scooter subforum!

Greenwald said:

I would welcome a scooter sub-forum here on our site - it addresses a legitimate need for the exchange of ideas, knowledge and opinions for a riding-related demographic within our BMW club.

That being said, it's just my opinion here, but I'll stick with motorcycles as long as I physically can safely manipulate their controls. Besides the style and power, it's the shifting that I get a big kick out of. I've always been a "I drive the vehicle rather than the vehicle drives me" kind of guy.

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+1

I don't like scooters any more than I like cruisers. The seating position with my feet in front of me makes me feel like I've given up some control. The small wheels and CVT just add to the dislike. That said, I see them as step through cruisers which have just as much of a place in a motorcycle forum as anything else BMW makes with two wheels. Also, since there is bound to be a bunch of discussion about them, I'd tend to set up the sub-forum sooner than later. Then again, that is just me and if the mods feel that it will just put them in a position of having to move a bunch of threads every day because they are in Motorad rather than Scooters, they need to do what will make the site run the smoothest.

I'm not too interested in things I can't shift myself or scooters. I was looking for a new ride about 2 years back (not a BMW) and stopped by a multi-line dealership just to find something, no, anything to get enthused about. The owner confided he found himself in the same dilema and decided to try a maxi-scooter. He and his wife prefer it to the assorted crusier, repli-racer, blah, blah blah nonsense available at this point. As musch as he recommended I try one, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I am surprised this particular person even made the recommendation. Perhaps we are all dinasours. 50 years from now......

henzilla said:

Still look like mini-RT's, with adjustable windscreens and fairing upper panels And not a tiny wheeled "scooter" by any means

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Coolest thing about scooters always seems that you don't have to wear a very good helmet.

I guess scooters are magic and it doesn't hurt as much to fall off one.

And, will there be Akropovic exhaust?

The psychology involved is mind boggling.

racer7 said:

BMW has already designed women away from almost all of the product line by its height.

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I don't believe that is an accurate statement. It's not a womans issue and I see a lot of women riding a lot of different models.
It's any rider under a certain inseam that may have an issue.

Not sure what that is as the 5'7" lady rider in my household has ridden almost everything in the current lineup, including my 12RT. With the lower seat on a stock GS, she feels comfortable enough to ride that as well. She owns a K12S, R1150 & 1100R's, and a F650, and rides my R12S with ease.

She echoed my thoughts on the mini -RT look of the new offering...said it's cute

lkchris said:

Coolest thing about scooters always seems that you don't have to wear a very good helmet.
.

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Aren't those BMW helmets?

lkchris said:

And, will there be Akropovic exhaust?

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YES, at least according to the brochure I picked up at the NY Motorcycle show.

sedanman said:

Do you need a motorcycle endorsement on your license to operate one? Yes, so it's a motorcycle. Does the fact that it doesn't have a clutch lever disqualify it as a motorcycle? Well the new VFR is available with an "automatic" and it's still a motorcycle.

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That depends on the jurisdiction. In Quebec you do not need an M/C endorsement for a Can-Am Sypder nor for a trike... Small scooters are considered "mopeds" if under a certain CC.

How would that work if you were to drive/ride out of your home jurisdiction? Would it still be ok because it was ok at home? Curious.

sedanman said:

Do you need a motorcycle endorsement on your license to operate one? Yes, so it's a motorcycle. Does the fact that it doesn't have a clutch lever disqualify it as a motorcycle? Well the new VFR is available with an "automatic" and it's still a motorcycle.

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Wisconsin has an unfortunate loophole in that the State Legislature did not enact a "Scooter Endorsement" statute. What that translates into is that each summer, I have students enroll in the MSF Scooter Basic Rider Course. They learn to ride on machines of 50+cc that do not have the weight, rake, trail, turning radius, shifting, etc. associated with a 'motorcycle.'

Once they graduate, WI DOT grants them blanket Motorcycle Endorsement. Certainly not all, but some quickly progress (one the very next day!) to Goldwings, RR1000's, Hayabusa's, etc. and a percentage nail themselves to a tree within weeks.

They find out the hard way that scooters are not motorcycles.

Yes, there are motorcycles (Honda VFR and the FJA1300 as examples) that have automatic transmissions, but that's not what's being politely debated here.

There are handling/braking/weight/power differences between these two styles of machines that to equate them is oversimplification.

Apples and oranges - both fruit, so choose which flavor you wish to enjoy. Just don't confuse my apple with an orange.

Thanks --

Kevin nailed it in his earlier post: A lot of us really, really enjoy the hand-foot action that a 4-5-6 speed tranny offers -- the undeniable mechanicality and the magical human interface that pulls us all right into the zone. THANKS for that reminder of the basic FUNdamentals of our chosen sport.

Also, these big scooters are probably a gas, and are likely real smooooth and comfortable. Might be nice to run to the store on one of these after a 500-mile day aboard the old R100RS. . .best (blue) seat in the house, and you don't never forget you're riding a motorcycle.

Walking Eagle

"Little wheel" service

Hey.
Got one of those "little wheeled" scooters?
Live around Chicago?
Need service?
Here is a dealer in Downers Grove. I like the tech.
Moto Guzzi too!

lkchris said:

Coolest thing about scooters always seems that you don't have to wear a very good helmet.

I guess scooters are magic and it doesn't hurt as much to fall off one.

And, will there be Akropovic exhaust?

The psychology involved is mind boggling.

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+1 and on an earlier note what about a BMW bicycle forum ?

I am also concerned about the new urban apparel line in all black. It looks very young and " cool " great for the " unseen target audience " but what about Hi Viz ? I remember the days in Europe where all the motorcyclist were clad in cool black and now must wear Hi Viz when BMW is finally making apparel they should have years ago.

As a sidebar I like BMW Scooters and I think they will become a culture than just a consumer choice. We could even see a Scooter Giant events at our rallies since the foundation of the GS Giant and now GT Giant are the same. Importantly rider education and events for all levels of ridership.

Don't really know what to say...
....I am not opposed to considering the motorized-two-wheel segment that is currently represented by scooters part of the motorcycle community...
....I still cringe when one woman in our local club says she owns "two bikes" ( a Piaggio scooter and an 1100R) but I refrain from saying anything....
...Seriously, I don't feel challenged in my "masculinity" by scooters. I earned my motorcycle driver's license in Germany some 42 years ago on a 250cc Z??ndapp Bella scooter....
.....we still always differentiated between Motorr?ñdern and Motorrollern
.....the shifting/control thing: Until my wife got an Audi with paddle shifters a la Formula 1, I never thought I would consider driving with my left foot with nothing to do exciting. I do know. I also rode the VFR1200 with the dual clutch and it is a hoot. Mind you, technically, it is NOT an automatic!
......I am really torn here....

Talk about a trip down memory lane...growing up, the big kids down the block had these.

Ran across this 1959 Cushman Eagle while in town today...the owner is from Maryland and staying in the State Park I assume

Pretty clean...other than no whitewalls...had some Michelins

a size comparison shot