BMW F650GS – The Best Motorcycle, Ever?

Today we’ll answer a comment from a subscriber to the YouMotorcycle YouTube channel. His comment was about the BMW F650GS, which he claimed is the best motorcycle ever. Could a motorcycle that really isn’t the best at anything, actually be the best at everything? No, but yes.

Markus’ comment: “I rode many different bikes, but the F650GS was the best ever.”

Question: Is the BMW F650GS the best motorcycle ever?

BMW F650GS / G650GS Pros and Cons

Here’s the thing, the 650GS is a dual sport motorcycle. It’s a very versatile machine. It can do a lot of things. You can use the F650GS or the G650GS for touring, you can use it on paved roads, as well as for off-roading. With it’s tall seat height, narrow size, easy-handling and fuel-efficiency, it even makes a great commuter motorcycle. Have a look at the 10 reasons you might want to buy one in my BMW G650GS review and you’ll see what I mean.

To be totally transparent, I don’t think it’s the best motorcycle in any one category. But it’s a very versatile and dynamic motorcycle that can easily adjust to any environment you put it in. I would say the BMW F650GS or G650GS are like the Swiss Army Knives or motorcycling, but that would be an understatement because you can make them really good at a number of things. There are so many bolt-on off-road options for it that you can make it a really good off-road motorcycle. There are so many touring options for it that you can make a really good touring bike out of it. Right out the box it’s already an excellent commuter. The only thing you can’t do with it is make it a fast motorcycle.

Assortment vs. Versatility

I’m answering Markus’ comment from my garage, and when I look around me I see a variety of motorcycles. I love my V-Rod for blasting through places in style. I love the little Vespa for local neighborhood errands or for filtering through downtown traffic. But I love the 650GS for it’s ability to do so many things from the knitty-gritty inner-city commuter to the comfortable ergonomics that I can sit upright on and ride for hours and hours. I’m not the off-road type, but it’s cool to know that with a Dakar edition F650GS, or a Sertao edition G650GS, there’s potential to do that as well.

On the question of whether or not the BMW F650GS is the best motorcycle ever, even though it isn’t the best at everything, I think we need to step out of reality for a moment. If we didn’t live in a world where we could have different bikes that were good at different things, and we lived in a world where we could only have one motorcycle, which one could we do the most with? It’s at that point where the F650GS enters the conversation. It has such a wide range of application, and so many readily available and easy to use parts, that it’s hard to argue against the BMW.

Conclusions

It may not be the winner of “best” in one category, but perhaps the fact it can compete in so many categories, with the exception of speed, means that we should consider the 650GS platform one of the best motorcycles ever. It’s as adept at getting you across the downtown core as it is getting you around the world. I don’t know if that makes it the best motorcycle ever. Luckily, we live in a world where we can ride all the motorcycles we want. But if I could only choose to ride one motorcycle for the rest of my life, the BMW F650GS might be it.

Does that make the BMW F650GS or G650GS the best motorcycle ever? I’ll leave that to you guys. Let me know in the comments section what you think, and if you have any questions or comments you’d like me to answer in an article or video just let me know!

Photos used with permission. Special thank you to Viajarmoto and Doug.Americo. Check them out for great G650GS content and adventures!