written by thyde on 30/01/2020
Have owned the bike since new in 2002 and travelled all over Europe and UK. Covered 600 miles in a day without drama or cramp. Regularly returns 60 mpg. Very easy to push in and out of garage, after market centre stand is well worth having. Suzuki engine has good spares support and very easy to work on yourself. The low weight and torquey engine combine to give a surprising rate of acceleration. Handling with a GIVI screen is fine and cruises nicely at 70mph. I own and have ridden many bikes over 40 years and this is the one that I will not part with as it never ceases to put a smile on my face. They did not sell in large numbers in the UK and consequently are quite rare. Stainless exhaust pipe can often look discoloured or brownish but easily polishes up. Worth putting a rubber extension on the front mudguard to protect the engine from road muck.
written by on 14/05/2009
Sachs Roadster 650 is expensive parts for repairs and poor lights.
Acceleration is poor
written by Klaus Wolske on 27/11/2008
Love the bike as it is different in every way. Affordable serious fun bike for long or short trips. Super responsive,torquey engine. Love the thump..climb every mountain. Every looks at it as its so rare here in Australia.
written by thumper650 on 25/08/2008
Loads of fun, commute, play, enjoy.
I tossed up whether I should buy this or a W650 Kwaka. I nearly bought the W650, but in the end I new this bike would get a squirt with the hose every now and again and parked in the corner of the shed till next time.
The dirt bike heritage, decent brakes, humongous fork tubes and light weight won out.
written by on 08/07/2008
Sachs are one of the oldest motorcycle manufacturers in the world and are German based. In Roadster 650 they have used the tried and tested Suzuki 650 single cylinder engine - a very reliable engine indeed.
The brakes are by Grimeca.The stunning flowing design is by the Swiss engineer Fritz Egli.
The bike weighs a tiny 154kilos and is suited for both men and lady riders. Weighing so little it gets off the mark very quickly.
Its an ideal workhorse and weekend fun bike that will turn the head of everybody you pass and you'll be enjoying the unmistakeable buzz that only a big single can provide.
written by super white on 08/07/2008
I've found the Sachs Roadster to be a pleasure to ride. Its responsive and the riding position is comfortable. I've had fared bikes and other retro bikes but I'll stick with the Sachs for value for money, economy (50-55mpg) and sheer fun ... I use mine every day 60miles round trip... I love it! Sachs are one of the oldest motorcycle manufacturers in the world and are German based. In the Roadster 650 model they have used the tried and tested Suzuki 650 single cylinder engine - a very reliable engine used in the DR650. The brakes are excellent and by Grimeca. The eye catching flowing design is by the Swiss engineer Fritz Egli. The bike weighs just 154kilos (very light) and is suited for both men and lady riders. Due to the excellent frame and weighing so little the Roadster it gets off the mark very quickly. It will cruise happily at 80mph and has a top speed is around 105mph. An ideal workhorse and weekend fun bike that will turn the head of everybody you pass and you'll be enjoying the unmistakeable buzz that only a big single can provide.
written by myfriendflicker on 07/05/2008
Overall I am very happy with this bike, a great colour have had a topbox painted the same colour. The headlight was not bright enough, but I have replaced it with a 100 Watt bulb which is great. My husband has a ST1300cc and he likes to play with my bike on the windy roads more than his own. I love that everywhere I go people ask me what kind of bike this is, they have not seen it before. The importer of this bike is easily contacted and follow up inquiries have been dealt with quickly. As motor is Suzuki 650cc parts are easily to get.
written by on 04/05/2008
50+MPG - cheap insurance, reliable - could look good with a bit of customising (Low bars, rearsets, racing seat - would make a good cafe racer!).
written by on 13/12/2007
My Sachs Roadster 650 has 9000 ks, I would like to fit multi purpis tryes and a flyscreen. I am happy with my bike, but not the non-existent backup.
written by casperdog777 on 21/02/2007
This bike has a retro look that goes perfectly with the massive 650cc single cylinder, four-stroke engine that comes courtesy of Suzuki. But while the styling is retro, the handling is impressive thanks to Swiss frame guru Fritz Egli, who made his name slotting Vincent Black Shadow engines into his own chassis. The Sachs 650 is marketed as an every day motorcycle, a workhorse that you can use to get to work on and enjoy at weekends.
Top speed is about 105mph with a maximum torque of 41.3 ft-lb at 6200rpm. The engine pumps out 50bhp at 6750rpm. This is a single cylinder thumper of a bike. My bike has the optional extras of a centre stand, crash bars and fly screen.
The German bike is equipped with excellent Italian Grimeca disc brakes, with a 320mm front brake disc and a 220mm at the rear. Wheels are classic spoked alloy rims. The gearbox is a five-speeder, which is all you need with a big thumper like the 650 Roadster - especially as it only weighs 154kg dry, a substantial 54kg down on something like a Suzuki Bandit.
Light weight, a decent chassis, a flexible motor and good brakes all add up to a bike that does just what it is supposed to do. It isn't going to win races, but that's not what it was designed for, it is a sound solid all round performer. Seat height is 740mm, but if that's stretching your inside leg Sachs can supply a lower saddle. Other optional extras include colour co-ordinated hard luggage and crash bars.
written by Keithiopian on 07/02/2007
I bought my Sachs Roadster 650 new for £4000. This included the optional centre stand (why only an option?). In 18 months of ownership, fault followed fault. This started on my ride home from the dealer. Most of the bulbs blew. The mileometer also failed to work. Within two days, oil was leaking from the cylinder head bolts. These faults were rectified by the dealer. The mileometer on the new speedo also failed to work. I decided to just ignore this. A few days later, the oil leaks were back. After a couple of weeks, one of the rear shock absorbers began to fall to pieces. The oil leaks were cured four times before I had an oil tight bike. After a couple of months the rev counter stopped working. The front disk warped around this time. These were both replaced. The disk needed replacing again a few months later. I bought my bike in May . When November came around a new problem arose. The bike just would not run properly. This was diagnosed as carb icing. The only cure was to use a petrol additive. I was disappointed to find that the rear brake pads were completely worn out in only 5000 miles. This is caused by the rear brake pedal not returning after being applied. All of the linkages were free and clean, it just seems that the design does not work. The price of new brake pads was a staggering £45.
When the bike was running well I actually enjoyed it. But in 18 months, there were probably only a few weeks when the bike had no faults. One to avoid.
Written on: 04/04/2008
I'm glad in a way that I'm not the only owner who had problems. My cylinder head bolts also leak oil and it has failed its MOT twice with a warped front brake disc. Try getting hold of a replacement! It's like trying to find rocking horse manure. I'm thinking of trying to replace the front wheel entirely with a different brake set. Any ideas anyone?
written by Jimmy Jimmy on 19/08/2004
The Sachs Roadster 650 motorcycle is a highly tuned but very reliable Suzuki 650 single wrapped in a Fritz Egli frame, with Paoli forks, Sachs suspension, Grimeca brakes and a lovely Lafranconi exhaust :). This bike is not a plodding CB500 commuter rival the lazy UK press thinks it is. I had to look for info in Europe to see that the French, Italians and Germans really liked this bike, a modern Goldstar? Not the best around town, go find some bends, painfully slow in straight lines and will numb your hands after 30 minutes on Motorways, go find some bends!
Cost about £4200 new but second hand offer dealer no more than £2500 (actually I only paid £1900 ;))as they are not popular (yet!) but bits will last and engine well proven. A similar Suzuki Freewind would cost £5k new and £4500 second hand, why pay this much?
Written on: 08/07/2008
If the balancer behind the flywheel gets out of sync due to poor maintenance this will lead to the excess vibration you mention. Get your dr650 engine serviced and then you'll enjoy it the way you should.
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Casperdog777's Response to Keithiopian's Review
Written on: 21/02/2007
To have all this happen on a new machine was terrible.
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So far on a 2003 model with 8,000 miles no faults at all.
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Also it was as cheap as chips. Never pay full price for a motorcycle, especially one like this. Haggle like mad. Mine was £1,000 from a dealer. Only had it 2 months so lets see what it is like, so far so good.