Positioning the BMW G 650 Xchallenge

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Positioning the BMW G 650 Xchallenge
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Positioning the BMW G 650 Xchallenge

With a bow and a bow

With the Xchallenge, BMW wants to bridge the gap between everyday enduro and high-capacity, sporty off-roader. Is the single cylinder really an enduro in the original sense?

She has to do the dirty work. While the Xmoto concentrates on the asphalt as a supermoto drifter, the Scrambler Xcountry is more lifestyle oriented, the Xchallenge is rough. Should be the only one of the three new single-cylinder models of the G 650 series presented by BMW this year to cut a good figure off the road-
give. But not only there. Which makes the Xchallenge job extremely complicated. It is no coincidence that all-rounders that actually define the term en-duro have disappeared on both gravel and asphalt.
The reliable single-cylinder known from the F 650 GS sits in a completely new chassis in the G models. A construction of steel profiles at the front and a cast aluminum part screwed to it at the back form its basis. As with the GS
a tank placed in the rear frame helps to centralize the masses; The air filter and airbox are located in the dummy tank between the steering head and the seat. When fully fueled, the BMW weighs 159 kilograms. The suspension strut from Continental, which is exclusively air-cushioned, has been adopted from the HP2 boxer. The result: the back-to-the-roots enduro from BMW.
But the Xchallenge has to put up with questions. Firstly: is there still a market for the universally applicable enduro concept today? Customers answer this. And secondly: How wide is the balancing act that the G 650 has between a street-oriented everyday enduro like that Yamaha XT 660 R and currently the only representative of a large-capacity off-road single, the Husqvarna TE 610, can stretch? MOTORRAD answers this question.

Duel onroad – in competition with the specialists …

It is like in some noble families. She has a famous name ?? And is one of the last of its kind: the Yamaha XT 660 R. Single-cylinder, at least partially off-road all-round enduros are few and far between these days. Apart from Yamaha, no Japanese manufacturer still considers the species, which was excellently sold in the 80s, to be marketable. On top of that, the few survivors of this league, the Aprilia Pegaso 650 Trail and the BMW F 650 GS Dakar, are probably just as rarely moved off-road as the 189 kilogram XT 660.
The Yamaha engineers defined the character of the XT 660 R accordingly. Good-natured, just 48 hp engine, chest of drawers suspension tuning, almost full equipment in terms of fittings and instrumentation ?? the XT, which is more than 2000 euros cheaper than the BMW Xchallenge, is clearly looking for its clientele among the touring group. Which the Xchallenge initially pissed off. It rises like a skyscraper in front of the first climber. A record-breaking 96 centimeter seat height force even pilots over 1.80 meters into a sporty hip swing.
And while sitting in the saddle, you can only feel the ground with your toes. The reason: at the target air pressure of eight bar, the air suspension strut from Continental rebounds completely. The negative spring deflection remains even with the driver sitting on it
unusually small at four centimeters. Reducing the pressure doesn’t help. At just seven bar, the rear literally collapses when you accelerate. So pump up again.
Once on the move, both the shock absorber and the Marzocchi upside-down fork swallow small bumps well. On the other hand, load changes create excitement. When braking, the fork nods deeply, even with the pressure damping turned to the maximum, while at the same time the relieved rear end rebounds to the end stop and involuntarily pushes the driver forward on the seat. It’s frustrating.
Braking: If the Xchallenge is ordered with road-ready soft enduro tires for the spoke wheels with a 21-inch front wheel and an 18-inch rear wheel in off-road dimensions, a surcharge of 710 euros is even possible when using gravel ABS available. Which makes perfect sense. Because apart from the peculiar suspension tuning, the BMW does quite well on asphalt.
In terms of acceleration and pulling power, it easily outperforms the XT, but is rougher in terms of running smoothness compared to the Yamaha unit. When it comes to handling, there is a weight advantage of 30 kilograms and an almost limitless slope-
Freedom of position for itself, but the extremely high sitting position not only makes people with short legs feel dizzy. The hard and narrow seat and the 9.5 liter tank volume (XT: 15 liter) forbid longer tours anyway ?? and ultimately give the XT onroad the top position in the sum of the criteria.

Offroad duel – … all-rounders will always lose out

After the KTM LC4 Enduro was phased out this year, the Husqvarna TE 610 has moved into the vacant niche of large-capacity off-road-oriented hard enduros. After all, the Italian is also a veteran of the four-stroke off-roader, has over 20 years of service under her belt in modeled variations. And although moderate processing and recurring economic problems of the parent company MV Agusta slowed down the sales success of the Husky, the TE is considered superior, at least off the road to the competitor from Austria.
Of course, because of the Euro 3 standard, the Husky had to reach a peak power of 53 hp ?? the previous model made nine hp more ?? slow down and is thus on the level of the Xchallenge. Remain on paper a good 1000 euros cheaper purchase price and with a full tank of 149 kilograms a weight advantage of ten kilograms compared to the Bavarian. That Husqvarna also knows how to use. The TE can be driven much more precisely and agile than the Xchallenge in tight terrain. Especially in bends with no residents, the high enthroned BMW driver feels a certain wobbly. Subjectively, the weight difference to the Husky seems to be even greater.
After the peculiar behavior of the Conti shock absorber on the road (see previous double page), it rehabilitates itself in stressful off-road use. Comfortably responding to small waves, the monoshock also works sensitively on rough, furrowed terrain and ultimately only hits through on hard landings. The explanation: The shock absorber only builds up enough pressure damping during the rapid compression movements provoked in the terrain and thus supports the air cushion that serves as a spring. On top of that, the feared kinking of the tail in braking waves due to the small negative spring travel does not occur. The fork is also forgiving. She still works on the soft side, but speaks very sensitively. Overall, the BMW stalks close to the Husky with the Conti / Marzocchi combo, but cannot beat their extremely harmonious coordination.
But the BMW shines with its engine. The single has already proven its durability a thousand times in the F models. And the Husqvarna cannot parry the full pressure from the low revs and the associated good controllability with a more even power output and greater revving. Which she certainly does not succeed in terms of attention to detail. The Italian cannot come close to the quality workmanship of the Xchallenge. The bottom line is that the Husky throws off the Xchallenge’s attack on the off-road bastion mainly due to its weight advantage, the seating position integrated into the motorcycle and the comparatively superior handiness.

Conclusion – and off through the middle?

One thing is certain: the days when XTs liked to be driven through the terrain or Husqvarna’s were beaten on country roads are definitely over. The sales figures are falling sharply. Because the customer has made a decision and is demanding more specialized concepts. Off-road freaks will find tailor-made off-road bikes with sports enduro bikes, while asphalt fans will be served first-class with specifically tailored Supermoto singles.
This is exactly where the current situation differs from the beginnings of the Enduro species. These both-and-machines now have to measure up to specialists. And so nowadays models like the Yamaha XT 660 R and the Husqvarna TE 610 are clearly committed to one direction. The BMW Xchallenge has a difficult time in their respective specialty. On the other hand, the Xchallenge drives worlds better than an XT and
is superior to TE on the road. But almost regardless of the fact that she is giving the actual enduro segment positive new impulses with further developed and proven technology, good workmanship and acceptable running culture, the Bavarian remains ?? as well as the 690 Enduro from KTM announced for the coming year (see interview on the left) ?? only one hope: That the wide range of uses, which the Xchallenge clearly throws into the scales as a bonus and characterizes it as an original enduro, will be appreciated again by zeitgeist and customers.

Interview with KTM veteran Toni Stocklmeier

The BMW Xchallenge competes as a real enduro. KTM gave this concept its own name: hard enduro. KTM employee Toni Stocklmeier explains why.

Is it true that you created the term “hard enduro”??
The term was coined by Zeno Busch, the then KTM advertising manager, and myself for the LC4 Enduro in the mid-1990s. 

The LC4 had weaknesses such as starting problems and severe vibrations. Why was this concept so successful??
We saw the need for our LC4, which was initially only delivered with a kick starter and motor-
On the other hand, it made very tough demands on the driver, from the models
to sell the competitor. In addition, the LC4 competing models in the
Off-road use was superior. These
clear and extreme positioning was accepted by the target group. It was an honor to drive an LC4 and
to dominate.

Why was the Enduro version
the LC4 was then withdrawn from the program this year?
The LC4 was produced for a total of 20 years. The normal model cycle had already been exceeded.

The sales of the LC4 models have declined in recent years. Specialized machines like four-stroke sports–
Enduro or supermoto singles made her
life difficult. Is there still a market for the original enduro concept??
We are convinced of that. If only because the successor has a homologation with high engine power (editor’s note: You are forecasting, for example
65 hp). It remains the enduro with its versatility in its most original sense.

This means that KTM is continuing the hard enduro tradition?
Yes, the 690 LC4 Enduro, model 2008, will be presented in autumn. And
who, if not us as the inventors of this concept, should be convinced of its success.

Data BMW G 650 Xchallenge – The challenger

Displacement: 652 cm3
Output *: 53 hp at 7500 rpm
Torque *: 60 Nm at 5300 rpm
Weight (full tank) *: 159 kg
Suspension travel f / h: 270/270 mm
Seat height *: 960 mm
Price: 8464 euros including additional costs

Data Yamaha XT 660 R – The everyday enduro

Displacement: 660 cm3
Output *: 48 hp at 5800 rpm
Torque *: 62 Nm at 5100 rpm
Weight (full tank) *: 189 kg
Suspension travel f / h: 225/220 mm
Seat height *: 870 mm
Price: 6228 euros including additional costs

Specifications Husqvarna TE 610 – The Hard Enduro

Displacement: 576 cm3
Output *: 53 hp at 7600 rpm
Torque *: 53 Nm at 6700 rpm
Weight (full tank) *: 149 kg
Suspension travel f / h: 300/320 mm
Seat height *: 940 mm
Price: 7399 euros including ancillary costs

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