BMW G 650 GS / GS Sertao

In my 60s and loving it – After 40+ years riding motorbikes and getting a bit older I found the F650GS Dakar to be just perfect Purchased in 2021 it has already given me many many kilometres of sheer happiness With a bag on the back, Garmin Satnav and Sena 30K intercom along with my wife on an XT 250 we are loving seeing Australia again on the back roads I have no… Read more

complaints at all about this bike and that’s after riding big four-cylinder shaft driven road bikes

With a trickle feed it starts first time every time and it’s super comfortable for up to a couple of hours before you need a bit of a rest

I just wish I’d bought one of these when I was younger so I can highly recommend this BMW to anyone contemplating one

I really am just so happy with it and look forward to getting on it every single time

Fuel economy is exceptional, handling is great and it’s been super reliable

I think this will be my last bike

BRILLIANT BIKE – Magic bike, handles well, outstandingly comfortable, big heart, willing, fuel efficient. I spent a year or so prepping a 2007 model & then rode it London to Magadan in 2012 with hard panniers - a shade under 30,000km. Reliable as - i had three problems - a flat tyre in a hotel carpark in Romania (that doesn't count). Second, the positive wire… Read more

feeding the in-tank fuel pump failed in Kazakhstan. The two wires feeding the pump are single strand wires & i believe the fault was probably fatigue of the wire from fuel sloshing around. Interestingly, the fuel tank did not go up in flames in spite of the wire obviously arcing inside the tank - apparently there is insufficient oxygen in the tank to support combustion!!! Third problem was 3 days out of Magadan, the top cross member of the rear subframe cracked where the hard pannier load went into it. With the benefit of hindsite not surprising really - i've welded in a gusset and would use soft luggage if i did a long trip again - so much easier on the bike and the rider. Longest day was Krasnoyarsk to Irkutsk, about a 16 hour ride of 1065km of which about 7 or 800km was on pretty average dirt road. That speaks volumes about the bike.

Best Al lRounder ever – I have a Harley Davidson Electra Glide, a yamaha 250 open enduro, just brought a 650gs dakar, rode from TweedHeads to Nevertire and back, dodged roos through the Outback, pushed hard from Waughope to Walcha, 45,35,25ks corners, the handling was faultless, power for every condition, perfect gear ratios, braking ability only to be dreampt… Read more

about. I'm 71 years young, had over 100 bikes in 54 years of riding, I'm selling the Harley, the open enduro, a ONE BIKE MAN from now on, Yep the INCREDIBLE BMW650GS DAKAR, for Me for EVER, THANK YOU BMW.. LENNY KLEEM. . TWEED HEADS. ..

Best value for money bike I have ever owned – I bought my BMW F650 GS Dakar in 2001 and it is the best bike I have ever owned which includes a R 1100 GS , R1200 GSA , K1200 LT ,R100 GSPD, KTM 520, Suzuki 250DR , Suzuki 750 DR BIG, and another 15 odd bikes , it is great in the outback on dirt roads example ,you can ride off a cambered loose gravel road at 100 kms per hour and just steer back… Read more

up onto the road no problems ,where I have had great fear of the boxers trying to spit you of in a instants , it is so stable on dirt roads and tar ,I have never experienced another bike that handles better ,I have race short circuit many years ago ,even came third in the Australian titles , and I believe it I am qualified to endorse this bike as probably the best bike ever built , it is also fantastic on fuel achieving around 21 litres per hundred kms at 100kms per , I have never had a mechanical problem other than occasionally like maybe once a week at low revs the engine will just stop at a the lights but will restart immediately , it will run up to 170 kms per hour any time if required as it has plenty power bearing in mind it is only a 650 cc motor cycle , I think the fellow who rubbished this bike in a earlier review is a absolute knobber and should take up knitting , best regards Garry ( from county NSW )

Not so good for (real) adventure – I completely agree that the bike looks great and it carries a prestigious logo on the side. It is well balanced, had good horse power and a lot of electronic options. But when it come to use this bike in rough terrain like in Botswana or Namibia it really doesn't fit. Tank is too small and needs refill every 350 km to more on soft ground. On sand… Read more

it's a real pity: steering loose precision and sloppy, engine heat a lot (needing to stop regularly) and it cannot compare with a KLR of a DR650 that stays gripped on the trail. A great bike to show off in city, relatively sound on road, but not so great for backcountry adventures. The look Not adapted to rugged terrain - more a city bike

OK – Bike may suit road riders but defintely not one for any real outback trip. When I firts bought , It got recalled with rear brake problem...then teh radiator failed(on road kms) after 12mths....out of warranty(12mth then) ...BMW...so what....then a series of clutch cable failures....but eventually a batch worked ...which had been on teh bike 8… Read more

years...so they must have fixed the problem. Oil pump failed......rear brake line failed, and on the third set of steering head bearings.....tail light connection bad...on and off...or stays on eventually melting the housing. Then it has electical faults.....horn....dealer could not find then I did...then stalling.....again dealer could not fix...but suggested new battery....which fixed.....both disc rotors wore out and replacedand all the time serviced at BMW dealer ...every 10000km...done 76,000 km ...just waiting for something else to go....probably something big co The fact that it won a Dakar albeit a factory entry in the late 90's. It looks good and my wife liked it.....so that allowed me to buy it back in Dec 2000 Too heavy, heavy on fuel combined with small tank and unreliable in that things fail. I would not risk it on a big overland trip .....it would end up behind some sand hill never to to be recovered 500km from nowhere