My first stint with the BMW F650, popularly known as the Funduro was around four years back. Close to my house in Delhi was a vast empty piece of land often visited by a group of motocross riders as a practicing track. I would watch the little two-strokes screaming their way around while riders attempted to jump reaching maximum heights of a foot or two.

At times, Gaurav Gill, a well-known rallyist (on both two and four wheels) would hit the track on his Funduro. It was a visual treat to see him leap the burly machine as high as six to eight feet in the air utilizing all the 48 horses the single cylinder mill punched out. He landed smoothly every time as the long travel suspension soaked the impact with ease. After pestering him to let me ride the heavy beast for god alone knows how many weeks, I finally got a chance to be on the F650’s saddle, however, I did not go beyond the boundaries of the massive ground.



Years passed and while talking to a bunch of riders, it struck me that not many know the BMW F650 was India’s first official large displacement motorcycle. After a gap of twelve long years, 2007 saw Yamaha launching high capacity machines in the country, but the Funduro can be credited as being India’s premiere bike in this segment.

Last month, while planning the R1 shoot in Mumbai, all it took was a single phone call to Stuart Lima for arranging the Funduro as well. I have always been a big bike fan and will opt for a touring bike rather than a sports model any day. Riding the F650 on regular roads had been on my wishlist for quite sometime now.