After about 50 Megametres my out of the box Funduro became somewhat tame to me. The bike as it is still suits me well, maybe it is more the image the F650 gets that I don't like. BMW presents the F650 more and more as a motorcycle 'suitable for small people and women'. If they mean Gaston Rahier and Andrea Mayer everything is allright, but I suspect the worst...
Since I did the Off Road course (see the news page) and the Dirt Scrambles with nl.motorfiets I really like the taste of mud and knobbles. In near future I plan to ride some offroad tours and the Transdanubia. That's the way to go. There is no real need to change to KTM immediately and the option to travel with the Funduro is still an attractive one. Besides someone told me recently that these Rotax engines will work for ever.
The F650 'Six Days' I built looks like this:
About those Six Days... Maybe it is a too high standard for my F, but at least it sounds well. Besides the Six Days is of course the Enduro event.
Phase 1 of the rebuilding contains:
The high fenders prevent the knobbles and dirt in between get stuck somewhere. That way someone already destroyed the gray protection thing on the rear fork. The front mudguard is lowered with a 3mm thick aluminium plate and fits about 6cm below the forkbridge so steering is still possible. The chain guard I made myself and is very sturdy. Because I didn't want to spend lots of money on a piece of plastic that hardly fits and is half not usable (the KTM chain guard) I made it myself.
Phase 2 is aimed at riding offroad routes:
The roadbook holder of Acerbis is simply genius. The plastic
holder has to be mounted on the handlebar. With an extension the
roadbook can be turned forward. The alternative (Touratec made of
aluminium) is far too expensive for hobby offroad riding.
The bicycle computer (cyclometre) can measure distances within 10
metres accuracy in trip-mode. For riding trips with a roadbook this
is very practical. The other functions are irrelevant. The cable to
the sensor is lengthened and made waterproof with self shrinking
tube. It goes up alongside the braking hose. The magnet is glued to
the hub with two components glue.
Surfing the Net I discovered the site of Frank who changed his Aprilia Pegaso more or less in a way I did with my Six Days. Maybe it's worth while visiting.
The German Louis catalogue for motorcycle equipement depicts a beautiful version of the 2nd type F650. Louis also states that the reliable F650 becomes too virtuous. A list with used parts from the catalogue is given to turn the Funduro into a great rallye and travelling bike.
Some parts they used are:
Acerbis 27 litre fuel tank, high front mudguard, enduro mirror,
aluminium handlebars and hand/handle guards, Stahlflex brakehoses,
Five Stars engine protection and enduro footrests. The final result
resembles my own F650 SixDays.
There will be a limited number of a 'Dakar' version of the new F650 GS. In addition to the series F-GS some very useful extras are added like the high windscreen and handguards. They're not only practical but also underline the rallye looks of the bike. The seat height has come to a more enduro worthy height of 87cm. The 21 inch front wheel surely guides the bike better in the sand - the 21cm suspension travel does the rest. The price maybe is a disadvantage: 8300 euro is a lot of money. A KTM LC4 enduro with WP suspension and 50 kilos less on the scale is just as expensive.
The Continental TKC80 knobblies fit very well under this bike and will give a lot more traction as the Metzeler Enduro 3 the bike comes with. A pair of gators is the next thing to ask for and probably soon companies like Touratech and All Jesse will supply sturdy aluminium skid plates. The funny brace at the rear should stay in your garage just like I did with my SixDays...