BMW G650GS first ride

MCN’s Steve Farrell is currently at the launch of the new BMW G650GS in Portugal, on a Paris-Dakar style adventure being led by Simon Pavey, six times Dakar finisher. Here are his first impressions of the bike which he’s been riding on and off road.

“The new engine pulls from virtually no rpm, which is very useful and forgiving off-road. On roads there’s not masses of top-end, but this is a 47bhp single, made to comply with rule changes for new riders limiting them to 47bhp instead of 33bhp.

“The seat height is low but the centre of gravity remains high, adding to the novice friendly adventure bike mix.”

For Steve’s full report on the new bike, see next week’s (March 9th) issue of Motorcycle News