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Follow-up on my BMW F650GS Dakar:

After getting it into reasonable riding shape last winter, I jumped the shark this spring and “invested” (with expected loss of investment) in a 2021 Husqvarna 701 Enduro with 12k miles on it.

I, of course, went through the bike thoroughly. It had some needs, which I took care of, and fitted it with side racks to put some smaller hard cases on suitable for day rides in the woods.IMG_4240.jpeg

IMG_4241.jpeg
So after getting this Husky I was thinking the BMW GS was kind of unnecessary. Heavier that the Husky by a lot, and not much lighter than my Africa Twin. But the AT has twice the HP, and gets the same gas mileage.

Anyway, I put the Dakar up for sale, both on Crag’s and ADVriders. Nobody seemed to appreciate the bike for what it is. I was only asking $3500 for it, but all I got was lowball offers.

For what I paid, and what I have i to it, I decided to just keep it, ride it occasionally (I love how cushy it is, especially offroad) and can use it as a guest dual sport bike.

IMG_4338.jpegIMG_4340.jpeg

Oh yeah, I put those Harbor Freight cases on the racks it already had. What a great thing those are. And fixed / replaced a few more things. Today I put new brake pads on front and rear and replaced the seriously worn rear rotor. Oddly, the front was not worn at all. One of the POs must have been a back brake guy.
 
Last edited:
Fred W said:
Follow-up on my BMW F650GS Dakar:

After getting it into reasonable riding shape last winter, I jumped the shark this spring and “invested” (with expected loss of investment) in a 2021 Husqvarna 701 Enduro with 12k miles on it.

I, of course, went through the bike thoroughly. It had some needs, which I took care of, and fitted it with side racks to put some smaller hard cases on suitable for day rides in the woods.View attachment 7864

View attachment 7865
So after getting this Husky I was thinking the BMW GS was kind of unnecessary. Heavier that the Husky by a lot, and not much lighter than my Africa Twin. But the AT has twice the HP, and gets the same gas mileage.

Anyway, I put the Dakar up for sale, both on Crag’s and ADVriders. Nobody seemed to appreciate the bike for what it is. I was only asking $3500 for it, but all I got was lowball offers.

For what I paid, and what I have i to it, I decided to just keep it, ride it occasionally (I love how cushy it is, especially offroad) and can use it as a guest dual sport bike.

View attachment 7866View attachment 7867

Oh yeah, I put those Harbor Freight cases on the racks it already had. What a great thing those are. And fixed / replaced a few more things. Today I put new brake pads on front and rear and replaced the seriously worn rear rotors. Oddly, the front were not worn at all. One of the POs must have been a back brake guy.
Click to expand...
What's the weight comparison between the BMW and Husky? HP difference? I've been putting some km on my F700GS, although a greater proportion on asphalt than I would prefer. Just got back from a 6100 km Newfoundland trip. Zero issues with the bike to date other than an intermittent rear tire TPMS sensor that I will change in the spring with the next tire swap. Currently 70,000 km on the bike (got it with 40-ish, two years ago). Running Dunlop Trailmax Mission tires which appear to be a good all around tire that has exceptional longevity. I expect to get 30,000 km on them, although the last bit won't be suitable for anything off-road. 22,000 km (14,000 mi) on them at this point.

1723406351766.jpeg
 
14,000 miles on a rear tire is pretty damn good. I wish I could get that on any of my rides. My friend, Captain Jack, seems to get far more miles out of his tires on his FJR than I’ve ever managed.

I just did a tire change yesterday on my ‘14 FJR. Tried a front Metzler with my last NOS PR2 rear. The PR2 probably had 2k left on it, but the Metzler was bare at about 6k miles. Done with that. Put some Shinko Ravens on and we’ll see how those do.

My 2017 Africa Twin is right around 500 lbs. and 100 hp. Dakar is about 420 lbs wet. and 50 hp. Husky 701 is only about 345 lbs wet and *75 hp*. Of course all three gain weight with racks and bags, and my old lard ass on board. The power to weight differences are easily felt when riding them. But power to weight isn’t “all that” in offroading. Weight is important when the going gets rough. Power is most appreciated in smooth fire roads or on pavement.

If all this stuff was easy to figure out, anyone would be able to.
 
The F700GS is also at 75 HP, but 460 lb wet (409 dry). Plus me and my stuff. Power is sufficient for a highway run but fuel economy starts to plummet above 60 mph or so. At 50mph or below, I'll see 60 mpg or a little better. This is with ginormous side cases and a large Madstad windshield. A bit buzzy at 65-70 mph. I wish first gear was a little less "tall". I could change sprockets but then the highway ride and fuel economy suffer. The side cases stay home unless I need them. How is the Husky at highway speed - does the big single cylinder become obvious?

Give the Trailmax Missions a try, but be prepared to curse their existence if you are installing by yourself with irons. As mentioned, I may get up to 30,000 km on this set (almost 19,000 miles).
 
The Husky has plenty of power for the highway, but I have some real knobbies on it, which keeps me from riding much more than 60-65mph. Right now it has MotoZ tractionators, but they seem to be wearing quickly. I’m going to try the Tusk Dsport knobbies next.

Also have a set of Tusk ADV knobs for the Africa Twin after the Shinko 705s wear out. Those have been very good for a 70/30 kind of tire on the 500 pounder.

I spend about 50% of my time off pavement here, and the rest of the time on back roads on the AT and Bonneville. The FJR is pretty much the only highway mission bike. Which is good, because we don’t have many highways here.
 
Just priced those Trailmax Mission tires. Yikes! They’re over $400 for a set! They’d better last a lot longer at that price.

The Tusk “2-track” (rear) and “waypoint” (front) adventure tires that I bought for the Africa Twin are less than $200 a set. And they look considerably more dirt worthy than 50/50. The Tusks are only available from RMATV, as far as I know. But I’m a frequent flyer there anyway. I got the Waypoint for the front because I run a tube up there. I converted the rear wheel to tubeless, since that is where most flats occur, so can run the TL 2-track in the back.
 
Fred W said:
Just priced those Trailmax Mission tires. Yikes! They’re over $400 for a set! They’d better last a lot longer at that price.

The Tusk “2-track” (rear) and “waypoint” (front) adventure tires that I bought for the Africa Twin are less than $200 a set. And they look considerably more dirt worthy than 50/50. The Tusks are only available from RMATV, as far as I know. But I’m a frequent flyer there anyway. I got the Waypoint for the front because I run a tube up there. I converted the rear wheel to tubeless, since that is where most flats occur, so can run the TL 2-track in the back.
Click to expand...
The TMM used to be priced quite reasonably but they went nuts over the last two years. Dunlop often has a $40 rebate available but only applicable to "in person" purchase from a Dunlop Pro Dealer - not mail order. The tires do last a very long time and worth it for a very long trip - thinking Alaska plus some of the Pacific Northwest next year.
 
Took my first real ride on the K12RS today. My God, what an amazing bike. So smooth. So powerful, even carrying about equal weight to the FJR it is blisteringly fast, and corners like it’s on rails. This could be very bad for my license.
 
i had a K1100rs, i know , older generation then the FJR, but i didn't liked the bike, sold it after a year.
i think i will stay with my 2014 FJR
 
Fred W said:
Took my first real ride on the K12RS today. My God, what an amazing bike. So smooth. So powerful, even carrying about equal weight to the FJR it is blisteringly fast, and corners like it’s on rails. This could be very bad for my license.
Click to expand...
Interested to hear what you think of turn initiation on the K12RS with the Telelever front. Does it need much effort to counter steer it and get it to turn?
 
It definitely requires extra steering input, but don’t find it offensive. I have half worn michelin tires on it (old PR2 rear and PR3 front) so some of that may change with new tires. It has a 170/50 rear, but there is an option to use a 180/55, same as the FJR. That may quicken the steering up a bit.

And the feel when braking is great with the telelever front. Very little nose dive. Had that on my old ‘95 R1100RS many years back, so knew what to expect.

On the bad side, after a 200 mile jaunt a couple of days ago, I felt some clutch slipping. Well known problems with the dry clutch getting oil contamination from leaking seals. Very expensive if you drop it off at the BMW shop for repair. Of course, being a frugal Yankee I’ll be tackling the job myself.
 
Fred W said:
It definitely requires extra steering input, but don’t find it offensive. I have half worn michelin tires on it (old PR2 rear and PR3 front) so some of that may change with new tires. It has a 170/50 rear, but there is an option to use a 180/55, same as the FJR. That may quicken the steering up a bit.

And the feel when braking is great with the telelever front. Very little nose dive. Had that on my old ‘95 R1100RS many years back, so knew what to expect.

On the bad side, after a 200 mile jaunt a couple of days ago, I felt some clutch slipping. Well known problems with the dry clutch getting oil contamination from leaking seals. Very expensive if you drop it off at the BMW shop for repair. Of course, being a frugal Yankee I’ll be tackling the job myself.
Click to expand...
Real shame about the clutch. I'm familiar with that issue. Lots of work. I think I have a PDF of the factory shop manual if you need it. Get an updated viton seal to replace the failed factory buna one.
 
Yep. I have the FSM and Clymer manuals. Pretty sure it’s just the o-ring went dry from sitting around a lot. And use the viton o-ring so it doesn’t happen again so soon. But I’ll also change the main seal and trans seals since I’m in there. Probably the clutch slave too. Hopefully the clutch pack isn’t destroyed and can be cleaned up and reused. It didn’t slip very much on me. I recognized the symptom immediately.

You have to expect stuff like this when you buy such an old machine for such short money. I’m ok with doing the work at home.
 
Fred W said:
Yep. I have the FSM and Clymer manuals. Pretty sure it’s just the o-ring went dry from sitting around a lot. And use the viton o-ring so it doesn’t happen again so soon. But I’ll also change the main seal and trans seals since I’m in there. Probably the clutch slave too. Hopefully the clutch pack isn’t destroyed and can be cleaned up and reused. It didn’t slip very much on me. I recognized the symptom immediately.

You have to expect stuff like this when you buy such an old machine for such short money. I’m ok with doing the work at home.
Click to expand...
On the plus side it'll keep you busy for the winter
 

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