Review: BMW F 650 CS
In line with a time-honoured tradition of doing things a little differently to everybody else, BMW has come out with a 650cc single-cylinder belt-driven motorcycle — the F 650 CS.
Belt drives aren’t new on motorcycles, but apart from Harley Davidson nobody’s used them for a while. They have advantages in that a toothed belt is cleaner than a chain, it outlasts it, and it requires virtually no servicing. It’s also quieter than a chain and sprockets, and lots cheaper than a shaft drive.
The F650 Funduro, launched in 1993, was the first BMW to use a chain for the final drive — every other model for 70 years before had used a shaft. Based upon the two-year-old second-generation F650 GS, the new machine shares the on/off roader’s fuel-injected Rotax engine, retuned to offer slightly more torque at lower revs — 62Nm at 5 500rpm, versus 60Nm at 6 000. Power is still 37kW, but at 6 800rpm rather than the 6 500rpm of its stablemate.
As in the F650GS the fuel tank is placed under the seat to keep the centre of gravity low. The suspension is shorter than that of the GS, and the seat height consequently lower, meaning the bike’s a cinch to handle in traffic.
The Germans have given lots of attention to stowage in this essentially city commuter. The area occupied by the fuel tank in most motorcycles, and used to store various electrical components in the F 650 GS, is now devoted to luggage storage — some bright young thing in marketing decided to call the concept StuffBay, but we can forgive them for that because it’s such a good idea.
There’s a standard front-bag that provides stowage for cellular phones, sunglasses and other flotsam, while a range of after-market accessory luggage can be clipped into position in a jiffy, or easily removed to be lugged about by built-in carrier handles.
The BMW F650 CS’s optional extras include ABS and heated grips.