BMW G 450 X Enduro Review - Page 2

BMW G 450 X Enduro Review - Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 3 By Trevor Hedge Getting a little more technical.... The 30-degree forward tilt of the cylinder opens up a lot of space for very straight inlet tracts and a dual throttle valve system to help meet Euro III emission regulations. The starter motor is situated at the front of the engine and the battery is located directly behind the steering head in the upper triangular frame. A wet sump lubrication system utilises both a pressure and a suction pump to circulate 1.15 litres of 10W-40 oil throughout both the gearbox and engine. The two integrated oil sieves and filters are easily accessible and a sight glass allows for easy oil level checks. The engine runs a 12:1 compression ratio and the electric starting system incorporates an auto decompressor. A single radiator is fan assisted and looks to be quite well protected. The exhaust system is stainless steel and the muffler incorporates a catalytic convertor to meet Euro III emission regulations with an oxygen sensor providing feedback to the electronic fuel injection system. The G 450 X goes about its business with ruthless Germanic efficiency and as a result is an extremely easy to live with mount. A side effect of all that user friendliness is that the BMW does lack some of the excitement factor provided by the 450cc class stalwarts. If you are out for adrenalin thrills and enjoy big hits in an engines power delivery then that may be a negative. But for long days on the trail the positives of the BMW clearly outweigh that small criticism. I would also hazard a guess that due to its friendly manners most riders would actually prove quicker on the BMW anyway. While the underseat fuel cell is a modest eight litres, across the seven riders on the launch, including a couple of well proven racers, the average tank range was calculated at 112.8km. Still, for any serious adventuring a long range tank would be on order. And for anyone really looking to spend plenty of seat time on the BMW some seriously good underwear or cycling shorts may also come in handy as the seat does bring on a case of monkey butt quick smart. The fuel tank is filled through a portal in the rear of the seat. A conventional front suspension system consists of 45mm inverted Marzocchi forks with 300mm spring travel. A slanted progressive Ohlins shock absorber offers 320mm of travel and is fixed directly to the swingarm. The suspension and chassis feels more European that Japanese, unsurprisingly, but treads a fine middle ground between all out sporting potential and comfortable trail manners to make for a composed mount in most situations. The front end can deflect a little however and hard chargers might want to tweak the valving in order to get the best out of the machine. Brembo provides the braking hardware with a twin-piston floating caliper and 260mm rotor at the front combining with a 220mm disc at the rear. Both caused me no complaint. The front rim is 21 inches in diameter and the rear 18 inches. An integrated reinforced plastic bash-plate is standard as are the Magura bars. BMW include 13 and 14 tooth sprockets as spares, enabling the rider to shorten the final drive gearing from the standard 15/48 combination fitted as standard. Due to the position of the countershaft sprocket however changing that gearing might be a little beyond that of the average amateur spannerman. The swingarm must be removed to change the front sprocket due however BMW claim that swingarm removal on the G 450 X is a much simpler task than comparable machines and that a competent mechanic can complete the job in 15 minutes. Good luck with that one... Because of the elimination of wheelbase change through the stroke of the rear suspension BMW also claim that countershaft sprockets will enjoy a longer service life than conventionally driven machines. That is probably true. The airbox resides where you would expect to find the fuel tank. The air intake snorkel is situated at the height of the steering head to help avoid contaminants and the air filter is a flat square foam element that slides out on a drawer mechanism for easy maintenance. And it is very easy.   Continue to page 3

BMW G450X Enduro Review - Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 3

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