and loved it. Spent three hours on and off the bike, mainly on except for the odd quick drink & fodder break. BMW GB requested that each dealership send a Salesman & a Technician to the OffRoad School in Wales for a training day. I spent the morning riding & the afternoon in the "classroom". I find it hard to fault the bike, bear in mind that I own a 400EXC but am not an expert rider. After several miles of gentle trail riding to warm us up (they have a 4,000 acre offroad arena at their disposal), it was up to the start of the 1 km Enduro course that had been set up. It included steep descents & climbs, thick mud, gravel & a single jump. I first went out on a 50hp bike fitted with an Akrapovic silencer & stock gearing (15t front sprocket), it ripped up the slopes, the power delivery was smooth and the throttle response exceptional. After a few laps, I was out on a 40hp bike (stock silencer & gearing). Power delivery wise, it felt like my 400EXC on slightly too high gearing. This was immediately noticeable the first time I rode it up the steep climb, you had to work the clutch a little more IMO. In the mud, it felt easier to ride than the 50hp bike & was certainly less tiring to ride (my fitness level could be better...) The only bike I didn't ride (I forgot) was a 50hp with a 13t front sprocket. It was a bit of a monster from all accounts. :eek1 The days riding ended with a long hard trail ride back to base, led by Matt Hall (of Race to Dakar fame), taking in a selection of much harder terrain than we'd done in the morning ride. For me, the riding ended way too early. Ther are some notable features, the airbox is located directly behind the headstock, the air filter is flat & retained in the lower half of the airbox which simply unclips & slides out from the right once the shroud's removed. Deep water shouldn't be an issue on this bike. The ground clearance is impressive, especially at the front of the engine. They had a 450EXC-R & a Huskie TE450 on show, the G540 was the equal of both in every way. In the UK at least, it will come with 13 & 14t sprockets in addition to the 15t fitted at the factory. The power-up plug swap is literally a 5 minute job max, best results obtained with the titanium Akra fitted. No pics from me (toooooo busy riding ) but plenty taken by Linley Pavey, Simon's wife, will post a link ASAP. Thanks to all those who organised the day.
My new Dirt Rider magazine had some stuff on it too. Sounds like a pretty nice bike. It's questionable for us in California when we will get it and if we will get the "power up" plug still afaik.
UK retail price will be £5,995 + approx £120 in OTR charges, works out at US$12,000 but then again, bike's always seem to be cheaper in the US?
Possu, Thanks for posting your impressions. Was the unique cs location on the swingarm pivot axis noticable?
Not sure that I'm experienced enough (or sensitive enough) to pick up on this. I can say that even with a tight chain, landing from 6ft high jumps caused no suspension issues. In addition, during the trail ride on the way back, the chain jumped the rear sprocket on a X-Challenge, something that can't happen on the G450X as the co-axial sprocket/swingarm pivot allows 10mm of chain slack rather than the usual 40mm. Someone commented on the suspension behaving a little different to other bikes when you closed the throttle in that it didn't load the front end. However it's very easy to slide yourself forward on the G450 seat as it extends to within 6-7" of the headstock. Link to riding pics will be posted once available.
Thanks for the reply. I read on a U.S. based review from their test in Spain that the U.S. model is already 50 hp. It just might be one of those rare times we get the better deal. I'll be looking forward to finding out what the price over here will be. link to the review I read http://www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/bmw/2009-bmw-g450x-review-82228.html
The 40hp bike complies with all the latest Euro emissions requirements. There's a replacement BMW silencer available without the Cat inside, frees up a little more power. The bike comes with the power-up plug (basically it just bridges two wires) to make 50hp. The beauty of the plug in power upgrade is that a novice can run the bike at 40hp until he's comfortable with the power delivery etc & then simply plug in a 25% power increase without needing to either buy another more powerful or resort to expensive tuning. As the plug simply bridges two wires, it was suggested that it wouldn't require a degree in rocket science to rig up a switch on the 'bars to switch between settings on the move as needed.
Still very tractable but the extra power delivery was very noticeable, throttle response was sharper too.
We did it the other way round, befor noon in the classroom, and the afternoon on the MX track of Genk, Belgium... Great bike
grrrr official BMW Czech dealer still dont have any info about price and when they will start to sell... :huh I dont want to buy a KTM 450EXC but the BMW marketing here is terrible...
IT COST WHAT?!?!?...$12,000!!! I don't care if you hear angels sing when you ride it, no sale. How can a 450 cost $12 grand? Get a DR 400 and put $1500 into it, and leave the remaining $5K in the bank. Or get 2 KLRs and bury one for later. $12,000 for a 450???...that's bool sheet
Double :huh The BMW will undoubtedly be a great bike, but there ain't nothing wrong with the 450EXC!!
Or buy a 530 and some 17s",auto clutch,slip on... It may be a dirt bike but it is still a BMW. Different cost more whether it's superior or not.
here we go with the "lawn mower vs. BMW M3" comparo... I reckon even if they have the same number of wheels, They aren't necessarily comparable...
Possu: The UK retail Price is inclusive of VAT? Which is 17%? The current exchange GBP to US$ is 1.77 In another thread the price in Belgium is quoted at: G450X: 8760 euros incl VAT
The price I quoted is inclusive of 17.5% tax. Our demo bike arrived recently, taking it to Wales for some muddy riding as soon as the launch on the 20th is over, can't wait.
The price was set in Norway to 97000 NOK in March/April Today 06.09.08 1 US $ = 5,63 NOK 97000 NOK = 17312 US $ 97000 NOK = 12163 EUR 97000 NOK = 9820 GBP Norwegian VAT is 25 % (Included in the total) So stop the whining girls
