I purchased a 2005 BMW F650 GS Dakar in late summer of 2004 after evaluating comparable Honda, Kawasaki, and Suzuki models. My intended use of the bike was 50% easy trail riding and 50% casual around town riding. My actual use since purchase has been 80% trail and 20% street. The 20% street part is riding from home to various off road trail networks. It's great to be able to trail ride without having to own a toy hauler or ramp your bike into and out of your pickup.
What I like about the bike:
Comfort. A very comfortable bike both on and off road. Nice seat position. Good handlebar width and height. Heated grips. Virtually no vibration.
Street handling. A surprisingly agile bike on twisting asphalt roads.
Fuel economy. 61 miles per gallon off road.
Appearance. Looks cool.
What I don’t like about the bike:
Cost to purchase. At least 50% more than the others.
Cost to maintain. What? Over $200 for an oil change?
Weight. At about 425 lbs., it's a little unwieldy in some off road situations and for some off road riding styles.
Front forks. A bike this expensive and intended for partial off road use should come standard with a more sophisticated front suspension system.
ABS switch. A flashing red light from the instrument cluster whenever ABS is disabled. Annoying. To switch ABS back on, you must stop, shut the bike off, wait a few seconds, then start the bike back up again. Very annoying.
In summary, I’m very pleased with the performance of this bike both on and off road. It's a pleasure to ride. For those whose off road riding style tends toward racing, jumping, and difficult single track hill climbs, the F650 is probably not the best bike. But for more moderate dual sport riding, it's hard to beat.
