Okay, here’s my story about that 1997 BMW F650.
It all started when I stumbled upon this 1997 BMW F650. It had about 21k miles on it, looked pretty decent. The guy was asking for $1,900, which I thought might be a bit much, but hey, it had new tires.
So, I reached out to the owner, and we started chatting. Turns out, he was willing to trade. I had an older bike that I was willing to part with, so we decided to meet up and check out each other’s rides.
When I got there, I took a good look at the F650. This thing is solid. It’s got this 652cc single-cylinder engine, made by Rotax, I think. Apparently, it pumps out about 50 horsepower and can hit 106 mph. Not too shabby. The owner told me it’s great for getting around town and on regular roads, but not so much for long highway trips. He said the seat gets uncomfortable after a couple of hours, and the brakes aren’t the best. That made sense to me.
I hopped on for a test ride, and man, this thing handles well. It felt smooth, especially for a single-cylinder. But yeah, my throttle hand did start to feel a bit numb after a while. Might need to get one of those throttle assist things I’ve heard about. The previous owner did mention it’s a good “work bike”.
We talked about the bike’s history a bit. I learned that BMW originally had Rotax, an Austrian company, make the engine, and Aprilia, an Italian company, assembled the bike. Interesting, right? Later on, they came out with the F650GS, which was a bit different.
- Engine: 652cc, single-cylinder, 4-valve
- Power: Around 50bhp
- Top Speed: 106 mph (or so they say)
- Gears: 5-speed
After the test ride, I was pretty sold. I mean it is a little bit old, but I could feel its solid quality. We ended up making the trade. I swapped my old bike for this ’97 F650, and I’ve been riding it ever since. It’s been a reliable ride so far. I’ve mostly been using it for commuting and short trips, and it’s been great for that. This old BMW F650 of mine is like an old friend now. It’s not perfect, but it’s got character, you know? And it always gets me where I need to go. It’s been fun, and I think I made a good choice.
Final Thoughts
So yeah, that’s my story about getting and riding this 1997 BMW F650. This bike gets a thumbs up from me. It’s a solid, dependable machine that’s fun to ride. If you ever come across one and you’re looking for a good, used bike, I’d say give it a shot. Just be prepared for a bit of hand numbness if you’re riding for a while, and maybe invest in a comfier seat if you’re planning on longer trips.
