Yea, the F650 was a 650cc thumper. By all accounts it was a good bike. The new one is the same mill as the F800ST (the sport touring bmw). But it has be detuned a bit (mostly to differentiate it from the 800GS).
Trust me when I say it doesn’t need the extra ummph of the “bigger” 800s. It goes plenty quick.
The other thing is that BMW really tried to make that engine sound and feel like the boxer twin in the R1200 bikes. I don’t know how well they succeeded, but it doesn’t feel like any other twin I’ve sat on. Very little vibes, and very quiet. It doesn’t have any of the rattling sounds I’m used to from so many other motorcycles. As I said, the bikes feels “premium”.
If you want leg room, the F650GS/Versys/DL650 are better bet than the F800ST/VFR bikes. I actually found it disconcerting at first to have my feet so far below me. I’m not sure I like the seating position (purely personal preferance), I just find it odd.
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“The two seconds between ‘Oh S**!’ and the crash isn’t a lot of practice time.”