BMW 650GT Scooter

Well I have another scooter again but this time it's not a Silverwing. I got a great deal on a used 2013 BMW 650GT. Used with 68 miles on it. I'm impressed, enough that I put my Goldwing up for sale today. The electrically operated windshield is a great idea, at 90mph on the freeway there's absolutely no helmet buffet. The machine has better acceleration than any 650cc displacement bike I've ever ridden. The 15" wheels do help smooth out rough roads and help the bike carve the curves which it does very well. I still like the Silverwings, after all I had two of them but I think the BMW is going to fit my needs a little bit better.

exavid wrote:

Well I have another scooter again but this time it's not a Silverwing. I got a great deal on a used 2013 BMW 650GT. Used with 68 miles on it. I'm impressed, enough that I put my Goldwing up for sale today. The electrically operated windshield is a great idea, at 90mph on the freeway there's absolutely no helmet buffet. The machine has better acceleration than any 650cc displacement bike I've ever ridden. The 15" wheels do help smooth out rough roads and help the bike carve the curves which it does very well. I still like the Silverwings, after all I had two of them but I think the BMW is going to fit my needs a little bit better.

Wow! Guess I better check it out. Thanks for this great post. Love the SWing - but seems as if there is something better.

No wind?Thats hard to believe seeing how low the shield is.This guy looks like a giant on it.(in the link)
It does look like a very nice scooter,I like it.
http://www.motortrend.com/features/consumer/1302_bmw_c650gt_first_ride/

exavid,

Congrats on your new bike. I have heard great things about the BMW and glad you like it. I think the Swing should have been updated some years ago and I think the Integra is probably the new Swing. I have read many good things about the BMW and that it handles great. Please give a nice review one day if you get a chance since we all like to read about the BMW.

I wish the Integra was being sold in the US. It looks like a great bike and I'm somewhat biased toward Honda. The weather now isn't too conducive to a rider report on the 650GT but soon as I get some miles on the bike other than the short thirty mile run home today I'll post on my personal observations. Like any vehicle this bike will have positives and negatives compared to the SW which though a bit outdated in some ways is still a fine machine with great reliability. The BMW is still too new to have a real record of reliability so it's hard to say much about that. At least they don't seem to have major transmission failures as has been experienced by some Burgman 650 owners. So far so good...

   You can ride it...it flies...and it sounds like a great sale!!!!!    Congrats!!!

From the magazine Motorcycle Consumer News, their report stated they thought the engine and drivetrain were not as smooth as the Burgie 650. But they did like the handling and ride. I still wouldn't pay the big bucks for a Kymco engine, which is what the 650 Beemer scooters use, as well as the parallel twin Beemer motorcycles. I sat on both the Sport and GT scooters in the showroom, and they felt pretty good. My favourite "sit on" in a showroom is still a Ducati Diavel, followed closely by a Triumph Rocket III Roadster. They both felt very "right" for me.

I had a look at the Integra, that was enough for me, i saw the chain drive and thought no way am i going back to chain drive. It was neither "Fish nor Fowl" as we say, it wasn't a Scooter and couldn't be called a motorcycle.  

I test rode BMW GT Scooter---rides nice/power windshield fine I recall----but a BMW owner since 1958----the maint. costs could kill you....and lack of dealers in US. The deal BMW offered me on trade for year old Burgman 400=$9200 and my bike. Have new SilverWing in garage.

Nothin wrong with Kymco heart, but scooter should be cheaper to buy.

Have fun, we only live once.

Congrats on the new ride, hope it works good for you!

john grinsel wrote:

I test rode BMW GT Scooter---rides nice/power windshield fine  I recall----but a BMW owner since 1958----the maint. costs could kill you....and lack of dealers in US.   The deal BMW offered me on trade for year old Burgman 400=$9200 and my bike. Have new SilverWing in garage.

Nothin wrong with Kymco heart, but scooter should be cheaper to buy.

Have fun, we only live once.

Yeah I know about BMW dealers and cost. My brother has been riding BMW K and L models for several years. I don't worry much about that since I do my own work on these things so once the warranty is gone I'll pick up the slack. These things all are awfully high priced to me no matter what make one buys. I've already found out I really like the heated seat and grips on these things. If I'm still riding when the warranty runs out on this bike maybe Honda will have updated the Silverwing by then. The main thing is that I really like the twist and go stuff over a manual shifter. It's just so handy in tight quarters and heavy traffic in town.

Congrats!!!

exavid,

I agree with you about how expensive all these scooters are. That is one reason my next bike my be a motorcycle. I just have read things that make your BMW look really nice with some really cool features. Plus it has 60 hp which would be nice to have as well with the larger wheels.

I sat on a 2014 at the bike show yesterday. I would need to cart a ladder with me. Aside from that I find it all beefed up in odd places and too angular overall in looks. There are two solid panels on the front sides which look overdone. It is an impressive looking beast, but it lacks refinement. I don't like the chunky looks, and I definitely won't own one. Based on that, I am not interested in the performance qualities. It could well be a winner, but in my books...no.

The guy I bought my current Swing from was selling it as he had just bought a BMW scooter. He was switching to maxi-scooters as he could no longer get his leg up over a motorbike, due to a lower back problem that was permanent.

He was an avid BWM and Brit Bike owner/rider for many years. The SWing was an experiment for him --he only had it a few months, dropped a bunch of money into it, and realized he liked maxi-scooters. So he went out and bought the Beemer. He owned it only a couple weeks at that point and his observations were: very quick, fairly comfortable, handles great, not as smooth as the SWing (engine wise) the larger wheels were an improvement, and it was expensive and said BMW on the side.

Having a Kymco engine did seem to bother him a bit (he admitted he was a Beemer snob) but since some of the other BMWs now have Kymco engines, he figured he would live. I sat on it and it felt good overall. Being I am such a tight-a**, and never buy new, it would be years before I would own one anyway.

The Kymco connection doesn't bother me, the engines are built to BMW specs. Honda is doing the same thing in China by having many of their engines built to their specs. There are also auto makers doing the same thing. I wouldn't worry about a Kymco engine built to their own specs for that matter.
The panels on either side of the handlebars look at bit odd but do a great job of protecting the rider from wind and rain. The battery and electrical stuff is mostly under the right panel which keeps it clean and dry. I do prefer the smoother look of the SW though. The height of the scooter is a consideration, apparently BMW now has a lower seat option I would have gone for that if I'd purchased the bike new. With the suspension set low I can deal with the high seat but when the suspension was at it's stiffest it was a tip toe reach to the ground.
The 650GT is a bit more powerful compared to the SW and Burgman in my opinion but makes more noise than the Burgman, pretty close to the SW but may a bit louder exhaust note. I prefer quieter most likely because I've been riding Goldwings for years and they are quiet.
So far with 100 miles on the BMW I prefer it over the SW and Burgman. There are things I liked better on the other two bikes but over all I like the more powerful acceleration and more nimble handling with the larger wheels.
All three of these bikes are close together in performance, any one of the three is a great scooter so the choice is probably just one's preference on appearance, small details and cost. I don't think you could go wrong with any one of the three.

I wouldn't worry about the engine being Kymco. They make engines for many bikes and you just never hear of a Kymco engine failing. I kind of wish the SWing was a bit taller than it is but it is fine with me really. I'm 6' tall and wouldn't mind a couple more inches in height to look over traffic better.

cotetoi wrote:

There are two solid panels on the front sides which look overdone. It is an impressive looking beast, but it lacks refinement. I don't like the chunky looks, and I definitely won't own one.

The "overdone chunky look" is probably a styling que from a proven machine, one of its larger siblings that offers great wind and weather protection. German engineers don't do "cute" I am willing to bet the shape serves a purpose.  

Congratulations on your new bike. Posting a picture or two of your bike would be great.

I too have gotten very used to the automatic transmission and the step through design of the maxi scooters. The under the seat storage is a big winner as well.

Is there a forum developing for this maxi-scooter?

lalee wrote:

Is there a forum developing for this maxi-scooter?  

Here is a link to the scooter section from the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America.

http://www.bmwmoa.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?83-Scooters

Going to the above link I found this link:

http://www.bmw-scooters.com/forum/cmps_index.php

Pictures on changing rollers
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bw_22VX1GciROFlOdGRwd1ptdXM/preview?pli=1

The right dr pulley slides
http://www.bmw-scooters.com/forum/c600-c650gt-modifications/423-stock-roller-weights-vs-dr-pulley-sliders.html

my two cents:
If I leave the silver wing it will be for the burgman... Bmw is not a quality product.. I turned wrenches on their cars a few years back here at a local dealership here in Miami. Granted the bikes may be free of the issues that the cars have. But I know there must be at least 10-12 computer modules on a bmw motorcycle... I can wait to see the repair bills when you need a front body module when the wind shield doesn't move up and down...
And I do know there is a special adapter that is plugged into the icom for motorcycle diagnostics.. which is not available to the public....so unless you really know what you are doing.. you will have to have all your repairs done at the dealership...

mj80s wrote:

my two cents:
Bmw is not a quality product.. I turned wrenches on their cars a few years back here at a local dealership here in Miami.

What kind of dealership was this?

Just curious, you seem to be saying this to try to add some credibility to your opinion that BMWs are crap, and I would like more info because I know a lot of people who disagree with that.

DuggleBogey wrote:

<>you seem to be saying this to try to add some credibility to your opinion that BMWs are crap, and I would like more info because I know a lot of people who disagree with that.

Curiously, Consumer Reports just rated the top 10 motorcycles and found that BMW was found to be the least dependable --ranking below HD. While Yamaha came in top rated followed closely by Honda and Kawasaki.

http://motorsportsnewswire.wordpress.com/2013/03/28/consumer-reports-survey-harley-davidson-and-bmw-less-reliable-than-japanese-motorcycles-3281311/

Tim

You pays your money and you take your chances. So far so good.

My two cents ..... we bought a new 2007 Burgman that needed a battery within a month and a problem with the clutch that was NEVER resolved by Suzuki. New battery and a Malossi clutch and we had a fantastic scooter for the next five years.
Had a big Honda with a rear brake shudder problem that never went away.
Our BMW has an acceleration stumble on occasion when the temperature is above 100F.

BUT, we still smile when we are on our two wheel machines.

The Kymco motor is not built in China and I for one have yet to ever find anything decent or of quality that comes from China. Now the cheaper Kymcos (under 100cc's) are built in China and if you put a Taiwanese and a Chinese Kymco side by side the difference in quality is staggering. I own a 2013 Kymco DT 300i and have put over 10,000 miles on it in less than 10 months. Havent had a SINGLE problem all the while getting an average of 72 mpg's. Almost bought the Beemer awhile back until I was told it has a Kymco motor. Since I have one, that set me off into the Silverwing direction. Anyone wanna look at this and tell me what you think? And I did ride the Beemer and it was awesome but over priced. There is a 2003 Silverwing down here that has 200 miles on it. Guy wants 2900. Is there much difference between a 2003 and a 2012?

I would say if it runs good it would be worth the money. But you may have to do all of the maintenance on it like, oil, belt, tires, etc since they are old. The didn't really change much with the SWing but they added an O2 sensor in 2007 I think.

As to the BMW, I would think it is a top rated scooter and from what I read it handles better than any scooter in the U.S. and is the most powerful. I would have one if I was in the market for a new scooter. But if I get rid of the SWing I think I would try the Honda 700 that gets 75 mpg with the DCT. But I would own a BMW in a heartbeat. They say they are very smooth and get great wind protection too. Just my 2 cents.

I actually tried out the Honda CTX700DCT a few weeks ago. It was awesome but it had reminded myself why I cant ride a motorcycle...bad hips and knees. Thats how I ended up on a scooter to start with and never was a motorcycle an option. I would have bought the Beemer in a heartbeat had I not suffered a stroke from the sticker shock.....$10,000 + dp, frt and ttl...youre looking at dang near used 2012 Nissan Altima price. No. Gonna stick to my plan. Keep the Kymco for in town and get a solid SWing or Yammy Majesty for the road.....yea....thats the plan! Thanks for the advice on the Swing Jeff. I love the red. I aint too cozy with the black that seems to be the majority I see for sale. Why make a bike (scooter especially) the color of pavement? No...I gotta have a bright color. That was a major selling point for me when I bought the pearl white Kymco (great bike!). So I am gonna hop down to Stephenville Sat to check out the "Red"....

Red bikes are the fastest as anyone with experience knows.   I probably wouldn't have bought my 650GT if it hadn't been the red one. I've gotten awful tired of looking at all those gray BMWs. Looks like BMW has dropped the red on the 650 this year.

bummer....   The SWing sold in less than 3 days. Ah well. Now its up to Bonham instead saturday to check out a burgundy 2004 SWing with about 5000 miles. Wants $3100 for it. Seems reasonable. Keep ya posted.

I know how that feels, every time I miss a deal I'm sure it was the best one I'd ever see. 5k '04 for $3k doesn't sound too bad.

Just thought I would pass this on, I found it on another forum.
BMW Recall for Fuel Pump Flange Issue

I heard about that one but it doesn't apply to the scooters or C bikes.

Hello,
Sorry it has been a while since I have been on the forum. Look I was in no way trying to throw a wet blanket on anyone's BMW. I was just speaking from my point of view. I am a certified BMW technician and am truly grateful for the training they gave to me. However, their cars require a lot of maintenance and repairs. If you don't believe me go to your local bmw dealer, then go to a Mazda/Nissan/Honda dealer... and you will then become a "believer"  
I am stating a fact that over the life of the gt 650c compared to the Honda swing... You will be flushing a ton of cash down the toilet with the BMW....
Take for example the check engine light comes on my 2009swing.. I jump a wire and count the flashes.... Were you will have to get hosed at the dealer to plug the "ICOM" in....

It's true BMW does have a reputation about expensive maintenance. Not too much of a problem for a new or near new bike. I expect the bike to be pretty trouble free for the first two or three years which is covered by the warranty for the most part. I also work on most of my machinery especially the bikes. I would have preferred a chance to buy a Honda Integra if they were sold here in the USA. I've had two Silverwings and enjoyed them both but they just aren't quite up to some of the newer maxis.
I'm a long time Honda fan boy having owned six different Goldwings over several years. There never was a bike more reliable than the GW the SW also a great bike for reliability but I wanted something a bit better handling at this point and the BMW is. I'll keep an eye on the new 700cc Honda bikes to see if they come up with one that looks comfortable for long rides but for now the BMW fits my wants a bit better.

You guys make great points, The silver wing is a great bike but for me it is just missing that zip and turning abilty. I to looked at the ctx700 the 700cc parallel twin probaly has more bite than the swing, but you take a step back with comfort and wind protection. Who knows maybe I will include the c650gt in my search... I have no regrets either way.. the silver wing truely has made me a believer in touring scooters...
Just from my backround working for bmw, you probably can't even change your battery yourself. Yes you can swap the battery out.. But how without a icom can you register the battery to the pcm so it doesn't drain down in a month.. but maybe the cars are totally different than their motorcycles... Maybe I'm thinking like a auto mechanic instead of a bike guy... either way I'm sure with miss google there is always a way....
I'm that guy I guess. I bought a 2006 f150 and have never been back to a ford dealer for any type of maintenace or repairs.. I look at that like money down the drain... and I just watched the integra750 on youtube.. what a bummer it is not over here in the USA.. Sux  

I saw the BMW scooter. Frankly I too was impressed. The scooter looks front wise like an RT and over all looks well built although there seems to be a lot of layered appearance. I did like the power windshield. The scooter is tall at 31 inches and kind of defeats the whole idea of step through. BMW's are expensive and their maintenance programs and warranty's are also expensive as are most scheduled maintenance. The dealers are usually one per large community as a rule.

Thus the decision to buy a Honda was easy for me especially with the available discounts on new bikes. another. I have learned after 6 Honda motorcycles, they work! The dealers are everywhere and parts are almost always available and Honda T shirts are almost as cool as BMW T shirts.

I think before anyone becomes too critical of the BMW scooter----go out and ride one a few miles----plain English it is more advanced design than SilverWing.

Rode one---very nice, after all newer design than SilverWing, but still a scooter, my first turn off, deal offered by my local dealer---$9200 and my 1 yr old Burgman---I am not idiot!! Outright would have been little more and I could keep old scooter.

As BMW owner since 1958, lots of hard miles--they used to make some real good bikes----my R51/4 1954 traded at 231,000 km....BUT they have made/sold some real junk----My R27, bought new went thru 4 engines and 2 transmission in the first 10,000 miles----still sits in ex-girlfriend's basement in Lorrach.

I think the important thing of the 2 wheel hobby/transport------buy all kinds of different makes---ride the hell out of them....then you can bitch.

My own take on BMW scooter Kymco part probably better than German-----but I saw expensive to keep---not because BMW-----but over complicated in long run. Goes down highway nice, electric windshield fine!.

BMW does not have lots of dealers in US----in Germany they can be really arrogant---telling me I had so many troubles with my new R80RT ( factory owned distributor)----as I rode TOO MUCH! 56,000 miles that first year. Business/paid miles. Speak German so there is no translation problem.

I think real formula---buy one, put quick 10,000 miles on it, then check in.

John for Petes sake that R27 has got to be about fifty years old. Don't you think you could send her the title so she could get rid of the R27 and make some room in her basement?   (just joking)

I don't know if I'd have bought the BMW but the circumstance of having almost $11k in hand from selling my GW and taking a look at this almost new 650GT for $9500 sold me. Even without a ride I had to get it and find out how this one compared to the other two scoots. Of course it wasn't much of a risk taking this C650 for that price I know I could get a bit more than my money out of it this summer if I wanted to so it was worth a chance. So far I've put 1,022 miles on it with no complaints.

DuggleBogey wrote:

mj80s wrote:

my two cents:
Bmw is not a quality product.. I turned wrenches on their cars a few years back here at a local dealership here in Miami.

What kind of dealership was this?

Just curious, you seem to be saying this to try to add some credibility to your opinion that BMWs are crap, and I would like more info because I know a lot of people who disagree with that.

Check the BMW forums on the c scoots...
stalling
fuel gauge failures
clutch problems
engine tensioner failures
& the list goes on... cheers

I just added another BMW to my corral, A '94 K1100LT with 71,000 miles on the speedo. There seem to be several members of the K11 forum with well past 100,000 miles so I expect quite a few more miles out of this bike. Now everything in the garage is red, Jeep, Merc Milan, C650GT and K1100LT. As an old Honda guy these two BMWs are a new experience. The '94 K bike is not as smooth and slick as my Goldwings were but more like designed by engineers who are more into industrial work. The bike is solid and an excellent performer, lots of fun to ride.

exavid,

Congrats on your new bike. I bet is is pretty smooth even though you said it is not as smooth as your old GW's. Do you plan any long rides on it?

Nothing in the long range plan right now. I'll be heading up to Tacoma, WA on it once the weather gets a bit warmer. The round trip including some riding around up there will only amount to about a thousand miles but that's longer these days than it used to be.
I'm pretty impressed with this old K bike, considering I only have $2800 in it. There are some real good deals on older bikes out there if a person doesn't mind doing a bit of maintenance on them.

Exavid You will love the 650 GT ! I bought one when they were introduced in 2013 and have put over 18000 miles on it. With the 15 inch wheels and Heavy motorcycle frame,it is way ahead of the usual "Scooter".I have a Silverwing in Fl. and like it a lot,but it is way under the Beemer for performance.The BMW quality is there for sure.

Yep, I'm still enjoying the GT. It's definitely a winner. I did sell the '94 K1100LT in my avatar. I replaced it with a '95 LT with 11,000 miles. Looks like it just came off the showroom floor. It's a light green without a scratch in the paint anywhere. I enjoy it for rides in the curvy mountain roads around here but for longer trips I'm planning on riding the GT because I can stretch out my legs on it which is a real boon for my old knees.

I did talk two of my friends into buying used Silverwings, didn't take much urging because they were impressed by the BMW's performance, said they didn't know a scooter could do that. They don't ride two up and I convinced them the Silverwing was 90% as good as the BMW and 30% of it's cost.