I owned a 2014 CB500X and sold it and ended up with a 2015 G650 GS, Why ? The Honda is classified as an adventure bike on the Honda website but with the aluminum wheels and less suspension travel it is more of a street bike with an Adventure look. My GS came with spoked wheels from BMW and Metzler dual sport tires from the factory. Heated grips, ABS and I was able to find tons more accessories for the BMW than the Honda. I added a taller BMW windshield, Barkbuster HD hand guards, SW Motech foot pegs, factory skid plate and engine protection. Garmin GPS, Givi rear mount with quick removal mount for a Weightless Givi storage suitcase. Also had a Seat Concepts taller seat made for me. It’s an awesome bike.
Hey there! Thanks for the input. Good to hear from someone who's personally owned both. I have the G650GS and have many of the same mods (love the Seat Concepts tall seat too!). It's a great bike! I'm shipping mine to Italy to ride cross-country.
My dearly departed father was my guru for all things motorcycle. He owned DOZENS of bikes over HIS lifetime and mine, and he taught me many gems of the road AND hints in the garage that I still live by to this day. One of his favourite expressions...which subsequently became a rule of LIFE for me was...."If you've got all the road, USE IT!" Think about that the next time you're heading too fast into a reducing radius sweeper and your only two options are 1. lay it down, 2. run wide. Go with dad's choice...#2, obviously...and take as much road as you need. (assuming you're the only one out there, of course!) This is my long way of getting around to Adrian's comment about the Beamer's 1st gear being too low on the street. In that case...DO WHAT DAD DID. IGNORE FIRST GEAR. At the end of a long ride, once back in the city and fighting downtown traffic to get back to the house, dad (tired of all the upshifting and downshifting) simply dispensed with 1st gear and just let the clutch "earn its keep" by slipping its way through 2nd gear starts. Saved gas (higher ratio in 2nd), saved wear and tear on the foot (one less shift at every freakin stoplight/sign on the way home). Meanwhile.......WHO'S COUNTING THE DAYS TILL SPRING?
Been a long time since I went off-roading and do all of my ridings on a bagger. It's nice to watch these kinds of videos to keep up with the industry. Who knows maybe one day I'll pick up a dual sport. Thanks for sharing, Dave
Great video, bro. I’d take the GS in any model for an adventure bike option just from everyone giving it such high praise everywhere I’ve seen it. On a side note, man, I love the look of that 919. It’s always been on my radar.
In my dad's home town in Italy, there was always a Hornet (can't remember if it was a 599 or 919) when I was growing up and visiting in the summers. Probably the first bike I would ever just drool at. I'm not really an inline four fan, but I would make exception for that bike. Did you know Honda actually made the Hornets in Italy because they were so popular in Europe?
Great review of the 2 bikes! I have a 2012 Suzuki VStrom , for what I do it’s petty capable. I like the idea of a smaller, lighter bike, and BMW makes some amazing bikes! I came over after seeing Krakens’s shout out!
V-Strom is a great machine, it was also in the consideration list, but we found a GS with only 2,000 km on it that was priced almost 30% less than what they wanted for a V-Strom with 7,000 km so it was a no-brainer. Almost a year later and they still haven't sold that V-Strom :\
I’m a Harley guy but I think I’ll save this video as I’ve recently been thinking about the possibility of an adventure bike! Yes me too! In my area there’s a lot of dirt roads I can’t ride on with my road king lol 😂. Great review brother
Both bikes are great, but also different from each other. I've ridden the G650GS Sertao on green lanes and it is so very competent, and proper rugged with some very nice though out design features (tank fill on the side at rear etc), but the CB500X is so very much underrated, and have spoken to so many who massively rate it.
My buddy Wobblycat put 100,000 km on his! I think he only sold it because he wanted a little more power and found a great deal on a Triumph Tiger that was almost new.
Thanks for the vid. I’m looking at buying a black 2014 g650gs with factory spoked wheels and a couple extras. It has 18000 miles and looks clean but the dealer wants $7200 out the door. I offered $6200. Wish me luck 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻. Great video!
Great video and am considering both options now. To be honest, my main consideration has to be reliability and breakdowns. Honda right now is in the lead but .....
Thanks very much! My main consideration is always what am I going to use the bike for. A part may or may not fail, but I'm still stuck using it every day whether or not a failure ever occurs. What are your needs?
I've ridden both but neither of them long enough to have a real opinion but I did prefer the Honda straight up. I'll be taking the Honda on a proper test soon though. Might have to test the BMW again.
@@YouMotorcycle I just think ergonomically it suited me better. I felt a bit cramped on the GS although I did find the GS more manageable. They were both very short rides though
Ah okay, we are the same height, I also found it at least an inch shorter than necessary so I looked into it... Essentially the seat height that comes with the base model GS is shorter and thinner, it's more shorty-rider friendly. That also makes it a literal pain in the ass on long rides because there's less cushion to go around. I remedied this by spending $50 on a used BMW F650GS Dakar seat. It's got about 1"-1.5" more seat height plus the seat is wider which also further spreads your leg apart (reducing cramped feeling). Then I went ahead and ordered a Seat Concepts seat for it, and opted for their "Tall" seat height option which will be the same height as the Dakar but more comfy foam. That isn't going to arrive until at least February though... stay tuned lol
Thanks Eric! It's something I had already given thought to at the start of the year. I should have mentioned it, but I have a friend you'd like, he goes by Wobblycat. He's put over 100,000 km on his Honda CB500X. From Toronto, to all over Canada and the USA, from Alaska to Central America. The CB500X is really capable, and reliable as heck, but, the BMW is a really fantastic machine for it's size and price on the used market.
@@YouMotorcycle The CB-X is a crazy good value for what you get. I agree the GS is a much more capable machine offroad. The only other thought was cost of ownership. If you don't do the maintenance yourself, service on BMWs is crazy expensive. Wobblycat sounds like a person that I would enjoy hearing about their adventures over a beer. Keep up the great content, you have an amazing channel. Eric
Thanks...good stuff. Was wondering if you've ever swapped/replaced the bars on a G650 GS? The wife has a habit of crashing it when we hit the sandy trails and the OEM bar bends easily. My main concern is removing/replacing the controls, grips and such on the bar. I see BMW uses notched/drilled bars which I can probably recreate on a non-BMW bar, but was hoping others had done it before me. Thanks!
I've had to deal with that on a Harley. It sounds like Harley does a similar thing with both notched/drilled bars as well as knurled bars at the mount points... Pain in the butt. No experience with the BMW bars though sorry!
There are a lot of versions of the 650, including twins, they aren't all thumpers. The Dakar version is miles ahead of others for off-road. If you can find a Dakar 650, with spoked rims, better suspension, etc out of the box, you save having to do a lot of modifications and get a darn potent little off roader out of the box.
I'd pick a Sertao over the Dakar, for all the same reasons you suggest the Dakar, but it came with updated fuel injection mapping and some other little improvements :)
@@YouMotorcycle - I think they are basically the same. Just years they were made and so forth. The bummer is, you can't get a 650 single now, that isn't starting to age. I don't think the 700 twins are quiet the same, I think by the time they did the 700, they assumed people who really wanted off-road stuff, would go F800.
Yeah I drove for like 8-10 hours to get one because it had under 2,000 km on it. There's one up for sale now fully kitted with bags for basically more than what they cost brand new, but it only has 6,000 km on it. Low kilometer ones are getting harder and harder to find. Re: Dakar vs. Sertao, from an article on ADVMoto: "Compared to the older Dakar (2001-2007) the new Sertao has updated EFI, new electronics, lights, bodywork and comes standard with ABS and heated grips; it even has a traditional turn signal switch on the left grip!"
Very informational man. I’m just now starting to look into dual/adv stuff as it’s appealing more and more to me. Perhaps I missed it while watching but I would assume the Honda for repairs and what not might be cheaper to come by as well?
Neither bike is really known for having anything fail other than smaller stuff like water pumps or fuel filters that you can replace with aftermarket equivalents if you're worried about paying OEM prices on new parts. Both bikes are fairly bulletproof and you can find tons of examples of the BMW with well over 100,000 km, and I personally know of at least one CB 500x they can say that as well
@@marisaf4469 no. Honda Canada lent me an NC700 a long time ago and I disliked the motor so much I didn't even bother reviewing it. I guess I haven't been on their good side since 😂
Yes I've ridden one. But there's a difference between something derived from consequence and something derived from design. The cb500x does have a low 1st gear, but I've found nothing to indicate this is by design. It's more likely just a consequence of it being a small-medium displacement motorcycle. On the flip side, the BMW's first gear ratio is by design. It was created with intent. The horsepower is very comparable on both bikes but the torque is very different.
@@YouMotorcycle Many cbx owners consider a larger front sprocket (16 tooth) the best upgrade one can give the bike. I totally agree regarding the feeling of power. i also have an yamaha xt 660 x it feels much stronger even though it has the same hp as the honda.
I know this a i somewhat of an old review but I'm wondering about maintaining the BMW. Most routine maintenance seems like a lot of trouble, or expensive if you have a shop do it. Could you tell me your experience maintaining your G650gs?
@@jamesbastiaanse6877 oil change is annoying but the rest isn't so bad. One of my local BMW dealers told me they just put 10w40 in it so that got rid of the annoyance of trying to find the hard to find oil weight it comes with. Rest is pretty straightforward
Thanks man. HOpefully it can help some people as a benchmark of what to expect and help others to understand just how much work motovloggers put into their channels! Cheers and thanks for watching!
A cb500x e uma moto com pouca ou neuma capacidad offroad, a G650gs em qualquera das versões e mais apta a um uso on/off e algumas coisas como o cavalete central o ABS desligavel, os cubremao ja de fabrica fazem tambem uma melhor opçao
Yes, true, those early cb500x with 17" wheels were not good offroad - but after '22" version updates with 19" front wheel, it is very capable adventure bike.
Yup. I mean, on touring, and off road, different priorities than joy riding, but still... The worst mistake you can ever make as a broke motorcyclist? Trying your buddy's better bike lol
Great review of the 2 bikes! I have a 2012 Suzuki VStrom , for what I do it’s petty capable. I like the idea of a smaller, lighter bike, and BMW makes some amazing bikes! I came over after seeing Krakens’s shout out!
I owned a 2014 CB500X and sold it and ended up with a 2015 G650 GS, Why ? The Honda is classified as an adventure bike on the Honda website but with the aluminum wheels and less suspension travel it is more of a street bike with an Adventure look. My GS came with spoked wheels from BMW and Metzler dual sport tires from the factory.
Heated grips, ABS and I was able to find tons more accessories for the BMW than the Honda. I added a taller BMW windshield, Barkbuster HD hand guards, SW Motech foot pegs, factory skid plate and engine protection. Garmin GPS, Givi rear mount with quick removal mount for a Weightless Givi storage suitcase. Also had a Seat Concepts taller seat made for me. It’s an awesome bike.
Hey there! Thanks for the input. Good to hear from someone who's personally owned both. I have the G650GS and have many of the same mods (love the Seat Concepts tall seat too!). It's a great bike! I'm shipping mine to Italy to ride cross-country.
@@YouMotorcycle that’s really cool
I have a 2016 and absolutely love it. Had a Honda 250 Rally and F800GS. One too small, and one way too top heavy. The G650GS is just right :o)
It's the Goldilocks of light adv motorcycles 👌🏻
My dearly departed father was my guru for all things motorcycle. He owned DOZENS of bikes over HIS lifetime and mine, and he taught me many gems of the road AND hints in the garage that I still live by to this day.
One of his favourite expressions...which subsequently became a rule of LIFE for me was...."If you've got all the road, USE IT!"
Think about that the next time you're heading too fast into a reducing radius sweeper and your only two options are 1. lay it down, 2. run wide. Go with dad's choice...#2, obviously...and take as much road as you need. (assuming you're the only one out there, of course!)
This is my long way of getting around to Adrian's comment about the Beamer's 1st gear being too low on the street.
In that case...DO WHAT DAD DID. IGNORE FIRST GEAR.
At the end of a long ride, once back in the city and fighting downtown traffic to get back to the house, dad (tired of all the upshifting and downshifting) simply dispensed with 1st gear and just let the clutch "earn its keep" by slipping its way through 2nd gear starts.
Saved gas (higher ratio in 2nd), saved wear and tear on the foot (one less shift at every freakin stoplight/sign on the way home).
Meanwhile.......WHO'S COUNTING THE DAYS TILL SPRING?
Yeah that's a good point you could just do second gear starts. This thing isn't lacking torque!
Been a long time since I went off-roading and do all of my ridings on a bagger. It's nice to watch these kinds of videos to keep up with the industry. Who knows maybe one day I'll pick up a dual sport. Thanks for sharing, Dave
Everything my Harley is good at my smaller bikes suck at. Everything my Harley sucks at, my smaller bikes are great at. It's good to have options! :)
@@YouMotorcycle Hmm I wonder if i can sell that to my wife, LOL cheres
@@HarleysDinersRides never sell, just buy it. Then by the time they notice, 🤷🏻♂️
@@YouMotorcycle The old forgiveness vs permission, LOL
Great video, bro. I’d take the GS in any model for an adventure bike option just from everyone giving it such high praise everywhere I’ve seen it.
On a side note, man, I love the look of that 919. It’s always been on my radar.
In my dad's home town in Italy, there was always a Hornet (can't remember if it was a 599 or 919) when I was growing up and visiting in the summers. Probably the first bike I would ever just drool at. I'm not really an inline four fan, but I would make exception for that bike. Did you know Honda actually made the Hornets in Italy because they were so popular in Europe?
@@YouMotorcycle Had no idea but it’s cool to know that it has strong Italian roots. 🇮🇹
Great review of the 2 bikes! I have a 2012 Suzuki VStrom , for what I do it’s petty capable. I like the idea of a smaller, lighter bike, and BMW makes some amazing bikes! I came over after seeing Krakens’s shout out!
V-Strom is a great machine, it was also in the consideration list, but we found a GS with only 2,000 km on it that was priced almost 30% less than what they wanted for a V-Strom with 7,000 km so it was a no-brainer. Almost a year later and they still haven't sold that V-Strom :\
@@YouMotorcycle They must be asking a ridiculous price, they usually go pretty quick
@@Motoramblings I tried explaining that to them but there's no reasoning with some people lol
I’m a Harley guy but I think I’ll save this video as I’ve recently been thinking about the possibility of an adventure bike! Yes me too! In my area there’s a lot of dirt roads I can’t ride on with my road king lol 😂. Great review brother
Thanks man! Love my V-Rod but... it's just not the most practical motorcycle lol. Always good to have options!
Both bikes are great, but also different from each other. I've ridden the G650GS Sertao on green lanes and it is so very competent, and proper rugged with some very nice though out design features (tank fill on the side at rear etc), but the CB500X is so very much underrated, and have spoken to so many who massively rate it.
My buddy Wobblycat put 100,000 km on his! I think he only sold it because he wanted a little more power and found a great deal on a Triumph Tiger that was almost new.
Both are great and I ride F650GS but when the apocalypse comes up, I will choose Honda cub 50cc in the town.
Nice review.!
Thanks man. You can never go wrong on a cub. Unless you need speed. Then you're SOL lol
Thanks for the vid. I’m looking at buying a black 2014 g650gs with factory spoked wheels and a couple extras. It has 18000 miles and looks clean but the dealer wants $7200 out the door. I offered $6200. Wish me luck 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻. Great video!
Good luck man! Let me know how it goes either way. Whereabouts are you located?
@@YouMotorcycle coastal Washington. Put the deposit on the bike today.
Was it a black one by any chance???
I saw someone in a facebook group I'm in say they just put a deposit down on a black G650GS yesterday.
@@YouMotorcycle that’s me.
Great video and am considering both options now. To be honest, my main consideration has to be reliability and breakdowns. Honda right now is in the lead but .....
Thanks very much! My main consideration is always what am I going to use the bike for. A part may or may not fail, but I'm still stuck using it every day whether or not a failure ever occurs. What are your needs?
I've ridden both but neither of them long enough to have a real opinion but I did prefer the Honda straight up. I'll be taking the Honda on a proper test soon though. Might have to test the BMW again.
Hey Adam. What drew you to the Honda?
@@YouMotorcycle I just think ergonomically it suited me better. I felt a bit cramped on the GS although I did find the GS more manageable. They were both very short rides though
How tall are you?
@@YouMotorcycle 5, 11 or 180cm
Ah okay, we are the same height, I also found it at least an inch shorter than necessary so
I looked into it... Essentially the seat height that comes with the base model GS is shorter and thinner, it's more shorty-rider friendly. That also makes it a literal pain in the ass on long rides because there's less cushion to go around. I remedied this by spending $50 on a used BMW F650GS Dakar seat. It's got about 1"-1.5" more seat height plus the seat is wider which also further spreads your leg apart (reducing cramped feeling). Then I went ahead and ordered a Seat Concepts seat for it, and opted for their "Tall" seat height option which will be the same height as the Dakar but more comfy foam. That isn't going to arrive until at least February though... stay tuned lol
Great information 👍
Thanks brother!
Good advise!
Thanks Eric! It's something I had already given thought to at the start of the year. I should have mentioned it, but I have a friend you'd like, he goes by Wobblycat. He's put over 100,000 km on his Honda CB500X. From Toronto, to all over Canada and the USA, from Alaska to Central America. The CB500X is really capable, and reliable as heck, but, the BMW is a really fantastic machine for it's size and price on the used market.
@@YouMotorcycle The CB-X is a crazy good value for what you get. I agree the GS is a much more capable machine offroad. The only other thought was cost of ownership. If you don't do the maintenance yourself, service on BMWs is crazy expensive.
Wobblycat sounds like a person that I would enjoy hearing about their adventures over a beer.
Keep up the great content, you have an amazing channel. Eric
Thanks...good stuff. Was wondering if you've ever swapped/replaced the bars on a G650 GS? The wife has a habit of crashing it when we hit the sandy trails and the OEM bar bends easily. My main concern is removing/replacing the controls, grips and such on the bar. I see BMW uses notched/drilled bars which I can probably recreate on a non-BMW bar, but was hoping others had done it before me. Thanks!
I've had to deal with that on a Harley. It sounds like Harley does a similar thing with both notched/drilled bars as well as knurled bars at the mount points... Pain in the butt. No experience with the BMW bars though sorry!
There are a lot of versions of the 650, including twins, they aren't all thumpers. The Dakar version is miles ahead of others for off-road. If you can find a Dakar 650, with spoked rims, better suspension, etc out of the box, you save having to do a lot of modifications and get a darn potent little off roader out of the box.
I'd pick a Sertao over the Dakar, for all the same reasons you suggest the Dakar, but it came with updated fuel injection mapping and some other little improvements :)
@@YouMotorcycle - I think they are basically the same. Just years they were made and so forth. The bummer is, you can't get a 650 single now, that isn't starting to age. I don't think the 700 twins are quiet the same, I think by the time they did the 700, they assumed people who really wanted off-road stuff, would go F800.
Yeah I drove for like 8-10 hours to get one because it had under 2,000 km on it. There's one up for sale now fully kitted with bags for basically more than what they cost brand new, but it only has 6,000 km on it. Low kilometer ones are getting harder and harder to find.
Re: Dakar vs. Sertao, from an article on ADVMoto: "Compared to the older Dakar (2001-2007) the new Sertao has updated EFI, new electronics, lights, bodywork and comes standard with ABS and heated grips; it even has a traditional turn signal switch on the left grip!"
Very informational man. I’m just now starting to look into dual/adv stuff as it’s appealing more and more to me. Perhaps I missed it while watching but I would assume the Honda for repairs and what not might be cheaper to come by as well?
Neither bike is really known for having anything fail other than smaller stuff like water pumps or fuel filters that you can replace with aftermarket equivalents if you're worried about paying OEM prices on new parts. Both bikes are fairly bulletproof and you can find tons of examples of the BMW with well over 100,000 km, and I personally know of at least one CB 500x they can say that as well
I know it is an odd comparison but how does the reliability of BMW compares to the Kawasaki KLR 650 ( excluding the electronics ) ?
I've never owned a KLR, but I've never had a problem with either of my 650GS'.
Do you have any comparisons with the Honda Nc 750x?
@@marisaf4469 no. Honda Canada lent me an NC700 a long time ago and I disliked the motor so much I didn't even bother reviewing it. I guess I haven't been on their good side since 😂
i wonder i you have ridden a honda cb 500x. i find the 1 gear very low on mine. and it has 48 hp like the bmw. i think the 42hp is on the rear wheel.
Yes I've ridden one. But there's a difference between something derived from consequence and something derived from design. The cb500x does have a low 1st gear, but I've found nothing to indicate this is by design. It's more likely just a consequence of it being a small-medium displacement motorcycle. On the flip side, the BMW's first gear ratio is by design. It was created with intent. The horsepower is very comparable on both bikes but the torque is very different.
@@YouMotorcycle Many cbx owners consider a larger front sprocket (16 tooth) the best upgrade one can give the bike. I totally agree regarding the feeling of power. i also have an yamaha xt 660 x it feels much stronger even though it has the same hp as the honda.
I know this a i somewhat of an old review but I'm wondering about maintaining the BMW. Most routine maintenance seems like a lot of trouble, or expensive if you have a shop do it. Could you tell me your experience maintaining your G650gs?
@@jamesbastiaanse6877 oil change is annoying but the rest isn't so bad. One of my local BMW dealers told me they just put 10w40 in it so that got rid of the annoyance of trying to find the hard to find oil weight it comes with. Rest is pretty straightforward
@@YouMotorcycle looks like half the bike comes off to change the air filter, and the valve check is pretty indepth.
Good🤸♀
Thanks man. HOpefully it can help some people as a benchmark of what to expect and help others to understand just how much work motovloggers put into their channels! Cheers and thanks for watching!
A cb500x e uma moto com pouca ou neuma capacidad offroad, a G650gs em qualquera das versões e mais apta a um uso on/off e algumas coisas como o cavalete central o ABS desligavel, os cubremao ja de fabrica fazem tambem uma melhor opçao
tienes razon
Yes, true, those early cb500x with 17" wheels were not good offroad - but after '22" version updates with 19" front wheel, it is very capable adventure bike.
Tough to take a power cut...
Yup. I mean, on touring, and off road, different priorities than joy riding, but still... The worst mistake you can ever make as a broke motorcyclist? Trying your buddy's better bike lol
@@YouMotorcycle- No moto swinging, somebody always goes away feeling less fulfilled !
Lmao!
Hey 👋
Hey there 🤖
Great review of the 2 bikes! I have a 2012 Suzuki VStrom , for what I do it’s petty capable. I like the idea of a smaller, lighter bike, and BMW makes some amazing bikes! I came over after seeing Krakens’s shout out!
Thanks man. V-Strom was on our consideration list. Great, sensible machines.