dual sport purchase

[eddied]

I am in the market to puchase a BMW F650 Dakar. I've looked around and have spoken to several people. Through all of my research, one either loves the Dakar or hates it. I've heard that they have a poor maintenance record (i.e., a lot of service is required), a lot of the engine parts are not even BMW parts, and that maintenance is expensive.
Any Dakar owners or previous Dakar owners out there that can offer up some information, good or bad, on this bike? I need to know the pros and cons before I plunk down this kind of cash.
Thanks for your help.

[Ablev1]

www.advrider.com will be a huge help

[MNwilly]

If you service your own bikes BMWs don't cost any more to maintain than anything else. I was looking at F650s recently, but I bought a DRZ400 instead. I have a R1150GS, and love it, but the F bike was not quite offroad enough for me. It really comes down to how you plan to ride it. If you are doing alot of distance, and mainly gravel, and two track, the Dakar is the better bike. For single track, and the potential for a few get offs, I'd get something lighter, and cheaper.