BMW F 650 FUNDURO
BMW released their own ‘hit single’ in the early 1990s and it proved to have real legs, even producing that difficult ‘second album’ from 2000 with a new model.
A cheap way into BMW ownership!
For many, the BMW F 650 family was the cheapest way to get that coveted blue propeller logo inside their garage… Released in December 1993, the F 650 ‘Funduro’ cost just £4495 and looked funky enough – almost a baby sibling to the R 1100 GS, which was launched in the same year. The heart of the bike was a Rotax-derived single-cylinder, liquid-cooled motor of 652cc. The BMW’S motor was closely related to that of the Aprilia Pegaso of the same vintage, although the Peg had a five-valve head. The irony was that the F 650 was manufactured in Italy by Aprilia.
That first version was understandably christened the ‘Funduro’ as it was aimed as a mild off-road, but mainly commuter/post learner bike for the urban sprawl. It was joined in October 1996 by the ST or ‘Strada’.
This model was clearly more suited to road riding.
In came a lower seat height (785-800mm adjustable, Funduro was 810mm); a smaller front wheel (18-inch front, down from 19) with road-biased tyres rather than pseudo-knobblies; smaller wheelbase (1465 rather than 1480mm); and narrower bars.
Despite being a single, there wasn’t any of the vibration you’d historically expect. The bike would pull cleanly from low revs, hitting around 6300rpm when delivering 45 or so bhp. The unadjustable suspension was soft, the handling good enough, and the whole plot unassuming and non-threatening. No wonder newbies and female newcomers found the bike comfortable. You could even spend £200 and get a lowering kit, which dropped the bike by
50mm overall, with the forks and rear dropping by 20mm.
You even got a shorter sidestand… Oh, and did you know the overall design came from Martin
Longmore: he of the first-gen Audi
TT fame and the second-gen Aprilia
RSV-R Mille?
Today there aren’t many of the 64,000 of the Mk.1 F 650 left, despite a production run of around seven years. Some still out there will have suffered fools, but with half-decent ones starting at a grand, maybe it’s still worth a punt? Try one...