Thinking its time to sell the BMW C650GT

[Akkis]

Hi all.

After 10K miles of riding and traveling through 5 different states with my BMW I am thinking it is time to sell my baby. Part of the reason is I am currently at just under 16K miles and my warranty is over.

I drive in the winter months and one thing i loved about the 650 was that the fairings protected me from wind and the heated seat/grips were saviors. Also the automatic windshield was pretty awesome too.

Having said all this would love your input on what my next step should be. I was looking at the f800, the triumph 800 xrt, and oddly enough a bmw nine-t.

I also hate that none of the above have under seat storage. I dont think I want another 650gt or the 600.

I drive in NYC so the automatic feature was pretty awesome as well. My biggest complaint with the 650gt was the service intervals were so expensive. I'd like something not as high maintenance.

Any advice is appreciated.

A

 

[Lee]

Well, if I wanted step up with the same level of comfort that I feel that the C650GT provides, and I was staying with BMW, I would get the R1200RT. However, they're about twice as expensive as the C650GT. Sometimes, good deals can be found on Cycle Trader for used models. All IMHO, YMMV.

 

[San Diego Surfer]

Akkis I bought a 1700cc road star thinking i had been on sport bikes before but i really wanted that good comfortable highway cruiser and ended up hating riding it in any kind of traffic. After riding the C650gt the ride is so effortless and that to me is what makes these scooters so great. I do love some of the other bmw bikes and looked at them but call me lazy because i dont like the shifting when i can have good power in a twist and go! Thats just my two cents but good luck on your journey to find a better alternative.

 

[wsteele]

I own a Honda ctx 700 it has a dual clutch 6 speed trans. It shifts automatically there is drive and sport also you can put it in manual, it will down shift on its own or you can down shift with the paddle shifters. You would probably have to add a windshield ( cee bailey) makes a shield for it also you might want to add saddle bags. I found the saddle not to my liking I put a Corbin saddle on mine made a big difference in the ride. It is pretty quick for a 700 you can cruise at 70/75 all day it gets about 60 + mpg fairly easy to work on except putting a new air filter is a PITA, I would suggest to get a automatic oiler for the chain makes life a lot easier and will extend the life of the chain aleast 3 fold to about 35000 to 40000 miles

 

[SteveADV]

I'm with Bill. Sounds like you are a candidate for NC700x DCT. It has storage where the gas tank should be. Good power to weight and torque. And has a strong reliability reputation. You may or may not like the wind protection or the ergos, though. Kinda like comparing a cruiser (which the GT is, sorta) to a dual sport (which the Honda is).

 

[JaimeC]

My advice is to practice what I preach: Ride it into the ground. My 2013 model has 30,000 miles on it and I have no intention of getting rid of it any time soon.

 

[Rifleman3006]

My advice is to practice what I preach: Ride it into the ground. My 2013 model has 30,000 miles on it and I have no intention of getting rid of it any time soon.

Jaime - at 30,000 miles, you have obviously been through some of the expensive maintenance that the poster referred to. My 2014 only has 9200 miles on it and I haven't done anything to it to date , other than oil/tire changes. Can you tell me when you changed out your belt/rollers and how much you paid to do so? I was hoping to hold off on this until 15,000 or so miles?

thanks!

 

[TwoPort]

I was frustrated with the claimed mandatory replacement of the chain and CVT stuff my dealer was attempting to shove at me around the 12K miles mark so I called through BMW NA's phone tree finally speaking with someone informed. Turned out the dealer was flat-out lying to me about all that "mandatory stuff or your warranty is void" as they were recommending new expensive "all the time" with no inspection.

So I found another dealer who would work with me. This forum has been vital to discover service advice experiences as well as experts and do-it-your selfer's. So for me - its oil changes by intervals and inspections otherwise with a dealer I feel like I can trust. I'm just above 30,000 miles now and haven't touched the CVT or Chain since 12K. It is due for service and beyond the engine service, I figure the chain may need adjustment but I have no plans to mess with the CVT as it reacts fine - although I'd like to have the belt inspected. The bottom line with BMW NA is that beyond engine maintenance the rest is discretionary so you want a good dealer. From my observations the BMW dealers seem to have overdone the chain and CVT stuff which has jacked up prices unnecessarily. For example, no one has reported a belt or chain breaking and the worst CVT issues seem to relate to shudder.

There's my 12 cents.

 

[Rifleman3006]

I was frustrated with the claimed mandatory replacement of the chain and CVT stuff my dealer was attempting to shove at me around the 12K miles mark so I called through BMW NA's phone tree finally speaking with someone informed. Turned out the dealer was flat-out lying to me about all that "mandatory stuff or your warranty is void" as they were recommending new expensive "all the time" with no inspection.

So I found another dealer who would work with me. This forum has been vital to discover service advice experiences as well as experts and do-it-your selfer's. So for me - its oil changes by intervals and inspections otherwise with a dealer I feel like I can trust. I'm just above 30,000 miles now and haven't touched the CVT or Chain since 12K. It is due for service and beyond the engine service, I figure the chain may need adjustment but I have no plans to mess with the CVT as it reacts fine - although I'd like to have the belt inspected. The bottom line with BMW NA is that beyond engine maintenance the rest is discretionary so you want a good dealer. From my observations the BMW dealers seem to have overdone the chain and CVT stuff which has jacked up prices unnecessarily. For example, no one has reported a belt or chain breaking and the worst CVT issues seem to relate to shudder.

There's my 12 cents.

Twoport - Hey, thanks so much for the reply. That's helpful, I kind of wondered myself if they really needed to perform the belt,CVT services at the recommended 12K mileage interval. My bike has been fine, other than I notice the CVT shudder every time I first take off on the bike after it's been sitting for a day or so. After the initial shudder, nothing until the next day or next time I ride but it's done this since it was brand new. I will probably push off any such service for well beyond the 15K mark. Yes, your right I haven't heard others complaining of broken belts etc??

Best

 

[JaimeC]

Mine was done (for free) around 20,000 miles. I forget the actual mileage but you can probably find my tale of woe when it broke down around 300 miles from home. It was still under warranty so Roadside Assistance towed it to the nearest dealership near Rochester, NY (Country Rode Cycles). They initially diagnosed it as a failed seal behind the clutch which spewed oil on the clutch and belt. Although the clutch and belt are normally considered "wear items" they were replaced since they were damaged by the failure of a covered part.

Of course, once they put it all back together again they discovered they hadn't fixed the actual problem I was having, and that turned out to be the rear wheel bearing was falling apart so they had to replace that too. All the repair work and towing was covered but unfortunately I still had to pay my own airfare and cab fare to pick it up and ride it home but I think the worst is past. Not sure when this replacement belt may need to be replaced. I haven't yet brought it in for its 30K service yet (just haven't had the time since I got back from Pittsburgh).

 

[TwoPort]

Mine was done (for free) around 20,000 miles. I forget the actual mileage but you can probably find my tale of woe when it broke down around 300 miles from home. It was still under warranty so Roadside Assistance towed it to the nearest dealership near Rochester, NY (Country Rode Cycles). They initially diagnosed it as a failed seal behind the clutch which spewed oil on the clutch and belt. Although the clutch and belt are normally considered "wear items" they were replaced since they were damaged by the failure of a covered part.

Of course, once they put it all back together again they discovered they hadn't fixed the actual problem I was having, and that turned out to be the rear wheel bearing was falling apart so they had to replace that too. All the repair work and towing was covered but unfortunately I still had to pay my own airfare and cab fare to pick it up and ride it home but I think the worst is past. Not sure when this replacement belt may need to be replaced. I haven't yet brought it in for its 30K service yet (just haven't had the time since I got back from Pittsburgh).

Aside from the failure in-between services, it sounds like a service inspection might have revealed the "oil in the wrong place problem." I like mechanics to inspect. (I now feel like I've really hijacked the thread.) However, excessive bogus service costs have been a significant influence on how the bikes are perceived. I was getting frustrated thinking I'll pay for a new bike in service costs every 5 years which was crazy - replacing the same expensive dumb parts over and over.

I've said it elsewhere but the BMW NA customer service was crystal clear because I made them say it more than once: There is no mandatory replacement of anything on these bikes. Its all about a professional inspection and judgment. We've been basically screwed by *some* dealers pushing the line about mandatory replacements of things that have service life and do not need to be replaced - and if they aren't replaced our warranty will not be voided. Having said that, I am very pleased with my current dealer and they will always get my service and future purchases.

 

[Rifleman3006]

Twoport - I agree and thanks again. My dealer (only one in St. Louis, which is another issue) has not said anything about mandatory service, however, I have only utilized them for a bad battery and faulty water pump, both of which materialized in the first couple of thousand miles. My warranty is long gone as I'm only at 9200 miles and past my 3 years. Frankly I find the 36,000 mile warranty for first 3 years funny as the vast majority of folks are like me and never get anywhere close to that number after 3 years. Good marketing fluff I guess.

 

[Lee]

The truth shall set us free!

 

[JaimeC]

The bike is regularly serviced every 6,000 miles by a mechanic I've known literally for decades. The seal failure is apparently NOT uncommon as I've seen a few reported here in this forum as well. The rear wheel bearing failure rubs me the wrong way because somewhere along the line, BMW seems to have forgotten how to design or manufacture rear wheel bearings. The internet is rife with reports of failed rear-wheel bearings in BMW motorcycles from my 1999 BMW K1200LT to the new (hollow axle) design that was SUPPOSED to be lifetime-sealed but turned out to be even worse than the design it replaced. The scooters use a different bearing and now that one failed too? C'mon, BMW! Get your act together.

My 1985 K100 had over 150,000 on the original bearing (the bike was stolen with 158,000 miles on the odometer so I don't know how long it would've lasted). The original bearing on the K1200LT (which was supposedly the same part number) failed at 40,000 miles (but less than three years) and it was replaced under warranty (despite it happening beyond 36,000 miles). The replacement bearing lasted 140,000 miles before it had to be replaced again. I guess I can live with that, BUT it is still annoying (especially since I had to pay for it that time).

 

[exavid]

Silverwing scooters routinely go 25,000 miles or so before needing CVT changing. Thanks to Skutor I have one of those $90 Mitsobishi CVT belts on hand. Same belt one third the price. I'll check it when I hit 15,000 miles and change it if it needs to be. About all I do to the drive line is check the chain slack and oil. My bike is a '13 so it's out of warranty which means I will take it to the dealer for certain services and do the rest myself. I don't plan on checking the valve clearances until the bike has 30k or so on it. Most shim and bucket valves don't change much over time. Basically oil changes, and routine stuff I'll do but most of the rest I'll have the dealer here do for me. It'll cost more but we are lucky in having an excellent BMW dealer here who does good work at reasonable prices. I ride the bike hard, no dainty throttle hand here and I'll pay what it takes to keep it going. I'm about ready for my third set of tires at a bit over 10,000 miles. No chicken strips on my tires.