Suzuki Burgman 650

[strat]

Well, when the wife and I were in buying an air filter for my RT at the local BMW dealer in Lewiston Idaho we saw one of these and she was smitten. We are seriously looking at getting her one this summer. no clutch lever just twist and go and 55-60 mpg....pretty neat in it's own way...

 

Cheers

strat

[ESokoloff]

Yo Greg!

[Scotty]

Burgmans rock. If you were smitten by just looking at it, wait 'til you ride it. I wouldn't hesitate to ride mine across the country.

[Exploreinman]

My dad is 75 and his Gold Wing is getting tougher to handle in the parking lots. I'm trying to coax him in to trying the Burgman 650ABS. The drop in weight from a 900 lb. Gold Wing to a 500 lb. Burgman might help him to enjoy riding for years to come.

 

Anyone else here have time in the saddle of one?

 

[RonStewart]

Burgman is a nice piece of work. Make sure to look at the smaller one as well as the Yamaha Majesty (I have one) and the Honda SilverWing.

 

Good forums: Burgman USA and Majesty USA.

[strat]

Thaks for the heads up Ron and Scotty do you have the exec model? if so is it worth the extra in you view?

 

Cheers

Strat

[russell_bynum]

My dad is 75 and his Gold Wing is getting tougher to handle in the parking lots. I'm trying to coax him in to trying the Burgman 650ABS. The drop in weight from a 900 lb. Gold Wing to a 500 lb. Burgman might help him to enjoy riding for years to come.

 

Anyone else here have time in the saddle of one?

 

 

I don't have any saddle time on a Burgman, but Greg Haverkamp impressed (embarassed) the hell out of a bunch of people a couple of years ago when he brought his Burgman to a RideSmart class. He was obviously lacking ground clearance vs. the "real" bikes, and the riding position was somewhat of a compromise, but at the end of a set of twisties, he hadn't given up much to the faster bikes, and he was ahead of several people.

 

Storage space on that thing is just insane. Fuel economy is pretty good. No clutch/CVT means no worries about shifting or operating the clutch.

[ghaverkamp]

no clutch lever just twist and go and 55-60 mpg

 

I wouldn't count on that. I think I've eclipsed 50 mpg once in 20,000 miles, on my descent from South Lake Tahoe.

 

For the commuting duties it largely sees, I expect (and receive) around 40 mpg. A smaller rider (I'm like a rider and small passenger) and a less aggressive right wrist might push 50 normally. Maybe.

 

That said, I've been very happy with mine. It is, in fact, my online ride now. The front suspension leaves a little to be desired, and my options for that are somewhat limited, but they exist. Rear suspension isn't bad out of the box, but I keep eyeing better shocks. That said, they perform reasonably well, and the scooter fact alone is unlikely to put you at the rear of a group.

 

It's reasonably comfortable, though there are some seat pressure points that impact me on longer treks. They've got a pretty good record for reliability, and based on the time I subjected mine to my intense stupidity, at least many components are way overbuilt.

 

You ask in your follow-up about Exec versus no. There was no Exec importation to North America when I bought mine, or that's what I would have purchased. For lane splitting, the power-folding mirrors alone would have been worth the difference. I'm sure the adjustable screen would have been nice, and I'd always prefer to have ABS available.

[ghaverkamp]

He was obviously lacking ground clearance vs. the "real" bikes, and the riding position was somewhat of a compromise, but at the end of a set of twisties, he hadn't given up much to the faster bikes, and he was ahead of several people.

 

Ground clearance is a bit of a problem, but as I've ground down my centerstand, it's become less and less of one. Still I did maybe give some up to others. I'm not entirely sure. As I started getting more skilled at and putting the RidingSmart pieces into action, ground clearance -- not surprisingly -- became less and less of an issue.

 

It's definitely difficult (and feels very forced) to do a full RidingSmart riding position. That said, it has enough floorboard space to come close to pulling it off. More flexibility on my part would make it easier. That said, when I get to sporty sections of road, I use a slightly less aggressive RS position on it, which it likes just fine.

[Scotty]

I have the regular model. The exec has some kool stuff. You must decide if they are worth the extra $$ to you.

 

Like Greg, my gas mileage is less than 50mpg. It's a heavy bike. Much quicker than most people would expect, though.

 

Heated grips, a taller windscreen and a Rick Mayer saddle have turned my scooter into the favorite bike to pull out of the garage.

 

I must say that it's a blast to ride. Absolutely effortless.

 

Here are some photos of mine:

 

http://www.r1150rt.smugmug.com/gallery/2338691#124557554

[Couchrocket]

Three years ago, I attended the "Maxi-Scooter Rally" w/ my brother up in Coos Bay, Oregon. My RT even won "Best Non-Scooter" in their show (a pack of gum ). On one of our rides I got to ride: Honda Silverwing, Bergman 650, Burgman 400, Honda Reflex, Aprilia Atlantic, and the venerable Honda Helix. IMO, the 650 Burgman was the pick of the litter. VERY fast, nimble, stable, comfortable, and quiet. The Silverwing is a little quicker handling, but pays a price in high speed stability (compared to the Burgie). My next favorite was the Aprilia, that sucker is fast! I had the Burgman up to triple digits going down Pacific Coast highway through some long sweepers and it was perfectly stable. I was "testing" all these scooters w/ an eye toward my wife having one, and so I deliberately tried to induce instability at speed by wiggling the handlebars somewhat violently... no dice. All the newer scooters seemed to have large enough wheels and long enough wheel bases to be very stable at both low and high speeds. The only one of the scooters that behaved weird was the old Helix, and I think that was due to its age, rather than its design.

 

One of the things to think about for your wife is the overall size of the bike to her. Not just in cc's or weight, but in "configuration." My wife can't get her feet on the ground on the Burgman 650, but can do so easily on the 400. And, interestingly enough, on the Yamaha Majesty (also a 400) it was impossible for her to get her feet on the ground w/o jamming herself into the handle bars. Another factor is the position and "angle of attack" of the center stand on the various scooters. Some were easy for a smaller person to get up on the stand, and others were darn near impossible. The weight of the bike wasn't the main factor, either.

 

Oh, and if you test ride one... try to remember that the left hand lever is the rear brake... otherwise the first time you pull in the "clutch" to shift -- after winding the sucker up good -- you'll get a very large surprise. DAMHIKT

[ghaverkamp]

Oh, and if you test ride one... try to remember that the left hand lever is the rear brake... otherwise the first time you pull in the "clutch" to shift -- after winding the sucker up good -- you'll get a very large surprise.

 

It works both ways. While pulling in the clutch will usually slow you down, I have learned that it will not do so as quickly as a rear brake will.

[RonStewart]

Since Scott metioned Aprilia, I'll throw in the Piaggio X9 (Piaggio owns Vespa, I think). Link to British forum.

[ghaverkamp]

Since Scott metioned Aprilia, I'll throw in the Piaggio X9 (Piaggio owns Vespa, I think).

 

They own the Vespa and Aprilia brands.

 

I nearly bought an X9. I had pretty much decided to go that route. I went into a local dealer, waited to get helped, didn't (the salesperson actually started helping someone who came in after me with helmets), and left.

 

It really came down to a crapshoot for me, based on what I'd read and people I'd talked to. Burgman 650 was faster and had arguably better handling. X9 would be more maneuverable in town, which was my primary aim anyway, and in my opinion, is a more attractive vehicle.

[Ray R]

I have an Aprilia Atlantic 500, and it's a real hoot to ride. I typically get 55-60mpg. I've had it over 95mph, and it's dang near as stable as my R1150RT.

 

Although the Atlantic is not available in the US anymore, the Piaggio X9 is basically the same bike. I chose the Atlantic over the Burgies and Wings simply because it had a single cylinder vs twins and still had plenty of poop for less $$$ and less weight.

 

There seems to be Vespa dealers popping up all over. I suggest you at least check them out before making a decision.

[RideTN]

wife has a burgman 400, she loves it. rode it out west last year.

[Volfan615]

Burgmans rock.

 

+1 A year ago I was bikeless until the wife and I checked out the Burgmans one day wasting time. She loved them and the plan was for us both to eventually get one. But by the end of last summer I had her convinced to let me get a beemer. Thanks Burgman!!

[RideTN]

volfan

 

does she ride the burgman 400?? btw, did you go to bloodworth's open house saturday?

[Volfan615]

Yeah the wife rides the Burgman. I was out of town Saturday and couldn't make it to the open house. How did it go?

[RideTN]

from a visitor perspective looked like it went great. good crowd that grew as the day went on. i arrived around 10:30 or so, left around 1:00. took a demo ride on a 1200rt.

[Volfan615]

took a demo ride on a 1200rt.

 

You took a demo ride on a RT and didn't come home with it?

 

Ok... now we are going to be in trouble for high jacking this thread. Sorry

[Bob Palin]

 

The only good scooter is...

 

I thought we dealt with you mods in 1964.

[tallman]

I think some of them survived and moved to California.

[Bill_Walker]

I think some of them survived and moved to California.

 

Hey, isn't that Sock Monkey? I guess that might explain why he hasn't been seen for a while!

 

The Burgman 400 was recently redesigned ('06? 07?) and has gotten really good reviews. Apparently it's much improved over the previous version.

[Roninfla1]

I've got a 650 and they are one great scooter. It will do 100+MPH has a smooth as silk engine and transmission and absolutely zero vibration on the floorboards or grips. Suspension could use some modifications, and I can get 50MPG not horseing it. Great lights also.. I'm 6'2" and my wife is 6'0" no problem. I do have a R1100RT also but the Burgman is so easy and smooth. You just have to get over the scooter look. No lightweight at 525lbs