Video: BMW G650GS is a lot of bike for £5000

MCN’s world-first ride on the new BMW G650GS has shown it’s competent on and off road and novice-friendly too. The BMW has 47bhp, which from 2013 will be the new power limit for novice riders, up from 33bhp.

And at £4920 plus on-the-road charges, it’s one of the cheapest big bikes you can buy, undercutting even Suzuki’s budget SV650 at £4975.

On a 160-mile ride through the Algarve in Portugal, including 110 miles on winding trails through hills, the G650GS showed its off-road credentials.

The engine pulls from virtually no rpm. It can be turning barely faster than tick-over, and a snap of the throttle will still pull you up hills, allowing you to stay in a high gear for more better off-road control.

Meanwhile that low-down grunt and a broad spread of power should make it forgiving for novices on-road, as should the deceptively low seat height – remarkably, it’s lower than a Kawasaki Ninja 250R’s seat.

Read the full report in MCN, on sale now.