Milan Show: BMW F650GS launched

As well as the new F800GS, BMW has unveiled the all-new F650GS – but don’t be fooled by the name, as its capacity is also 800cc.

Basically a lower spec version of the new F800GS, the F650GS replaces the old single-cylinder bike of the same name, using a detuned parallel twin engine.

Power is 71bhp – which is a full 20bhp more than the old 650 single – and the use of lower-specifications components means the price is kept down.

Right-way-up forks, a single front disc and different wheels – alloy rather than wire, and with a 19-inch front rather than a 21-inch version – mean the F650GS is a model in its own right. Weight is 171kg dry, or 199kg wet.

More road-oriented than the F800GS, it’s only a little slower, with a claimed 0-62 time of 4.3 seconds and a top whack of 117mph.

For new riders, BMW is offering a no-cost conversion to 33bhp.

Read all about it, and all the other new bikes being launched at Milan, in MCN on sale November 7.