motorcycles Bristol, UK, I enjoyed my first ride of the newly launched BMW F650 CS. First impression before I even got on, was of a very steady engine idle speed, compared to slight lumpiness of my F650GS (which has all the latest upgrades).

The roads were a mix of wet and damp, with a scattering of mouldy autumn leaves, so it was 'easy does it' up and down through the gears, till I get to my local dual carriageway then give it a short blast up to 75mph to get that out of my system. Then it's back down to town traffic speeds where I find the engine is very sweet right down to tickover at 1,500 rpm in crawling traffic in 1st or 2nd gears, when it plodded along happily with no throttle at all and absolutely no snatchiness, then pulled smoothly from 1,500 rpm under progressively increasing load to higher rpm as other vehicle speeds increased.

Rolling the throttle on and off right down to tickover gave no hesitation or jerkiness in the drive, partly I think, due to the 'rubber' drive belt and partly due to improved engine characteristics over the latest v10.1 software. I guess BMW are constantly updating the electronic engine management system. It's definitely an ace commuter bike, because of it's good manners rolling the throttle on and off at low revs, its nimbleness and its cracking acceleration through the gears away from the lights, which I felt was even better than on my GS. I wonder if it might even become a useful 'courier' bike - only time will tell.

I didn't have the guts to test its cornering ability very far because I couldn't even find any dry lines on the damp roads, but I think it goes without saying it'll be fine 'cos it's a BMW !

Compared to my GS the ride is obviously firmer, the riding position is slightly more lean-forward, (although the bars can be rotated back if one wishes), and the steering a bit quicker because of the smaller front wheel. It was great for cutting through town traffic 'cos the bars are even narrower than on the GS. (It reminded me of my scooter at times).

As people have mentioned before, the belt is tight, but the bearing on the gearbox output shaft has obviously been toughened to take that extra constant tension. The belt has to be replaced every 12,000 miles, and necessitates removing the single-sided swingarm, which looks simple enough. No doubt 'someone' will take it off-road soon to see if they can derail the belt with sticks or stones, but it looks pretty well protected to me.

The 'tank' accessories look interesting. (1) A secure helmet lock (2) A tank bag and map holder, which also serves as an over-the-shoulder pack, with the straps hidden beneath the bag. (3) The speaker system - it's not a hi-fi system, it's just an amplifier and speakers, so you have supply your own walkman, discman or whatever on a foam pad beneath the unit and just plug in with an earphone socket. There's just a volume control on the top of the speakers. GoldWing and Aspencade riders watch out - Here comes the Scarver!

I took it and parked it for 10 minutes at a nearby motorcycle dealership which has a Hot-Dog stand outside, and while I ate my roll I watched people's mixed reactions. A couple of young ladies thought it was cute and wanted one. The 'big', (nothing less than 1200cc), motorcyclists dismissed it, but several others thought it looked funky and wanted to know where they could get a ride. I've a feeling it's going to be quite common on the streets 'afore long.

As others have also commented it look better in the flesh than in the pics, and fortunately BMW have not placed the word 'Scarver' anywhere on the bike! 'Twas an enjoyable ride, but I think I'll keep my GS as I like the bolt upright riding position and my occasional ventures off-road. - Trevor George - 24 November 2001.