Burgman Riders

[scooter1]

Have you seen the new site for maxis.
Yeah nz site for those bigger scoots like our burgys.
Even offer free service manuals for there members to down load. Have the 400 and 650 manuals.:first:

www.meetup.com/maxiscootnz/

[scooter1]

Its the place to go:argh:

[5ive]

You have 16 scooter members in all of New Zealand, (one of) the Auckland (only) motorcycle group(s) has 342 motorcyclists. I have not ridden with all 342 of the motorcyclists, but I have ridden with a hell of a lot more than 16 ;)

I'm not taking the piss, or trying to be offensive, you just seem frustrated and wanting more members. Maybe you should try recruiting on car forums, or other social (Facebook?) groups, this just isn't happening here for some reason or other. It's hard to put a finger on why.

Maybe it's just a: "I only have a scooter so I can commute, riding dangerously, inner-city, wearing only my buisness attire, and an open faced helmet" excuse?

A couple (6-12) of my work mates (male/female/tranz) do that, and claim that the slightly higher CC rating of their scooters makes them more than just an annoying moped, that can take up the valuable, designated motorcycle parking spaces in our workplace parking garage. It's really annoying.

Good luck!

[nzspokes]

You have 16 scooter members in all of New Zealand, (one of) the Auckland (only) motorcycle group(s) has 342 motorcyclists. I have not ridden with all 342 of the motorcyclists, but I have ridden with a hell of a lot more than 16 ;)

I'm not taking the piss, or trying to be offensive, you just seem frustrated and wanting more members. Maybe you should try recruiting on car forums, or other social (Facebook?) groups, this just isn't happening here for some reason or other. It's hard to put a finger on why.

Maybe it's just a: "I only have a scooter so I can commute, riding dangerously, inner-city, wearing only my buisness attire, and an open faced helmet" excuse?

A couple (6-12) of my work mates (male/female/tranz) do that, and claim that the slightly higher CC rating of their scooters makes them more than just an annoying moped, that can take up the valuable, designated motorcycle parking spaces in our workplace parking garage. It's really annoying.

Good luck!

Least they wont get speeding tickets.:bleh:

[awa355]

I am seriously thinking about another scooter. Probably in the 250-300cc range. However I wouldn't bother joining any scooter (or motorcycle) group as I do my own thing. A loose knit group will never find the time to get together at the same time. Plus I like riding secondary and gravel roads and most scooter riders (and many road bike riders) get the wind up at being out of their comfort zone.
http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w420/awa355/No2.jpg

When I had my Yamaha 100cc scooter and wrote reports about my rides, I hoped it might've spurred others to get out, but the majority of scooter riders regard them as convenient 'around town' transport only. Many of the riders of the larger scooters that I've spoken to seem to have a 'elitist' attitude to anything smaller than their own, and Vespa riders seem to the worst of the lot.

[nzspokes]

Many of the riders of the larger scooters that I've spoken to seem to have a 'elitist' attitude to anything smaller than their own, and Vespa riders seem to the worst of the lot.

How can you be elitist riding a Vespa?

[awa355]

How can you be elitist riding a Vespa?

Same as some HD riders think they are the ultimate road warriors, it is all in their heads.

[eldog]

A loose knit group will never find the time to get together at the same time. Plus I like riding secondary and gravel roads and most scooter riders (and many road bike riders) get the wind up at being out of their comfort zone.
I hoped it might've spurred others to get out, but the majority of scooter riders regard them as convenient 'around town' transport only. Many of the riders of the larger scooters that I've spoken to seem to have a 'elitist' attitude to anything smaller than their own, and Vespa riders seem to the worst of the lot.

loose knit group hard to get together......:brick:
sec and gravel roads ....... ok i am a beginner but interested
you spurred me to get back onto a bike after a few months off
small bikes i hate the short service intervals..... but thats the way they are.
i know a Vespa rider, i would hate to say he was the worst of the lot:sweatdrop

[Moi]

... seem to have a 'elitist' attitude to anything smaller than their own, and Vespa riders seem to the worst of the lot.

Who you calling "elitist"? As for gravel, not a problem...

[awa355]

Who you calling "elitist"? As for gravel, not a problem...

Hi Mark, just me hitting the 'enter' tab before proof reading my drivel. My remarks weren't aimed at the typical Vespa rider, if offence was taken, I apologise. I had been talking to a couple of riders (old farts) at a local dealership who were obnoxious and condescending about the 'classic' scooter, and all other scooter makes should be crushed etc. The 'blinkered' approach.

[Moi]

Hi Mark, just me hitting the 'enter' tab before proof reading my drivel. My remarks weren't aimed at the typical Vespa rider, if offence was taken, I apologise. I had been talking to a couple of riders (old farts) at a local dealership who were obnoxious and condescending about the 'classic' scooter, and all other scooter makes should be crushed etc. The 'blinkered' approach.

Morning Arthur,
Absolutely no offence taken - I do agree with you about those who "current ride" is the world's best and "all others" are well below par or anything under 500cc is not worth considering.

In Amsterdam at present, where you are more likely to be run over by, in descending order, traditional large black bicycles ridden with aplomb, small scooters ridden with verve or trams. Bicycles and scooters feature large as "personal transport" in European cities: Paris, Lille, Antwerpen, Amsterdam, Zwolle and in the smaller ones as well...

Now if the weather would improve a bit from the showery days...

[scooter1]

I am seriously thinking about another scooter. Probably in the 250-300cc range. However I wouldn't bother joining any scooter (or motorcycle) group as I do my own thing. A loose knit group will never find the time to get together at the same time. Plus I like riding secondary and gravel roads and most scooter riders (and many road bike riders) get the wind up at being out of their comfort zone.
http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w420/awa355/No2.jpg

When I had my Yamaha 100cc scooter and wrote reports about my rides, I hoped it might've spurred others to get out, but the majority of scooter riders regard them as convenient 'around town' transport only. Many of the riders of the larger scooters that I've spoken to seem to have a 'elitist' attitude to anything smaller than their own, and Vespa riders seem to the worst of the lot.


You are correct about the majority of scooter riders regard them as convenient around town.
This is only the ones that use them as a cheap means of transport and are not familiar with what they really may have unless they have had the desire or need to travel further. Further more they are not cheap to maintain if you dont work on them yourself .The maintenance can be prohibitive for a lot of folk if they have to pay a pro to maintain it.That is why some lose interest as they realise all those plastics become expensive when there mechanic wants to charge them heaps to get to the engine etc.That is one of the reasons the ignorant may slag them.
This is one of the reasons why this group has been formed so we may help and share with other members who share the passion for the larger scooters:scooter:

[awa355]

I have to admit, the Vespa 150 I had a look at last week had some nice features. Lift the bucket under the seat out and the motor was quite accessible, far more so than my little Yamaha 100. The Vespa styling is not really for me. I do like the newer lines of the bigger Taiwan/Japanese scooters. Having said that I want to chase up a ride on a Vespa next week, never having ridden one.

Took the Honda PCX150 for a ride when they came out and loved it. Some forums do say that the servicing costs of the Honda are horrendous due to the time needed to access the engine.

After the 100cc 2t Yammy, another scooter would want to be capable of cruising at the speed limit otherwise within two months I'd be moaning that I should have gotten something bigger. Rode quite a bit on a Burgman 250 a year or two ago, and that was nice.
As I get older, not having to mess about with a bloody drive chain is a plus, also the extra carrying capacity are two factors to look at.

[scooter1]

I have to admit, the Vespa 150 I had a look at last week had some nice features. Lift the bucket under the seat out and the motor was quite accessible, far more so than my little Yamaha 100. The Vespa styling is not really for me. I do like the newer lines of the bigger Taiwan/Japanese scooters. Having said that I want to chase up a ride on a Vespa next week, never having ridden one.

Took the Honda PCX150 for a ride when they came out and loved it. Some forums do say that the servicing costs of the Honda are horrendous due to the time needed to access the engine.

After the 100cc 2t Yammy, another scooter would want to be capable of cruising at the speed limit otherwise within two months I'd be moaning that I should have gotten something bigger. Rode quite a bit on a Burgman 250 a year or two ago, and that was nice.
As I get older, not having to mess about with a bloody drive chain is a plus, also the extra carrying capacity are two factors to look at.

I aggree with everything you are saying.The best scoot for riding those metal roads in my opinion would be the Honda sh300i on 16 inch wheels and is capable of 140kph indicated highway. Wouldnt be everybodys styling.You will also be hard pushed to find one as like many others were not imported in any numbers bringing up the availability of parts. As for the chain you will still need to service a dry clutch every 20-30 000 kms. Good luck on your hunt

[scooter1]

[QUOTE=scooter1;1130898889]I aggree with everything you are saying.The best scoot for riding those metal roads in my opinion would be the Honda sh300i on 16 inch wheels and is capable of 140kph indicated highway. Wouldnt be everybodys styling.You will also be hard pushed to find one as like many others were not imported in any numbers bringing up the availability of parts. As for the chain you will still need to service a dry clutch every 20-30 000 kms. Good luck on your hunt[/QUOTE


We now have 24 members!!!!

[scooter1]

Burgy and tmax riders

[WristTwister]

Big scooters are rare, at least I see hardly any around Wellington anyway. Are you trying to be an exclusive group for large scooter owners only or would you consider riding along with motorcycles with similar performance to boost numbers?

[rambaldi]

Big scooters are rare, at least I see hardly any around Wellington anyway. Are you trying to be an exclusive group for large scooter owners only or would you consider riding along with motorcycles with similar performance to boost numbers?

I seem to see more up in Auckland now. Either that or more muppets hopping across the bridge on their 50cc's. Still wearing shorts and jandals for the journey though...

[WristTwister]

I seem to see more up in Auckland now. Either that or more muppets hopping across the bridge on their 50cc's. Still wearing shorts and jandals for the journey though...

Tell me about it! I stand by my bike strapping my helmet, zipping up and strapping gloves on and in that time I see 3 scooter riders just walk up, slip on their helmets, jump on their scoots and zip off. I don't know how they don't get a chill either, I can feel the cold even through my leather.

[scooter1]

Tell me about it! I stand by my bike strapping my helmet, zipping up and strapping gloves on and in that time I see 3 scooter riders just walk up, slip on their helmets, jump on their scoots and zip off. I don't know how they don't get a chill either, I can feel the cold even through my leather.

Yeah we do ride with others but are about promoting big maxis.
Your bike is naked and that,s why you get cold. One of the reasons big scoots are so good

[Daffyd]

Least they wont get speeding tickets.:bleh:

According to the reports I've read, anything from the Kawasaki J300 up, including 400/600 Burgmans (Burgmen?), Silver Wings, T500's are all capable of cruising all day at 120kph.

[MarkH]

the majority of scooter riders regard them as convenient 'around town' transport only

I'd agree that scooters can handle a bit of gravel just fine:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--Cey8NvhryQ/Thxe8aJUSYI/AAAAAAAAA_Y/fLP5dHREXZQ/s1024-Ic42/IMG_8411.JPG

Mind you, I owned the Burgman 400 when I was living in Auckland and it was a really good city commuter. I only had the one bike though and so I used it to go camping and for motorcycle rallies and whatever else, I even rode in one day from Auckland to Christchurch - that was a long day!

But now I've moved and am not commuting around a city so I've sold the Burgman and my camping vehicle is quite a bit better suited to the task:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vQWdWYzpTcU/VoSwD6Ri1uI/AAAAAAAAFCo/2Ny3XKqqZ-U/s1152-Ic42/DR650_Camping_1.jpg

I can understand using the scooter for the gravel roads if it is the only vehicle you have, but I couldn't imagine choosing the scooter for gravel riding, a DR650 or KL650 would be so much more suited to that sort of riding.


According to the reports I've read, anything from the Kawasaki J300 up, including 400/600 Burgmans (Burgmen?), Silver Wings, T500's are all capable of cruising all day at 120kph.

When I had the 400 I regularly traveled at an indicated 120kph for hours at a time, it read high though and 120 indicated was more like 108kph actual. Faster than that would only be inviting a ticket.

I liked the Burgman 400 for being able to handle the 50kph zones easily but also being fine to jump on the motorway and move with the traffic (or when traffic slowed it worked fine lane splitting). It was an incredibly easy vehicle to ride with no gears to worry about you can focus on the traffic.
Back when I was in Auckland and riding the Burg I went on one ride with the scooter club, but I went on a whole bunch of rides organised through Kiwibiker, I figured that if I could keep up with the bikes then why not? I also took it to several Cold Kiwi Rallies, a Magpie Madness rally and a One Night Stand rally. While not the perfect open road tourer it is certainly capable of getting the job done. To me the big scooters are great commuters and usable for so much more, a lot of bigger bikes are great for other stuff and usable as commuters, for those that are primarily using a bike for commuting then a maxi scooter is a great choice IMO.

[nzspokes]

According to the reports I've read, anything from the Kawasaki J300 up, including 400/600 Burgmans (Burgmen?), Silver Wings, T500's are all capable of cruising all day at 120kph.

Get back to me when they can do that in first.

[scooter1]

According to the reports I've read, anything from the Kawasaki J300 up, including 400/600 Burgmans (Burgmen?), Silver Wings, T500's are all capable of cruising all day at 120kph.

That,s correct . i could cruise all day at 140 plus but thats not what its about.
I do how evever have the power to pass or get out of trouble. 105 -110 is a good speed.
I average 23km per litre in nanna mode maybe more if i want but no wind and no cold:bleh:

What one fails to take on board is we carry all the toys and kitchen sink to boot.

When we arrive at a destination we have all things we need for a overnight stay.
Other guys need to go home

[scooter1]

I'd agree that scooters can handle a bit of gravel just fine:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--Cey8NvhryQ/Thxe8aJUSYI/AAAAAAAAA_Y/fLP5dHREXZQ/s1024-Ic42/IMG_8411.JPG

Mind you, I owned the Burgman 400 when I was living in Auckland and it was a really good city commuter. I only had the one bike though and so I used it to go camping and for motorcycle rallies and whatever else, I even rode in one day from Auckland to Christchurch - that was a long day!

But now I've moved and am not commuting around a city so I've sold the Burgman and my camping vehicle is quite a bit better suited to the task:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vQWdWYzpTcU/VoSwD6Ri1uI/AAAAAAAAFCo/2Ny3XKqqZ-U/s1152-Ic42/DR650_Camping_1.jpg

I can understand using the scooter for the gravel roads if it is the only vehicle you have, but I couldn't imagine choosing the scooter for gravel riding, a DR650 or KL650 would be so much more suited to that sort of riding.



When I had the 400 I regularly traveled at an indicated 120kph for hours at a time, it read high though and 120 indicated was more like 108kph actual. Faster than that would only be inviting a ticket.

I liked the Burgman 400 for being able to handle the 50kph zones easily but also being fine to jump on the motorway and move with the traffic (or when traffic slowed it worked fine lane splitting). It was an incredibly easy vehicle to ride with no gears to worry about you can focus on the traffic.
Back when I was in Auckland and riding the Burg I went on one ride with the scooter club, but I went on a whole bunch of rides organised through Kiwibiker, I figured that if I could keep up with the bikes then why not? I also took it to several Cold Kiwi Rallies, a Magpie Madness rally and a One Night Stand rally. While not the perfect open road tourer it is certainly capable of getting the job done. To me the big scooters are great commuters and usable for so much more, a lot of bigger bikes are great for other stuff and usable as commuters, for those that are primarily using a bike for commuting then a maxi scooter is a great choice IMO.


Awesome. Great to see fellow riders that not only respect great rides but have something positive to say also.When you are done with camping at least you will have somewhere to go ah.
Cheers great honest reveiw mate