Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128149
2002 BMW F650CS & R1150GS Adventure belt drive (possible since the CS is not intended for off-road use, the belt is a first on bikes with one-sided swingarms). Gearing is slightly taller on the CS, and there's the option of ABS braking. Most visibly different, however, is the new bike's modern look, which starts from the traditional tank area. , The real tank is under the seat, freeing up the area between the rider's legs for a cool-looking storage space, which is occupied in standard form by a functional soft bag (other options include a plastic hard bag, a stereo sound system and a steel-reinforced helmet-lock). (Left) Venus: The new F650CS is modem and stylish, and uniquely BMW. (Below) Mars: Based around the standard R115OGS, the Adventure is ready for anything. By CHRIS JONN(JM t's no secret that BMW likes to do things differently, and there was no greater evidence of that than the German manufacturer's recent press introduction of two new models, where BMW showed that so fond are its engineers of discovering unique approaches that they've even found widely differing ways of being different. The models in question - the F650CS and the R1150GS Adventure - are at complete opposite ends of the spectrum, and appealing as they do to completely different customer groups, the journalists on the intro couldn't help but feel somewhat schizophrenic as they rode the two machines back to back. The first bike (which we rode from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara via I 8 APRIL 10, 2002' 0 U I: I _ coastal-mountain twisties on the first day) is a Euro-cool lightweight machine that will probably appeal most to young, hip new riders who drive New Beetles and use IMac computers, Nokia phones and Swatch timepieces, and whose riding plans are primarily to tool around town. With playful-butattractive colors and swooping lines, the F650CS was completely at home at our pre-ride lodging in Hollywood's cutting-edge Mondrian Hotel. The second bike (which we piloted back to L.A. via highermileage inland backroads on the second day) is a mammoth steed that should catch the eye of an older, richer, bigger rider who drives a lifted Hum-Vee and navigates via GPS, eats rare steak and wears a Leatherman on his belt, and whose n __ s idea of fun is a jaunt down to Tierra del Fuego. With a macho silhouette, chunky tires and no-nonsense accoutrements, the R 1150GS was chafing a bit amid the civil environs of our mid-ride overnight in Santa Barbara's posh Four-Seasons Hotel. Fasoes Both bikes are new versions of popular existing BMW models. In the first case, the F650 was introduced in 1993, followed by the F650ST in '97, and both the F650GS and the F650GS Dakar enjoy separate positions on BMW's top-! O-selling-models list. Still, the CS (which stands'for City Street, and which European correspondent Alan Cathcart tested earlier this year) is markedly different from any existing incarnation, offering more torque and a hassle-free Hard-core BMW fans (like the ones who will buy the other model in this story) generally pooh-pooh the CS, calling it a girl's bike or a beginner model. In fact, the newest 650 is ideal for both of those customers, boasting as it does a low, narrow seat, a comfortable riding position and a confidence-inspiring single-cylinder motor. But it would be a mistake to dismiss this bike as being unsuitable for more serious riders; true, it's not exactly a Superbike, but we found the CS to be exhilarating on sinuous tarmac sections, even quicker through super-tight portions than motorcycles blessed (cursed?) with more testosterone. And although outright velocity is down compared to bigger bikes on more open sections, aces will actually enjoy expending the extra aggressiveness required to keep up on the