Delray
Well-known member
Hello,
This is my first post and intro as a new member. One week ago I bought a white, 2016 BMW C 650 GT. On my birthday!
I'm Mike, an ad agency creative guy from upstate New York now living in Delray Beach, Florida. It's 30 miles north of Fort Lauderdale.
I've been riding since my early 20's when Dad gave me a Suzuki 650 as a college graduation present. I discovered scooters in 2016 while vacationing in Key West, where you can rent little putt-putts for $20 a day. When I got back, I was in a BMW bike dealership looking at a new G 310 R when I walked by a 650 GT that stopped me in my tracks. Didn't look like a motorcycle. Floorboards? A hump? Wha --?. That was my discovery of mega-scooters, and I have never looked back.
Within weeks, I bought a 2003 Honda Silver Wing. Half a year later at a Honda dealership I walked by a 2013 white Suzuki Burgman 650 with a red Corbin seat and that stopped me in my tracks. Bought it with my Silver Wing trade-in. A few months later I added another 2003 Wing with a black Corbin seat so I had a two-bike stable. Sold both to get a 2012 Silver Wing because I liked the simplicity and reliability of the Honda (the Burgman's "lifetime" belt kept me up at night. If it fails, you basically eat the bike).
I was planning on keeping the '12 Wing for years until I happened upon a Facebook ad for a white 2016 BMW GT 650 up in Jacksonville. The price was $5,000 with 818 miles. I'm thinking, "How do I NOT buy this bike?" I took Amtrak 302 miles north and bought it from a feisty, 66-year old grandma who told me she did over 100 on it ("but only once"). And thus, I have arrived on the mountaintop of mega-scooters, full circle from the day I discovered them at a BMW dealer.
Lots of likes, no particular order ...
It's beautiful. BMW makes gorgeous bikes. I think I'd prefer a black one but I like the visibility of the white.
The growl. Love the throaty sound from the muffler.
Handling. I remember with my R1150 R I often thought, "This thing almost corners itself." Same feeling with the 650 GT.
Stability. The bike felt rock solid at speed. Never felt that way with the big Burgman and Honda. The brakes are ridiculous.
Tech! I'd been riding a Silver Wing essentially designed in 2001 and never changed (that's good and bad; Honda's engineers nailed it in 2001. You won't find a more reliable, easier to maintain, cheaper to keep mega-scooter anywhere). That said, it was SO nice to have live PSI readings ... LED lights and courtesy lights ... on-going mpg's (49.7 so far) ... traction control ... controls for seat opening and gas cap right on the ignition switch ....
The "braille" bumps on the cubby opener. Easy to find in the dark.
No tabs! I took off the right front faring to charge the battery and there were no tabs to break. Three screws into three machined holes. Bingo bango boom. German engineering.
Heated seat and grips. On the way home from Jacksonville, it got chilly late at night after a rain. I suddenly realized, "Ooh, guess what I have?!"
Couple dislikes ...
Trunk light should have an on-off switch. I installed one on my Silver Wing.
Windscreen is too short (at least for me at 6'1"). At my first rest stop on the way home from Jacksonville, I bought a GIVI screen on my phone. It's 5.1 inches taller and should be perfect, keeping the wind off my face while letting me look over the screen.
Storage. Not much room in the cubbies (compared to Honda and Suzuki). And the big wheel well hump under the seat doesn't help.
Service manuals. I get the feeling I have better odds of winning a Mega-Millions jackpot than finding a printed service manual. I know you can get DVD's for PC but I'm an Apple guy. I may have to invest in a cheap PC laptop. I like doing my own basic work ... oil and gear oil, coolant and brake fluid, belt and plugs, brake pads, etc.
A smart key so I never have to take my keys out of my pocket. I drive a Prius and have keypad-coded door locks for my house. Am I getting dangerously close to whining?
The dreaded BMW/Bring Me your Wallet myth. Everyone hears this, but in fairness, I have never experienced it. Oh, wait. Maybe I did. A GIVI screen for a Silver Wing is $99. It's $247 for the 650 GT. The previous owner "set it down" (vs. dropped it) in her gravel driveway and there are a few tiny scratches on the right front faring. That's $157 for a Silver Wing and $448 for the 650 GT. Maybe the myth is true.
So there you go and here I am.
This is my first post and intro as a new member. One week ago I bought a white, 2016 BMW C 650 GT. On my birthday!
I'm Mike, an ad agency creative guy from upstate New York now living in Delray Beach, Florida. It's 30 miles north of Fort Lauderdale.
I've been riding since my early 20's when Dad gave me a Suzuki 650 as a college graduation present. I discovered scooters in 2016 while vacationing in Key West, where you can rent little putt-putts for $20 a day. When I got back, I was in a BMW bike dealership looking at a new G 310 R when I walked by a 650 GT that stopped me in my tracks. Didn't look like a motorcycle. Floorboards? A hump? Wha --?. That was my discovery of mega-scooters, and I have never looked back.
Within weeks, I bought a 2003 Honda Silver Wing. Half a year later at a Honda dealership I walked by a 2013 white Suzuki Burgman 650 with a red Corbin seat and that stopped me in my tracks. Bought it with my Silver Wing trade-in. A few months later I added another 2003 Wing with a black Corbin seat so I had a two-bike stable. Sold both to get a 2012 Silver Wing because I liked the simplicity and reliability of the Honda (the Burgman's "lifetime" belt kept me up at night. If it fails, you basically eat the bike).
I was planning on keeping the '12 Wing for years until I happened upon a Facebook ad for a white 2016 BMW GT 650 up in Jacksonville. The price was $5,000 with 818 miles. I'm thinking, "How do I NOT buy this bike?" I took Amtrak 302 miles north and bought it from a feisty, 66-year old grandma who told me she did over 100 on it ("but only once"). And thus, I have arrived on the mountaintop of mega-scooters, full circle from the day I discovered them at a BMW dealer.
Lots of likes, no particular order ...
It's beautiful. BMW makes gorgeous bikes. I think I'd prefer a black one but I like the visibility of the white.
The growl. Love the throaty sound from the muffler.
Handling. I remember with my R1150 R I often thought, "This thing almost corners itself." Same feeling with the 650 GT.
Stability. The bike felt rock solid at speed. Never felt that way with the big Burgman and Honda. The brakes are ridiculous.
Tech! I'd been riding a Silver Wing essentially designed in 2001 and never changed (that's good and bad; Honda's engineers nailed it in 2001. You won't find a more reliable, easier to maintain, cheaper to keep mega-scooter anywhere). That said, it was SO nice to have live PSI readings ... LED lights and courtesy lights ... on-going mpg's (49.7 so far) ... traction control ... controls for seat opening and gas cap right on the ignition switch ....
The "braille" bumps on the cubby opener. Easy to find in the dark.
No tabs! I took off the right front faring to charge the battery and there were no tabs to break. Three screws into three machined holes. Bingo bango boom. German engineering.
Heated seat and grips. On the way home from Jacksonville, it got chilly late at night after a rain. I suddenly realized, "Ooh, guess what I have?!"
Couple dislikes ...
Trunk light should have an on-off switch. I installed one on my Silver Wing.
Windscreen is too short (at least for me at 6'1"). At my first rest stop on the way home from Jacksonville, I bought a GIVI screen on my phone. It's 5.1 inches taller and should be perfect, keeping the wind off my face while letting me look over the screen.
Storage. Not much room in the cubbies (compared to Honda and Suzuki). And the big wheel well hump under the seat doesn't help.
Service manuals. I get the feeling I have better odds of winning a Mega-Millions jackpot than finding a printed service manual. I know you can get DVD's for PC but I'm an Apple guy. I may have to invest in a cheap PC laptop. I like doing my own basic work ... oil and gear oil, coolant and brake fluid, belt and plugs, brake pads, etc.
A smart key so I never have to take my keys out of my pocket. I drive a Prius and have keypad-coded door locks for my house. Am I getting dangerously close to whining?
The dreaded BMW/Bring Me your Wallet myth. Everyone hears this, but in fairness, I have never experienced it. Oh, wait. Maybe I did. A GIVI screen for a Silver Wing is $99. It's $247 for the 650 GT. The previous owner "set it down" (vs. dropped it) in her gravel driveway and there are a few tiny scratches on the right front faring. That's $157 for a Silver Wing and $448 for the 650 GT. Maybe the myth is true.
So there you go and here I am.
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