2020 BMW C 400 GT ion Long-Term Review

And so the time has come to say goodbye to our 2020 BMW C 400 GT ion – the German's brand's recently introduced 'middleweight maxi-scooter' that has called the Bikesales garage home for the past few months.

In that time we've covered around 10,000km on this robust and multi-skilled machine, the C 400 GT ion pressed into service as a city commuter, a multi-day tourer and a general runabout for any of the Bikesales team in need of comfortable, practical and fuel-efficient transport.

At $11,890 plus on-road costs, the C 400 GT ion is the flagship of BMW's C 400 range, which also includes the slightly sportier C 400 X. The GT has a larger screen and front fairing compared to the X, while the 'ion' bit adds multi-stage heated grips, a multi-stage heated heat, and a large TFT instrument display with phone/music/turn-by-turn navigation connectivity, the latter achieved via your smartphone and a BMW Motorrad app.

These C 400 scooters are arguably even more flexible in what they can accomplish than their parallel-twin-powered big brothers, the C 650 Sport and C 650 GT.

With its 350cc single-cylinder engine, the C 400 GT might have less punch (something for which I was immeasurably thankful when pulled over by the Victoria Police Highway Patrol recently while touring the state's High Country), but the C 400 is lighter and more compact too, and thus a better proposition to thread through city traffic.

Take its open-road performance into account, with sprightly acceleration and an outright top speed that will still potentially shred your licence, and it's a competent all-rounder for both town and country.

You have to get amongst it to keep that single on the boil and make the most of its available torque, but the BMW C 400 GT ion carves through corners nicely and the Pirelli Angel Scooter tyres allow you to make the most of its generous ground clearance.

By way of proof of the enjoyment it's afforded us, is the fact that after nearly 11,000km the rear hoop is actually pretty worn – I'd be surprised to get more than a couple of thousand more clicks out of it before replacement. There's still heaps of life left on the front tyre, however.

Related reading:
2020 BMW C 400 X and C 400 GT launch review
2020 BMW C 400 GT ion long-term test: introduction
2020 BMW C 400 GT ion long-term test: update I
2020 BMW C 400 GT ion long-term test: update II
2019 Bikesales Bike of the Year Scooter: BMW C 400 GT ion

The scooter came to us fresh from its 1000km service and is now due to go under the spanner again for its next service. BMW Motorrad Australia says you can expect to pay in the vicinity of $150 for that first service and around $250 for each one after that, with service intervals pegged at every 10,000km. Naturally, the costs will vary a bit from dealer to dealer and will rise with later services as certain components reach the end of their service life.

The BMW C 400 GT ion has been a winner for fuel economy, averaging out at 3.3lt/100km over the duration of its stay. With a 12.8lt fuel tank, that's a safe working range of around 350km, while there's a handy range-to-empty feature to help you plan your fill-ups.

To further complement its practicality, our BMW C 400 GT ion test bike was fitted with an accessory topbox and a protective 'blanket' – both genuine BMW factory accessories. The lockable topbox is well made and makes carting a bit of extra gear around easy, although it's not big enough to swallow a full-size helmet. That's where BMW's FlexCase system comes in – lift up the seat, push the FlexCase lever and a concertina storage section drops down into the rear wheel arch, allowing you to fit a full-size lid.

The blanket, meanwhile, gives added weather protection and warmth in winter. The feature is commonplace in Europe, but it takes some getting used to – the last thing you want when stopping on a cold, wet and greasy road at a red light is to get your foot caught up in it. But you acclimatise soon enough, and over the course of some wet and frosty Melbourne winter days it amply proved its worth. In fact, it's entirely possible to ride in jeans without wet-weather pants and still remain dry, although it's a bit of a fiddly thing to fit or remove, being secured with a couple of straps and a number of star-head bolts.

The TFT instrumentation divided opinion – some thought it a bit too 'busy' in its presentation – but if nothing else it's comprehensive and we like the added functionality of the Bluetooth-linked app. It's a window on what's to come, we think, in terms of just what motorcycle apps will offer in the future.

Downsides? It takes a fair amount of muscle to pull the 212kg (wet) C 400 GT ion off its centrestand, although it's easy enough to get it on the centrestand in the first place. That price is getting up there if you purely think of the C 400 GT ion as a scooter, but then we think it's actually pretty reasonable if you view it in terms of fun and functional powered two-wheeled transport with a fairly long features list.

It's priced similarly to Kymco's AK 550, which won Scooter of the Year in our 2018 Bikesales Bike of the Year Awards.

Speaking of, it was this BMW C 400 GT ion that took out this title in the 2019 Bikesales Bike of the Year Awards, where it impressed over the mountainous roads of Victoria's alpine region and served as a dependable platform for our resident paramedic, also carting a hefty amount of first-aid gear.

Suffice it to say, if you're in the market for a middleweight maxi-scooter at home both in the city and on the open road, these are both excellent options well worth checking out.

For now, however, it's farewell to BMW's C 400 GT ion from the team at Bikesales. This model may not set pulses racing like BMW's S 1000 RR M Sport superbike nor its dual-purpose supremo, the R 1200 GS, but if you want comfort, practicality and a broad spread of on-road ability, the C 400 GT ion delivers on all counts.

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: Pirelli Angel Scooter; 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