Kykdaar
Grey Hound
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2007
- Messages
- 7,610
- Reaction score
- 1
- Location
- Wingate Park - Pretoria
- Bike
- Zundapp (all models)
So, after going through an agonising two month process of research and elimination based on sound logic I finally ended up with only two possible candidates that represented the perfect Dual Sport (DS) bike for my needs â?? a DR650 or a pre-08 KLR650. Both are go-anywhere, no nonsense, reliable and simple bikes.
Why then did I end up buying a bike with a BMW badge that was designed by an Englishman, made in Italy by Aprillia, containing an Austrian built Rotax engine (also used by Bombardier in their quads and snowmobiles) and marketed as an entry-level DS bike that is particularly suitable for the ladies?
Damned if I know. It just struck the right cord with me and I immediately knew that I wanted it. Like all important or good things in life my choice was not based on any discernible logic, but purely on raw emotion.
The bike that I forked out my hard earned cash for is a single-owner, 1999 Funduro with 48000kmâ??s on the clock, full service history with BMW and equipped with BMW top box and heated grips.
The Funduro seems the right choice of bike for me at this point in my life. I no longer wish to race off-road on a XR650R â?? been there, done that and have the pictures and memories to prove it. My forum name is â??Kykdaarâ? (meaning â??look thereâ? for our international readers) and that reflects the fact that I now prefer cruising along on easy scenic gravel highways at a relaxed pace. Maybe I am just getting old?
Do I think then that just because I bought this bike it is the best bike out there? No, not by a long shot. Just visit https://faq.f650.com/main.html and you will read all about buffeting, petrol puking (it has twin carburettors), the voltage regulator frying the battery and a host of other ills associated with the Funduro.
What I want to do though is to ride this baby for a few months doing a mixture of commuting and DS trips and finally to take it on the desert run at the end of the year.
Subsequent to that I want to write a totally honest and objective assessment of the bike and post it on the forum? Why? - because other members who may be contemplating purchasing such a bike in future may find the results of such a test of interest. I know I would have.
What it would have looked like when new followed by a few pics of the bike that I bought.
Why then did I end up buying a bike with a BMW badge that was designed by an Englishman, made in Italy by Aprillia, containing an Austrian built Rotax engine (also used by Bombardier in their quads and snowmobiles) and marketed as an entry-level DS bike that is particularly suitable for the ladies?
Damned if I know. It just struck the right cord with me and I immediately knew that I wanted it. Like all important or good things in life my choice was not based on any discernible logic, but purely on raw emotion.
The bike that I forked out my hard earned cash for is a single-owner, 1999 Funduro with 48000kmâ??s on the clock, full service history with BMW and equipped with BMW top box and heated grips.
The Funduro seems the right choice of bike for me at this point in my life. I no longer wish to race off-road on a XR650R â?? been there, done that and have the pictures and memories to prove it. My forum name is â??Kykdaarâ? (meaning â??look thereâ? for our international readers) and that reflects the fact that I now prefer cruising along on easy scenic gravel highways at a relaxed pace. Maybe I am just getting old?
Do I think then that just because I bought this bike it is the best bike out there? No, not by a long shot. Just visit https://faq.f650.com/main.html and you will read all about buffeting, petrol puking (it has twin carburettors), the voltage regulator frying the battery and a host of other ills associated with the Funduro.
What I want to do though is to ride this baby for a few months doing a mixture of commuting and DS trips and finally to take it on the desert run at the end of the year.
Subsequent to that I want to write a totally honest and objective assessment of the bike and post it on the forum? Why? - because other members who may be contemplating purchasing such a bike in future may find the results of such a test of interest. I know I would have.
What it would have looked like when new followed by a few pics of the bike that I bought.
