Convince me already!

[grey.hound]

Got a great quote on a used 600 sport. They will deliver to my door or the local dealer, same price. So is this bike great for daily use? It is almost as though BMW said "Let's build a bike just for Sean." But...the local piaggio dealer has the BV350 in stock and even new it is less money and insurance is half that of the BMW. I really like it too, the only thing missing is ABS. I like it enough that if it had ABS i don't think I would consider the 600 sport. So, push me over the edge.

 

[TwoPort]

I've put 5400 miles on mine in 3 months - so I qualify as daily use. My brother happens to have a BV500 so I have pretty good experience riding both. We do a fair amount of riding together. The BV's are great bikes. Smooth and rock solid at all speeds. My brother's opinion is that the BV is good for about a 2 to 3 hour ride or less. His plan to change that is to get a Corbin seat and try to get some highway pegs for longer rides. IMHO, the BV feels much more like a scooter - but with great power. The BMW feels much more like a motorcycle. Bigger. More substantial. Of course there's nothing like test riding them. My brother wanted to sell me his BV500 but I was looking for something I could go all day with and the BMW was perfect for that.

 

[Skutorr]

The 500 is the aging Piaggio Master motor; a 460cc Paint Shaker with a typical scooter dry clutch

The 350 engine is a much newer design, and has a HUGE motorcycle-style wet clutch and is smooth as silk. It's Piaggio's current BEST motor...

The BV 350 (Or X-10 350) Clutch:

 

[JaimeC]

13,000 miles in a little over a year. Not QUITE a "Daily Driver" as I also own a K1200LT on which I've logged 184,000 miles in 15 years. Both are ridden almost exclusively three out of four seasons with the car getting a little more daily use in the winter (but I ride through the winter too as long as the roads are clear of ice and snow).

I was only stranded once, and it turned out to be a minor issue: The side stand switch loosened up and the computer wasn't registering that the stand was up, so it wouldn't start. If I was even half-way mechanical I probably could've fixed it myself by the side of the road but I ended up having to get a tow home. Fixed under the warranty. Mine is a 2013 model, so most of the issues people have been reporting have already been addressed in the later models.

I've done two round trips from New York to Indianapolis (for the Red Bull MotoGP) with my C650GT without issue. It's a GREAT all-around vehicle for around town commuting and cross country trips. What more could you ask for?

 

[SteveADV]

Hey Sean....I don't think we can convince you here on the forum. Sounds like you have a difficult choice that only you can make based on your specific riding needs, comfort, service requirements, etc.

Personally, scooters felt like scooters to me. Maxi-scooters were a different animal so when I was looking my decision was basically between a Burgman and a C650GT (many others but narrowed down to those two). Good thing I don't know as much as some guys on this forum about clutches, bearings, and pulley's or I would still be on the sidelines trying to decide.

 

[SteveADV]

FWIW....I am 6'2 weigh 210 and I also think BMW specifically designed the C650GT to fit me perfectly. Most others felt small to me. But that is just me.

 

[grey.hound]

Thanks for the replies. LOL SteveADV, I know, I am putting way to much thought into this.

 

[SteveADV]

It is a big decision but my guess is you will be happy with whatever you choose. My favorite from a pure looks point of view is still the classic Vespa. Too small for me though, except for maybe around the neighborhood. I can't find the picture, but when Xian Forbes posted the picture of his better half's new white Vespa I sent it to a couple of my daughters hoping they might jump on board.

 

[exavid]

It seems to me that it depends on what you want a scooter for. If it's for running around town on surface roads the BV500 looks good. Less expensive, better fuel economy for starters. On the other hand if you want a bike for running around town and riding on freeways as well as two up riding the BMW is a much better choice. With the top box you can get a week's worth of groceries in the bike too. My wife prefers to ride the back of my 650GT over my K1100LT. Says the scooter is more comfortable.

 

[grey.hound]

I have a 250cc Aprilia scooter. It does 99% of what I want. I know the BV350 would complete the final 1%. But the BMW is just an amazing combination of middleweight MC and scooter with ALL the features. I actually would like it replace my other scooter.

 

[SteveADV]

I wonder if the BMW (or similar) might expand your PTW uses? If not, the BV350 sounds like it just might be the one.

 

[Edumakated]

I had a Vespa 300 for about four months before deciding to upgrade to the BMW c600. The C600 is basically a daily driver for me. It does everything and more that the Vespa did. Yes, it is a large scoot, but I have had no issues maneuvering it around in downtown Chicago with ease. I also love the fact it has gobs of power and can easily hop out on the super slab or higher speed roads with no issue. I'm also 6ft tall with a 33 inseam and I have plenty of leg room for all day riding. I don't think you can go wrong with the c600. You will get a lot of stares on the c600 as people are always asking me about it. it really is a sexy scoot/bike. The convenience and performance of the c600 is unmatched imho.

 

[grey.hound]

I went for the BMW, but it sold. Time to wait/look some more. There are more GT's available, but I haven't seen one in person. It just "looks" bigger than I want. I like the slimmer profile of the sport.

 

[Xian Forbes]

I prefer the styling of the sport as well. The gt appears much more 'adult' to my eyes...and adult is normally reserved for my working hours. Keep your eyes peeled and jump on one when you find it, gt's outsold sports prob 4:1 or maybe even higher here in US.

 

[grey.hound]

There is a blue sport about 250 miles from me, has only 1 year left on the warranty. Also, a new silver one about the same distance but $2000 more than the used.

 

[Xian Forbes]

If your financing, I'd think a new one is easier to get a loan for. If paying cash I'd go for the used model. Make sure all campaigns are up to snuff before buying anything. And remember tires will last between 6 and 8 thousand miles and will cost about 250ish for rubber plus mounting fees.

 

[TN_Sooner]

I own a BV350 and the GT650.

8000 miles on the BV - lots of in town riding, but have also taken it to the Smokies (4-5 hour ride) and done all the twisties you could ask for. I trucked it to colorado and rode a bunch of mountain riding out there. It's a great bike, fully comfortable in town or on the road. Can't go wrong with it. But, dealer network is thin (more thin than BMW, at least in "flyover country"). And I find the seat uncomfortable. Finally, I had to design and build Footpeg brackets to be comfortable.

6000 miles on the bmw. Love this bike, it is fabulous. I love it on the road - just home from a 2800 miles trip and it was awesome. I love the power of this beast. Fabulous in the twisties. In fact, I love everything about it. Only complaint - I'm eating tires rapidly, but I seem to be an isolated case.

Remember - the BV is much cheaper on the front end, but also much cheaper to operate. BMW tires are 40% more expensive, maintanence is much more for the BMW (less so if you can do your own work). BV gets about 15% better fuel mileage. My BV insurance is half that for the BMW.

Pick between the two? If I had to sell one, it would be the BV. However, I would still rather run "around town" on the BV and on the road on the BMW.

 

[Skutorr]

I prefer the styling of the sport as well. The gt appears much more 'adult' to my eyes...and adult is normally reserved for my working hours. Keep your eyes peeled and jump on one when you find it, gt's outsold sports prob 4:1 or maybe even higher here in US.

In Europe, the "Land of the Scooter", 600 Sports outsell the 650Gt's at about 10:1!! It's mostly ex-Tmax riders looking for more power, but without sacrificing handling. The GT is usually considered as an alternative to the Burgman 650, which is still outselling it more than 2:1.

Be Euro; get a 600!!!

 

[SteveADV]

Hey, be American and get C650GT. (Errr, wait a minute. That doesn't work)

 

[Skutorr]

Only if you live in OHIO and it comes in OSU colors!