Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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The New BMW "C" Series by JIM JONES According to the BMW gurus, the "C" is a modern mobility machine for the urban lifestyle. In 2012, BMW introduced the C600cc and C650 version to forge a new mode of transportation for the city dwellers. As I looked at the machine, I asked myself if it is a scooter or a motorcycle? It looks like a scooter, but you need motorcycle license to operate it. It has plenty of storage room under The BMW "C" Series — a scooter that feels the seat for a helmet and rain gear and like a bike. you can purchase an additional tail bag. The heated hand grips and seat are handy. It has an adjustable windshield, which is a very nice feature on any bike. As the German engineers at BMW never seem to pass up on the opportunity to move the world ahead with innovation, you can tell they took great pride in creating their scooter. This scooter is smart and comfortable. It has an automatic transmission so the levers on the handlebars are purely for braking. When the kickstand is down it automatically applies a parking brake (nice when you are parked on a hill). I fired up the engine and the first thing I noticed as I pulled out of Capitol BMW in Raleigh, was the power. The scooter comes in a 600cc and 650cc engine and packs a mighty punch. As I rolled out of the parking lot, my feet immediately felt odd. The natural body position of a motorcyclist is for the heels of your feet to be on the foot pegs and your toes over the gear and brake levers. There are no foot pegs on this scooter so I had plenty of legroom to stretch. I twisted the throttle and instinctively pulled the clutch lever. Wait, this scooter is an automatic! I had pulled the front brake lever and the scooter dipped as the brake applied. I quickly released it and thought how that could have been bad. As I picked up speed, I used my thumbs to adjust the windshield and turn on the heated hand grips and seat. Nice! I moved through the traffic with ease and hit the on-ramp to get on to the beltway. As I watched the speedometer climb, I wondered how fast it would go. The speedometer has 120 mph on the display and I was moving pretty fast. The large windshield provided better protection than my old luxury bike and at high speed, the scooter was smooth. As I came back down to the urban grind I started thinking about who would like this scooter. I have to tell you that this would be a great ride for a lot of people and for a lot of reasons. The scooter is light, low and easy to balance. The placement of the engine makes it easy to mount and dismount. The fuel capacity on these scooter's range from 40 to 50 mph. I will tell you that this article was hard to write because although BMW says the "C" is a scooter, I want to call it a bike. If you are looking for something easy to ride, peppy and something easy to park, then this scooter may be for you. If there is a topic that you would JAMES JONES, Contributing like to discuss, please send your Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@ comments and suggestions to motorcycle4fun@aol.com. RIDE SAFE! upandcomingweekly.com. 18 UCW MARCH 13-19, 2013 MARCH 16 • RUN FOR THE GREEN at Legend's Pub. Just for fun poker run. Prizes and fun. Rain date: March 17. Call 8672364 for more information. APRIL 13 • 3RD ANNUAL PONY EXPRESS RIDE at Cape Fear Harley Davidson. Registration 8 a.m., ride 9 a.m. $15/single, $20 double riders. 50/50 raffle. Proceeds benefit Community Schools Scholarship/Turkey Drop/Toy Drive. Call (813)380-1018 or visit www. ncbuffalosoldiers.com for more information. APRIL 20 • 8TH ANNUAL SPECIAL OLYMPICS TORCH RUN CHARITY RIDE at the Retired Military Association Building parking lot. Registration 8 a.m. Ride at 9:30 a.m. $15 covers ride, breakfast and lunch. Proceeds benefit N.C. Special Olympics program. Call 677-5595 for more information. PATRIOT GUARD RIDERS The Patriot Guard Riders is a diverse group of patriots from every state that come together to honor fallen soldiers at funeral services across the country. Visit www. patriotguard.org for more information about the group. THE BIG ONES • APRIL 27, Hogs and Rags Rally, Fayetteville. • MAY 10 TO 19, Myrtle Beach Bike Week Spring Rally, Myrtle Beach, S.C. • AUGUST 5 TO 11, Sturgis, S.D. • OCTOBER 2 TO 6, Myrtle Beach Bike Run for the GREEN Just For Fun Poker Run March 16 • 12 Noon Rain Date - Mar. 17th • Prizes and fun! Week Fall Rally, Myrtle Beach, S.C. • OCTOBER 17 TO 20, Biketoberfest, Daytona, Fla. 4624 BRAGG BLVD. WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM