I'm trying to upgrade my Honda PCX 150 to a bigger scooter that is more comfortable and powerful for 2 up riding. I will keep this scooter at a vacation home in NW florida and it will get seasonal use around town with occasional road trips. I'm trying to decide between these 2 models, I understand the C650GT is no longer in production and will have to buy a used bike. I'm curious of anyone's opinions on how closely these 2 units perform or if there is a clear standout? TIA
Hoo boy, here we go, with another tough one. I guess I'll start ...
1) The 650 will have more power, more oomph off the line. The question is: does that matter?
My wife and I did two five-day Edelweiss tours in Europe in 2022 on a C 400 X, and thought it was fine. And neither of us is a featherweight. OTOH, those were fairly sedate tours (Tuscany and Vienna environs).
And last year I did their Ultimate Alps tour (
https://billanddot.com/Ultimate-Alps-Tour/) on a C 400 X (by special permission -- it's not a listed choice), and had no problem; in fact, after the first day, we 10 customer bikes sorted ourselves out, and I stayed in the fast half. OTOH, I was riding solo; if you have plans for the Alps, or the Rockies, etc.,
two-up, then the 400 is probably not the bike for you.
The 400 will go 86mph per the owner's manual, 89 on level ground per my GPS, if that's fast enough for you. Two-up, I don't know what the top end is, because I never even try to go over 80 with my wife on board; as planned, we also do two-up trips at home, though I ride far more often solo.
2) Does a warranty matter to you?
3) Are funds tight, to the point that you really want to save up to a few thousand $ by getting a used 650?
4) I can't really comment on the 650 Beemers, never having owned one. I did own two Burgman 650s for a total of 11 years, so I'm familiar with similar oomph in a scooter, I believe.
5) I did test ride one of the Beemer 650s some years back, at my local dealership. I don't remember whether it was the Sport or the GT, but I do remember that I thought the seat was too high. I'm 5'9", with a 29 - 30" inseam, and was annoyed with the height. If this is a consideration for you, the 400 is significantly lower. Does this matter to you, or are you a big guy?
(BTW, I owned a Victory Cross Country Tour for five years. While that bike was something like 900 lbs., it had a low center of gravity, and the seat was exceptionally low -- lowest of any bike I've ever owned. It certainly is nice, for me anyway, to be able to firmly plant both feet on the ground, with knees bent, when carrying a passenger.)
6) Speaking of weight, the 400 -- and I'm guessing a little bit here -- is probably 100 lbs. lighter. This sort of thing matters more and more to me, as I get older and older.
7) The passenger ergonomics fit my wife to a T, which is why that she suggested that I buy one, at the end of those tours. By contrast, they sucked for her on the Big Burgers. I'm talking seat width and comfort, feet and leg positions, etc., including the flat backrest on the BMW topcase. (I didn't dare mess with success, but the Shad 58X seems like a more appropriate -- and certainly bigger -- topcase. And Shad seems to pay attention to the design and functionality of their backrest pads, unlike, say, Givi.)
So, are you able to do some test fitting on both size Beemers, both solo and two-up?
8) There was a recent thread, in which some of us tried to alleviate the reliability fears of a prospective 400 owner:
https://www.bmw-scooters.com/index.php?threads/prospective-owner-concerned-about-reliability.3083/ , You might want to read through that, to learn some of the pros and cons of that model. (He seems to have settled on a Honda model that is not available in North America.)
9) If you read that thread, you'll also read some positive comments about the Kymco AK 550, which
is available in the USA (albeit perhaps a little hard to find on display). Have you considered that bike, which is more in the range of the Bigger Beemer but is still being manufactured (and enhanced)?
10) So, no formal recommendation from me, especially with a bunch of unknowns, but I lean toward new bikes with warranties -- with the exception of one of the two Burgman, I've always purchased new bikes over the past 27 years -- and my guess is that the 400 will be fine for you, if you really have your heart set on a Beemer scooter. I now pass the baton to the 650 owners, most of whom will probably lean in the other direction. Go figure.
Good luck.
