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Driving report rally BMW: F 650 rally ?? R 900 GS / RR
…and now you
Three starts, two wins. The single–cylinder F 650 did its duty for BMW in the Dakar rally. In the future, the boxer will have to do it alone. MOTORRAD drove both machines.
Right, left, right, left. The rutted sandy path has been winding its way for kilometers. Fourth gear, about 100 km / h, open the accelerator, close the accelerator, keep pulling. There can be no question of sitting down. Every bump demands a throttle, needs a pull on the handlebars to lift the front wheel over the hollow, every curve demands a neat threading into the narrow ruts. Not that easy with the rally boxer. The 193 kilograms of the 900s are no case for an anti-authoritarian relationship in the narrow flow.
In addition, Andreas is annoying on the parallel lane. The more winding the route, the better the Enduro DM rider on the F 650 lets the reins go, stretches the pointed, blue nose a few meters past the fat sister and thunders the almost undamped sound from her 675 cm³ large Rotax Single around the ears. As if the driver and vehicle wanted to ask: Hey guys, that wasn’t meant seriously, was it??
But it was meant seriously, the decision of the BMW marketing experts. Despite two consecutive Dakar victories for works driver Richard Sainct, the Mono will stay in the garage in the future. Nothing is so hard as man’s ingratitude. Or order fulfilled. Depending on your point of view. In any case, next winter only boxers will roll from Munich via Paris to Dakar or Cairo. Especially since the launch of the new flagship in the desert went perfectly five months ago. With third place in the overall standings under the American Jimmy Lewis, there could hardly have been a better comeback after the four BMW boxer victories in the eighties.
In this respect, a good portion of sadness comes along with our ride over the BMW test track far out in the Hungarian Puszta. One last wave, a final hello, before the single-cylinder side stand is unfolded forever. Bobobobooo ?? Andreas finally thunders past with the F 650. Haaalt, that’s not how it works! We change the machines. In fact, the faster the change of direction follows, the more confidently the single shows his qualities. Just under 170 kilograms are easier to tip back and forth than the 190 kilograms of the two-cylinder.
Even if the sturdy bridge frame that the F 650 builder and BMW rally team coordinator Richard Schalber built around the single cylinder, should in principle be at a disadvantage when it comes to handiness. The front tank halves, each with a capacity of 13.5 liters, have to be far from the center of the vehicle. and therefore extremely unfavorable for handling ?? be screwed to the outer frame tubes. Fortunately for me, hardly five liters of petrol slosh in each tank for our jaunt. The two rear tanks, each with a capacity of ten liters, are dust-dry anyway. The sitting or rather standing position proves that Schalber recognized the situation. Footrests positioned far below noticeably lower the overall center of gravity of the machine and driver. High mounting brackets allow the handlebars to sit high above the triple trees. You sit ?? so one even settles down on the bumpy slope? more like on a travel enduro than on sports equipment. The engine is more about sport than tourism. With a lot of thrust and infernal roar, the 75 hp push forward. And in an extremely cultivated manner. Not even the jolting at low speeds known from sporty single cylinders is annoying.
Stop again, we’ll switch back. Indeed, the two-cylinder manufactured by the Bavarian luxury forge HPN feels completely different. Well understandable, after all, the bosses of HPN – Alfred Halbfeld and Klaus Pepperl ?? hardly a screw left in its place. Space frame, in-house made aluminum swingarm, umpteen engine modifications and plastic parts all come from the small manufactory in Seibersdorf, Bavaria. As I said: high footrests, low handlebars and a gigantic seat height give the GS its very own feeling. More of a motocross machine than a rally bike. Even on the ascent you feel like Gaston Rahier, the barely 1.60 meter tall Dakar winner in 1984 and 1985. One leg on the ground, the hollow of the knee of the other leg above the bench. Nevertheless, pressed the electric starter, off we go. The engine, which was originally just under 1100 cm³ to 896 cm³, is velvety-soft for regulatory reasons. The five-speed transmission shifts just as smoothly. Zack, zack, zag the corridors slide through. A single finger is enough for the hydraulically operated clutch.
Sure, the airy, high seating position and the huge ground clearance that protects the engine housing take their toll. Due to the high center of gravity, she doesn’t like the tight circle that much, but at least the BMW team around team boss Berti Hauser has worked off a few bacon pillows since our last meeting (MOTORRAD 15/1999). A carbon fiber airbox, a rear axle housing made of magnesium alloy instead of aluminum, milled brake calipers from Brembo and titanium footrests save a few kilograms. A titanium exhaust system should supplement the diet until next winter. The constant pressure carburettors have remained because they are easier to maintain in the desert than the injection system, and the suspension elements from White Power, which have been revised by BMW suspension specialist Laszlo Peres, have remained. At the front, by the way, because of the suspension travel of 280 millimeters, a normal upside-down fork instead of the typical BMW Telelever suspension designed for less lift. But as I said, the boxer machine lags behind the F 650 in the tight meander. Only the motor that can be adjusted wonderfully saves the situation as far as possible.
Finally, the jerking is over. The route clears and the test lap leads back over a wide high-speed slope. Pure rally feeling. 140, 150 km / h, wide curves, stuck sand. And once again it becomes clear why the 900 series was an immediate success: this engine.
As if a protractor were coupled to the throttle cable, the ship drifts through the curves with pinpoint accuracy. No thought of a highsider, not a millisecond of doubt whether the line at the corner exit will fit. Just perfect. And that steam. From idle speed there is only one thing: forwards, forwards, forwards. The 95 hp push forward so vehemently that the good Jimmy had to turn off the gas valve several times last winter between Dakar and Cairo in order not to melt the foam rubber, which is used in rallying instead of air hoses in tires.
Peh for Andreas. After just a few meters, the arm with the 650 sinks completely into the cloud of dust thrown up by the boxer. Even the suspension, which is noticeably more sensitive than its big sister, doesn’t help. Andy is losing meter by meter. Significantly more than he could make up for in the wind. And it takes a while before it finally arrives at the service truck. Does not matter. Winners just know when it really matters.
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