First ride: BMW C 600 Sport maxi-scooter has the brand's sporty flair

With a brand forever linked with the "ultimate driving machine" tagline, you might not associate BMW with scooters. But BMW has built scooters for years in Europe, and it has been making inroads stateside with its own take on efficient, urban transportation. We recently rode its C 600 maxi-scooter, a relatively large scooter designed for two-up highway riding, and came away impressed.

Packaging is often an advantage scooters hold over motorcycles. With its own trick, the C 600 Sport has a clever expandable storage compartment below the two-person seat that will hold two full-face helmets, as long as the bike is parked. (You have to fold in the back half of the storage well before riding, or the rear tire will rub against it.) With the extra storage flap tucked away, the under-seat compartment will hold one full-face helmet—handy for running to the train station, for example, to pick up a passenger. (Check out the new Honda Forza scooter.)

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This scooter line comes in two models, the C 600 Sport that we rode and the C 650 GT, which has saddle bags, a lower seat height, higher handlebars, a power height-adjustable windshield. The GT lacks the under-seat storage expansion. Both use the same high-compression 60-hp engine, despite their divergent designations. BMW rates them at 53 mpg at a steady 56 mph. No figures are offered for urban riding. The downside here is that they require premium fuel.

The BMW C 600 Sport is powered by a 60-hp, 647cc, inline twin-cylinder engine. A continuously variable transmission and a centrifugal clutch make the C 600 Sport easy for new riders to learn. There are twin 10.6-inch disc brakes up front and a single disc to the rear. A proven, life-saving safety system, antilock brakes are standard. Top speed is rated at 109 mph; we thought better of testing that claim.