New and have questions

[stoner4567]

Hey my name is Paul and i am from the birmingham area but am currently going to school in auburn. I do not currently own a motorcycle but am looking at buying one and just figured i would ask some people i am sure will know a lot about them.

I am looking at a 2003 F650 GS i found on Craigslist that is located in Marietta.

I was wondering if anyone owned one and could tell me if it is a good bike for a begginer, a reliable bike, and how safe it is.

Thanks in advance for all the help

[Gail]

I would reccommend taking the beginning motorcycle safety course at the AL Traffic Safety Center in Montevallo, AL before you do anything else.

[bamabmw]

I haven't owned a 650 but there are several folks in the club who have and all said they liked them. I know this isn't much to go on, but others should see your post soon and respond with more info. It's a bit slow here during the holidays but I'm sure folks will check in here soon.
Connie

[R90srider]

Hello Paul.

I haven't owned an F650 GS, but the club members with whom I have spoken that own them are very satisfied with their performance. Vance Harrelson, our VP, has one and is a frequent contributor of this site. I am sure he will be more than happy to answer any questions for you. Another F 650 GS owner is Steve Johns, a key sales person at Bogart's Motorsports. These guys are the easiest for you to contact.

Just in case you haven't heard, our BMW motorcycles group is very active and welcomes new members. The next club meeting will be on January 26/27, 2008 at the Montevallo Traffic Safety Center and I hope you will come.

Gail's advise to you about taking the Safety Foundation Course is spot on.

Speaking of safe, there is no such thing as a safe motorcycle, but BMW's superior engineering and quality makes their motorcycles one of the safest on the market.


Bob Steber

[Vance]

Hello Paul,
I do own an '03 F650GS. This is the second one I have owned with my first being a 97 model. That was a great bike too but the 03 has fuel injection and to me is an all around better bike. I love mine. I find it to be a great bike for all around riding and easy to operate. Gail has one also and in fact has over 50K miles on F650's. A great bike to start with and stay with for that matter.
If you are a new rider Gail's advice is certainly right. You will find this group to be very safety minded. Full riding gear is very important and a must. There are many riders in this group, me included that know just how important that gear really is!
Let me know if you have any specific questions and I will be glad to help you any way I can. I hope it works out for you and we would love to have you join our group! Take Care.....

[stoner4567]

Thanks for all your help so far, it is great to get such a welcome. I will be sure to check into the motor cycle safety course. I was already looking at full riding gear, but i have one main question. Is it made to fit over normal clothes?

Vance I have a couple of questions about the bike itself.
1. Would this bike be okay to cruise on 280 from Birmingham to Auburn?
2. What kind of warranty is there on these bikes, and are parts expensive?
3. How safe is this bike compared to others?
4. Would it be worth the extra money to buy a new one?

If you can answer any of these it would be very much appreciated.

Also are there any real points I should make to my dad about this bike, I still have to get his approval.

[Vance]

There are many types of gear and probably as many opinions. However most pants are designed as "over clothes" and will have hip and knee armor for protection. ridegear.com has about every type so you can check them out.

Now for your specific questions....
1. Absolutely! Many folks ride this bike across the country. I hve ridden mine to NC and as I stated Gail has ridden hers ALL OVER the place. No problem!
2. I believe the standard warranty to be 3 years with a mileage cap but I can't remember what that is at the moment. As for parts, they are ready available and this is probably the least expensive BMW to own and operate.
As Bob Steber said...I don't guess there is such a thing as a "safe" motorcycle. But this bike has ABS which is certainly a plus. Its light weight and ease of handling makes it "more safe" than bikes without these features.
4. I guess a new bike is always nicer than an old one but depending on the condition of the bike and how well it has been cared for you can usually save a good bit by buying used and that is good. I see now problem with buying a used bike, that is for sure!

As for justification with your dad you wil have to convince him you understand the dangers inherint with riding a motorcycle and that you are mature enough to realize and overcome those dangers. While that of course is no guarantee you won't be injured maybe it will help. Again as Gail said...we can't stress enough proper training!!!
I hope this helps you....Take Care

[stoner4567]

Wow! Thanks for the quick response. I knew this group would be a major help. I really am looking forward to this and see no reason why my dad will say no, but i would like to have it all together when i ask him about this.

I am glad to hear that they work great for long trips and I am also excited to hear that it is easy to repair and relativly inexpensive. I own an old '76 2002 that i love to work on but it is so expensive and hard to find parts for, so maybe this can be a new hobby.

Thanks again for the quick response, and all the help.

[SteveHebert]

Hi Paul,

When you buy a BMW, you also buy into a family, disfunctional at best, but a family nonetheless. The Alabama club is very active and is filled with some of the nicest folks around (mostly anyway. Watch out for Gary ). We pretty much will help eachother and any other BMW rider out in any way we can. Vance is correct about the warranty. They only have a 3 year 36 month warranty from the in service date. There are aftemarket ones that can be bought and are not too expensive. Gail is the one to ask about riding the 650as that is her only bike. It is comfortable enough to ride 1340+ miles in less that 23 hours as she prooved a few weeks ago, so yeah I guess it is a great machine. I know another lady rider that took several months off work and road to Alaska and back.

There are several used ones at great prices and that is the way I would go for my first bike. Come to our January meeting and talk to a bunch of us and then take the Basic Rider's Course.

Your dad can be rest assured that there is a great group of folks that will help you in any way that we can and will come pick you up and help you work on the bike if there is ever a problem. Heck, maybe he will even buy one and join the group with you!

A great site to go to for used BMWs is http://www.ibmwr.org

I know where there are some inexpensive raffle tickets for a brand new 08 GS for sale

Good luck with your decision and welcome to the family,

Steve

[James]

http://www.f650.com/

Lots of good info there.