Just realized one day after riding a 2005 ZZR1200 for 19 years...I wanted to downsize and ride as long as possible. I discovered that getting there safe and enjoying the sensory experience is far more
important than horsepower. I've always ridden Kawasaki sport tour
from the start. BMW is a brand I've respected but, just was not drawn to purchase. UMV as BMW calls it, seemed to be shunned by many due to the premium price. I didn't know the CT400GT existed. After the quick sale of the ZZR, I searched Cycle Trader for a new to me scooter. I'd never ridden one. I did know that I needed one that could get out of its own shadow. I found a brand new 2022 for a sensible price to me. 6000 miles in the first year of ownership, this bike has me grinning from ear to ear, little bit of customization, I am
very pleased. I've passed traffic on the expressway at 91 mph effortlessly; maxed out at 95 mph. How much more does one need?
1) Welcome from a C 400 GT rider in the Albany, NY, area.
2) I had my (former) '22 C 400 GT up to an 18Hz-GPS-verified 91.6 MPH (94 MPH indicated), but that was on a long downhill run:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-yazEzpi_4
So I'm guessing that you're talking indicated on the speedometer. But either way, it's fast enough for you, me, and most other owners.
Did you notice that the specs that BMW published for the '25 C 400 GT say its top speed is 80mph, vs. the 86mph top speed that BMW published for the earlier models (such as my '22 and '23)? As I've stated elsewhere on the forum, I wouldn't care for that at all, as I occasionally do some multi-day all-day superslab runs to visit relatives, and dropping 6mph off the top end would keep me out of the left lane in a lot of places.
By the way, on my current '23 C 400 GT, I recorded another test. This wasn't a top-speed run; instead, I attempted merely to get a handle on the accuracy of the speedometer:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkuUIvGXN8Q
According to that test, the display reads about 4% high. (I say "about" because it's difficult to hold a CVT-powered bike steady at any one speed, let alone a series of them.)
3) Nice customization on your bike, re the orange panels, wheel stripes, speakers(?) (not my cup of tea), crashbars, added lights, passenger backrest, top case rack and case, exhaust(?), etc.
I have Wunderlich crashbars on my GT, as I believe BMW itself only sells crashbars for the C 400 X. (I rode on a C 400 X with BMW crashbars on three Edelweiss tours, 2022 and 2023.) Some folks may be interested in whatever alternative you bought -- from some AliExpress vendor, perhaps? -- because the Wunderlich ones are a little pricey.
Me, I'm interested in learning more about your passenger backrest. I eventually swapped out BMW's 30-liter case top case (that was the size back then, since bumped up to 40-something liters on the latest model years) for a Shad 59X adjustable-size top case. Shad pays much attention to passenger backrest pads than, say, Givi (I've had some Givi cases on a couple of Burgman 650s), but it's still not perfect. The one you have looks like it's probably better than what's attached to the Shad, though.
New member welcome thread..
