The BMWs are (finally) coming

I hope so, fingers and toes crossed for that...

its not digging deep, its digging


PREMIUM

I looked around a little, and wondered where the premium is for BMW scooters. handling? nah, its a scooter, they ALL HANDLE and are fun. its by design more FUN than motorcycles and cars.

twist, zoom, grinnnnnn

is it better quality materials? hmm, I can change my grips anytime to DS 714s and feel even better. no biggie.

drive train? nope, that's kymco, and kymco has a handle on scooters.

tires? I can swap those

where's this premium? someone please tell me (since I haven't ridden one) where the premium is on the beemer vs the others.

It's the badge.
Doh.


And some DO handle better then most, Tmax is a great example, the BMW
should be about the same. Still costs too much (both of them, IMHO).

You are right about BMWs breaking and being expensive to maintain. However, they sometimes do offer a product that no one else can match. In 1994 I bought a 1995 R1100GS. There simply was no other bike on the market that compared..............at that time. I don't regret buying it but I did have some really expensive repairs in the 87,000 miles I put on it. Are the new BMW scooters better than the competition by enough to warrant the extra cost? I'm betting that quite a few buyers will decide they are.

I'm sure the new BMW scooters will be expensive to maintain and repair, however replacing a broken drive belt on a Burgman 650 is not exactly cheap either. Lets face it, BMW is not targeting riders who are looking for really inexpensive transportation.

If I were interested in getting one of these, I'd probably stay away from the first year model.

I agree that quite a few buyers will decide they warrant the extra cost. Then once they are out of warranty, they will find out how expensive they really are, and start looking for a buyer. I, too, would stay away from the first year model.

That sums it up. I might add that to KEEP them from breaking, also requires a deep dig. Maintenance on those things, made as they are today with all the electronics, microcomputer units, feedback controls, and high-tech ignition and fuel components...plus some low-tech things like solid lifters that need adjusting...it all adds up.

Not only to money; to lots and LOTS of tools and reading and bad experiences, if you want to go the DIY route.

It's a far cry from when the BMW cycle could be set right with tools out of the kit under the seat. The bikes run better, put out more power per cc than ever....but just synchronizing the throttle-bodies was somewhere between art and magic. Two dealers couldn't; they weren't set right on delivery; by accident I found a dealer across the country who made it right. Like a whole new cycle; and that after running up 15,000 miles.

No...I'm glad I experienced it, but I'll never do it again. Too spendy, both to buy and to keep. An idle rich man's toy.

I'd wager the scooter, if not that way now, will quickly become so.

The one big advantage is the ability to walk into a BMW dealer and get a test drive on the new scooters. The Honda/Suzuki/Yamaha dealer near me does not even stock the larger scooters.

Houston Texas, how many Silverwings was I able to find on a showroom floor? 2 and both in the same shop.

completely stunning if you ask me, what the mass of people do and want always amazes me

Scooters aren't the bread and butter at US dealers. There's only so many square feet in the place so you have to stock what sells and maximize those square feet.
A couple of years ago when gas prices got high, the Suzuki dealer stocked some Kymco's . They hardly sold at all and now they are stashed in a corner of his service department. They were wasting square feet in the showroom.

Just got the September BMW newsletter and front and center were the two new maxi-scooters.

Just ordered a tunnel bag for my C650GT, I assume the rest of the accessories can be ordered. I think one may be at the Hunter Mountain NY rally this weekend.

The C600 will start at $9550 and the C650GT at $9990 its Official <<<<<<<

That represents one hell of a subsidy from BMW America. The base price of a C600 here in the UK in $12,500!

We're expecting $16k here in Croatia..

Cortez, I did not make myself very clear.

The Base price was meant to be the pre-tax price here in the UK , which would equate to a US base price. After VAT (Sales Tax) the price in the UK is nearer $16K.

John

That's great..

First price quote I got was $17.300 for the base sport model.

Now they're talking about $15.200, which is about the same
as Tmax 530 (or a few hundred $ more then Suzuki GSX1250FA).

The price for my GT is around $11000 with heated grips, seat and TPM, including delivery. I hope it arrives before the snows fall, but it will serve as portent for the next year travels. I have heard that supply will be limited.

I am hoping they arent charging a separate line-item for delivery as BMW's MSRP includes that....