BMW Announces the New Xmoto
BMW G 650 Xmoto is a complete departure from the old and staid BMW. It’s designed to enjoy fast curves on country roads. Even at a standstill, the Street Moto clearly proves that this very special machine focuses on one highlight in particular: sheer riding pleasure on country roads.
The bike has Supermoto-style 17-inch wheels and the aluminium handlebar is fastened in position by extra-short mounting clamps. The front wheel cover is complete with color-highlighted tube protectors fitted close to the tire, and the headlight fairing is finished in twin-tone Graphitane metallic matt and Red paint.
This clearly changes the proportions of this special model, giving the G 650 Xmoto an even more muscular and athletic look, even though many of the fairing components as well as the asymmetrically designed headlight are the same as on the other X-series 650’s.
More: Complete and detailed list of the G650 X-Series specifications and model comparison charts.
The Street Moto nevertheless stands out significantly from its sister models in terms of its suspension set-up, with the smaller cast-aluminium 17-inch wheels running on sports tires with very good grip ensuring optimized handling in every respect. Measuring 120/70 at the front and 160/60 at the rear, the tyres reflect the muscular look and character of the machine, allowing use of the latest sports tyres on the rims measuring 3.5 and, respectively, 4.5 inches in width.
Apart from lower gyro-forces on the front wheel, the shorter camber also enhances the motorcycle’s handling and agility on the road. The forward-leaning seating position also helps to make long and winding bends as well as serpentines a truly outstanding pleasure on two wheels, optimum directional stability on straight passages in between again leaving nothing to be desired.
One of the improvements made to optimize the motorcycle’s suspension geometry is the opening for the front axle moved further back, again in the interest of almost playful but nevertheless safe handling for significant benefits also in city traffic.
Both the springs and dampers are specifically tailored to the Street Moto with its particular requirements and riding qualities.
While the upside-down telescopic fork offers 270 millimeters or 10.6″ spring travel like on the Hard Enduro, the fork is even firmer and tauter all round in its inbound and rebound motion. Particularly the sporting rider will be happy to enjoy the sensitive, incremental adjustment of the damper in both directions, ensuring an individual, personalized set-up at all times.
Rear-wheel suspension, in turn, is firmer and shorter, with spring travel at the rear of 245 millimeters or 9.65″.
The Street Moto boasts the most powerful brake system of all models in the G 650 X line-up: At the front a four-piston fixed caliper interacts with a 320-millimetre (12.60″) brake disc in floating arrangement, interacting with high-grip radial tyres for exceptional deceleration benefiting in particular from the very high torsional stability of the USD telescopic fork with its main tubes measuring 45 millimeters or 1.77″ in diameter. With its 240-millimetre (9.45″) brake disc and floating-caliper configuration, the rear-wheel brake is the same as on the other two models.
Final drive on the G 650 X Moto conceived for road use comes with a ratio of 16 : 47 teeth, that is somewhat longer than on the Enduro version.
It almost goes without saying that a scrambler, by tradition alone, simply has to come on wire-spoke wheels. So the wheels will be an available option and they will ensure consistent lightweight technology all the way, with hollow-cast aluminum hubs and epoxy-plated rims also made of light alloy.
Typical of a scrambler, the 19-inch front wheel, as well as the 17-inch wheel at the rear, both roll on hollow-drilled wheel shafts. And last but not least, tires with their own special tread and dimensions of 100/90 at the front and 130/80 at the rear, again live up to all the versatile and individual requirements made of a scrambler.
Superior stopping power is provided also on the G 650 Xmoto by brake discs measuring 300 millimeters or 11.81″ in diameter at the front and 240 millimeters (9.45″) in diameter at the rear. The brake calipers are floating units with double-piston actuators at the front.
Featuring a 16-tooth pinion and a 47-tooth sprocket, finally, the final drive ratio is exactly the same as on the Street Moto.
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