2019 BMW C 400 GT ion Long-Term Review

I have a thing for BMW motorcycles. I once met an old bloke in a supermarket car park who was also into them. I'd just parked up my BMW K100 – nicknamed The Brick in recognition of the fact it had the lowest centre of gravity of any bike I had ever ridden, as long as it was upside down – when he wandered up for a chinwag.

After a bit of to-and-fro about my bike, I asked him about his. "Oh, me? I don't own a bike. But I did ride a BMW once."

Turns out old mate was a dispatch rider in World War II. He was in France, the Germans were on the run, and dispatch riders had a brief to use every opportunity at hand to get the job done.

"I came across this BMW motorbike abandoned in a ditch," he said.

"I picked it up, shook it and it had fuel in it. So I rode it until it ran out of fuel, and then threw it back in a ditch. That's the only time I've ever ridden a BMW."

My fascination with all things two-wheeled and BMW is why when I was offered the key to the BMW C 400 GT ion, a 350cc single-cylinder scooter with one of the lowest centres of gravity shiny side up, I jumped at the chance.

I've owned scooters before, ranging from a 50cc Honda Lead (although the name was more to do with the dense metal rather than its ability to control the pack from the traffic lights) to a 150cc Peugeot Elyseo, and I enjoyed them immensely as everyday commuter bikes. Could a more powerful scooter wearing a steep price tag and a BMW badge do the same?

The bikesales.com.au BMW C 400 GT long-termer is part of BMW Motorrad's 'Urban Mobility' range of scooters that also includes the twin-cylinder C 650 GT.

This test bike is the range-topping 'ion', meaning that as well as having appointments such as remote locking, heated seats and grips and an alarm, it also has a tough, protective – although only showerproof, according to the label – skirt fitted around the step-through well.

The extremely well made protective skirt makes the BMW C 400 GT ion infinitely better suited to short city commutes in a Zegna suit than the leather-clad trials of long-distance hauling.

Early on, I made the mistake of inflating a pair of air bladders running down the trailing edges of the skirt that help them hold shape; at freeway speeds, it only made them flap wildly. Deflated and tucked in behind my legs, they were fine.

I wouldn't have done without the skirt, though. Even with outside temperatures matching those normally found inside the fridge, it offers a comfortable cocoon protecting the rider from the worst of the elements.

The skirt includes a separate elastic-rimmed cover that flips out and stretches over the stadium-seating-style pillion perch to protect both seats from the elements.

At 188cm I'm tall, and the height of the BMW C 400 GT ion's low windscreen meant the wind was deflected under the leading edge of my helmet, making things rather noisy. A taller screen, or at the very least an add-on deflector, isn't on the options list.

My workday commute is a long one. Years ago before it became all lifestyle-show trendy, we made the decision to treechange, moving to rural Victoria for its lingering scent of cow manure on market days, the constant 'boom, boom, boom' of apple orchard bird scarers each long, hot summer, and the ever-present worry of being burnt out every time there's a bushfire threat. Ah, country life…

Over the years, I've favoured shaft-drive bikes such as the K100 (it was replaced with a Honda NT650V Deauville) for their lower maintenance. The only downside is a heavy clutch lever in traffic.

The ease of a twist-and-go scooter such as the BMW C 400 GT, then, should make the city part of the commute a breeze.

It did. Through Melbourne's peak-hour traffic, the ease of just being able to squirt the throttle to merge or re-filter into traffic once the stationary rows of cages regained momentum made focusing on the job of staying safe much easier.

Once the urban jungle was behind it, the BMW C 400 GT ion even had enough of its 34hp/35Nm performance left on tap to accelerate smoothly and confidently at freeway speeds, and cruise comfortably at a pace that would have Nanna tut-tutting into her cup of Earl Grey.

Helping ease the stress of the city part of the commute is the BMW C 400 GT ion's commanding riding position. Straighten the back and you sit the equivalent of SUV-tall, meaning you can look over the top of sedans and hatchbacks to the road ahead. Trapezoidal mirrors that narrow to a fine point offer wide rearward visibility without too much form.

While the tall BMW C 400 GT ion is narrow enough to filter past cars with little effort, the height of its mirrors tends to match the height of those on SUVs.

The bike has separate front and rear hand brakes with an anti-lock braking system that takes a lot of the pressure out of fast stops and braking on slippery surfaces.

The BMW C 400 GT ion's suspension is obviously tuned in favour of city commutes. Over speed humps, lumps and bumps and changes in road surfaces, the fork front and twin spring rear suspension system is right at home.

Amp that up to freeway speeds, and the suspension tune falls a bit short. Small wheels (although large by scooter standards, with a 15-inch rim up front and a 14-inch rim down the back) and minimal travel make for an overly firm ride that’s far from spine-shattering, but has a distinctly sharp edge to it.

Bigger bumps feel a bit crashy, although the BMW C 400 GT ion remains nicely composed with its wheels in contact with the road surface at all times.

The bike's low centre of gravity is great on a winding road, though, where it tips nicely into corners with minimal effort.

The high-definition, fully electronic dash of the BMW C 400 GT ion is comprehensive to the point of overkill. I'm a tech guy and I love my gadgets, but having a multitude of driving displays to play with means you're never quite happy with the one you've selected.

They range from full-on text-heavy trip computers analysing every aspect of the commute from travel time to fuel use, to a speedo so large that all the cars around you could read it as you flash past.

It even has an almost-full-screen tacho display. Thanks to the BMW C 400 GT ion's CVT, which keeps the 350cc single-pot donk thumping away below you in either its most economical (around 1500rpm) or most torquey (around 5500rpm) part of the rev band, and ignoring everything else in between, it's all rather superfluous.

If I can level just one big criticism at BMW's electrodash, it's this: I have no idea why the small, almost invisible indicator signals are half-way down the outer edges of the TFT display, and not as high and central as they can be. To check whether the indicators are on or not your head – not just your eyes – have to travel a long way down from the road ahead to confirm whether they're on or off.

Does the BMW C 400 GT ion work as a long-haul commuter bike? I don't think so. For me, its smart city-bred chops don't translate very well to the open road, where the shortfalls of its urban-focused suspension come to the fore. On a smooth, urban freeway it's liveable, but 40 minutes of hammering over rural roads is pushing the boundaries of friendship.

For me, this bike is definitely for the urban cowboy.

ENGINE
Type: Liquid-cooled, OHC four-stroke single-cylinder
Capacity: 350cc
Bore x stroke: 80mm x 69.6mm
Compression ratio: 11.5:1
Fuel system: Electronic fuel injection
Emissions: Euro 4

PERFORMANCE
Claimed maximum power: 34hp (25kW) at 7500rpm
Claimed maximum torque: 35Nm at 6000rpm

TRANSMISSION
Type: Continuously variable
Clutch: Centrifugal dry

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame type: Steel tubing
Front suspension: 35mm fork, 110mm travel
Rear suspension: Twin shocks, preload adjustment, 112mm travel
Front brakes: Twin 265mm discs with four-piston calipers
Rear brake: 265mm disc with single-piston caliper
Wheels: Cast aluminium – front 3.5 x 15, rear 4.25 x 14
Tyres: Front 120/70-15, rear 150/70-14

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Claimed kerb weight: 212kg
Seat height: 775mm
Wheelbase: 1565mm
Fuel capacity: 12.8 litres

OTHER STUFF
Price: from $11,890 plus on-road costs
Colours: Alpine White, Moonwalk Grey Metallic or Black Storm Metallic
Test bike supplied by: BMW Motorrad Australia
Warranty: Three years, unlimited kilometres