The BMW G 650 X Country

[KTMphil]

Just had a friend who needed to sell a 2008 BMW G 650 X Country quickly, so I made him an offer and he sold it to me.


WP_20140710_002.jpg by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr


Having done some significant touring on and off road on a 2004 BMW F 650 Dakar in the past in SE Asia, I was already aware of what great machines these were (if a little heavy for their performance) and this G 650 X Country would be a hybrid, tweaked, later version.



The BMW G 650 X Country was manufactured and sold (available in Thailand) between 2006 - 2009. Summary specifications below:


Power: 53 HP
Weight (wet): 156 KG
Fuel consumption: 19.2 KM/Liter
Fuel capacity: 9.5 Liters

Make Model	BMW G 650 X Country​
Year	2007​
Engine	Four stroke, single cylinder, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder​
Capacity	652 cc / 39.8 cub in.​
Bore x Stroke	100 x 83 mm
Compression Ratio	11.5:1
Cooling	Liquid
Lubrication	Dry sump​
Induction	Fuel induction​
Ignition	Capacitor Discharge Ignition system​
Alternator	280-W generator
Battery	12 V/10 Ah, maintenance-free
Starting	Electric
Max Power	39 kW / 53 hp @ 7000 rpm​
Max Torque	60 Nm / 6.1 kgf-m / 44.3 lb/ft@ 5250 rpm​
Transmission	5 Speed ​
Final Drive	Chain
Clutch	Multicdisc clutch in oil bath, mechanically operated
Frame	Bridge-type steel tube frame with bolted die-cast
Front Suspension	45mm Upside-down telescopic fork,​
Front Wheel Travel	240 mm / 9.5 in.
Rear Suspension	Aluminum 2-unit cast swing arm, air damping​
Rear Wheel Travel	210 mm / 8.3 in.
Front Brakes	Single 300mm disc 2 piston calipers​
Rear Brakes	Single 240mm disc 1 piston calipers​
ABS	BMW Motorrad ABS (disconnectable) available as an option
Wheels	Wire spoke wheels
Front Wheel	1.60 x 19"
Rear Wheel	2.50 x 17"
Front Tyre	100/90-S19
Rear Tyre	130/80-S17
Castor	118 mm / 4.6 in.
Steering head angle	62.5°
Gear Ratios	1st 2.75 / 2nd 1.75 / 3rd 1.31 / 4th 1.05 / 5th 0.84:1
Dimensions	Length 2205 mm / 86.8 in. Width 907 mm / 35.7 in. (incl. mirrors) Height 1255 mm / 49.4 in. (excl. mirrors)
Wheelbase	1500 mm / 59.1 in.
Seat Height	870 mm / 34.3 in / 840 mm / 33.1 in. (adjustable)
Dry Weight	144 kg / 317 lbs.
Wet Weight	156 kg / 344 lbs.
Fuel Capacity	9.5 Litres / 2.5 gl.
Reserve	Approx 2 Litres / 0.5 gal.
Consumption average	5.2 l/100 km / 19.3 km/l / 45.4 mpg
Standing ¼ Mile	14.0 sec
Top Speed	162.9 km/h / 101 mph.

 

[TB-Racing]

Just had a friend who needed to sell a 2008 BMW G 650 X Country quickly, so I made him an offer and he sold it to me.

CONGRATULATIONS, great DS bike with a lot of potential to modify....

 

[KTMphil]

Some reviews from owners on Motorcycle.com :


BMW G 650 XCountry

By John Camillus(Owner), Jul. 31, 2010

A light, functional motorcycle with just the right amount of advanced technology such as ABS. Works very well on paved toads (both highways and backroads) and has the ability (tires, clearance, suspension travel, footpegs and muffler positioning) to handle minor off-road situations. It offers a comf...Read Full Review





If you don't mind people trying to talk to you in traffic...

By David Quitt(Owner), Dec. 30, 2009

Get this bike. I bought my G 650 X country about 2 months ago people stop and admire it constantly. It looks classy and interesting. The bike is covered in quality parts and it is just a blast to ride. I live in Hawaii and there is a nice winding road that leads to a lookout behind my house. The bik...Read Full Review







Adventure "lite"

By DRONE(Owner), Dec. 17, 2009

This bike echoes the scrambler-type bikes of the 70's. Plenty of fun on pavement, and decent on dirt roads too. Suspension a little light for bigger riders/loads, and the headlight's not much use at night. Handling is great, and where else can you get a 350-lb bike with ABS? Had mine for a year ...Read Full Review

 

[brake034]

Wauw, great buy and I guess at a good price.

 

[DrGMIA]

Remove the rear license plate/holder bit, mount the plate up higher if you're going off pavement. First off-road riding you do will find it bouncing into the rear wheel which will eat it, and your license plate. A tip also suggested by certain BMW "insiders".

 

[khairullhafiz]

The weapon of choice for my solo, first time ride last year.

Disablity is just a Word: SOLO, FIRST TIME RIDE video is UP!!!

Great bike. Nimble, handles good, compliant in corners, light.

My only gripe is the small tank.

 

[khairullhafiz]

How it currently looks



The look I was going for

 

[KTMphil]

Khairul - How do you find the G 650 X Country?

 

[khairullhafiz]

Khairul - How do you find the G 650 X Country?

Phil, for the type of riding I am doing, I love it. Like I wrote, its nimble, handles good, compliant in corners, light.
The only pain (sort of ) is when I am riding on the Malaysian highway from KL heading to the Thai border. I mean, it's a single, what do you expect. After the border though its a totally different story.
I just wished it had bigger tanks.

 

[KTMphil]

Remove the rear license plate/holder bit, mount the plate up higher if you're going off pavement. First off-road riding you do will find it bouncing into the rear wheel which will eat it, and your license plate. A tip also suggested by certain BMW "insiders".

Yeh, spotted that rear license plate holder disaster, shame they have to do this to meet regulations in certain countries the one on this bike is already wobbly.





WP_20140710_007.jpg by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr









Found and near R & G tail tidy on line that looks good


BMW G650 X Tail Tidy Licence Plate Holder LP0049BK

 

[KTMphil]

Are you getting approx. 20km/ Liter?

Phil, for the type of riding I am doing, I love it. Like I wrote, its nimble, handles good, compliant in corners, light.
The only pain (sort of ) is when I am riding on the Malaysian highway from KL heading to the Thai border. I mean, it's a single, what do you expect. After the border though its a totally different story.
I just wished it had bigger tanks.

 

[KTMphil]

I bet the standard exhaust weighs a ton, probably 12-15kg


WP_20140710_008.jpg by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr



With total range being under/ around 200 KM on the standard fuel tank, for long distance, remote touring this could be irritating and producing some unwanted anxiety when you're down more than 1/2 tank. Touratech make an "add-on" 16 liter fuel tank that fits over the existing fuel tank, producing 25.5 liters of fuel capacity, resulting in about 500 Km of range from one tank.



Plus 4.2g tank for G650X Challenge (same as 049-0131 except TUV approved) - Touratech-USA





Expensive though, over USD$ 800

The kit

This chap has done some excellent, well thought out mods in the link below:



http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=450945







.

 

[TB-Racing]

Check the thread about Walter Colebatch 650 X-Challenge ADV custom bike build = http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=524638&highlight=colebatch
His Sibirsky Extreme Ride Reports on ADVrider are really worth a read as well, met him in Shanghai....

ps: we had a rare for China.... BMW 650 X-Challenge (full legal import a few years ago / very low mileage) but the seller was asking way too much $$$$'s.... could have been a nice project bike for long distance cruising in Red China.

 

[khairullhafiz]

Are you getting approx. 20km/ Liter?

That would be about it. Wish I had a bigger tank....

 

[KTMphil]

I agree with you Butch - This bike could make an excellent long distance touring bike with a few mods., will read the thread.

Check the thread about Walter Colebatch 650 X-Challenge ADV custom bike build = RTW X-Challenge Adventurization - ADVrider
His Sibirsky Extreme Ride Reports on ADVrider are really worth a read as well, met him in Shanghai....

ps: we had a rare for China.... BMW 650 X-Challenge (full legal import a few years ago / very low mileage) but the seller was asking way too much $$$$'s.... could have been a nice project bike for long distance cruising in Red China.

 

[TB-Racing]

Found and near R & G tail tidy on line that looks good

R+G Racing Tail Tidies are good solid parts.

Installed a few R+G Racing Tail Tidies on bikes incl. my MTS-PP to get the wobbly bits off the bikes.
Small tip, get a set of R+G Racing License Plate Extension/Adapter Kit (LPK0003BK) as they become very handy during installation and no extra holes needed in the license plate in case the sistine ones don't line up correctly....

Let the mods begin and post pics please!

 

[brake034]

Will you take this BMW to Vladivostok Phil?

 

[KTMphil]

Will you take this BMW to Vladivostok Phil?

Thinking about it, might be the perfect bike

 

[Jayem]

Very good purchase, Phil!

The G650 X-Co & X-Ch are excellent platforms for building a long-distance adv travel bike. The Rotax engine is a gem! Great torque at low rpm and extremely reliable and durable. And probably the most economical big thumper in terms of gas consumption. Considering the incredible abuse and massive distances that the likes of Walter Colebatch and Terry Brown (Tee Bee on advrider forum) and numerous others have inflicted on their G650Xs, one can safely say the Rotax mills are among the most durable thumpers ever made. But please note that 'platform' is the operative word here, as the G650X needs some serious farkling to comply with rtw/adv travel requirements.

As you mentioned, the fuel capacity is insufficient for your needs. The TT gas tank is very expensive and restricts access to the air filter. Quite cumbersome when regular air filter cleaning is needed, which is often the case if you're riding in
a group and 'eating' dust thrown up by your fellow riders. Not unimportant for a tour guide like you. The auxiliary tank fabricated by Erik at hotrodwelding.com seems to be the most popular option for increasing fuel capacity. Not cheap either. If you opt for this solution, it's good to know that the X-Co has the advantage over the X-Ch that it is fitted with a steel subframe, so no need to replace it like the X-Ch's weak aluminium subframe.
Hotrod Welding | - Motorbike accessories - Xtank BMW G650XC

The suspension is definitely the weakest link of the platform. The OEM forks are the cheapest junk ever produced by Marzocchi. The easiest option is to fit 'proper' 45mm Marzocchi Shivers as they fit right into the stock triple clamps. Fitting 48mm WP forks requires new triple clamps and caliper bracket. In typical Beemer tradition, the OEM rear suspension is not much better, and the HyperPro shock seems to be popular choice as replacement and more durable than the Ohlins. Plenty of info on this topic on the forums. IMO, you can't go wrong heeding the advice offered by Walter Colebatch in his advr thread on 'adventurizing' his G650X. He really knows what he is talking about. And he has done more 'testing' than anyone else, I guess.

FYI, the following site contains quite a few interesting links. I think you'll find some useful stuff there.

Snooker's BMW G650 XCountry Links - Mods, Parts, Accessories, Reviews


Let the farkling begin...

Cheers!

 

[KTMphil]

Some great advice on this bike there, thanks Jayem.


That looks like a great fuel tank option:

 

[brake034]

Phil, Hotrod Welding is a Dutch company, I am leaving to Holland on the 5th of August and will be back somewhere early October.
Let me know if I can be of help for this, I am shipping some relocation stuff so I can add something at no extra transport costs.

 

[KTMphil]

Phil, Hotrod Welding is a Dutch company, I am leaving to Holland on the 5th of August and will be back somewhere early October.
Let me know if I can be of help for this, I am shipping some relocation stuff so I can add something at no extra transport costs.

Ok thanks Marcel.

 

[oldbloke]

That's a nice looking addition to the stable, Phil... the question is, at this rate, will there be any room left in the bar for customers??