I've owned a Himalayan and would recommend the BMW as a much better motorbike in every category. If height is an obstacle with the 650 Dakar, lower it. I agree. The RE is a great bike, but an F650 from back when BMWs were reliable is just a lot more bike. If going solo I'd choose the lighter bike.
The 2006 BMW F 650 GS and all other motorcycles made 1894-2023. Specifications. Pictures. Rating. Discussions. Top speed : 170.0 km/h (105.6 mph) Compression
my 2012 BMW G650gs gets 70+ mpg and is smoother than my 1991 DR650 ever was. The DR650 was a better dirt bike, but the G650gs is a better all around bike. It's worth noting that the DR was changed substantially in 1996, but has been the same since. The pre-96 DR is effectively a totally different bike.
I turned my 650 into a touring enduro with 4 changes; 44 tooth rear sprocket Staintune muffler Techclusion device K&N air filter The difference in power was great. And not too loud, just loud enough to make the 650 sound like a dirtbike. I routinely rode at 80-85 with revs at 85 being 5,000 rpm.The BMW G 650 GS was a motorcycle manufactured by BMW Motorrad. filing the gap left by the BMW F650GS Dakar discontinued from production in 2008. pushing the machine to a top speed of 170
The 'Dakar' specifications put it in the 650 cc dual-sport class, competing against bikes such as the Kawasaki KLR650, Suzuki DR650, Honda XR650L, KTM LC4 640, Yamaha XT660 and Honda Transalp. A specially prepared rally raid version of the bike was used by Charley Boorman and his team during the 2006 Dakar Rally while filming their documentary LHLD.