Well I actually acquired one of these only recently .. specifically the C650GT. I was actually looking for a replacement for my Goldwing GL1800 as a long distance tourer without the bulk and the weight of the Starship Enterprise and thought that this BMW might do the trick and will be a keeper for when I get on with age. Truth be told I am currently assessing this bike on a ride in LoS when Phil pointed me to this thread. So I am now posting this mini non techy personal review here in Khao Lak as I continue my journey down South and home in Kuala Lumpur.
Well I left Kuala Lumpur on 20/5/2014 with 800km on the odometer heading towards the border at Bukit Kayu Hitam/Danok. My original route plan was to head up to CNX and maybe ride around northern region but as all good plans go we sort of made changes and ended up doing Pak Chong, Khao Yai, Pattaya and back south to where I currently am at. There were 3 scoots on this ride .. 2 c650gt(s) and a c600 sport. Basically they are the same bike but with some cosmetic difference. The gt comes with an electrically adjustable windshield and a slightly larger under seat luggage compartment. The sport comes in a couple of kilos lighter while all tech specs remain identical. And yes the gt is shod with touring biased tires while the sport differs (sorry I do not have exact details but Google is your friend).
The 3 scoots at Khao Yai National Park
After more than 3,000km I must say that the scoot handles great (I ride 1up only) and the suspension is pretty good. I believe that the scoot actually weighs more than a gs but all that weight has been kept really low and you don't really feel the heft. I believe that weight does help to keep the bike stable at most speeds. It rides like a scoot which means that you will feel more of the road surface undulations and bumps when compared to a full size motorcycle but the 15inch wheels and suspension smoothens things up nicely.
The scoot has adequate acceleration for most overtaking manoeuvres and pretty zippy too. For such long hauls I need my bikes (scoot) to be able to maintain 140kmh comfortably and this scoot does it effortlessly ( I won't tell if you don't tell but this baby tops out at 173kmh ... not very impressive but adequate for me.
Having a puncture fix about 76km outside Pattaya .. 100bht job.
The on board computer incorporates a tpms (rds) and this was pretty helpful when I suddenly found this red blinking triangle on my dash on Road 33 outside Pattaya doing a speedy run. I could actually see my rear tire pressure dropping rapidly before I could feel it in the seat of my pants. I quickly throttled off and slowly moved to the emergency lane just as my pressure reading showed 0.3bar from the usual 2.7bar. A good thing to have I must say after kicking myself for not packing my portable pump and puncture kit this trip.
At Ban Krut
At Kra Buri
Wind/weather protection is quite adequate though the screen does cause a fair bit of turbulence? induced noise even though I was wearing my Schubert C3 helmet on this trip. The bike is a bit more affected by exceptionally strong cross winds though. At 160kmh the bike begins to feel light up front but nothing scary. I guess most riders will agree that the optimum position for the windshield is 3/4 up.
Riding the Isthmus of Kra ... fast sweeping roads
The engine and transmission is good though the lack of engine braking needs to be accommodated. Acceleration is pretty good though not arm jerking good. The engine purrs almost effortlessly at 100kmh and speeds beyond that you pay with higher fuel consumption (don't we all know it).
So whats there to not like this scoot ... besides the price? Well after numerous fuel stops the stinker on this scoot is the fuel neck. The way it is angled (close to horizontal) makes it difficult to insert the nozzle. Similarly to fill the tank to full takes effort as the nozzle has to be withdrawn ever so much while still filling. And if you are not careful enough and withdraw too much you will end up squirting fuel all over as the gas hits the baffle within the neck and back splashes out in your face.
The fuel flip cover is a design flaw. Both the fuel flip cover and seat lock is operated and released with the ignition key. If you accidentally released the fuel flip cover and tried to raise your seat you WILL snap the fuel cover off its hinges and this will have to be replaced (don't ask me how I know this).
Touring 1up the underseat storage is adequate. However if 2up then you are looking at a top box at the minimum if you have learned to travel light.
The fancy onboard computer does not have a fuel range function which I think will cost next to nothing to implement.
Well I guess that's about it for now as it's still early days with this scoot for me but it's looking good thus far. So I might just be saying sayonara to the Starship Enterprise though I will miss her onboard stereo system and electric reverse. Cheers!
