Haynes BMW F650 Singles

If you didn't already know it, the engine used to propel the VUN is the same one used by BMW for its range of F650 singles. Specifically, it is the twin-spark plug version of the engine used by F650 models between 1994 and 2000. The original BMW engines were fueled by twin BST constant velocity carburetors whereas the VUN is fitted with Dell'Orto electronic fuel injection.

This is one example of the sort of thing you can learn by reading the Haynes Service and Repair Manual for BMW F650 Singles.

I've always found Haynes workshop manuals to be excellently written. The instructions are good enough for even an experienced fool like me to follow.

The manual is split into logical sections: Maintenance, Repairs and Overhaul, and Reference. Each section is broken down into chapters, for example under Repairs and Overhaul there are chapters on: Engine, Clutch and Transmission; Frame and Suspension; Electrical System, etc.

VUN owners will be primarily interested in the engine, clutch, transmission and ignition system chapters. The overhaul chapters explain each major operation (e.g. cylinder head overhaul) in detail breaking it down into:

• Overview,
• Special tools needed,
• Removal,
  
• Disassembly,
• Inspection,
• Reassembly,
• Installation.

Detailed photographs and diagrams are provided all the way with step by step instructions.

The reference section at the back of the manual provides valuable general technical information on such diverse things as: reading spark plugs, fastener types, thread repair, fault finding, a technical terms glossary and so on. This section is fairly comprehensive and is very useful to non-professional hacks like me.

My VUN's warranty still has a long way to go so I am unlikely to need to overhaul my engine anytime soon. However, it would have been useful to have this manual around the day I decided to remove the oil filter cover to see what was behind it. I could have avoided spending 40 minutes cleaning up spilled oil that day (what was I thinking?).

My intention in buying this book was mainly to learn something about the internals of this engine and, in the future, how it might be modified to provide more power and less rotating mass.

I ordered my copy over the internet (how else?) from Motor Books in the UK. Their website was well setup, their price was competitive and ordering my book was straightforward. The book was well packaged and arrived in perfect condition. Delivery took nearly 3-weeks from date of order, but I should have expected that since I placed the order during a protracted postal workers strike in the UK.