your opinion on this? BMW scooters named "Best Scooters"

http://www.motorcycle.com/best-scooter-2013.html

http://www.scooterfile.com/in-the-press/motorcycle-com-names-bmw-c-series-best-scooter-of-2013/

So Motorcycle.com named the BMW as its "Scooter of the year 2013". Not bad for the first year of production. Still...I would like to hear your opinions.

Good to see my PCX was the runner-up for those of us who no longer have 6-figure salaries and who have been cut to 29.5 hours a week.

I'm going to give them a couple of years and watch...I'm usually distrustful of first year production...

i'm sure its a fine machine and owners love it or w/e. but its not the best scooter of any year in my very humble opinion

best scooter

it's no bv350!

For some reason I almost always read these "Best of..." articles as "best product by one of our advertisers..." ---so BMW and Honda will qualify, but do Kymco and Piaggio need even bother?

What criteria were used to choose the best? sales, mpg, value for money?
or is it "What we think is best"

The BMW may be best according to them but how many of those were sold? I know the PCX was and is a hit because of many factors including, but not limited to, units sold.

What one of us, or even 50 of us, on this forum think of this "Best Scooter" statement is absolutely meaningless unless "best" is taken in context with what the individual user wants.

In the USA Yamaha have made no significant effort to market the T-Max and so the Burgman and S-Wing are the most popular maxi-scooters. It does not make the Burgman/ S-Wing better then the T-Max - just different.
In Italy, the largest scooter Market in Europe, the T-Max is very popular (#4 of all >125cc machines based on sales from January-July 2013) and the Burgman, S-Wing and BMW scooters do not make the top 20.
Yamaha sold 3,500 T-Max's in Italy in that time period. Would anyone like to find out how many scooters BMW sold in the whole world in that time?

If someone wanted to give me scooter, I would choose the C650GT - but it lacks the agility and fuel economy of my Honda SH300i and the touring ability of my 1200RT.

It is a semi step thru motorcycle.

The BMW price point is so high I can not consider it best in any category except "Most Expensive."
I'm sure it is a dream to ride, it just costs too much. Let's remember, it's a scooter.

I see BMW scooters have a $1000.00 rebate on them, that still makes them the highest price scooter out there. Burgman's at $10,999 are high, but Suzuki dealers will deal.

John

Way to early to say.

Usually these "best of" are just the newest model or the last to be updated. Look at all the car and truck commercials, it's the same thing.

It's the writers' job to pique interest, get you involved in the article, so you will also look at the advertising. That's not to say that their pick is or isn't "the best."

From each person's perspective, the "best" is the one you plunk your hard earned dollars down on.

We've owned a bunch of luxo-tourers over the years, but that's not our interest these days... so, it wouldn't be "the best" for our situation.

Interesting to read about all the options, though.

Jim

Also take into consideration that most motorcycle websites or magazines are dedicated motorcyclists and so gravitate towards the most "motorcycle like" products.

I agree. I own a C650GT and it is basically a midsized sport-touring bike. It is a scooter (in layout) that "serious" motorcyclists could see themselves riding. These are the folks who just can't see the attraction in riding a PCX150 because it won't top out above 100mph or make muscular engine sounds. Scooter people riding PCX150s think it's a big as a Goldwing and can't see why anyone would want to ride something that big and heavy.

To be honest, I have owned 31 bikes so far and only 2 of them have been scooters. Light and nimble are relative terms. When I was riding a 1900cc cruiser, my Majesty felt like a trials bike. I couldn't ride a truly small scooter at my size but as I said, light and nimble are relative terms.

Now to the "Best of" designation... If the C650GT earns it, it will be because this is the first scooter that could bring together the motorcycle and scooter crowds. As I said, big bike riders will be attracted by its capabilities and will make them more open to sampling other, smaller scooters which may surprise them. Scooter riders, as much as they enjoy a good Vespa, secretly long to do all the things the big bike guys do in comfort. So, if this is the catalyst that draws the two communities together, yeah, it's a "Best of". It was good enough for me to plunk down my own hard earned cash for one.

For over 10 grand, I would expect a superior scooter from BMW. You could buy a pair of Ninja 300s for that.

The 1974 AMC Matador was Styling Coupe of the Year.

Hey, if Francisco Scaramanga had one it's got to be one bad ride.

I wouldn't buy a BMW anything, other than maybe a vintage airhead. They are less reliable than any other name brand out there, and there is plenty of evidence to back that up. All the Japanese scooters, Kymco, and Piaggio have them beat. Lower price, higher quality. No snobby dealers, and you don't have to by a $1000+ Aerostitch suit to be part of the scene. You could put a BMW emblem on a dumpster and everybody would immediately recognize it as an engineering masterpiece and a work of art.