I had one, I rode it from Los Angeles, Ca to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and back, 4000 miles. It was so comfortable. You can move your feet around so they do not cramp. In the rain, you do not get wet because of the fairing and wind shield. I am 5'6" so it was a bit high for me so I had to wear "Frankenstein" boots.
I haven't ridden the BMW but I'm a fan of the maxi-scooter. I have a Suzuki Burgman 650 AN Executive. I consider that model to be the benchmark of maxi-scooters. The appeal of the big scooters is that you can use them for touring as well as the daily commute. It has an electrically adjustable screen which does rise high enough to cut out turbulence at high speed as well as reducing the strain on the arms and chest at high speed. I like the twist and go approach to scooters - I have a Kawasaki Voyager 1700 with a heel and toe shifter and its fun to work through the gears. The Suzuki has a manual option with an up and down button which works without a clutch and gives access to a 6th gear which is an over drive. Forget the bike v scooter thing just ride what you like, what you can afford and what suits the you want to do. Thanks for the review.
Great test ride I had a large scooter for about a year and I loved every minute of it, obviously today they are much better , iv always had large bikes but I am thinking of having a large scooter as a commuting and touring bike, for some reason here in the uk they are very underestimated.
It's chain driven, not belt. it should not be slipping. Perhaps the chain has a little lag and need tensioning? They are shaft drive now and wonderful.
The windscreen is in the lowest position while you were riding down the highway complaining about noise. If you raise it to full height and move the lower deflectors forward you won’t have that issue
Call it the Beast.. I gobble up most models of car (torque to weight) though it's real throaty when accelerating... I have a 2019 with the bells and whistles including the alarm and top case... I have unofficially clocked it at 0-60 MPH in around 6s on a good road... Part of it is the ASC (stability control) does throttle over bumps... I bought it mostly because of the size.. It's tall and long, but HEAVY... That takes getting used to for everyday use... The windshield is a great height and you can easily tell when it's too low...
So how is your left wrist after riding that BMW scooter in stop and go traffic? Don't tell me it's perfectly fine because you don't have to use that stupid clutch which everyone that rides a standard bike complains about regarding stop and go traffic. That's a nice bike looks like it rides just like their cars! Personally, I like the Bergman 650 better but I can't believe Suzuki has stopped making them. Personally when they call the Bergman the Cadillac of scooters. Its name is well earned. The BMW scooter might cost more just like the Bergman but as far as I'm concerned you get what you pay for and that is pure luxury on two wheels. That was a good review and it was pretty honest and straightforward and you're right about the windshield if I was going to buy one that would stop me from buying it. Sorry that supposed to be the windshield would not stop me from buying one.
Hi, Thank you so much for your video. What do you think about getting one of these as a first bike? I am just worried its a bit heavy and powerful for a first bike. Thank you in advance
Hello, interested to know about the suspension of the bike. Some of the roads you were on looked somewhat rough. Also do you feel any engine heat coming at you?
This review was really helpful. I commute along that route too and from central London to Brize 75 miles. I’ve been doing it 16 days a month for years and the London traffic and Oxford bypass can be frustratingly slow moving. I have looked at all the options and have considered getting the benefit of something like this. What would be your opinion for choosing a maxi scooter in general for this type of commute? I don’t actually have a bike licence yet but not intimidated to learn quickly. My top concerns are: • The practicality of riding a 150 mile round trip • I can’t put the bike in a garage. So concerned about security and vehicle maintenance (Maybe be able to leave it in a free Q Park garage in London when not needed that week) Would be great to get some feedback to see if it’s a realistic idea worth the expense to save a few hours queuing.
I own one BMW GT650 very heavy on ground and very light during the ride. a lot of storage and a very powerful scooter. I use daily to work and so comfortable... I will never replace it with any other 🏍.
If you have a 200 mile solo ride in front of you in average British weather (patches of sun, patches of drizzle 15degC) do you swing a leg over your f800GT or step through the C650?
I had a Honda silverwing 600, a BURGMAN 650,AND I JUST bought a 2020 bmw c650gt from Kansas city Indian motorcycle that's gonna be shipped Wed or Thurs coming. I'll compare it to the BURGMAN
I’ve own 2 of these..My latest is a 2016. Anyone considering one of these needs to get a malossi variator. You will never regret it.. I have beaten 600s..I have one video racing a R6..He couldn’t catch me.
I had a J. Costa variator in my Gilera Nexus 500. It made a huge difference in acceleration at the cost of a bit higher rpm at higher speeds. I think the way the J. Costa works is better than the Malossi one.
The Foreigner thanks, it might be ok for me as I am 1.73m. Well, I will try the bike anyway. Would you sell your f800gt for this, regarding all the pros you have with the BMW (space under the seat, comfort, protection, etc.).
Thanks for the review it looks a very big scooter I guess not for lugging it out every day ? I hope the council was watching too very thread bare road all cracked n potholes...
You complain about the wind buffeting but you have the windscreen at the lowest level - I have owned four of these bikes (85K miles over the years) and can se that in your video the screen is down.
Unfortunately, motorbike manufacturers can't increase the height of the windscreens after a certain point. Windscreens should not exceed the eye line of the rider. So they give the windscreen the most aerodynamic curve for the average height rider which is 1.65-1.75m Hence the air buffeting. It is so stupid because the logic behind is that the dirt, mud, bugs etc on the windscreen can't be cleaned like a car with wipers so if the rider tries to clean it during the ride, it'd possibly cause an accident. It's dumb but that's the reason behind low height factory standard windscreens. 40km speed limit is also dumb but laws are made by the elderly for the dumbest of the population...
It's just obscenely overweight for a scooter, same weight as a R1250RT!! What's wrong with the boffins at BMW! The Yamaha Tmax only weighs 219kg and makes much better power to weight ratio