Cheap Motorcycle Hunter: The BMW F650CS

The rise of the internet has actually made it harder to find good motorcycles at the cheaper end of the market. Combined with European exports, the choices for £1500-£2000 have become increasingly lean, especially if you want something which isn’t 20 years old and in need of renovation.

So we’re going to ruin it further by highlighting the few good motorcycle models to watch for if you’re on a hypothetical £1500 budget and looking for something decent.

 

The BMW F650CS Scarver

You can almost imagine the discussions inside BMW that led to the F650CS. After all, the car business was familiar with using a common platform for different models, and partnering with Aprilia might lend it some Italian cool. So why not use the single-cylinder approach which powered the successful F650 and F650GS to offer a funky, more road-focused bike?

As a result, there was a lot of effort put into the styling, which appeared to have been inspired by the Apple iMac, and the unusual colours for a bike (Azure Blue Metallic, Golden Orange Metallic and Beluga Blue). The Suzuki Burgman had recently launched, and the rise of the maxi scooter seemed to inspire an urban idea of modular soft luggage and the unusual top tank storage area. And you could even fit an audio system and CD player in the space, which integrated with the speedo to increase the volume when you went faster, and up the bass at low speed. The scooter market also inspired low price payment schemes and insurance for the new price of £5,400.

And BMW also chose belt-drive, rather than a shaft or chain, which made maintenance much easier.

There were just a few problems that stopped the CS becoming the iMac. Instead, it was the rugged off-road GS series that helped propel BMW to greater and greater success over the last 20 years.

One problem was the look of the bike. Despite the ability to choose the colour of the fairing side panels, seat units and a total of 24 variations, the CS looked a bit odd. And the choice of ‘china teapot blue’ and ‘rusty turd’ didn’t help.

As an entry-level bike it was up against the far cheaper Honda CB500S, the Yamaha FZS600 Fazer and only just cheaper than a Ducati Monster 750.

But the biggest problem was the lack of power. A 50bhp single is not going to set the world alight, and belt drive saps more power than a traditional chain. You were looking at a bike which handled far better than it needed to cope with the lack of power and a 112mph top speed. The final nail in the CS coffin was the price of purchase, and the BMW dealer servicing prices. Launched in 2001, it was gone in 2005

 

So why buy a BMW F650CS now?

After 10 years, the BMW F650CS still looks a bit odd. It’s a bit like an F650GS wearing disco pants and deelyboppers. But there are sensible reasons for buying one.

• The looks and lack of interest at the time means there are a fair number of examples around at a lower price than the same vintage of F650GS. The only way to go cheaper is to look at ST and Funduro models from the last century. That saves you 4 or 5 years of wear and tear.
• It’s a great bike for new riders. Low seat height, reasonably responsive handling, and relatively low power. It’s perfectly possible to get your knee down on an F650CS if you wish.
• The storage and ability to even lock your helmet to the tank space is really bloody useful. Ever ridden around with a chain and lock in your rucksack? Exactly.
• There’s a very, very vague chance it might seem retro-cool at some point. A long shot, but at this point you probably won’t lose anything on a secondhand example, and if you get bored, just lob it in the corner of the garage for 10 years and you might make a profit one day.

Reasons not to:

• It still looks fugly
• The partnership with Aprilia included hints of Italian build quality.
• Servicing costs – find a good local indie garage.

 

Would we buy one?

Time to get honest with our virtual £1500. If the right example came up for £1500 or under (And there are a couple on eBay right now which could fit), we’d be tempted to pick it up for a daily workhorse. After all, no-one with good eyesight will want to pinch it, and it’s quick enough to have a bit of fun on the commute to and from work. The Funduro, Strada etc all look pretty much as gopping with their own attempts at fairings, and the cheapest GS is a grand more.

Just don’t try and take it green-laning, and be prepared for the occasional unkind comment about the looks