Some bikes are great for cruising, but hard going when traffic slows. And then there's the difficulty of parking. Pushing a heavy bike through a narrow gateway, or trying to flick it on to a stand on an undulating greasy pavement in the rain can wrench arms from sockets and dislocate knees.

It seems that owners need to be muscle- bound giants. And there's a further difficulty with large motorcycles: they may be fine for the long-legged, but challenging for those who are five-foot-nothing in their stockinged feet. In short, being short means you can't put both feet on the ground when sitting astride some big bikes.

Thankfully, BMW has come up with a solution with its new F650GS road bike, on which the seat can be lowered so even Ronnie Corbett could ride one. Plus, the weight of this chunky-looking street machine means you won't do yourself a mischief trying to park it, push it, or man-handle it at low speeds.

The bike also has that rare cross-over attraction which means it's perfect for cruising and for commuting. Weaving through the traffic on Bristol's busy Coronation Road I found it a cinch to manoeuvre and keep upright. It's very stable and seems to purr along at walking pace – unlike some bikes that stutter and clunk when in slow traffic.

Speeding along the A37, it was difficult to resist hitting a tonne with the flick of a wrist. Thank goodness I know where the speed cameras are. And pulling away from the lights at the bottom of the M32 at Newfoundland Road, I was in danger of doing an unintentional wheelie. Yes, this bike can move.

The power apparently comes from the fact it's really derived from the BMW F800, with the larger bike's twin-cylinder, liquid-cooled unit, but retuned to produce 71bhp instead of 84bhp, delivering more torque at lower rpm.

Despite links to its bigger brother, the bike is a direct successor to the older one-cylinder 652cc entry-level BMW. That was a very popular bike and it looks likely that this will be too, since it's considerably less expensive and lighter than its older brother.

For those looking to buy their first big bike following their test, this is a possibility – but beware of the acceleration. As a workhorse commuter, weekend machine, or for dispatch riding, this is a bike worth considering, although it has been criticised in the media for lack of comfort on longer rides. This is something I didn't have time to test, but it seemed like all BMWs – a firm and comfortable ride.

Another selling point is its 3.5-gallon tank, which should cover 150 miles or more with easier riding. And it's certainly a super sexy looking bike.

by Harry Mottram