2012–2017 · Adventure · Buyer's Guide
Light Thumper, Long Reach
The Sertao is BMW's dual-sport reading of the 652 cc liquid-cooled single: 48 hp, 44 lb-ft at 5,000 rpm, and 425 lb wet. Those figures don't look like much until you ride it, because there is very little mass fighting them. A 21-inch front wheel, 8.3 in of travel front and rear, and 9.5 in of ground clearance put it in the genuinely dirt-capable half of the adventure class rather than the styling half. ABS is standard, the gearbox has five speeds, and drive is by chain. It sits between an entry-level adventure bike and the full-size GS, and it wears the badge without the full-size price.
It rides like a bike that trusts the rider to do the work. There is no electronic layer smoothing your inputs beyond ABS, and the chassis is honest enough that you never go looking for one. Where it really earns its keep is ownership: parts are cheap, service is straightforward, and the aftermarket has this chassis thoroughly covered. Buy one for gravel, forest roads, and long two-lane days ridden at your own pace. The honest caveat is that 48 hp through five gears makes sustained interstate speed hard work, and these bikes carry a handful of known quirks, so service history matters more here than the odometer reading.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 48 hp (35 kW) @ 6,500 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 44 lb-ft (60 Nm) @ 5,000 rpm |
| Displacement | 652 cc |
| Engine | Single-cylinder |
| Cooling | Liquid-cooled |
| Gearbox | 5-speed |
| Final drive | Chain |
| Fork | Telescopic |
| Front brake | 300 mm |
| Front tire | 90/90-21 |
| Rear tire | 130/80-17 |
| Ground clearance | 9.5 in (241 mm) |
| Front travel | 8.3 in (210 mm) |
| Rear travel | 8.3 in (210 mm) |
| Seat height | 33.9 in (860 mm) |
| Wet weight | 425 lb (193 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 3.7 gal (14 L) |
| Fuel economy | 49 mpg (US) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Comfort
Safety
You feel the single before you hear it. A low thump at idle, then a steady mechanical drone once you are rolling, with a fine buzz that settles into the bars and pegs through the middle of the rev range. Nothing punishing about it, just always present, the way a big thumper always is. The bar is wide and close, so you sit upright with your weight over your hips, and standing on the pegs happens without any negotiation. Between your knees the bike is narrow, which is why 33.9 in reads taller on the spec sheet than it feels at a stop. At road pace the screen puts most of the blast over your shoulders and the hand guards keep the weather off your fingers. Everything you touch is light. After a couple of hours you stop thinking about the machine and start thinking about the road.
This isn't my own riding impression. It's what has reached me over the years through paddock conversations, club-night talk with owners, and the messages riders send once they have real distance on one. The feedback is unusually consistent, both in what riders rate about the bike and in what wears on them over time.
The 652cc single takes most of the praise. Riders describe lively acceleration and pull spread wide enough to cover a tight backroad and a gravel track in one afternoon, and several say it stays settled at highway speed with less buzz than they expect from a single. Long-travel suspension earns nearly as much credit for absorbing rough surfaces without losing composure through corners.
Warm starting leads every conversation. Owners say the engine can refuse to fire after a short stop, and they name it as the bike's most frustrating habit. Corrosion comes next, with surface rust showing early on frame, swingarm, and brackets, worst on machines ridden where roads get salted. A smaller group reports the five-speed turning clunky as miles accumulate, and points to synthetic oil as what improves the feel.
Engine stalling from ECU software fault (recall)
Affected motorcycles may stall during operation because of an engine control unit (ECU) software fault, increasing crash risk. BMW recall 16V689 (which supersedes 15V537) covers Sertao units built 8 March 2013 to 12 October 2015; dealers install revised ECU software free of charge.
Warped front brake rotor
A handful of users experienced a warped front rotor around 18,000 miles, often replaced under warranty.
Difficult hot starting
Engine becomes hard to restart when warm, often requiring multiple attempts or a brief cool-down period. No definitive factory cure exists.
Premature steering head bearing wear
Some owners report notchy steering bearings needing replacement as early as 10,500 miles.
Corrosion on frame and swingarm
Surface rust appears on welded joints and brackets, particularly in wet climates or where stone chips have exposed bare metal.
Where this BMW G 650 GS Sertao pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Wet weight
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the G 650 GS Sertao is actually built for.
Fine on graded desert tracks and fire roads, and the 21-inch front helps you pick a line. At 425 lb it is more bike than you want on slickrock and deep sand when you ride at your skill ceiling.
Made for Bar M / Kane Creek · Imperial Sand Dunes · Johnson Valley OHV Area
It will do 200-mile days on two-lane roads happily, and lean clearance is generous. Just know that 48 hp asks you to work for sustained highway pace, and there is no cruise control.
Made for Black Hills · Blue Ridge Parkway · Cherohala Skyway
This is the honest budget answer for BDR mileage: 8.3 in of travel, 49 mpg, and running costs you can forecast to the dollar. Plan your fuel stops around the 3.7 gal (14 L) tank.
Made for AZBDR — Arizona Backcountry Discovery Route · California BDR South · COBDR — Colorado Backcountry Discovery Route
If you're cross-shopping the older generation, here's what changed.
Previous generation · 2002–2007
The Thumper That Goes Anywhere
Compare to the previous model →If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
