Ceesie76
Active member
I bought my 2016 C650 Sport in March 2018 when it had just 1,960 miles on the odometer (I remember as that is my year of birth!). Since then I have covered approximately 9,000 miles, and in that time:
- had two recalls done, on the front brake lines
- had the mechanical timing chain tensioner replaced under warranty, only months after getting the bike, then replaced that tensioner with yet another new one myself, a couple of months ago
- besides that, had only one issue that turned out to be the Prior Owner's fault, which was he did not attach the '+' lead to the battery all that well and the bike would stall without warning. Easily fixed
- I also had to get a new saddle, as the old one was disintegrating after a couple of years of Southern California sun exposure
- and I had to get a new set of tires last Summer to replace the original set. I opted for the Shinkos that have done well so far, except that they seem a bit slippery in the wet, more than I expected
All in all I have been very satisfied with this bike, using it almost exlusively on the surface streets (i.e., staying off the main highways) of Los Angeles. Until now, I did do the occasional highway run but that was the exception. So, when I moved far away from my place of work last month (my commute used to be around 7 miles and I would often just bicycle there and back, it is now 120 miles each way, which I do once a week), I decided to get me a more capable BMW, and bought a R1200RT from 2008 with under 20K miles. It has almost twice the horsepower but weighs barely more than the 'Sport'. So, yes, it is more effortless on the highway at speed.
However, after my first commute on the RT, I found myself asking myself whether it was really all that much better, more comfortable and pleasant to ride than my old Sport. Then days later, the guy I bought the RT from texted me to ask if I was still satisfied with it, because he regretted having sold it to me. I sold it back to him for the same price, and have now done two commutes on the C650 Sport and I can say that, at least for me, I do like it a lot better on the 120 highway run than the RT. So in the end, it was a good experience and also I think it speaks very well for the 'Sport'. I did install a Kaoko throttle lock on the Sport as that was the one thing I really liked about the RT, that it had a full-fledged electronic cruise control. Which the throttle lock isn't, but it's good enough to provide comfort on the longer run. Two other things I found better on the Sport (again, at least for me) than on the RT:
- no shifting (duh). Although I like shifting, I find I don't like it as much as the effortlessness of the scooter's 'variomatic'
- the Sport is more comfortable as it is easy to shift leg/seating position from time to time (just moving your feet forward or back for example) where on the RT you are pretty much 'locked in position' which after two hours is tiresome to me
I hope to get many more miles out of the Sport and if I don't for some reason, then I would likely just get another used one.
- had two recalls done, on the front brake lines
- had the mechanical timing chain tensioner replaced under warranty, only months after getting the bike, then replaced that tensioner with yet another new one myself, a couple of months ago
- besides that, had only one issue that turned out to be the Prior Owner's fault, which was he did not attach the '+' lead to the battery all that well and the bike would stall without warning. Easily fixed
- I also had to get a new saddle, as the old one was disintegrating after a couple of years of Southern California sun exposure
- and I had to get a new set of tires last Summer to replace the original set. I opted for the Shinkos that have done well so far, except that they seem a bit slippery in the wet, more than I expected
All in all I have been very satisfied with this bike, using it almost exlusively on the surface streets (i.e., staying off the main highways) of Los Angeles. Until now, I did do the occasional highway run but that was the exception. So, when I moved far away from my place of work last month (my commute used to be around 7 miles and I would often just bicycle there and back, it is now 120 miles each way, which I do once a week), I decided to get me a more capable BMW, and bought a R1200RT from 2008 with under 20K miles. It has almost twice the horsepower but weighs barely more than the 'Sport'. So, yes, it is more effortless on the highway at speed.
However, after my first commute on the RT, I found myself asking myself whether it was really all that much better, more comfortable and pleasant to ride than my old Sport. Then days later, the guy I bought the RT from texted me to ask if I was still satisfied with it, because he regretted having sold it to me. I sold it back to him for the same price, and have now done two commutes on the C650 Sport and I can say that, at least for me, I do like it a lot better on the 120 highway run than the RT. So in the end, it was a good experience and also I think it speaks very well for the 'Sport'. I did install a Kaoko throttle lock on the Sport as that was the one thing I really liked about the RT, that it had a full-fledged electronic cruise control. Which the throttle lock isn't, but it's good enough to provide comfort on the longer run. Two other things I found better on the Sport (again, at least for me) than on the RT:
- no shifting (duh). Although I like shifting, I find I don't like it as much as the effortlessness of the scooter's 'variomatic'
- the Sport is more comfortable as it is easy to shift leg/seating position from time to time (just moving your feet forward or back for example) where on the RT you are pretty much 'locked in position' which after two hours is tiresome to me
I hope to get many more miles out of the Sport and if I don't for some reason, then I would likely just get another used one.
