BMW F650GS versus Aprilia Pegaso
Neville Richardson
The F650GS & Pegaso appeal to me - they seem good allrounders.
I'm getting back into bikes after a 20year break.
What are your thoughts on these bikes - pros & cons - as the local dealers
on the Gold Coast can't tee up a test ride.
Neville
Richard Kay
Richardson at nevi...@bigpond.net.au wrote on 29/12/00 10:55 PM:
Neville,
I've just purchased a new F650 GS - stepping up from a 250 cc Kawasaki Super
Sherpa.
Got it on 13 November, 2000 and have done 6000 km so far.
It is a good bike...although a little pricey compared to the competition.
But you get BMW Roadside Assist free for the first 12 months in the purchase
price...which might help you justify the extra cost. My radiator developed a
leak at 4000 km after some aggressive dirt riding. Rang BMW Roadside Assist
(1800 number in Qld). They had a truck around in 30 minutes and shipped my
bike up to Perth to the dealer for repairs 15 minutes later. The radiator
was replaced under warranty that day and I picked the bike up a few days
later (couldn't get to Perth earlier because of work committments). Didn't
have to pay a cent or sign anything. And Roadside Assist will cover you
ANYWHERE in Australia...although if they can't get to you with a 2 wheel
drive vehicle you may have to pay for extraction (e.g. stranded in the
middle of the Simpson Desert and only accessible via 4 wheel drive).
The F650 is a nice looking bike (everyone comments on the looks), has good
handling, a great riding position, a comfortable seat, is a little rough at
lower revs but once you get over 4000 rpm it is VERY smooth. Compared to my
old Sherpa it is great on the highway. I ride from Bunbury to Perth every
second weekend (400 km round trip) at 100 - 120 kph and find the bike to be
both comfortable on the longer haul and easily able to handle highway riding
(i.e. great for passing as it has very good acceleration). It is also a good
commuter...easy to flick around traffic and pedestrians.
I've done a fair bit of 'light' dirt riding with it. It will do most fire
trails and beach tracks easily but it does weigh 190 kg so it ain't no
Sherpa. And I wouldn't take it on some of the tracks I used to take the
Sherpa on.
Everything is hidden behind the easily removable plastic panels...so there
ain't a lot to break in a fall. The tank holds 17.4 litres and is under the
seat...which means low centre of gravity. The fuel warning light comes on at
280 km and you have about 4 litres left in reserve from there on...so the
bike has a normal range of 350 km. I'm getting about 21 km per litre at the
moment fuel economy-wise.
The dirt riding sibling of the GS - the Dakar - is favourably reviewed in
the current editions of SIDETRACK magazine and DIRT RIDER (both available at
your local newsagency now). Check them out. The comments in both are
accurate and applicable to the GS as well. There is also a good review of
the GS at these URLS:
http://www.motorcycle.com/mo/mcbmw/00f650gsy.html
http://www.motorcyclenews.com/bikes/bikes.asp?page=Trialies&testid=245&paren
t=245
Don't know much about the Pegaso. But check this URL out:
http://www.motorcycle.com/mo/mcaprilia/pegaso1.html
Hope this helps.
Richard.
BMW F 650 GS
glitch1
it for so long.
In my personal opinion they should fix the license-system over here as they
are running it in many European countries: A stepped license; C being
125s/15hp max, B being 500cc/37hp max, A being the "unlimited", with a year
on each type of bike and a further practical test (actual ride) at the end
of each section.
Somebody has seen that stepping from 250s to 900s causes a lot of harm....
(also good for dealers, there are more bikes to be sold).
Next: used or new ? It makes a diff, since BM brought out the new Funduro.
Until about 3 months ago, it was no contest: Aprilia 5 valve head, against
the 4 valve BM, better midrange, better low end, USD forks....quite a few
little differences between them (both were built by Aprilia anyway). let's
stick to those models (up to about Sept/Oct 2000)
Pro and con Aprilia: Technically more advanced, slightly cheaper spares,
more modern looks, more effective fairing screen, centre stand NOT standard
(I think they changed that now), not available in 2 seat heights (like the
BM) and those shit-hot looking (and actually working) twin exhausts. Can fit
ANY luggage rack, brackets, whatever...
Pro, con BM: 4-valver stronger top end, dismal below 3500rpm, ergonomics not
as good as Pegaso, dearer parts (it's BM, ya know)
BM is NOT known for being customer orientated (between myself, my wife and a
mate we had 3 BMs, all bought new in '95, all 3 were pieces of junk, bits
falling off continuously (bolts, nuts, horns, brackets, fairing parts etc
etc), a stuffed clutch after 3500km, split batteries leaking acid onto
everything, broken centre and side stands, new fork seals every 4-6 months,
you name it...it was a joke) and boy was there some trouble with
BM-Mulgrave, who didn't even wanna cough up the parts, labour was on us in
any case.
I'll never have another one, they can go and shove their boxers, sideways
with all the loose crap that fell off as lubricant.
Roadside Assist is something you can obtain via a separate contract and is
not a BM specific item (about 80-120 bucks for the first 12 months on a new
vehicle), often as an add-on to your (comprehensive) insurance policy, just
ask. Or ask the dealer !
Since the appearance of the new Funduro (EFI, built by BM in Berlin) the
tables have turned somewhat, the technical gap is gone, the BM has finally
pulled up their socks. The new EFI-Pegaso (Pegaso 4) will be here early next
year and will, according to first reports, tip the scales again.
In general, Funduros are cheaper second hand since there are many around,
2.hand Pegasos are rare, particularly low mileage bikes (compared to their
model run here in Oz).
As a (mainly) road bike the Aprilia got the better handling by a mile,
scaring the crap out of many sportsbikes through the twisties with an
unshakable front-end and very good clearance (despite lowering the rear and
dropping the forks on ours)
As with any bike there are little niggly bits once you start to use it, all
but one easy and cheaply to get rid of. The only gripe I got with the Pegaso
is the (non-existing) access to the rear shock, to change the preload you
gotta take the wheel and the shock out (fiddly and time consuming), make
sure you option for the "externally adjustable" version, which is a few
hundred bucks extra (and most Funduros have as standard).
Having had the luck to run (the then )current model Funduro/Pegasos
back-to-back within 5 minutes, doing the same stretch of road before I
bought, it was just no contest, the Pegaso won hands down and so we bought 2
of them (my better half was sold on the shape of the thing alone), and
haven't regretted it for one second yet.
More nitty-gritty??
http://www.egroups.com/group/aprilia-pegaso
just sign in and have a browse
"Neville Richardson" <nevi...@bigpond.net.au> wrote in message
news:GB136.37412$xW4.2...@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
Neville Richardson
Thanks for your reply.
I'm slowly finding out that there is a wealth of info on the web if you get
a few leads.
It sounds like the F650GS does most things well with the only penalty being
the price - if it holds its value that's not such a penalty. This bike is
definitely on my shortlist.
Regards,
Neville
Richard Kay <richa...@bigpond.com> wrote in message
news:B673299D.304E%richa...@bigpond.com...
Neville Richardson
Thanks for your reply.
I'm looking for a new bike - I like to keep my vehicles for a while.
I'll be signing up for refresher training at Toprider on the Gold Coast - I
believe an investment in skills training is not wasted money.
I agree with your thoughts on the dearer parts for BMs - the Brisbane dealer
is not known for their charitable accessories dept. I suppose if you can
afford the bike you can afford the parts.
I'm surprised most bikes come without a centre stand - making it much harder
to lube the chain, check wheel alignment, chain tension etc.
I found the egroups on the Pegaso v. interesting - these common interest
groups are some of the best parts of the web.
BTW, how does the Pegaso fare at highway speed (say, 110kph) re wind
buffeting & available power for overtaking? Did you get the lowering kit or
just pull the forks through a bit? Also, how have you fared with the dual
purpose tyres on the road - do you feel the need to change for road tyres?
Thanks again for your help.
Regards,
Neville Richardson
glitch1 <gli...@optushome.com.au> wrote in message
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