Sierradale Posted July 30, 2022 Share Posted July 30, 2022 Hard to believe that my 650 is over 20 years old. I use it to commute to the trail heads and "check the mail box"... et al. Of my few complaints to the engineers of this machine I must say that the plastic fairings are not that easy for to remove. I have lost many of the screws and it should not be that difficult to access the battery or coolant. Also the back tail light assembly falls off when climbing mountains. This bike has precision in its motion and has rarely given me grief. I have named my bike 'Therapy'; best relationship I have ever had. Now that it is 20+ years old I noticed some incontinence with the coolant. I thought it was leaking from the drain bolt. I changed the bolt and water pump gasket. I decided to remove the wee thermostat. It came out in pieces. BMW want $80 for said wee plastic component and contrary to the youtube videos it does not slide in with ease. I applied pressure against the spring to make room for the C clip but a proper fit was not obtained. I placed the thermostat in cold water hoping to shorten the pin. Playing with the unit allowed me to break off a plastic tab. The second thermostat and new C clip went in easy enough but there was a leak. I thought the O ring was not set in right so I reinstalled it a few more times. The leak, it would appear, was a hole in the wee radiator. ($650). It would appear that the C clip had wore a hole into the radiator. I am now trying JB Weld radiator epoxy. For those who may read this, I do hope they will be more careful than I in there maintenance and learn from my experience. There be more mountains and trails for me to climb. Ride on! D. Link to comment
TEWKS Posted July 31, 2022 Share Posted July 31, 2022 Welcome to the board. I had the previous generation F650, great little do it all bike. Bob had a similar problem recently and the repair shop used an epoxy. I think it’s been working for him. Link to comment
dcad Posted July 31, 2022 Share Posted July 31, 2022 Glad to hear of another F650GS owner. Mine went coast to coast last summer 8,500 Miles. I did the oil and filter at the MOA rally in Montana. here are some things I use, Ebay to get cheap used parts. I have 2 sets of wheels one with a 21" front wheel and with knobby tires. and another set with a 19" front wheel and much less aggressive tires. YouTube lots of videos. including ViagarMOTO husband and wife taking their 650's around the world. the last video is replacing the main wiring harness on the road. This last site also goes by the name the chain gang and has loads of info and full videos of service. https://f650.com 1 Link to comment
TEWKS Posted August 1, 2022 Share Posted August 1, 2022 Mine took me to Goose Bay Labrador and then a 36 hour ferry ride (woke to see an iceberg out the ship’s window) to Newfoundland. Epic ride! Link to comment
roadscholar Posted August 1, 2022 Share Posted August 1, 2022 One of my favorites.. 1 Link to comment
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