XtraPix: 2008 BMW G650 Xchallenge - First Look

BMW is on a roll when it comes to making bikes that would rather eat up rocks than chew miles of pavement. First step was the HP2, which proved BMW was serious about off-road fun. The HP2 is on the massive side for a dirtbike, though, with its twin cylinders sticking out in the breeze and a $20,000 price tag.So cut that in half and you get BMW’s newest dirt-worthy machine, the G650 Xchallenge. I think of it as an “HP1,” a single-cylinder, semi-affordable version of the HP2 at $8975. That’s no bargain by any means for a dual-sport bike, but it is on the low end when you compare it to the rest of BMW’s model range.

The Xchallenge is part of a trio of G650 X models developed and constructed in cooperation with Italian manufacturer Aprilia. The other two models are the Xcountry and Xmoto, the latter strictly tuned for street, and the former a modern scrambler fitting in the middle of the range. To get the full story pick up the latest issue of CW and take a closer look at the Xchallenge in our Xtra Pics gallery.