I got this motorcycle just before the year 2005 ended, as a winter bargain with under 28000 miles on the clock, serviced with full service history, 1 years warranty, no ABS but with heated grips. The first weekend was spent on the Dorking byways, which left no doubt about this bikes off-road capabilities, taking into consideration that the KTM was an off-roader with some touring capabilities, and this 250+kg beast is a tourer with some off-road capabilities.
New bike,
new helmet
One of the positive surprises of this bike is the sixth gear which allows very smooth, but also incredibly fast travelling on the motorways, but in comparison to the BMW 1100GS and the KTM Adventure 640, the low tank range of just about 190 miles was a slight disappointment, which could be corrected by getting a bigger aftermarket tank, although this would lead to an increase of the weight and top heavyness of the motorcycle.
Blondi 1150
I disagree with the usual compaints about the bike being too heavy for off-roading, it all depends on how far or extreme you want to take things, and let's be honest, it also has a lot to do with ones own personal fitness and knowledge or riding and lifting techniques.
The piston rings were worn, and although these were replaced by my dealer under warranty, it unfortunately was not suited for my daily requirements and with the F 650 Dakar seeming like a more economical and with regards to off-road more capable mashine my shaft drive days came to an end.
