Features and equipment – giving great attention to each and every detail.

The lightweight concept is also maintained consistently with all the motorcycle’s attachments and auxiliary units revealing great attention to detail: The footbrake and gearshift levers are made of light, forged and therefore highly stable aluminium. The gearshift lever comes complete with a spring-loaded, folding boom at the side, the footbrake lever, through its rolled mounting, allows particularly sensitive operation of the rear wheel brake of particular significance on the Street Moto.

The side-stands on the Xchallenge and Xmoto are made of forged aluminium, the numberplate supports and direction indicators can be easily removed for sports riding on a closed circuit. And again last but certainly not least, wide, zig-zagged footrests ensure safe support and stability.

The high-strength light-alloy tubular handlebar comes in conical design for maximum surface contact at all fastening points despite minimum weight.
The handlebar supports varying in height on all three models are mounted on rubber holders in the forged fork bridges as a solution efficiently absorbing
any unpleasant vibration without reducing the direct feel of the handlebar so important to the demanding rider.

The cockpit is intentionally purist in design and configuration, with clear and easy-to-read instruments informing the rider at all times of his speed, the time of day, and the distance he has covered. Two trip counters may be activated at the touch of a button, and the cockpit also presents a battery charge reading. In the interest of enhanced flexibility, the instruments may be converted by an authorised workshop to either miles or kilometres, whatever the rider requires.

The rear lights come in cutting-edge LED technology ensuring a rapid response, above-average service life, a high degree of light intensity, and power consumption kept to a minimum. The direction indicators come as standard with white lenses.

Reflecting the technology usual in this class, electrical energy supply and the cables in the electrical system retain their conventional technical features.
The battery is readily accessible behind the handlebar unit to the right beneath the fairing.

All models in the G 650 X series are registered for riding with a passenger.
The passenger kits available as special equipment on the G 650 Xchallenge, G 650 Xcountry and G 650 Xmoto are made up of special handles and high-quality, forged footrest supports. And a final advantage is that converting the machines for riding with a passenger does not require an entry in the motorcycle’s homologation documents.

Specific Model Components and Distinctions.

In conjunction with the light but stable frame and the high-quality suspension components, the powerful and refined engine sets the foundation for superior performance, exceptional handling, and very good tracking directional stability all the way to top speed.

While all three models naturally share these fundamental qualities at the same very high level, they differ from one another in terms of their character and riding features through various design elements and items of equipment, as well as their different suspension geometry and set-up. Apart from the handlebar mounts, the seat, headlights and various design features, particularly the wheels and tyres differ from one another, as well as the brakes and rear spring struts.

Differences in suspension geometry are ensured by the spring travel, the size of the various wheels, as well as modified mounting points for the front wheel. And last but certainly not least in this context, the final drive ratio is specifically tailored to the purpose and character of each individual model.

BMW G 650 Xchallenge – the Hard Enduro for the offroad enthusiast.

The BMW G 650 Xchallenge proves at very first sight that it has a lot to offer: This is an uncompromising offroad machine with long spring travel and not one single gram of extra weight. In its design, the BMW G 650 Xchallenge is dominated by proportions typical of a genuine Enduro – a high-lying, but smooth and flat flyline merging directly into the high and slender rear end to offer the rider the ideal seating position. Made of fracture-proof and elastic plastic (mainly polypropylene), the fairing components both light and robust are likewise ideal for tough offroad requirements. The front wheel cover is fitted directly to the lower fork bridge, giving the front wheel superior smoothness and running freedom under all conditions. The slender fairing, in turn, gracefully takes up the asymmetrically contoured headlight featuring a reflector in free-form design. Positioned off-centre, the parking light, finally, helps to provide that typical look of BMW Motorrad further enhanced by paintwork in Aura White and the Blue seat.

Benefiting from 270 millimetres or 10.63´´ spring travel both front and rear, BMW Motorrad’s new Hard Enduro will easily take on any challenge off the beaten track. Tube diameter of 45 millimetres or 1.77´´, in turn, gives the upside-down telefork enormous overall stiffness, allowing a handlebar lock
of 40°.

The springs and dampers are all specially tuned for offroad use, meeting the highest demands in every respect. As a function of his own weight and personal preferences, the truly ambitious Enduro rider is even able to fine-tune the dampers on their inbound and rebound strokes, the adjustment mechanisms offering predetermined rest points for smooth, consistent adjustment.

Again in the interest of minimum weight, the wheel axle measuring 20 millimetres or 0.79´´ in diameter is drilled hollow on both the front and rear wheel. The rear wheel suspension also allows various adjustments and set-ups, albeit of a very different character: Like the BMW HP2 Enduro, the BMW G 650 Xchallenge features the BMW Motorrad Air Damping System, a special spring/damper system operating exclusively with air. In its configuration and functions, the Air Damping System is the same as on the HP2 Enduro and has merely been adjusted in terms of weight and its running requirements.

The BMW Motorrad Air Damping System comes with a piston inside, similar to the configuration in conventional spring struts. Instead of hydraulic fluid, however, this system forces out air through plate valves into a second chamber, the damping effect being achieved by throttling the flow of air.

Since gas is compressible, the air within the system can act as a kind of spring replacing the usual steel spring and thus offering the advantages already lauded on the BMW HP 2 Enduro:

•           “Natural” progression of spring rates under high load (with growing pressure within the system).            

•           Reliable and smooth operation minimising the risk of the suspension giving way (physical law of gases: pressure increases as a function of temperature).

•           “Natural” progression of the damping effect under high loads
(the viscosity of air increases as a function of temperature).

•           Frequency-dependent, selective damping effect.

•           Resistant to overheating (no temperature-induced weakening of the damping effect under high loads).

•           Simple option to adjust the dampers to the load carried.

•           Low weight of the entire system and its components.

•           Individual adjustment and set-up of the suspension matched to the
rider’s weight and the load carried by means of a water level presenting the normal position and trim of the motorcycle.

The reduction in unsprung masses also improves spring response and traction on the rear wheel. To the outside, the spring strut is sealed hermetically and is therefore protected from contamination, with any losses caused by leakage being set off by filling in air through a valve.

The system adjusts very easily and conveniently to different load conditions simply by varying the pressure filling. And to pump up the system while travelling, the rider has the option to use a hand-operated high-pressure pump fitted beneath the seat of the G 650 Xchallenge.

A feature unique to this air spring damper system is the choice of frequency-related damping achieved by varying the inner flow system together with the throttle openings. And an important effect achieved in this way is much better traction of the rear wheel on bumpy, undulating surfaces: The damping effect can be appropriately adjusted in the frequency ranges typically encountered on the rear wheel swing arm as a result of bumpy surfaces,  the wheel thus following any such bumps in an ideal motion, maintaining optimum ground contact at all times. The result is even better grip and traction when accelerating all-out, as well as extra safety when applying the brakes.

Any risk of the springs sagging and giving way, as is often the case on long, undulating surfaces and under high loads, is largely excluded by “natural” adjustment of the spring rates in the air springs together with the frequency-specific damping effect: An adjustment bolt opening up a bypass in the damper enables the rider to pre-set the damper characteristics to two stages for either more comfortable riding on regular roads or for a firmer set-up on offroad terrain.

It almost goes without saying that the wheels and tyres also meet the typical requirements of offroad riding. Due to their better elasticity, spoke wheels come as standard on the BMW G 650 Xchallenge, offering all the features of lightweight technology. The wheel hubs made of aluminium are hollow-
cast and are connected to the epoxy-plated aluminium rims by extra-strong wire spokes.

To build up sufficient stabilising gyro-forces also on difficult and slow trails,
the G 650 Xchallenge comes with a front wheel measuring 21 inches
in diameter and running as standard on a 90/90-21 tyre, while at the rear an 18-inch wheel running as standard on a 140/80-18 tyre allows the use of specialised offroad tyres whenever required.

Measuring a significant 300 millimetres or 11.81´´ in diameter at the front and 240 millimetres or 9.45´´ in diameter at the rear, the brake discs – and indeed, the entire brake system – are conceived without compromises for handling high loads. Apart from saving weight, the cross-drilled Wave brake discs on the G 650 Xchallenge have a better self-cleaning effect than conventional discs. And while the front wheel disc runs within a double-piston floating-calliper configuration, the rear disc is held tight when required by a single-piston floating calliper.

With its 15-tooth pinion and a 47-tooth sprocket, the G 650 Xchallenge has a shorter final drive ratio than the other two models in the new G 650 X model range.