Sort of newbie

[DM]

Just stumbled across your site – I have a few newbie (to the AT) questions, which, I imagine have been asked many times before, but I’ll give it a go anyway.
I’ve been riding for 18 years and most of my bikes have been sports jobbies – RG250s, CBR6s, ZX6, Blade etc. I recently saw the light and two years ago bought a 02 F650 Dakar. My first bike was an XL125R and it brought back all those good memories. Long travel suspension, good view, sedate ride etc. I was initially very happy with the bike despite having bought from (Park lane BMW – Basts!). One of the main reasons for buying it was BMW build quality, ABS and overall looks. F*** me, I now wish I’d gone for an AT instead. The build quality is pretty poor, the parts are cheap rubbish. Get this, I’ve had a set of steering head bearings replaced after 10k and the new lot are on the way out after 2k – they’re made in Bulgaria apparently and BM know they are crap, but just continue to replace then under warranty (my warranty now being up). The steering loom snapped and was replaced under warranty after 8k. One of the mirrors snapped in the holder after I tightened it up and I had to drill it out. The servicing is an arm and a leg and the parts are stupidly expensive.
All in all, I’m going off it very quickly and am seriously thinking about getting rid of it and going for an AT instead. I will also have a 100 mile commute starting in August every couple of days. I have noticed some stuff about fuel pumps and the seat, but apart from that are there any other probs that I should be aware of? I would be looking to get an 01 onwards. Any wise words?
By the way, did you not give the Dommie a sub category on purpose?

[gibbo]

check out www.thegumtree.com
In the cars/vans/bikes for sale section there is a guy in NE London with an '02 for sale at what seems a reasonable price

Good luck shopping

[LaughingBob]

You have my deepest sympathy. I bought my brand new 650GS from Park West in Chiswick. From day one I had problems with it. The machine had a flat spot between three and a half and four thousand RPM as big as an aircraft carrier. It felt as though the motor was suffering from fuel starvation as the revs slowly crept to four thousand then, once reached, as though the turbo had kicked in (relatively speaking that is!)

The other, more serious, fault was that the thing would just cut out and then could take as long as fifteen minutes to start. This usually occurred having changed down a couple of gears to negotiate a hazard such as roundabout, I'd open the throttle and it would just die. A couple of times this left me in very dangerous positions in the middle of junctions. I kept taking the bike back to Park West and they kept re-mapping the fuel injection system but, the problem wouldn't go away. On the last occasion I collected the bike they told me that the fault had finally been found and rectified. I rode it for almost ten miles and all seemed well until I slowed down in order to filter, at a safe speed, between lanes two and three on the M25 in almost stationary traffic. As I opened the throttle the engined died and I was left stranded just as the traffic began to move. As usual it wouldn't start and I ended up 'paddling' the bike across two lanes of now accelerating traffic. From the relative safety of the hard shoulder I telephoned Park West and told them to come a taking the "F-----g thing away" which, to their credit, they did.

I wrote a letters to the dealer and to BMW UK at Bracknell and about a week later was offered a new bike or my money back. I took the money and bought my first @

If you looking at a late @ with low mileage you shouldn't have any problems. Obviously the usual rules apply when your buying any second hand bike. If it's got a full service history and the bike looks in good condition and a 2/3 well looked after @ should look good, your onto a winner.

[DM]

Thanks for the info. I haven't had the cutting out probs, but there seem to be many inherent problems with these bikes - such a shame as the engine is pretty good. It's early days yet and I think I would prefer a black AT.

One last thing - I have a very restricted gap to get my bike stashed in my garden and so the Dakar just fit's it's 910mm across the bars/mirrors. i think the AT is narrower, the brochure quotes 905mm, but if anyone could measure it out for me, I would really appreciate that. Basically as long as it's not wider across the bars than the Dakar, I'll be fine.

Cheers again.

[DaveS]

The AT is rock solid if serviced regularly.
There are reported problems with the fuel pumps but thankfully I haven't seen that yet and the cheaper replacements are well publicised and there is plenty of help around if you encounter that problem.
The seat is the subject of much debate and you can get it sorted from prices ranging from £15 to several hundred for a full custom seat.

You'll love the AT compared the F650 which IMHO feels gutless compared to the super grunty V twin power of the AT.

[SteveLee]

I've just been out to the cark park and measured across my mirrors...

890mm

Steve

[DM]

Steve - you're a diamond. So, in theory, there's no reason for me not to get one right now (need to explain to the Mrs, the intricacies of this transaction).

[SteveLee]

Try talking to her about it constantly, every technical detail you can think of, she will soon be so pissed off that she'll say 'shut up and buy the bloody thing'.

Works for me every time!!

[LaughingBob]

Ramble on incessantly about how much cheaper it would be in the long run as it uses less fuel, will be cheaper to service, and buy spares for but, that the likelihood is that you won't need any spares. Then go on about how much you hate the Beemer and that it will soon need a small fortune spending on it. As Steve says, keep on at her about it hour after hour, day after day and you'll wear her down. Even if most of it's a lie she'll never know. That's how I justify it to mine anywa..........OUCH, OUCH!!!!!!