Internationally, BMW C400X and C400GT compete against segment heavyweight Honda Forza 350
Maxi-style scooters have a sizable consumer base in international markets. Sadly, that is not the case in India. While our local market has scooters like Suzuki Burgman 125 and Aprilia SXR 160 which wear a heavy faired look, they are in no way close to performance of an actual Maxi scooter.
Meanwhile, BMW Motorrad has updated its two Maxi scooter offerings- C400X and C400GT. The scooters have been on sale since 2018 and 2019 respectively and have now received a timely update which includes cosmetic as well as feature revisions. More importantly, these scooters now comply with the latest Euro-5 compliance.
Styling & Features on offer
In terms of styling, both scooters have not witnessed any updates and they carry forward the same design as their respective outgoing predecessors. Both C400X and C400GT come with two new colours each in addition to one special edition on each model namely- ‘Sport’ C400X and ‘Triple Black’ C400GT.
Like in previous iterations, both scooters get a fairly low saddle for the rider assisting a lean back posture and forward foot position. This suggests that the scooters have been primarily designed for touring purposes.
There are a few additions in terms of features. For instance, the 31-litre under-seat storage is now provided with lighting from above rather than its side. Also, the front cowl glove box now comes with a USB port in addition to a 12-Volt charging socket.
Heavily Updated Powertrain
The most significant update has been made in its powertrain department with the same 350cc single-cylinder motor undergoing various ramifications. It still returns a similar output of 34 bhp and 35 Nm of peak torque.
The first interesting upgrade is a new ‘E-gas’ technology that is essentially an electronic throttle grip. This system helps in stabilizing during idling in combination with a turbulence system and a throttle valve bypass.
The electronic throttle grip comes married to an electronically operated throttle valve like a ride-by-wire system which is paired to a CVT gearbox. This has resulted in a smoother and a more refined engine performance while its top speed has increased from 129 kmph to 139 kmph. Other engine enhancements include modifications to the cylinder head, a modified catalytic convertor and a wideband oxygen sensor, an adapted wiring harness.
Along with new engine management and E-gas system, the scooters now come with new springs in a centrifugal clutch that has been optimized in order to reduce clutch lag. Braking setup has been modified as well with a new caliper at front E-gas alongside new brake levers. Rider assist tech such as Automatic Stability Control (ASC) has been updated so that it can automatically calibrate required friction for a certain surface.
Source: Bike - rushlane.com
