BMW F650GS - Overland Journal

BMW F650GS
Dual-Sport Motorcycle Project
Part II
After 13,000 miles, Brian DeArmon
takes stock of luggage, navigation,
and protecting the chassis from
wear and weight.
Story and photography
by Brian DeArmon
I
n the first installment of this series, I addressed what I
felt were the most basic requirements for getting a BMW
F650GS ready for traveling the North American back country. The primary focus was getting the required gear and
supplies (food, water, shelter, tools, etc.) on the bike, and
addressing some critical equipment deficiencies with respect
to long-distance travel.
I’ve now put 13,000 miles on the BMW, and I’m still convinced I made
the right choice when I decided to start with the F650. It is as smooth,
quiet, and comfortable as ever, and continues to sip fuel at a rate of 65 to 70
mpg, giving me an un-laden range upwards of 200 miles before I get into
the .8-gallon reserve. With a full load and freeway speeds, the mileage drops
just below 60 mpg, reducing the usable range to approximately 185 miles.
The bike has gained a bit of weight with its modifications, currently
tipping the scales at 485 pounds. This extra weight, combined with the added wind resistance of the aluminum panniers, has taken its toll on the top
speed. Additionally, the Continental tires introduce a bit of head shake beginning at about 80 mph, and getting rather scary as you push past 90 mph.
But the bike is not built for the race track, and given the long life and great
traction offered by these tires, they are a good choice. I currently have just
over 5,000 miles on the set, and the rear tire is on its last leg. A conservative
riding style and limited time with heavy loads have contributed greatly to
the tire life.
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Top to bottom:
1. A dust-tight, 2-wire pigtail was used to connect power
to the GPS. These are available at most electronic
stores.
2. The Garmin 276C has a high-contrast color screen and
easy-to-manipulate controls.
3. The Touratech GPS mount installs in minutes and
provides a solid mounting point.
4. The clamping mechanism provides a secure hold on
the GPS and the lock allows you to leave the GPS
mounted while away from the bike without fear of theft.
5. The Hepco-Becker crash bars provide extra protection
Overland Journal Winter 2007
for the engine and transmission.
The Touratech tank bag has proven to be too tall for me. When loaded
with gear, it forces me to bend at the hips while standing on the pegs, which
leads to a sore back and a poor-handling bike. The materials and construction are not the issue; the bag is simply too tall for me, as are all of the other
bags in this size range. It has subsequently been removed.
The aluminum panniers from Jesse Luggage Systems have seen a fair
amount of abuse, and are holding up in superb fashion. One hard high-side
into a ditch after I took a corner too wide should have destroyed the right
side box. Instead, it has two small dents and a couple of scratches in the
finish. The camera gear inside was unscathed.
The bike performs very well in its current state, but like any other project, there are areas that can be improved and money that can be spent. The
biggest deficiency the bike had at the conclusion of the last installment was
the lack of navigation aids. Paper maps stuffed into the panniers are not all
that convenient. A proper GPS unit was a logical step up.
After reviewing several units (see Overland Journal Fall 2007 for a GPS
comparison), I decided that the Garmin GPSMap 276C would be the best
unit for my needs. Despite the proprietary data card and software, the 276C
is a nearly perfect combination of size and ergonomics for use on a dualsport bike. The buttons are big enough and spaced far enough apart to
allow easy manipulation, even when wearing heavy winter gloves. Additionally, the high-contrast screen makes it visible during even the brightest days.
The only thing that is not readily available is a screen protector. I consider
these vital as I find myself continually wiping the dust off the screen while
on the trail. Fortunately, there are many screen protectors available for flatscreen monitors, so I ordered one from an internet store and cut it down
to fit the Garmin.
I used a vibration-damping GPS mount from Touratech to attach the
276C to the handle bars. This locking mount is both lightweight and durable. Installation is as simple as tightening four carriage bolts. The only
downside is that the position of the GPS with this mount partially blocks
the view of the speedometer. A simple solution is to set the display on the
GPS to indicate your speed.
Wiring is straightforward with the 276C, as it runs off 12V DC. There
is no need to step down the voltage as with some of Garmin’s earlier GPS
units. I decided to hardwire the GPS to the back of the accessory outlet. A
two-wire pigtail with a dust-tight connection allows removal of the wiring
if the need ever arises. When doing this, be sure that the positive lead is
shielded on the bike side of the connection. This will prevent the positive
lead from shorting to the frame if the pigtail is ever disconnected. One
word of caution though: this gives power to the GPS at all times, so care
must be taken to not let the GPS run the bike’s battery down. The amp
draw on the GPS is very low, and this bike is ridden nearly every day, so this
has not been a problem.
With the GPS installed, I turned my attention to the chassis. As anyone
who has traveled with a 550-plus-pound motorcycle off-road will tell you,
they get heavy and like to fall down from time to time, particularly late in
the afternoon after a long day of riding. Rock rash on my transmission
case, panniers, fender, and mirrors are testament to this. In an effort to
prevent severe damage to the engine or transmission, I ordered a set of
Top to bottom:
1. Trimming the top corners off the OEM engine guard
allows for easy removal with the crash bars installed.
2. The folding shift lever from Touratech is a substantial
improvement over the OEM lever.
3. The Touratech center-stand skid plate prevents the
centerstand from hanging up on rocks.
4. Same as above.
5. Quick Fist clamps hold the MSR fuel cans to the back
of the panniers.
crash bars from Hepco-Becker, through Eurotech Motorsports. These are
a fairly simple bolt-on accessory, and fit very well. There was none of the
typical “field modifications” needed to make them fit. All the holes lined up
properly, and all of the requisite hardware was included in the kit, making
the installation time less than an hour.
The only problem the bars created is that it is not possible to remove
the factory skid plate while they are installed. This makes for a time-consuming oil change, since one of the crash bars must be removed in order
to remove the skid plate, which covers the oil drain plug. However, I found
that by trimming the top outer corners of the skid plate, it is possible to
slide it forward and up to remove it without taking the crash bars off first.
Aesthetically it is hard to tell the skid plate was modified, unless you know
what you are looking for. Structurally, little is lost because the crash bars
prevent the upper part of the skid plate from ever touching the ground.
Next, I added a center stand skid plate from Touratech. Installation is
simple enough, despite instructions printed in German, but having an extra
set of hands would help get the clamps lined up. The skid plate does a nice
job of keeping the center stand from hanging up on rocks, something mine
seems to do frequently.
Speaking of rocks, they have taken their toll on a couple of other components as well. The OEM shift lever has a rubber toe pad which has worn
through on the bottom. This makes it relatively easy to miss a gear during
up-shifts. A folding shift lever from Touratech remedied the problem. The
splines are not an exact match to the OEM lever, so the new lever will be
positioned with the toe pad either slightly higher, or slightly lower than
the original, whichever the installer chooses. I installed mine to be slightly
higher, and I have never really noticed the difference when riding.
The side stand is also prone to damage. There are two tension springs
that hold up the side stand. When it is in the stowed (up) position, one of
the spring retaining tabs is on the bottom of the stand, just waiting to reach
out and grab a rock. After breaking off two of them on two consecutive
rides, I decided to work out a better solution than repetitive replacement.
So I welded a piece of 11-gauge steel, ½” x 4” long, to the side stand. This
functions similarly to the “rock sliders” commonly installed on overland
expedition vehicles to protect their rocker panels from damage. It allows
the rocks to slide down the side stand without touching the springs or retaining tabs.
As long as I had the side stand off, it was an opportune time to add
some real-estate to the pad at the end of the stand. The factory pad works
well when on hard substrate, but not so well in the sand. Using another
piece of 11-gauge steel sheet, I formed a new pad, approximately 30 percent larger than the original, and welded it directly to the original. I took
care to ensure that the new pad did not hang any lower to the ground or
stick out farther than the OEM part, to minimize the chance of catching it
on rocks. This added surface area goes a long way to keep the bike standing
up when I stop for a break in a sandy wash.
While I had the welding rig out, I decided to take advantage of the fact
that BMW uses mild steel for the foot pegs. I filed notches along one edge
of two pieces of ½” wide, 11-gauge flat steel stock, each piece about 8
inches long. Using a 24mm socket as a forming die, I bent a smooth radius
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into one end of each piece, and a sharp 90-degree bend at the other. After
trimming each piece, I welded them to the OEM foot pegs, effectively enlarging the originals from an anemic 1” x 2 ½”, to a more acceptable 1 ½”
x 3 ½”, for less than the cost of a decent beer during happy hour ($2.10,
to be precise).
Another area of frustration with the BMW is the turn signals. After
breaking several of them off at the base of the stalk, I decided to replace
the OEM signals with something that had a lower profile, and found a set
of flush-mount turn signals at a local motorcycle accessory shop. There are
countless designs, so there are plenty to choose from. I walked out with two
pair of universal signals for less than the cost of one BMW replacement.
These were simply mounted with adhesive tape (included with the signals),
and the wires soldered into the OEM harness. They virtually guarantee I
will never again break a turn signal on this bike. But there is a trade-off:
They are not nearly as obvious as the OEM signals during the day. It may be
harder for other drivers on the road to see them, so extra caution is needed
when riding on the street.
Finally, I added three 20-ounce MSR fuel canisters and a fire extinguisher to the back of the panniers. Sierra Expeditions stocks the entire range of
Quick Fist clamps, which I used to hold the fuel cans and fire extinguisher.
The additional 60 ounces of fuel increases the range a realistic 28 miles.
While this may not seem like much, it’s a gain of nearly 12 percent, and 28
fewer miles to hike should I run out of fuel. That’s a nice safety net when
exploring the unknown backcountry. This brings my total fuel capacity to
just under 4.5 gallons, including the reserve, for a total range of approximately 268 miles. This assumes a consumption rate of 60 mpg, which is
very realistic for the type of riding I do, and the speeds at which I travel.
At this point, the bike is well equipped, comfortable to live off of for
several days at a time, and a little more robust than before. There are still a
few issues that need some attention, and those will be addressed in a future
issue. An auxiliary power system, based off of a custom relay center that
will control aftermarket lighting and other accessories, is in the works, as is
a major suspension upgrade. The belly needs some additional fortification,
as evidenced by some damage sustained when the center stand mounts got
up close and personal with a rock ledge during the 2007 Expedition Trophy
event. Look for these, and other, changes in a future update.
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Sources
Top to bottom:
1. Flush-mount turn signals are an inexpensive alternative
to replacing expensive OEM signals when they break.
2. The OEM foot-pegs measured 1/2” wide and 2 1/2” long.
3. The modified foot-pegs measure 1 1/2” wide and 3 1/2”
long.
4. A 4” long piece of steel serves to protect the side-stand
springs and tabs.
5. A larger pad was added to the base of the sidestand to
help prevent it from sinking in soft sand.
Overland Journal Winter 2007
Continental Tire
conti-online.com
Jessee Luggage Systems
jesseluggage.com
Garmin
garmin.com
MSR
msrcorp.com
Eurotech Motorsports
eurotechmotorsports.com
Sierra Expeditions
sierraexpeditions.com
Iron Horse Motorcycles
ironhorsemotorcycles.com
Touratech USA
touratech-usa.com