C600 Sport v TMax 530

[roc54]

Greeting..lurk here a bit, but now have a question. I currently own a 2014 Burgman 400, but I would like more power (I owned a Silverwing before the Burgman). I'm looking at a 2014 C600 Sport with about 8000 miles at a local BMW store and at a 2015 Yamaha TMax 530, which is new, but obviously more money. I'd appreciate your thoughts about the C600. Particularly would like to know about maintenance requirements and costs, reliability, range and any other bits of wisdom which might help me choose between the two. Thank you in advance for all replies.

 

[Bornfree]

Welcome!
Test ride a 2016 c650 Sport and then the TMax and see what you think. Don't buy anything you haven't ridden! The Beamer will be more expensive to maintain if you stick to the book and always use a BMW shop (premium machine with premium expense).

BTW ... I use to own a Burgman 400. Night and Day difference (power speaking) vs the 2016 BMW.

 

[roc54]

Thank you. Also great difference in power between the Silverwing and the B400. I knew that would happen, but didn't really think it would be a big deal, because the B400 has a great reputation as a workhorse...but I find myself missing the power, particularly on long distance runs. The B400 can pull it off, but the Silverwing was very much at ease on those long hauls.

I've done a bit of research and I do have a concern about the BMW's cam chain tensioner. I'm sure that's old news here, but would like to know whether BMW resolved the problem, so I can see whether the work has been done on this machine.

 

[TwoPort]

I've done a bit of research and I do have a concern about the BMW's cam chain tensioner. I'm sure that's old news here, but would like to know whether BMW resolved the problem, so I can see whether the work has been done on this machine.

I think everyone had it done as it was a warranty fix and then the "new" bikes had the changeover. I never had a problem but it was "fixed" under warranty. It is easy to find out if a used bike you may be interested had the warranty repair done.

 

[JaimeC]

Welcome!
Test ride a 2016 c650 Sport and then the TMax and see what you think. Don't buy anything you haven't ridden! The Beamer will be more expensive to maintain if you stick to the book and always use a BMW shop (premium machine with premium expense).

Not necessarily true. I didn't own a TMAX 530, I had the 2009 TMAX 500 (second generation). It was every bit as labor intensive as my 2013 C650GT BUT the maintenance intervals were more frequent. The BMW has a fixed interval of every 6,000 miles. The TMAX had a 4,000 mile service interval but also had a warning light at 3,000 miles to tell you to change your oil. There was also another warning light that came on at some interval (I can't remember what) to remind you it was time to change your CVT belt. All in all, VERY confusing. Combined with the rather POOR dealership service support I was getting was enough to convince me to ditch the TMAX in favor of the C650GT.

I did have issues with it (it WAS a "First Year" model in the US, after all) but all were taken care of under warranty and I really haven't had any issues with it since.

My advice? Check with the other customers who use each dealership's service department before making your choice. They're both EXCELLENT scooters. It's a shame Yamaha isn't bringing in the latest iteration of their TMAX to the States because they not only greatly improved the underseat storage area, it has real cruise control (something we've been BEGGING BMW for since they introduced their scooters).

 

[grey.hound]

I just traded my 2013 C600 after two years and just over 9000 miles. Never had an issue with the bike; like all early models it had recalls but they were taken care of.

Maintanece every 6000 can get expensive if it's dealer only.

I think if you plan on travel and lots of highway miles, either of the BMW scoots would be better.

What about ABS and heated seats & grips?

If I got to where travel was a regular thing, a 650GT would likely be in my garage. I traded for a Ducati scrambler 400 because most of my riding is weekends doing 75-100 mile days on twisty roads.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

 

[JaimeC]

I traded for a Ducati scrambler 400 because most of my riding is weekends doing 75-100 mile days on twisty roads.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

If that's the case you SHOULD look at a Zero S (or if you have real need for speed, an SR). Most of my riding is commuting to and from work, and weekend rides of under 100 miles. It's the reason I've been racking up far more mileage on the Zero than on either of my other two motorcycles. Also, since it doesn't have valves, spark plugs, a clutch, oil, filters, or coolant the maintenance costs are EXTREMELY low.

 

[bicyclenut]

I previously owned a Silverwing and one of my concerns about buying the BMW was the maintenance costs and the increased complexity of the newer machine. After a test ride of the BMW (C650GT) my concerned were much less as I really liked the BMW over the Silverwing. I had done all the maintenance (oil change, belt change, plugs, brake fluid, coolant, tires, etc), removed just about all the panels and done upgrades to the Silverwing so costs were relatively cheap. When I purchased the BMW I was concerned about the costs but the more I owned it and started to do some upgrades and disassembly, the less complex and in some ways, the more similar it was to the Silverwing (biggest PIA is having to remove panels and sometimes multiple panels to get to anything). So I think if you can get comfortable with doing maintenance that is within your skills and available tools, you can greatly save on maintenance costs. Parts cost will be more and availability and options for aftermarket will not be as easy. Online help with repairs and maintenance tasks are not as available as the Silverwing, but this is a newer machine and more is appearing in this forum and other sources.

Reliability has been perfect in my 5000 miles and 3/4 year of use. I think the early models had some issues but from my reading online those issues seem to have been taken care of for the most part. Just like any machine, they are complex and failures can occur.

I’ve been averaging about 49MPG on mine which gives you a range of about 200 miles per tank, but I try and fill up at the 150 mile mark to be safe.

Can’t say how it compares to the TMax but in my opinion the BMW feels more stable on the highway and many roads than the Silverwing, only about 30lbs heavier but I think the 15” wheel make a difference.

 

[roc54]

Thank you all for the input...very good advice and it sounds like everyone is doing pretty well with their C600s. I'll do some snooping around at the dealer and see if there might a deal...

 

[Snowdog]

I had a Silverwing before my C600 Sport. The Sport is a little faster, but, the Silverwing was more comfortable. I had to put GT bars on the Sport to make it more comfortable. Otherwise, the Sport is a great bike.