BMW C 600 Sport-C 650 GT – What good is the scooter as a motorcycle alternative?

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BMW C 600 Sport-C 650 GT - What good is the scooter as a motorcycle alternative?
BMW

Driving report: BMW C 600 Sport / C 650 GT

What good is the scooter as a motorcycle alternative?

For BMW Motorrad, the new C-Class is the spearhead of the division "Urban Mobility". For car customers, it could become a third vehicle. But what good is the large scooter as a motorcycle alternative?

The bigger picture is sometimes a big hurdle. How high is always clear when you climb it. An example? BMW’s clever plan to present the new C 600 Sport and C 650 GT scooters in and around Madrid. In a metropolis that lives and breathes the subject of “scooters” just as much as Rome or Milan. In contrast to Germany, the Munich premiere is an omnipresent topic here. At every traffic light, at the gas station, in the parking lot. Everyone knows the new scooter from Munich and has apparently just been waiting for it. The C-Class is a star here, even before it is in stores.

How come It’s also worth taking a look – in this case over the Alps. In the best years Yamaha sold around 18,000 (yes, you read that right!) TMax in Italy, last year it was still around 7,000. In contrast, the 10,000 units, the BMW from C 600 Sport and C 650 GT in the first Year of production wants to sell worldwide, almost modestly. Measured against the 100 TMax models with which Yamaha Germany is planning for 2012, the Munich hopes (around 1000 pieces) on the home market are once again extremely optimistic. You notice: it always depends on the perspective.

I.In a magazine like MOTORRAD, there is of course only one option, namely that of motorcyclists. And from this point of view, 60 HP, 66 Newton meters of torque and a weight of 249 kilograms (C 600 Sport) do not exactly fall into the “merciless ripper” category when fully fueled. The price should do the rest to pull veteran two-wheelers the C-class tooth. 11 100 euros (C 600 Sport) and 11 450 euros (C 650 GT) base price seem extremely steep in view of what is on offer. On the one hand. On the other hand, Yamaha is also charging 10,995 euros for the TMax. Under this brand, BMW could in no way position itself as a premium supplier, so the argumentation of the BMW marketing department (which incidentally also accounts for the different model names despite the identical cubic capacity).

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BMW C 600 Sport-C 650 GT - What good is the scooter as a motorcycle alternative?

Driving report: BMW C 600 Sport / C 650 GT
What good is the scooter as a motorcycle alternative?


BMW

BMW C 650 GT – More cladding, more rear, more comfortable pillion seat: The C 650 GT is also a travel scooter.

This is undoubtedly comfortable, especially since there is practically no load change shock. But it also takes getting used to, because the power input is not as immediate as you would expect with a conventional power transmission. In practice this means: if you want to scooter quickly, you have to accelerate very early. Should, with a lot of momentum in the corner and at the latest from the apex, put the 38 throttle valve back on draft. The thrust begins with a delay and is then less energetic than expected. The cause: a not inconsiderable part of the engine power dissipates in the power transmission. The efficiency of gearboxes of this type is around 75 percent, according to series manager Kaspar Danzer. For comparison: With a manual transmission, this value is usually over 90 percent. So it feels like the GT, which weighs 261 kilograms, could easily take ten more horsepower.

Is that wrong now because the motorcycle yardstick is measured? If so, it is certainly also due to the fact that the new C-Class deserves such high standards when it comes to chassis. Despite the small 15-inch model, stable up to the high speed range of around 180 km / h, noticeably more manageable than a TMax and equipped with an effective, ABS-reinforced brake system, cornering, especially with the more active 600 Sport, is also a real pleasure for seasoned motorcyclists . No question about it, the C-Class sets standards in this respect – and lives up to its premium standards.

Incidentally, as well as with regard to the equipment. A cockpit with all desirable information, a decent storage space (60 liters for the GT, a so-called FlexCase that can be expanded when the vehicle is stationary for the second helmet for the narrower 600 Sport), storage space lighting, central locking of the seat, fuel filler flap and left panel storage compartment, way home function – there is much on board that we know from the automotive sector. The sloppy lids of the front storage compartments and the fuel filler flap, however, the one or other gap, the feel of the plastic used here – none of this corresponds to what is commonly called “premium”. Ultimately, however, that will not determine the success of the new C-Class in Germany, but the perspective of potential customers. Do motorcyclists and motorists reflexively jump into the new “Urban Mobility” when they hear the name BMW, or do they stick to their last??

Technical specifications


BMW

Long and flat: the engine’s cylinder bank is inclined 70 degrees forwards to allow passage. The CVT transmission is also flat, the secondary drive is via a short, fully encapsulated chain.

BMW C 600 Sport [C 650 GT]

engine

Water-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke in-line engine, two balance shafts, two overhead, chain-driven camshafts, four valves per cylinder, injection Ø 38 mm, regulated catalytic converter, centrifugal clutch, CVT gearbox, chain drive, O-ring chain.
Bore x stroke 79.0 x 66.0 mm
Cubic capacity 647 cm³
rated capacity 44.0 kW (60 hp) at 7500 rpm
Max. Torque 66 Nm at 6000 rpm

landing gear
Trellis frame made of steel, with screwed cast aluminum parts, load-bearing motor, up-side-down fork, Ø 40 mm, central spring strut, lying, double disc brake at the front, Ø 270 mm, double-piston floating calipers, rear disc brake, Ø 270 mm, double-piston floating caliper , SECTION.
Cast aluminum wheels 3.50 x 15; 4.50 x 15
Tires 120/70 R 15; 160/60 R 15

Dimensions + weights
Wheelbase 1591 mm, spring travel f / r 115/115 mm, seat height * 810 [780] mm, weight with a full tank * 249 [261] kg, tank capacity 16.0 liters.
Warranty two years
Colors black, blue, gray metallic [black, bronze, red metallic]
price** 11100 [11450] euros
Additional costs around 264 euros

* Manufacturer information; ** Price Highline special equipment for C 600 Sport (daytime running lights, tire pressure control, LED indicators, heated seats, heated grips) 890 euros, for C 650 GT (identical, but without LED indicators) 790 euros

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