BMW G-Force
By TMX Archives on 15th Mar 07
I HAVE to admit I was sceptical, herding into the Easyjet flight to the Algarve for this launch. Not because I had more than twice the luggage of every other passenger but because I know full-well road bike manufacturers have a habit of producing psuedo off-road bikes - bikes which look like they'll work off-road but actually, when you ask for something serious, they shy away.
The other thing plaguing me was BMWs are notnormally built like ballet dancers, more like darts players. I figuredthis new model launch was possibly going to be disappointing and bloodyhard work!
Not for the first time in my life I was completelywrong. What's clear from the off is a further shift for BMW away fromthe fuddy-duddy old man image to something a bit more broadlyappealing. We know BMW can make an off-road bike work, it's rally raidbikes have been successful in the Dakar for years. The great JohnDeacon muscled the 1100GS across the deserts to good effect. But whatBMW rarely does is make a smart, compact and normal-looking bike. Enterstage right the G-series range which are about as un-quirky andstraight forward as you'll find a BMW.
All three G-series models (the off-roadXchallenge, the supermoto inspired Xmoto and the one I can't think of acategory for the Xcountry) are based on the same basic chassis and 650single engine which gives them a similar character. At around 144 kilos(claimed dry weight) the Xchallenge is significantly lighter and easierto ride than you might imagine. That doesn't make it as agile as a 200EXC but neither is it the bucket of lard I'd expected.
What hits you first are the tall proportions. Itake it that if I have to stand on tip-toe, that makes a bike too tall(I'm six foot tall). This doesn't happen very often. The under-seatfuel tank and 270mm of suspension travel are mostly responsible butthat lack of ground when you need it caught out more than one of theshorter legged journalists on this launch.
The rest of the Xchallenge's character feels verynovice-friendly, the standard forks and air-assisted shock work wellenough to be usable at hare and hound level events. The brakes too arepowerful and have good feel, throttle response is subtle and responsiveand the chassis is solid and agile enough to be usable when you get alick on. A 21 inch front Pirelli fitted for this launch helps it holdthe long, dusty and rocky Portuguese trails. Get yourself up on thepegs and give it some wellie and you don't find too many protests fromany area of the bike.
It's easy for a former trials rider like me tolook out of place (or look like some sort of show off!) on launcheslike this when everyone else is sticking to the flat stuff and I starttrying to ride up banks around trees, or go off a trail to plod througha rock stream. But it's important to me if a bike claims off-roadcapabilities that it can cope with it. If the engine doesn't respondcrisply when I clutch it and ask for power to get me up a three footstep they haven't got the fuelling right, if the suspension throws me12 feet in the air off that small step then the suspension isn't right,if you need muscles like Arnie to keep the thing going where you wantit to the chassis is too heavy or has crap weight distribution.
On the BMW you have to catch it from stallingsometimes when you attempt really slow speed but no more than mostlarge capacity enduro bikes would need.
The only area of doubt would be where the hell doyou ride it? Portuguese launches are all well and good, but in the UK?A forest ranger in the Scottish highlands or a sheep farmer bored ofhis quad bike could definitely find a use for it. But with less andless green-laning available on this over-crowded island the only realopportunities will be proper off-road facilities. It's a little hard toimagine anyone taking it to an enduro and taking the event seriously.You could, and in the right hands it'd probably surprise a few peoplebut alongside proper enduro bikes you'll be putting in a lot moreeffort to haul this thing out of a bog or claggy ditch, perfectly fuelinjected slow-speed throttle response or not.
Its true colours are a lot like an old fashionedtrail bike - with suspension and brakes that work. A bike which fallssomewhere between enduro and road bike. It's a BMW with attitude, notKTM levels of attitude, but something other than the boring old manimage you might have in your head.
There's a place for that in this world I think,maybe for riders who want car dealer-like levels of customer servicingand reliability. Throw in a bullet-proof engine, dealer network, plusdamn competitive insurance rates, and, at least, it's worth a think.
IT'S almost unbelievable that BMW would make asupermoto bike. It's too outrageous an idea for this most serious ofmotorcycle manufacturers.
Like the Xchallenge the Xmoto falls just the rightside of useful in its chosen field to not be labelled a pretendsupermoto. A novice could race this in a supermoto, with a good rideraboard you might find it would do quite well but alongside a pukka SMmachine it's under-powered, heavier and not sharp enough.
But it is not meant to be. The braking system ismore powerful (four piston caliper and 320mm discs), taller gearingmakes it fastest of the three on the road and you have a wide range ofroad tyre options for it thanks to regular, road-tyre-sized rims. Thestandard Pirelli Diablo tyres are a perfect match and so peg-scrapingidiocy was quickly the order of the day, grabbing hot cornering roadpictures.
In a German kind of way (German design istraditionally simplistic, functional but rarely flamboyant) it doesn'tlook too bad either.
THE third and final model in the line-up is the Xcountry.
It's hard to categorise but you'd have to place italongside beginner or learner bikes, with scooters and city commuterswell within its catchment zone.
Relatively cheap and cheerful it is by far themost user-friendly of the trio with a significantly lower seat height(and a far comfier one at that), plus better luggage options in the BMWparts catalogue. Which all sounds a bit boring but I'm fully aware noteveryone needs a bike to do all the things I ask of it.
You can find other similarly easy to ride bikesabout but I can't think of one with 50-odd horsepower, with the samebuild reputation and one still capable of scaling flights of stairs atPortuguese football stadiums with relative ease.
All three models feature the same five speed gearbox but the Xmoto hasa higher ratio for better road use (and less requirement for the slowspeed off-road ratios).
nXchallenge is the tallest of the three with 270mmfront and rear suspension travel, a 930mm tall, narrow seat for bettergrip and control off-road and a 21 inch front and 18 inch rear wheel.It's good off-road but not good if you're nervous and short in the leg.
Xmoto has the same grippy, narrow seat but is 10mmlower than the Xchallenge. The Xcountry 240/210mm suspension travel anda seat height adjustable to a more user-friendly 840mm.
nSteel braded hoses and optional ABS systems (£510extra) are common across the models but the Xmoto has the bonus of afour piston caliper and 320mm discs (opposed to two piston calipers and300mm discs).
nBMW Motorrad offer discounted insurance for the GSeries. For example if you're between 21 and 25 fully comprehensiveinsurance cover is available for £500, if aged 26 or over, the cost isa very reasonable £250 (subject to terms and conditions).
SPECIFICATIONS
2007 BMW Xchallenge/ Xcountry/ Xmoto
ENGINE
Type: Liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, DOHC four-stroke single
Capacity: 652cc
Bore x Stroke: 100 x 83 mm
Power: 53 bhp @ 7,000 rpm (claimed)
Torque: 44 lbf ft @ 5,250 rpm (claimed)
Compression: 11.5 : 1
Carburettor: 43mm throttle bodies
Gearbox: 5-speed
Transmission: Chain
CHASSIS
Type: Steeltubular and cast aluminium with aluminium sub frame
SUSPENSION
Front: 45mmUSD telescopic fork, adjustable compression & rebound
Rear: Airdamped monoshock/Monoshock/ Air damped monoshock
BRAKES
Front: Dual-piston caliper, single 300mm disc/ 4-piston caliper, 320mm disc (Xmoto only)
Rear: Single-piston caliper, single 240mm disc
Wheels: Spokewheels/ Cast wheels (Xmoto only)
TYRES
Front: 90/90-21 / 100/90-19/ 120/70-17
Rear: 140/80-18/ 130/80-17/ 160/60-17
DIMENSIONS
Seat height: 950 mm/ 840-870 mm/ 920 mm
Wheelbase: 1,500 mm/ 1,498 mm/ 1,500 mm
Weight (claimed): 144 kg/ 148 kg/ 147 kg
Tank capacity 9.5 litre (2.1gal)
Price (otr): £5,995/ £5,795/ £6,195
Dealers:
BVM Trialsport, BVM Moto, London road, Stroud GL5 2DA.
Tel: 01453 762743
www.bvm-moto.co.uk
BMW Motorrard Park Lane
68 Park Lane, London W1K 7TT
020 7514 3594
www.bmwmotorradparklane.co.uk
Specification:
