Non BMW scooter related: Motorcyle for 2 up questions here

grey.hound

grey.hound

New member
Just curious for those of you who have ridden MC's. How do you think the BMW scooters compare to touring bikes that weigh 600 lbs or so, fully loaded. I've looked at a few and am just curious if the weight is an issue compared to these scooters.

I have no plans on getting rid of this thing, but......adding to the stable :D My wife finds the seat too wide for longer distance travel and it hurts her hips and legs, so I am using that as an excuse (that she finds ridiculous) to look into a "better" bike for the two of us.

Namely and Aprilia Caponord or maybe a BMW F800 GT, 1200RT or even the new 1000XS. I can dream right?

Seriously though, the weight is a concern. The C600 probably weighs about 565lbs with the top case, ready to go. Most of these will push 600lbs with side/top cases plus the fuel tank adds to the top heaviness right? The F800GT actually weighs under 500lbs.

couldn't find another location to post this btw, mods move it if necessary please.
 
S

Snowdog

New member
What ever the weight, you get used to it. As far as seats go, all you can do is try them, or buy custom.
 
Sparkrn

Sparkrn

Member
Look at the Triumph Trophy. For the money you get more of everything with quality and performance. It's in the weight area you ar looking at.
 
SteveADV

SteveADV

Active member
In addition to the Trophy, look at the Explorer. Both are powered by Triumph's 1200cc triple which is unbelievably smooth with tons of low end torque all the way through 6th. Personally, I find the big Tiger easier to move around than the CGT though not nearly as convenient; it is, after all, a motorcycle.

If you can keep the Beemer and another for different kinds of riding, you are in motorcycle heaven.
 
grey.hound

grey.hound

New member
TwoPort said:
But that doesn't help you get a new bike.
Click to expand...

It sounds like you're trying to solve the problem. We'll pretend I didn't see the first part of the quote. :p

Looked at the Trophy (online) very nice.

This is all just shootin'-the-sh!t right now. As TwoPort says, I'm just looking for an excuse to think about a new bike. Love the C600. In fact before I asked my wife for her input on our ride Sunday, I was just thinking how awesome these scooters are. It was flawless! Power to spare and way comfortable (for me anyway). And, I actually like it on my commute better than my Aprilia. I don't have a lot of tight maneuvers on my commute and the the BMW has a better presence. That being said, I've been riding the Aprilia all week because I'm hoping the Dimotiv pads set better and love the flickability of the little 250.

Thanks for the input folks. As I've said before, only been riding just under 3 years and no MC experience. I'm just smitten by the Aprilia Caponord. Sat on one at my dealer and felt it was a little tall, but man, G-eorgious!
 
S

SR50Dreaming

New member
grey.hound said:
It sounds like you're trying to solve the problem. We'll pretend I didn't see the first part of the quote. :p

Looked at the Trophy (online) very nice.

This is all just shootin'-the-sh!t right now. As TwoPort says, I'm just looking for an excuse to think about a new bike. Love the C600. In fact before I asked my wife for her input on our ride Sunday, I was just thinking how awesome these scooters are. It was flawless! Power to spare and way comfortable (for me anyway). And, I actually like it on my commute better than my Aprilia. I don't have a lot of tight maneuvers on my commute and the the BMW has a better presence. That being said, I've been riding the Aprilia all week because I'm hoping the Dimotiv pads set better and love the flickability of the little 250.

Thanks for the input folks. As I've said before, only been riding just under 3 years and no MC experience. I'm just smitten by the Aprilia Caponord. Sat on one at my dealer and felt it was a little tall, but man, G-eorgious!
Click to expand...

My 2c...

MC's are completely different beasts. If you do any city/traffic/stop-start type riding, the scooter wins every day. The beauty of the C600 is it's competence in both stop-start traffic, and out on the open road. The only reason I would buy an MC is for more significant touring, where bigger wheels and more clearance become meaningful +'s. For your garden variety HWY miles and city/suburban riding, maxi-scooters like the C600 are untouchable.

But I completely understand your desire for more 2-wheeled transportation!
 
grey.hound

grey.hound

New member
Yeah, I own two scooters for the reasons you say SR50. Getting an MC would be, as you say for more traveling with my wife. Don't know if you missed it, but the biggest issue my wife has after a longer ride is that the scooter seat is really wide and it hurts her hips to be in that position for too long. We have only done a few trips but this weekends 200 miler made her sore. To the coast and back for us would be about 350 round trip and she has expressed a desire not to do it on the scooter due to that issue. We'll see...
 
SteveADV

SteveADV

Active member
how about renting bikes of the sort you are considering. You can get a better feel if you have a whole day (or more). Make sure your ergos work, too. The 800GT is a tall dual purpose (dual purpose bikes work great for me but not everyone) while the RT's sport touring configuration puts your feet further back (tough on my knees but one of the best touring bikes out there). PhilD on this forum is a former C owner that moved to an RT and he loves it.

Too many choices, right?! But what the heck, looking around is a blast.
 
SteveADV

SteveADV

Active member
If you can handle one of the BMW Cs, you might be past an "entry level" bike. They are all fun.

For me, it's the adventure. The bike is important, for sure, but man oh man, there are a ton of great bikes out there.

Please take this for what it's worth; tough to go wrong with a used BMW in good condition. Add one to your stable. Sell it later if you don't put the miles on it.
 
JaimeC

JaimeC

New member
As someone whose "other bike" is an 850 lbs luxury tourer, I've never had an issue with the weight of the bike. Not to sound "snarky," but every time I hear someone comment on the weight of a motorcycle, my first thought is: "Are you riding it, or carrying it?" If the former, it doesn't matter how much it weighs. If the latter, then it matters a lot... but I don't personally know anyone who carries motorcycles.

It's the same with people who insist that they can "flatfoot" a bike at a standstill. I just don't understand why people care more about where their feet are 2% of the time, and not the 98% of the time their feet are on the pegs and in motion. You don't NEED to flatfoot ANY motorcycle. As long as you can get one foot down solid (preferably your left so you can hold the bike in position with your right foot on the brake) you're golden.

Okay... off my "high horse" for now. Carry on...
 
exavid

exavid

Member
Coming from Goldwings (which I still believe one of the finest touring bikes ever even at 875lbs) an Aprilla might be a great bike but in most of the US it's easier to find a Suzuki dealer than an Aprilla dealer. Not a problem at home but if you're traveling on your bike it can be an important consideration. The Strom as a pretty solid history, I don't know about the Aprilla. Japanese parts seem somewhat less expensive than parts from Italy.
Jaime is right about weight. The only time it makes much differnence is maneuvering in parking lots and tight places. You quickly learn what happens when you use the front brake in a slow turn... you pick the bike back up. If you practice the technique as shown in the "Ride Like a Pro" videos on youtube you'll be able to deal with a heavy bike. Heck I'm older than dirt with arthritis and I don't have any problem with a Goldwing. It's practice and mastering any bike, not the bike that's the problem.
 
Scorpion56

Scorpion56

Member
I compared the 650GT to the Honda Shadow cruiser-type bike that I also ride, in my 5/22/15 post on the Google+ site. My other half enjoys riding the Beemer more only because she sits a little taller on the pinion seat and has better viz over my helmet. Other than that she rates them equal in comfort. The Honda has Mustang seats. Because of the seat height difference (23 vs 31 inches) I like riding with her on the Shadow because I feel more secure at stops. Both bikes weigh about the same. But the BMW is way way more "nimble". Notice that I refer to them both as "bikes". :rolleyes:
 
SteveADV

SteveADV

Active member
For experienced riders, weight and height matter less. IMO, newer riders should be careful about buying/renting a Goldwing or a loaded GSA. Not sure which is a bigger deal (weight or height), but both mattered to my daughter when she started riding a little over a year ago. She ended up with a Vulcan that she has dropped "only once". My KLR was too tall for her and it weighs quite a bit less than the closer to the ground Vulcan. The KLR went down a couple times. Was it be because of her weak technique, inexperience, bike size? Yes. Yes. And Yes.

She is a little tired of me having us start nearly all our rides practicing between the lines in a local parking lot. But, at some point, with more experience and perhaps better technique, weight/height will matter less to her. Besides, I'm always good for a free lunch somewhere down the road.
 
grey.hound

grey.hound

New member
JaimeC

JaimeC

New member
If the problem is the wife thinks the seat's too wide, look into a Russell Day Long. MOST people equate a wider seat with being more comfortable and supportive, though. My wife hasn't tried out the new Corbin I recently installed yet.
 
grey.hound

grey.hound

New member
I think it has more to do with the width of the bike in general; having to keep her hips in an open position. Maybe higher foot pegs, taller boots, would help, who knows. By the way, that Corbin looks awesome.

For the record, adding a GT650 to the stable has crossed my mind too. Not sure if the passenger seating position is much different.

Would any of you who own the GT feel comfortable doing some "real traveling" with a passenger using a GT? I'm talking 4 or 5 nights worth of stuff, highway speeds of 75 mph for 4-5 hours at a shot? Just curious. I know my C600 sport will do the day trip and weekend stuff just fine.

Again, for the most part I'm just having conversation.
 
JaimeC

JaimeC

New member
The only thing stopping me from using the scooter as a multi-day, two-up tourer is this: Have you guys ever seen how much a woman can pack for a simple overnight trip??? Even with all of the available space on the C650GT, it isn't enough for the two of us. I can make it work on the K1200LT (especially if I remove the CD Changer in the right saddlebag), but no way no how could I make it work on the scooter unless I installed a trailer hitch and pulled a small trailer behind me (and I saw a couple doing just that years ago on a Burgman).
 
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