BMW G450X Question

 I saw one of these at the Beemer dealer down the street. Looks like a
sweet dirt focused DS and an article on Motorcycle-usa is pretty
interesting.
http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/73/765/Motorcycle-Article/2009-BMW-G-450-X-Review.aspx

The countershaft/swingarm pivot alignment and engine rotation sound
like these could be shades of things to come.

Has anyone here had a chance to try one? Heard anything Tami?

I'm a touch hesitant about the Kymco motor but Aprillia's quaulity
used vto be questioned too.

Opinions?

Spence

 Hi!


http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/73/765/Motorcycle-Article/2009-BMW-G-450-X-Review.aspx

Well, depends. This etup makes countershaft sprocket removal a big PITA
(=if you want to change transmission ratio, you're often left with changing
the rear sprocket & chain). I failed to detect remarkable differences in
suspension influence during hard acceleration compared to conventional
designs (as was advertised by BMW).


Yeah. Quite nice for a dualsport, lacks a bit punch in MX mode. You'll lose
warranty if you open up the bike to full power delivery (control unit will
remember this in its log) by pulling a plug or ride >120km/h for prolonged
time periods.

Gas cap on the rear of the seat gives a problem when it gets muddy. Engine
characteristics is a bit chewy, you'll have to rev it a lot to get all the
power delivered. This is like night-and-day compared to my RMZ450K8 and
also quite a difference to the new fuel injected Husaberg.

The Gearbox feels quity mushy and notchy at the same time, no positive
click and quite some force necessary (knowing the 650XChallenge and the
1150R, there was little need for adapting, hrhr). After having to go a long
way at the shift lever, sometimes quite a loud clanking sound was the
result. Deltabox frame feels a bit wide around the ankles - I stepped ON
(!) the frame when I wanted to brake once. This is probably design-inherent
as the swingarm is mounted there.

Electric start only. This failed on me once when the engine went out on a
steep ascent. Had to wiggle the bike back and forth to get the starter gear
loose again. The open version we tested had an Akrapovic aftermarket
exhaust (which "takes advantage of a homologation loophole" as the dealer
put it) fitted and was considerably louder than the "normal" counterparts
which were Euro-3 conform and had catalyzers. With the Akra, I surely don't
want to get caught on one of central munich's busier roads.

Chassis/suspension was enduro typical in its subtle response
characteristics, perhaps a tad on the soft side but very controllable. I
managed to bottom the fork once or twice during wide jumps, bike seems a
bit front-heavy.

From an ergonomical point of view, the 450X is OK for riders up to
180cm/80kg - above that you would want to put some risers under the bars.
Seat line is almost horizontal, leaving much room for moving on the bike.
Instruments and other stuff is fortunately quite minimalistic (and well
protected) no need for a key in the ignition lock. Replacement parts &
plastics are relatively inexpensive, too.

The 450X ist pretty light (121kg dry) for a street legal enduro,
technically very much up-to-date (fuel injection/closed loop management,
clutch rotating at crankshaft speed - hence giving the chance to reduce
size/weight, braided steel brake hoses, hydraulic clutch actuation, etc.)
and pretty sturdy: I looped it out & crashed hard because of a stuck
throttly (mud was interfering with the grip rubbers and barkbuster) and
only ripped the tail plastics. Unfortunately, the USD-forks were leaking
afterwards, no neoprene stockings attached.

To-date, it sells for around 6kEUR new (!) since the european market seems
somehow saturated with bikes.

If I had to let go of my 1998 KTM 620 SC for a new dual purpose bike, this
sure would be one of my favourites. The other one is the new Husaberg FE450
which is also quite sweet and pulls stronger, more consistently. But since
I don't urgently need the homologation and the KTM's still running well,
I'll stick with it and grab the fuel injected RMZ450 in my garage when
there's the need for serious offroad fun.


Regarding the engine durability of the beemer, I wasn't hearing any
complaints so far. They have beta-tested and raced this power plant for
over two years now under severe conditions (seen the bike over a year from
its official introduction to the market), so I believe that the engineers
have done their homework.

HTH,
Volker

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