HONDA FMX650 (2005 - 2012) Review

Version: 2007

Year: 2007

Annual servicing cost: £100

Bought it in 2016 with 14000 km for 1700 euro and still use it almost every day. Now has 54000 km. There is absolutely nothing else at that price that can beat it in build quality and reliability. Beefy upside down fork with long travel helps a lot in unmaintained roads. Torque perfect for really twisty mountain roads and overtaking.

Year: 2006

Having had KTM's and Husky SM's I was after something more user friendly. The engine is an old one, but after owning both an XL650L and an XR600R, I know how bomb proof, reliable and easy to work on these are.. Service parts are dead cheap, the riding position, brakes and suspension are spot on and if you keep it in the torque range its a hell of a lot of fun through B roads and twisty's running Conti Attack 3's The big bonus is if it does go pop, you won't need a second mortgage to repair it. ( The engine on my Husky 610SM cost £2200 to repair when the Crank went and destroyed everything!)This isn't a bike you would want to tour on, but as a back lane scratcher it ticks all the right boxes for me :)

Year: 2005

It is fun and easy to flick from side to side, not much power but torque in low rpm is great. Biggest con is there is not fuel gauge.

Year: 2006

Annual servicing cost: £120

It's slow, the fuel range is limited and it's not exactly comfy, but it's reliable and the single cylinder engine is very satisfying to chug around town or the country lanes

Buying experience: so long ago I can't really remember it. I've had it 11 years now

Year: 2006

Annual servicing cost: £125

Now owned it for 11 years, still love it. It's amazingly cheap to run with insurance now being £78 fully comp. Still as slow as you like. Fitted and aftermarket shock after the original died.

Buying experience: so long ago I can't remember it

after owning the bike for 5 years now i still love it. I've used it for hooning around, commuting around town and a few two up 200+ mile motorway trips with luggage. It's still slow as you like, but still brings a smile to my face. It's the longest i have ever owned a single bike, i wish honda had made one sooner :-)

I’ve recently bought an FMX650 as a second bike and I also feel that this MCN review is unduly harsh on the bike. If you’re in the market for a supermoto-style bike then don’t dismiss the FMX without at least taking a good look at one first. It may fall short when judged against the standards of purer, more competition-focussed supermotos from the other manufacturers, but if you're not going racing then there’s something to be said for Honda reliability and build quality when the alternative offerings have a reputation for being fragile and high maintenance. And that reassuring build quality is something that’s actually quite tangible from the first moment you sit on an FMX. My experience from the saddle suggests that for back-road and city riding the FMX delivers all the real-world benefits of the supermoto format: grunty bursts of acceleration, agile handling from a stance that affords optimal control, strong effective brakes, and enough height to give you a commanding view. On the down side, that saddle is very firm and unforgiving over any distance, but really, so what? If you want all-round versatility then it’s best to steer clear of supermotos. However, for short, intense shots of riding satisfaction - without the licence-shredding speeds - they're hard to beat. And you can really hustle this thing around. If you hook up the engine's power right then the FMX delivers strong, immediate drive, that can slingshot it off the line and straight up to 60. Beyond this it continues to pull with less urgency to 90-plus - if you can take the wind-blast! But show it some curves and it promotes confidence in spades and rewards a vigorous riding style, encouraging you to explore a fairground-ride combination of brisk thrapping acceleration, deep braking and hilariously extreme lean angles, all with an inspiring composure. I also ride a sports bike, but I’ve found that I’m way, way quicker on the FMX in any kind of tight, twisty, comparatively low-speed situation. Horses for courses! While it’s certainly no race-derived switchblade, the FMX’s engine is far better in reality than it looks from the specification. The bhp figure is irrelevant; what matters is the satisfying amount of torque being churned out. Trying to rev it hard achieves nothing; instead, clutch slipping and short-shifting to stay within the fat wedge of mid-range torque makes for perfectly rapid progress. There's an endearing quality to the power pulses thudding out from the big capacity single, and Honda have even managed to make it sound quite fruity, despite the restrictive, emissions-compliant exhaust system (Arrow make a full system replacement, though it's expensive). Of course an early priority of ownership is to remove the ridiculous ‘Funmoto’ stickers from the side panels – mercifully easy, peeling off to leave no trace. Those aside, it’s a good looking bike, with a purposeful presence and nice detailing, not least the imposing gold forks and black, spoked rims. Another attractive feature is the price - it seems to be widely discounted to well below the stated list price.

A much under-rated bike this one. I agree to some extent with MCNs verdict but only if you're rating it against other supermotos and use their price of £4699 as up-to-date. However I got my FMX brand new from a franchised dealer for £3500 and I believe the RRP is now £4000 otr. I recently moved to the sticks and found that my ZR-7 was totally unsuitable to the road conditions I now faced - bumpy country B-roads virtually all the way to work and not a decently surfaced road within miles. So I fixed up a few testrides - the FMX, DRZ400SM and XT660X. All great bikes in their own way, the XT having the beafiest engine, the DRZ being the lightest and the FMX being the easiest to ride slowly. I'd be happy to own any of them, but the price, dealer and handling of the FMX suited me the best. The FMX is certainly not the fastest of the bunch, so if you're interested in going over 70, then this isn't the bike for you. But low speed handling couldn't be better - I've owned bigger and faster bikes (VFR800, Bandit, Transalp, Hornet 600) but none come close to this bike on b-roads. Very forgiving suspension and powerful brakes make country roads fun again! Overall the FMX is nicely put together, although the controls and clocks look basic. This bike makes mincemeat of traffic jams, but it might not be a great winter commuter - it's engine is very exposed to grime and if it's wet, dirt gets sprayed all over the engine and exhaust which runs under the rear mudguard. The exhaust note is fairly tame and I'm sure there's more power to be had from this engine, which is a low state of tune. The exhaust looks good though, being stainless and alloy, so it would be a shame to junk it. Another nice touch is the front suspension, USD forks. The engine starts first time, should prove reliable due to it's low state of tune and it's been around for eons. Being a dry sump engine, you have to check the oil level AFTER you've run the engine, which if odd (check it straight away after killing the engine or the oil will disappear back into the frame/engine). The wide Renthal bars make handling very easy compared to more traditional road bike - in fact the bike reminds me of a MTX200R trailbike I used to own (and the FMX isn't much faster). Plastics are fairly soft too, as with all dirt bikes and isn't painted, it marks quite easily compared to the painted bodywork found on most bikes. However being solid plastic there's no undercoat to expose. The tank is matt black paint but this protected by plastic side panels and seat - no chance of the rider scratching it. I personally think the bike look great, better than either the DRZ and XTX. The gearbox is very positive, neutral being very easy to find. The engines got loads of low down pull but run out of puff fairly quickly, gear selection is important, as with all singles. It'll zip up to 60 very quickly, if a doddle to ride slowly and would make an ideal bike for someone whos just passed their test (as long as they didn't ride with friends on faster bikes who would leave the FMX for dead). Provided you understand this bikes limitations, you can't fail to like this bike. It's the best bike I've owned in a long time and for once I'm not now thinking "what's my next bike going to be?". The last bike that was this much fun was a Hornet, which was great little bike, but would suit the local roads near me. And what price £3500, what can you get for that these days?? Overall very happy with it!