Scooter – BMW C 650 GT scooter test: big innovation and small evolutions – C650GT 2016: smooth evolutions

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BMW C 650 GT scooter test: big innovation and small evolutions

Scooter - BMW C 650 GT scooter test: big innovation and small evolutions - C650GT 2016: smooth evolutions

For 2016, the C650GT undergoes several modifications: improved transmission, traction control, enhanced finish, recalibrated suspensions … The BMW maxiscooter also innovates, with the SVA option which is used to monitor blind spots. ! First try.

C650GT 2016: smooth evolutions

For three years, BMW has offered two maxiscooters that have the same engine and the same chassis: a sporty looking model whose mission – impossible? – is to race the, and another oriented towards tourism which has the – heavy – load of competing with the …

C650GT: availability, colors and prices

  • Availability: December 2015 in the

  • Colors: Bronze (+105 €), Black or White

  • Price: 11 650 €

In France, the has largely bowed to Yamaha and its latest generations of Tmax 530. But with its new C650Sport, BMW intends to nibble market share from the Japanese champion (read our).

"Positioned in the Comfort sub-segment", specifies BMW, the C650GT generated in France as many registrations as its twin (read our: proportional to the size of its market, it is therefore more successful … and wishes to increase it further !

In 2016, the BMW maxiscooter GT will try to get closer to the Suzuki reference thanks to the subtle mechanical improvements that it shares – common platform obliges – with the C650Sport. Changes that we can clearly feel on the handlebars…

When we made contact in Valencia (Spain), traffic in the city center was not overloaded. It is nevertheless dense enough to allow Site to test, in situ, the capacities of the C650GT in the urban cycle..

The CVT transmission and clutch benefit from new settings which translate to reduced latency when driving. The covers are then more direct, without being brutal for all that. Professional work from the German brand !

Thanks to the better response of its throttle, the C650GT is easier to maneuver at low speed. Always well balanced, it almost makes you forget its 261 kg fully loaded, while its good turning radius certainly allows you to reach pole position at the red light..

To comply with the Euro4 standard (compulsory for all new motorcycles), the BMW scooter has also been equipped with a new engine map and a completely redesigned pot. Larger than the old exhaust, MNC finds that it suits the C650Sport better than the C650GT.

In the low position on the "GT", the long double-tailpipe hides the rear rim too much and its sound is less audible than on the "Sport". In addition, the fairing more enveloping – and heavier: 12 kg separate the twins! – seems to sound like a sound box…

The rocky tone of the twin – "Designed by BMW, made by Kymco" – is therefore more present than on the sporty version of the scooter, while we were precisely less inclined to excuse its mechanical noises on the road version. Ach, stain !

Another phenomenon, absent on the C650Sport, is noticeable on the C650GT: by exceeding 120 km / h, on motorways only therefore, the rider feels a few vibrations in the saddle. The tachometer then indicates – with its very small bars – about 6000 rpm.

The crackling can annoy sensitive drivers of the buttocks and risk boring heavy rollers: two categories of people however a priori interested in this type of scooter cut for long daily journeys…

However, we ignore this slight inconvenience when driving on a crowded expressway: in these stressful conditions, we are less "watching" vis-à-vis your little butt and instead look around you !

From a comfort point of view on expressways, the C650GT is still efficient. If the central tunnel offsets the calves a little too much (the pants flap a little in the wind), the apron perfectly isolates the bust and thighs. The electric bubble remains a little slow to relax but its protection is complete.

Unlike the C650Sport, it is possible to limit the wind pressure in the back by means of the deflectors placed on either side of the dashboard, between the screen and the fairing. A good point for those who want to drive at full speed (180 km / h meter) on motorways … German, Naturlich !

5mm higher than on the C650Sport, the saddle of the C650GT is a little narrower, which, combined with the more pronounced notches in the floor, facilitates the access of the feet to the ground. A good point for small sizes.

The adults are far from neglected since the space allocated to the legs is substantial: by wedging their backs against the backrest and projecting their feet against the apron, drivers over 1.80m can almost extend their legs to the maximum. !

The new setting of the suspension springs (10% less stiff) provides additional comfort. It’s hard to say if the BMW scooter equals the Suzuki reference on this precise point, but we can already be satisfied with the behavior of the C650GT in town.

To be as complete as possible, MNC did not spare his scooter, going a little hard on large retarders and aiming on purpose at the connections or holes that dot the avenues of Valence: the test is validated for the inverted fork and the shock absorber. lateral.

The GT / Sport compromise of the new C650GT is more relevant than on the first generation. More comfortable, it remains precise and rigorous in the winding … and is always a little physical in the small sequences !

The weight of the GT is felt during the rapid changes of angles, but we forgive him gladly because it wedges wonderfully in the big curves. However, this version of the C650 will use the expressways of large cities more than small country roads..

Unchanged, the braking is very satisfactory for a machine of this category: the three 270 mm discs and their double piston calipers quickly stop the 261 kg of the beast and are enduring enough to withstand a nervous behavior in traffic jams.

Delivered from its beginnings with ABS as standard (Bosch 9.1 MP system for the curious), the big scoot ‘Behème is now equipped with an ASC, also as standard: a reassuring traction control system as winter approaches….

On the beautiful dry roads of southern Spain, the traction control didn’t have a lot of work. MNC therefore had to insist heavily on activating it, starting at full speed on the white – and fatty bands! – from the center of Valence.

In this situation, the scooter is quickly cut off in its tracks and puts the throttle back on its own once traction is regained. The driver is not rushed too much, but simply warned that he will have to accelerate less hard the next time … and that he must above all avoid putting his wheels on zebra crossings !

On the road, the interventions of the system are less noticeable. We barely have time to see the ASC warning light on the dashboard, otherwise unchanged – apart from the drawing of the back of the tachometer – and still as complete.

Included in the High Line pack at 580 euros (with saddle and heated grips), the RDC system even indicates the tire pressure, thus preventing the user from getting their gloves or fingers dirty to monitor this important

Another option, unprecedented this time, also allows you to feel more secure on board your C650GT: the SVA or "Side View Assist", which the Site was able to experience on the following page…

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