Larry Newman said:
BMW is rumored to come out with a 850cc scooter...?
That's the rumor, alright.
Reports have been circulating since early 2005 about BMW's proposed 850cc maxiscooter. If these are to be believed, the machine will be related to their RT line of motorcycles and geared for roadway touring.
Like the Suzuki Burgman the liquid cooled, two-cylinder engine is supposed to be housed low and centered in the body to improve handling while leaving plenty of under seat storage room. Built in back support for both the driver and passenger seats seemed planned to add comfort for long days in the saddle, while wheel size is expected to be comparable to their motorcycles for greater stability at speed. It is unknown whether the automatic transmission will have any special options for speed vs power, but rumor says that anti-lock brakes will be standard. The tricky part might be fuel tank size, as the step through design of a maxiscooter often means this is where compromises are made. However, an optional top-box and possibly the hard saddle bags that BMW is famous for should make this a first class touring scooter, if it is ever built.
Price speculation is really guess work at this point, but it seems to put this magnificent beast in the 12,000 US dollars range. About $5000 less than the BMW R 1200 RT motorcycle.
Here's a link to an Italian article on this proposed maxiscooter with a number of artist renderings:
http://www.cyberscooter.it/modelli/bmw/redazione/s850rt.htm