Just had a test ride on a nice upright Pegaso, still grinning an hour later... great fun :-))) D
nice enough bikes, but nbot that common. The BMW F650 will be similar, with much better dealer support.
Same engine right? Rotax? Sounds like a F650 will have to be my next test ride then. I wonder if the F650 will be a lot dearer to maintain than my Bandit 600. D
well, I'm pretty sure the BMW is a Rotax, not sure about the Aprilia. *shouldn't* be - servicing should be less - easier to work on a single than on an inline 4. And if you go for the CS version (though personally I'd want the GS/Dakar), then you haven't got a chain to oil either.
Have a look at this and judge for yourself. http://cannon-bmw.co.uk/cannon/service_costs standard.htm#Standard Rates I would of thought the services might be slightly more expensive but the intervals would be longer.
Big Tony wrote in According to that list the F650GS needs an extra hours service at 6k & 12k, compared to the CS. What is there extra to do apart from the chain? I like the 6k service intervals on my bike. Never need more than 2 services in a year, sometimes just 1. I've just booked it in for a 24k service in a few weeks. They are going to lend me the R1200GS for the day which should be nice (and possibly expensive).
I'm suprised they can afford to have a 1200GS as a loaner. I was told that my local dealer was "allocated" just four for this year which were all sold.
Chatting to a friend that was given R1200GS for a few hours while his Goldwing was being serviced.... he placed an order for one as soon as he got back to the UK. Gets it in September I think. D
Big Tony wrote in It's their official demo bike which was allocated by BMW during the launch; most were part of the press fleet that went to S Africa. As I've booked the service for a Monday a few weeks away the bike is available all day, so they are happy for me to have it. It's not getting that much use now. The intial, manic interest has subsided and anyone ordering a bike now is unlikely to have one delivered before the winter. I expect it will be up for sale soon and they will never have another demo bike as all of the bikes rolling off the production line will be to firm, deposit paid orders which is an excellent way to do business. Run of the mill loaners are 650s or C1s at Rydale in Cardiff. At Bath Rd in Bristol they gave me a horrid R1200C.
Now go and try a KTM. -- Tim two#21, YGL#3 & BOTAFOT#84 Due to the limitations of current email, the lip movements may be out of synchronisation as you move your finger under the text while reading. tim dot ukrm2 at dsl dot pipex dot com
The KTM looks quite high, tried a Transalp but that was way too tall, TDM was shorter, but my current fave's are: BMW F650 Aprilia Pegaso Suzuki XF Freewind Any comments? D
Why on earth does it cost £293/10,000 miles to service an R1150? OK, I know my old R80RT cost a whopping £361/10,000 but then there's a reasonable amount of fiddling about to do. Not much maintenance saving for nearly 20 years more development. After it's first service I've done all the rest on the RT. If I'd not it would have cost me over £1600. And they wonder why we do it ourselves. Other than to make sure it's done properly of course. I get my car dealer serviced because they don't take the piss (to the same extent).
David Thomas wrote in Either of the above are okay. I'd favour the F650 as I'd be more confident about spares availability. This is shit. Why do you think they have brought out the 650 Vstrom?
Yeah I am gonna give the F650 a go, you don't see many Freewinds about, why are they crap then? they look nice. D
David Thomas wrote in It's a cosmetically reworked DR650 which was always least favourite [1] when the Honda Dominator was top dog as an on-road bike and the Yamaha XT600 was the favourite dual purpose bike [2]. Both Suzuki and Honda tried to rework their bikes when the Pegaso/Funduro came on the scene. Both Freewind & SLR650 were backward steps IMO. [1] although the Kawasaki KLR would be the worst bike according to some [2] very popular with those attempting to ride round the world
darsy says... Both use the same basic engine design by Rotax, but Aprilia use a 5 valve head and BMW went with a simple 4 valver. The BMW is made in Italy IIRC, so expect reliability issues on a par with Aprilias offerings. However, as Darsy said, you'll get better dealer support with a BMW. All BMW dealers are used to their bikes coming back with lots of faults, so they have a well practised procedure for dealing with them.
Lozzo wrote in Early F650s were indeed assembled by Aprilia. More recent ones (all GS & CS variants) are assembled in Germany. As Lozzo says, BMW assembly is no guarantee of reliability. Their materials suffer from inconsistent quality too. Also, with the R1200GS, it seems that they have rushed it into production before ironing out the design glitches. [1] Again, reflecting what Lozzo says, the dealer service I've had has been excellent. Dealers always have courtesy bikes. Mechanics are intelligent people who are encouraged to interact with customers. Costs are on a par with the Honda dealers I used previously. However, unlike any experience with other manufacturers, when my bike was 2 years out of warranty BMW paid 50% of the replacement cost of a rear caliper. [1] check www.ukgser.com/forums for details of BMW reliability issues
The above would definatly be my first choice if I was a little more wealthy (no older ones yet), just fell in love with it straight away at the Ally Pally, don't know why... not the most stylish of bikes, just felt nice to sit on! Ah I see, not exactly revolutionary new designs then, more reworked older technology. D
