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Onto stage three - the F650CS, or shall we call it the F650 City Slicker. BMW's first street fighter that brings with it the look of a sexy mosquito, and plenty of torque to spare. We test drove our model over the course of an adventurous Memorial Day Weekend that took us from Seattle to the tri-cities wine country, along the Columbia River Gorge and eventually home via Mt. St. Helen's and Mt. Rainier. The first thing one notices is the size. This is not a large motorcycle and BMW makes it even friendlier for shorter riders by providing a shorter seat and smaller wheel option. Finally someone besides cruiser R&D divisions are thinking about shorter riders. Dwarfs can mount this option as easily as a Honda Rebel. If you're short and cruisers aren't your forte, this may be your bike. If you're taller, be certain not to get the short version. You may throw a kink in man's evolutionary process by trying to get comfortable on it. This bike is all about three's. Three lines everywhere. In the time it takes to wolf down a burger, fries and a coke you can count ten places on the bike where three lines have been tossed into the design. Why? Who knows? After all, we're from the Northwest. What could we possibly know about such contemporary design? Even a walk around the outside of Paul Allen's Experience Music Project doesn't provide clues. Our guess - It's BMW's underlying way of saying this is the third generation F650 - we've done it. And they have in terms of efficient, lower cc'd bikes. If you know BMW's car line, you'll also note the smaller models are the three series. Hmmm… Get on the bike, test ride it and find the torque curve. It comes in around second gear at 4,000 rpm. Crank the throttle and you've got passing power from here and all points beyond. Surprising stuff for a 650? Well consider the technological curve and then consider the fact that Honda built a reputation on the CB750 which was only 100 cc's larger and had an inline four. Point being - this is an awesome performer for a single cylinder 650. This is the passing power you look for in a motorcycle, an area most scrutinized on lower cc machines. It's here and available at the flick of the wrist. Belt Drive? Gee, you must have thought that was for Harley's or something? In fact BMW has put together a tooth belt drive that works well. Our test model was out for 1,200 miles and nobody flinched. Unlike chains, belts stretch little and require no lube. And because it's got teeth, the responsiveness is as stunning as any shaft drive machine.
The tank bag you may not need as the hard case serves it purpose well, although the little back pack straps are dandy for day hiking. The tail and seat pack are another story. Couldn't live without them. The two zipper together to provide more than 80 liters of storage. For this weekend I stuffed a laptop, two changes of clothes, various shave kit items and a whole other riding suit (I alternated the weekend between an Joe Rocket Phoenix and a First Gear Kilamanjoro). And there was room to spare. It looks much like a backpack when joined and in fact, the insides seal water tight much of the latest outdoor gear. In fact, the tail bag has hidden shoulder straps so you can actually wear the rig like a back pack.
After getting used to the bike you'll find yourself falling into the BMW groove. At slow speeds the bike just starts to suck you into a relaxing state, almost hypnotic at times. I'm still romanticizing those last few miles home along the southwest shore of Lake Washington. I enjoyed playing with the heated grips which even felt good as the warm air of the Columbia Gorge surrounded the rest of my body. Something about having your palms warm. BMW says the bike is quick and nimble and it is. But their emphasis on the fact it's got a single swing arm may not mean much to you when riding, but in fact the entire suspension system is smooth and dynamically sychornized. BMW's website also wants you to know about how easy the rear wheel is to remove, which is not something we had to deal with over our weekend, but makes a lot of sense in the long run. One drawback you'll notice are the mirrors, which are round like grandpa used to have on his old Dodge. Ditch 'em and get some real mirrors. The round mirrors provide little visibility to the far right, or far left, critical areas for safe lane changes. East on I-90, winding through the Yakima Valley, along the Columbia River Gorge, from Morton to Elbe, Kennewick to Lowden, the F650CS had the power and efficiency both new riders and low horsepower enthusiasts admire in a motorcycle. If you're looking for something that's not a hulking cruiser, and not a rapid sport bike, has looks and performs the F650CS may be just what the doctor ordered. SR! TM/Summer 2002 Thanks to Ride West BMW for providing the demonstrator used in this test ride. The BMW F650CS is available at the following Puget Sound BMW dealers
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Winding Through
Washington's Wine Country on BMW's latest
But there's something else that was engineered at the same time which is just
as efficient, but available only as an option. The Luggage. Get It! When you get
this bike be certain buy the optional luggage package. BMW developed soft
luggage for this bike anyone can live out of for weeks. It consists of three
bags. A tail, seat and tank bag.
In terms of looks and comments this is the one that gets the attention. You
need attention? You'll get it with the CS. It never failed that wherever we rode
the CS always got the googles and comments. "I like the way that
looks" noted one Goldwinger," "I'll bet that's a real smooth
machine," said a Harley rider. The best comment of the weekend was when I
mentioned to Renee at the gas station that the bike was getting 70 mph. The
woman in the Ford F250 truck next to us said they were getting 8.