Saturday, November 17, 2012

To be a Scooterist

My large over powering transcontinental BMW motorcycle has celebrated my recent birthday by treating me to an annual service payout event. The partially unforseen consequence of this has been that I was lent a scooter whilst the service people wiped around the oil filler plug and prepared a huge bill.

Here we are  - a spanking new state of the Kymco art BMW C600GT in pomegranate blue.
Knees rammed up hard against the joy stick redolent of  me in a Blanik glider.
Convenience in motion - a porta potty is provided - BMW think of everything then charge you for it.  The lid is heated by the way.
One blob or two: there are 2 heat settings.
I found out what that red button was for - ejector seat.

 Plus points:  It goes well with a twist of the wrist.

Minus point: Impossible to steer with knees rammed up against the handlebars.

Is it worth £10,000? Not really.

20 comments:

  1. I hadn't ridden a scooter until 4 years ago and really enjoyed the experience. Mind you, I was on the tropical isle of Rarotonga where there's a 50 kph speed limit!

    Ten thousand quid for a scooter????? Crikey, what's the target market?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You have a short memory.....I faintly remember seeing you hoon around a car park on a MP3 not long ago....selective memory loss...

      Delete
    2. MP3? - that is surely an invalid carriage?

      Delete
  2. Hi Geoff

    According to this review, the price is high due to Italian and Spanish market conditions

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/motorbikes/9158264/BMW-C600-Sport-and-C650-GT-review.html

    I'm not so sure about that. The scoot was fun and accelerated from 50 to 80mph onto the motorway effortlessly!

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  3. Nice looking scooter but for you, it looks a little cramped. It does seem a bit expensive for what you get.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This was my first foray into the catgory of "super scoots" - the foot boards felt too high rather than the bars being too low. It is expensive especially as it's half made by Kymco!

      Delete
  4. Wow, cramped for the non vertically challenged such as yourself. Ido like the color though. Leave it to the woman to mention that.

    I admit I've never actually ridden a scooter. I have sat on one once but being perched on top freaked me out a bit.

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    Replies
    1. I'm generally nervous on scooters following my experiences on dodgy small wheel Vespas on Greek islands but this machine feels very secure!

      Delete
  5. 10000 ponds...shit can't you buy Greece for that?

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  6. Interesting. I know those are not available yet here in the states (I think) but they have generated a lot of interest. It's good to know about the knees since I am a rather tall man.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Welcome to my humble blogette and thanks for commenting.

      I think the problem is that the footboards are too high rather than the bars being too low.

      Delete
  7. Wow, so it's a scooter with a 600cc engine - I want to see that racing around the Trevi Fountain, and all the other things that Italian teenagers are supposed to do, but at 140 km/h.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I believe that the target market is well heeled and suited Italian business people - the teenagers probably cruise around in cheaper pimped up Fiat 500s!

      Delete
  8. Nikos:

    I'm not so sure I want a scooter. I used to own a Kymco X500Ri and my first trip to Oregon convinced me that I didn't want it. As compared to a regular motorcycle, they are heavier and much more expensive, and I miss the gearing down and changing gears

    I would rather have a turbo, Abarth twin-cam Fiat 500 RR

    bob
    Riding the Wet Coast
    My Flickr // My YouTube



    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bob

      The latest FIAT engine is the twin air, possibly this is close to a motorcycle negine?

      Delete
  9. Dear Nikos:

    You are 6 feet 9 inches tall. A giraffe would be cramped for you to ride in the port-o-potty position. So what happened with your other bike? Rider error? Did you think impure thoughts about the Fatherland in a tight curve. Then you have to pay.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jack
      The proper bike was in for service and part of the deal for paying £2,000 per hour Motorrad dealer labour rates is free coffee and loan bike.

      Delete
  10. £10,000!!!! This is sure not worth it. Scooters are small and very attractive. Though i have never had a ride on one, they seem to be comfortable. I want a scooter but am not sure if i need a scooter. Michelin Motorcycle Tires

    ReplyDelete
  11. I found a mid size scooter to be a great replacement for the kind of laid-back backroad riding I used to do on my cruiser and for commuting to work. I too looked at the BMW and I do like the GT but not nearly enough to give up my V-Strom 1000.

    These days I'm actually putting more klicks on my scoot; but for serious travel, the bike is the way to go. I'm not as tall as you but I also had trouble finding a scooter that I fit on.

    ReplyDelete

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