Living with a 2007 BMW G650 Xmoto

July 2007

Ladies and gentlemen I have made contact with the other side. After five years of being ignored by BMW riders I have figured out how to get a nod out of them, simply ride a BMW. A GS rider I see in Crystal Palace on my way home and who has, until now, studiously ignored me daily, almost leapt off his bike when he saw me riding up the road astride my Beemer. Every day I see at least a couple of BMW riders and one or all has thrown me a nod or a cheery wave.

As soon as I saw the new Xmoto I wanted one. It reminds me of the Gilera Nordwest I sold earlier this year. The idea BMW have with bikes like the Xmoto is to showcase their abilities to produce bikes you wouldn't normally associate with the brand (or so they say). BMW only plan to import around 100 Xmotos, which is a shame as the bike's a cracker. I've stuck a load of miles on it in the last few days and have found a couple of things. It's taking me a while to get used to being flat out at 90mph - the GSR used to do 88mph in second.

And the seat might look like a seat but it's actually a cleverly disguised piece of concrete. I can put up with it, just don't be surprised if you see owners of this bike riding everywhere stood up. You don't even get enough time to stretch your legs when you stop to fill up as it only takes about eight seconds, £6.74 is about as much as the underseat tank will hold, which equates to less than 90 miles to a tank. I love the bike though. I made the decision not to fit the mirrors as I think they look stupid. Not sure how long I can last before they go on though, as it really is a pain not knowing who's following me with their sirens and lights on.

Staying on the practicalities, I ended up riding the bike in the dark the other night and found to my surprise the headlight works really well, could this be a practical supermoto? Time will tell. Plans for the bike include some form of competition, and finding an exhaust that gives the Beemer a bit of bark.