Well! Second thoughts usually means criticism ... but not this time. I bought my secondhand C650 a few months ago, but owing to covid19 restrictions I had only ridden it on short 3 or 4 km commutes, until last week.
I have just finished a tour of about 1400Km, with a fair load of gear, and in a range of road and weather conditions. Here are my thoughts, compared to my previous bike, a Burgman 650.
The BMW is a very similar bike as far as power and performance go. But the BMW suspension is so superior to the Burg, they are like chalk and cheese. The BMW was far less tiring to ride. The exception to this is the grips on the BMW - very small and hard, resulting in very tired fingers at the end of the day.
Wind protection on the BMW - better than the Burg, even though the Burg had a laminar lip extension to the windscreen top.
Luggage capacity - disappointing on the BMW. It has a BMW top case fitted - smaller than the one on the Burg, but it was an aftermarket case (Bestem). The underseat storage on the BMW is neither as deep as on the Burg, nor as long - I would estimate about 75% of the available space. No way to put a helmet under the seat (my helmet is a Norton N102 modular).
The Burg had a proper electronic cruise control, which I loved. The BMW has an Atlas throttle lock which I fitted before this trip - glad I did, it is better than nothing, but not as good as full cruise control.
Fuel economy on the BMW is a notch better than the Burg. The BMW achieved a rate of 4.4 litres per 100km - the Burg was close to 5.
And one other thing - the BMW when I bought it had a modified set of exhaust pipes - Akrapovic. It gives the bike a truly great exhaust note! At first I did not like it as much as I had loved the Burg's silent smoothness - but I am getting to like The Note!
So - two similar bikes, and each has its own advantages, but for now - I love my BMW! (That will change when I need a dealer to do a repair, I guess. My intention is to DIY to the maximum extent I can do it!)
I have just finished a tour of about 1400Km, with a fair load of gear, and in a range of road and weather conditions. Here are my thoughts, compared to my previous bike, a Burgman 650.
The BMW is a very similar bike as far as power and performance go. But the BMW suspension is so superior to the Burg, they are like chalk and cheese. The BMW was far less tiring to ride. The exception to this is the grips on the BMW - very small and hard, resulting in very tired fingers at the end of the day.
Wind protection on the BMW - better than the Burg, even though the Burg had a laminar lip extension to the windscreen top.
Luggage capacity - disappointing on the BMW. It has a BMW top case fitted - smaller than the one on the Burg, but it was an aftermarket case (Bestem). The underseat storage on the BMW is neither as deep as on the Burg, nor as long - I would estimate about 75% of the available space. No way to put a helmet under the seat (my helmet is a Norton N102 modular).
The Burg had a proper electronic cruise control, which I loved. The BMW has an Atlas throttle lock which I fitted before this trip - glad I did, it is better than nothing, but not as good as full cruise control.
Fuel economy on the BMW is a notch better than the Burg. The BMW achieved a rate of 4.4 litres per 100km - the Burg was close to 5.
And one other thing - the BMW when I bought it had a modified set of exhaust pipes - Akrapovic. It gives the bike a truly great exhaust note! At first I did not like it as much as I had loved the Burg's silent smoothness - but I am getting to like The Note!
So - two similar bikes, and each has its own advantages, but for now - I love my BMW! (That will change when I need a dealer to do a repair, I guess. My intention is to DIY to the maximum extent I can do it!)
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