BMW G650 XCountry
Discussion
A bit of a spur of the moment purchase, but I have just taken delivery of a 2009 BMW G650 XCountry this afternoon, and it's probably the most excited I've been since March 2020! I was having coffee with a good friend yesterday and he mentioned he was looking to sell his G650 as he hasn't used it in the last year since he bought his electric MTB and wants the space back in his garage for his kayaks etc.
My last bike was a new Speed Triple in 2010, and after 500 miles I hit a dear and lost confidence and sold it once it was repaired, but recently I have been thinking about bikes, not least because my wife quite often uses the car for the station run. I mentioned to my friend that I would be interested in the BMW, and he offered it to me for an incredibly good price. He thought it had done 30k miles, but when we checked it has only covered 13k, which is a bonus! I don't know much about them, and whilst it wouldn't be my first choice of bike I think it will be a good intro back into biking and I look forward tinkering with it over the summer.
Here it is -
My last bike was a new Speed Triple in 2010, and after 500 miles I hit a dear and lost confidence and sold it once it was repaired, but recently I have been thinking about bikes, not least because my wife quite often uses the car for the station run. I mentioned to my friend that I would be interested in the BMW, and he offered it to me for an incredibly good price. He thought it had done 30k miles, but when we checked it has only covered 13k, which is a bonus! I don't know much about them, and whilst it wouldn't be my first choice of bike I think it will be a good intro back into biking and I look forward tinkering with it over the summer.
Here it is -
Great bike, I've got one too that I've taken all over the place.
Good following on ADVRider here: https://advrider.com/f/threads/so-weve-all-heard-s... and Matt's page here: http://mattsnook.com/bmw/bmwXCountry/index.htm
Good following on ADVRider here: https://advrider.com/f/threads/so-weve-all-heard-s... and Matt's page here: http://mattsnook.com/bmw/bmwXCountry/index.htm
lukeyman said:
Never heard of them!
Looks quirky though. What's it like to ride?
I don't think they sold terribly well but they do have a following. I didn't ride it until 10 minutes ago (after I sorted out my insurance) and it goes pretty well although having not been on a bike for 11 years I took it very easy!Looks quirky though. What's it like to ride?
ModMan said:
Great bike, I've got one too that I've taken all over the place.
Good following on ADVRider here: https://advrider.com/f/threads/so-weve-all-heard-s... and Matt's page here: http://mattsnook.com/bmw/bmwXCountry/index.htm
Thanks for the info, I now need to do some serious reading!Good following on ADVRider here: https://advrider.com/f/threads/so-weve-all-heard-s... and Matt's page here: http://mattsnook.com/bmw/bmwXCountry/index.htm
I've had the bike just over a week now and it's been fantastic, especially with the great weather we've had. It didn't take me long to get used to it, and I'm taking it out at every opportunity at the moment. The only issue was a leaking/stuck valve on the back inner tube; getting the wheel off was a bit of a mission on my own (and refitting) so I had to improvise...the nearest bike garage is a BMW Motorrad (£35 to replace the tube didn't seem that bad for a main dealer)
My next task is to change the oil; any recommendations for a decent oil? I see oil filters on eBay but do these generally come with the crush washer for the sump plug and the o ring, or do I need to go to BMW?
My next task is to change the oil; any recommendations for a decent oil? I see oil filters on eBay but do these generally come with the crush washer for the sump plug and the o ring, or do I need to go to BMW?
I’m just back from a two hour ride on my XCountry in great weather and thought I would update the thread. I’ve now owned the bike for two years and it’s been absolutely fantastic! I’ve taken it from 13k miles to just short of 31k miles and it’s never missed a beat, and it’s so much fun to ride. I think I mentioned that it wouldn’t have been my first choice but it’s just so easy to live with.
I generally use it when I need to commute into the centre of Edinburgh, which is a mixture of country/coast roads and dual. I also visit my mum quite often, and I always take the bike; she suffers from dementia and is in a care home, so I find the visits difficult (my mum is great and the care superb, but it still makes me sad), and being able to clear my head on the ride back is really worthwhile. I occasionally take a slight detour through some country roads, past a village where we used to live growing up and it has so many happy memories…that’s why I love biking so much.
I’ve really enjoyed maintaining it over the last couple of years, and have changed the oil/filters etc. every 5k miles, new tyres for more road oriented Contis, new chain and sprockets, discs and pads, and it’s running better than ever.
My ideal bike would be a 2016-18 Speed Triple 1050 or a Ducati Monster 1200, but I would really miss the little XCountry when the time comes to sell, although I think that be a while yet!
I generally use it when I need to commute into the centre of Edinburgh, which is a mixture of country/coast roads and dual. I also visit my mum quite often, and I always take the bike; she suffers from dementia and is in a care home, so I find the visits difficult (my mum is great and the care superb, but it still makes me sad), and being able to clear my head on the ride back is really worthwhile. I occasionally take a slight detour through some country roads, past a village where we used to live growing up and it has so many happy memories…that’s why I love biking so much.
I’ve really enjoyed maintaining it over the last couple of years, and have changed the oil/filters etc. every 5k miles, new tyres for more road oriented Contis, new chain and sprockets, discs and pads, and it’s running better than ever.
My ideal bike would be a 2016-18 Speed Triple 1050 or a Ducati Monster 1200, but I would really miss the little XCountry when the time comes to sell, although I think that be a while yet!
Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff