BMW G650X Challenge Thread Index

Ditto.
At one point we had three Xchallenges in the small town of kingston Ontario!
I've had my X since May. I'm not a fan of the air shock, or the seat, or the air filter location, or the soft as butter rims, or the oil level check bullshit....but I love the bike
As gsstampeder said, try it stock first and change things as required.
Lots of parts available on line or from Germany.

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what's wrong with the air filter location? or what bugs you about it?

Sweet. Where'd you get the conversion rims.

Good people anyone know how one could get sticker kit similar to one on this bike on youtube, I know because of tank permutes petrol is not possible to have stickers last long enough but i do believe drilling holes on stickers makes them last longer. Really looking for cool sticker kit for tank, think fairing easy to do

http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/3oThtBeXrBs/maxresdefault.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oThtBeXrBs

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Having to remove 13 screws/bolts, with two different head types, is classic BMW bullshit. ghead:
Some one at BMW needs a course on the KISS principle..
Same thing with the oil level check. why can't they use a sight window like all my other ( concours, vulcan, ninja, tw 200, XT 225, KLR, & KTM 640 ) bikes? Instead you have to start the bike, wait for it to warm up, hold it upright with one hand (cause they dont give you a center stand) remove the seat, unscrew the dipstick, clean it off then rescrew it back in and take it out again. Is it a deal killer? No, but it is a PITA!

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Check the first post in this thread for the air box mod.

Also I'm seriously considering pulling the center stand from my X. It not only adds pounds, but it inconveniently adds two one inch protrusions that catch on anything that would otherwise be deflected by the skid plate. Plus it doesn't work worth a darn.

Thanks for the info. :)
I had already seen the airbox mod and have removed the inner "lid" already.
I understand not wanting a center stand on an offroad bike. my point is more that BMW over complicates things needlessly. sight window is a better oil check IMO.
As I said, despite its flaws I love the bike....it does have several flaws though

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Hey YME, I use micro perforated 3M vinyl. It won't last forever, but most of the times it gets scratched and replaced before it peels off.

Yea, measuring the oil is a PITA. I'm doing the airbox mod in the next couple of weeks in preparation for a trip to LAB2V. Normally I'm riding Eagle Ford gravel and rural Texas turf so changing the filter is something that happens when I get around to it. As I learned last year 400 KTMs can spin up quite a cloud of SoCal sand and that a change at the end of the first day is cheap insurance. I shouldn't be so hard on the center stand. While it does not balance the bike well and collapses without a safety line, it does make some work a lot easier. I may pull it for California and then put it back on when I return to riding milder terrain. I had to slab some of the second day last year because a fastener on the center stand failed.

Darned if I can't find it now, but I seem to remember someone attached a clear hose to their oil sump in such a way as to provide a visual cue as to the oil level without having to take the seat off. I will post it if I can find it, but am not having any luck. Anybody else remember this?

I don't recall it, but come to think of it, the drain fitting could easily be appropriated for the job. I prefer to drain the tank with a hand pump anyway. Every time I use the fitting I spill oil everywhere.

Not sure why it's such a pita to remove seat to check the oil? Yeah it would be nice to check thru a I sight glass, but I've never had to 'add' any between oil changes....so I don't usually check unless I'm heading out fir a long ride and then I'm usually giving it a once over anyways and the seat is off at some point during checkup.
C'mon Bob....lighten the fuck up

5'7" here too and I had the same experience. Changed out my airbag for a Yacugar this spring (and shot for 1/2-1" lower as well) and it's made a big difference. Only ended up with around 1/2" lower (set at proper sag air.v. Yacugar), but the feeling of getting bucked off is pretty much gone. makes it easier to get on/off too. It's still a little tall for me, but way better. I was hoping to gain another 1/2" when I had my seat done at Renazco - but it doesn't seem like they attempted to do what I asked, as the it didn't change much. (Top quality - just wish is was sculpted bit lower.)

Thanks for the feed back mtncrawler. I'm going to do it. Glad to hear the getting on/ off is easier too! When your tired and beat up its harder to throw a leg over.


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Putting 2 feet down flat is completely over rated. Learn how to do the side launch (from both sides) and you can ride any bike out there. This will also help when you can't put the sidestand down due to the terrain (drop off/rut/rocks/sidehill).

If you are paddling through stuff, you need to keep your feet on the pegs, stand up, and give it some gas.

Good points TB...I even learned that type of start on my GSA, I need to remember that one...

I was under no illusions - nor was it my goal to get 2 feet flat. I'm in the wrong bike to do that. For me, the unsprung seat height and feeling of getting ejected when unweighting was too much. Like I said in my earlier post, I now have at least two less inches to "clear", no launching, and still have good travel with a correct SAG. I can tip toe both (barely) and get one planted OK, so its much better, and less embarrassing at stop lights...

On a side note, since my plans changed this summer and I didn't get much "X" riding in after I mounted the rear shock, I just came back from a first good, forest road/tech two track ride and I'm really happy with the rear...now to go to work on those fronts..:huh

More pics of my last trip to Northern Argentina + Bolivia + Peru + Chile..

You just better at it then me Jeff. Must be all those oil changes between water crossings....

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