2007 BMW Xcountry Photo Gallery

We pounded the pavement and parched Arizona desert to find out where the BMW Xcountry lines up in the grand scheme of off-road and dual-sport bikes. Check out our test of the 2007 BMW Xchallenge & Xcountry

2007 BMW Xcountry and Xchallenge.

A shorter seat height means rides with long legs will feel cramped.

The Xcountry has suspension that is better suited to its preferred environment than the Xchallenge. Riding the scrambler bike on the street was a blast.

The Xcountry’s stepped seat is not only three inches shorter, but infinitely more comfortable than the off-road bike’s butt rest

The revised motor is peppy in town but wheelies won’t happen on accident.

Moderate off-roading like this gravel road is great on the Xcountry. Much more than this and the street-biased dual-sport begins to show weaknesses.

Ah, the lengths we go to for our readers. Protection from the elements is non-existent.

There’s no doubt that the new X series will develop a following just like the F650GS and Dakar models. BMW just hopes that it’s a younger group of riders.

All of the X series bikes share this digital display unit. It was clean and functional, but the speedo seemed off by a few mph.

An LED tail light and clear-lens blinkers look sharp and make the DMV happy.

Passenger handholds and an extra heat shield make this a friendly two-up machine.

This Bembo dual-piston caliper holds tight to the 300mm rotor.

With so much technology shared between the bikes, it’s amazing they can be so different. The scrambler-style Xcountry leans towards the pavement side of the dual-sport spectrum while the Xchallenge prefers dirt.