Bike number twelve a scooter

[DougB]

Last week I took delivery of a new Suzuki Burgman 400cc
K7 scooter, they were on 'special' at $9500. The same price as a 250.

I became convinced that I would never register both my bike and my scooter together so I sold my 125 suzuki scooter and my motor bike and combined the two functions in the Burgman, handy and convenient in the city and capable of easy open road cruising.

There are thousands of Burgman riders in the USA and all sorts of goodies are available for them. I have already
purchased a 'laminar lip' which raises the height of the screen and directs the air upwards. I havent fitted it yet,
and have coming a Burgman "tank bag" a bag shaped to fit in the well area between the legs. It has a map holder on top.
Not much use in town where you need to 'step through' often, but usefull on a long run or touring.

What a pain is the 800km break in period, restricted to 4000rpm which equates to 50km per hour. All the cages go whistling past. Some times I open it up a bit and the power delivered is great. Some fools in the USA say they have had them over 100mph (160K) I wont be testing their claim. I have 260 km on the clock - still a long way to go.

I have now owned twelve two wheelers, four bikes and eight scooters in over 50 years of riding. Never been without a bike since I was 16. Am of to the Doctor next week to get the necessery for renewing my licence as I will be 75 soon.

I have found this list to be a mine of information and enjoy reading the posts

[shafty]

Good on ya Mate, enjoy your toy. One of our former Ulysses Members, now resident in Oz keeps in touch and is still carnking up good miles on his Virago, putting many yougins to shame with distances travelled at age 84!

[Badjelly]

My first two-wheeler was a scooter, a 1963 Vespa Sportique 150. I had a great time on it, but when it died and I upgraded to a Honda CB100, I vowed never to own a scooter again. The CB100 was a pretty modest bike, in hindsight, but its performance and handling were way ahead of the Vespa.

I'm prepared to admit that scooters might have improved a little since the classic Vespas. I mean, they don't all tack the motors onto right-hand side of the swingarm now, do they? (In case you're not familiar with this design, it means: a) the rear wheel is always bouncing off the road due to the high unsprung weight; b) if you lock up the back wheel, the rear end tends to move to the right.)

I bought a Yamaha Scorpio recently and I must admit that the lack of luggage space is an irritation in everyday life. I did glance briefly at the scooters, but ... isn't $9500 rather a lot? The Scorpio cost $3800.

[ZeroIndex]

If I had $9500 to spend on a scooter, I would've gone with the Vespa GT200, and done every performance mod they have available

[Slicksta]

My first two-wheeler was a scooter, a 1963 Vespa Sportique 150. I had a great time on it, but when it died and I upgraded to a Honda CB100, I vowed never to own a scooter again. The CB100 was a pretty modest bike, in hindsight, but its performance and handling were way ahead of the Vespa.

I'm prepared to admit that scooters might have improved a little since the classic Vespas. I mean, they don't all tack the motors onto right-hand side of the swingarm now, do they? (In case you're not familiar with this design, it means: a) the rear wheel is always bouncing off the road due to the high unsprung weight; b) if you lock up the back wheel, the rear end tends to move to the right.)

I bought a Yamaha Scorpio recently and I must admit that the lack of luggage space is an irritation in everyday life. I did glance briefly at the scooters, but ... isn't $9500 rather a lot? The Scorpio cost $3800.

The scorpio is a good bike (alot better than the GN) but they are made for 2 completely different things so you cant really compare them like that... Personally i would never own a maxi scooter but alot of people like them and they are fantastic long distance. I went on the back of a silverwing for a long ride and that is the most comfortable pillion ride i have ever been on...

[Badjelly]

The scorpio is a good bike (a lot better than the GN) but they are made for 2 completely different things so you cant really compare them like that.

A Scorpio not comparable with a maxi-scooter? Fair enough. The Scorpio doesn't do long-distance cruising very well, and I knew that when I bought it. But it is reasonable to compare a bike like the Scorpio with a smaller, urban-oriented scooter and I'd love to hear from anyone who can talk knowledgeably about the pros and cons. DougB, you've owned 8 scooters and 4 bikes. When you decided you wanted just one vehicle, why did you chooose the Burgman 400 instead of ... instead of what, I wonder. An SV650? A Kawasaki ER5? Was there anything else you considered?

The November Kiwi Rider has a review of the Burgman 650. What a machine!

[Warren]

Good luck with your purchase dougB.

A Scorpio not comparable with a maxi-scooter? Fair enough. The Scorpio doesn't do long-distance cruising very well, and I knew that when I bought it. But it is reasonable to compare a bike like the Scorpio with a smaller, urban-oriented scooter and I'd love to hear from anyone who can talk knowledgeably about the pros and cons. DougB, you've owned 8 scooters and 4 bikes. When you decided you wanted just one vehicle, why did you chooose the Burgman 400 instead of ... instead of what, I wonder. An SV650? A Kawasaki ER5? Was there anything else you considered?

The November Kiwi Rider has a review of the Burgman 650. What a machine!

All modern scooters have underseat storage and often a top box, which in itself was one of the major reasons that I sold my old FXR150 for a 125cc scooter.

I now have a large maxi scooter. I have owned two motorcycles and four scooters beforehand. Although I would have probably never considered buying a maxi scooter, by having it I would never consider changing.

Compared to my older motorcycle it is far quieter and does not vibrate. I do not have wobbly arms/legs and ringing in my ears when making stops on long rides.

It has a big windscreen that makes long distance touring so much easier, lots of power and luggage space, and heated hand grips that I normally just leave on. It is a very comfortable bike, you can reposition your legs and the seat has a built in adjustable back rest. It can also accommodate two people comfortably.

[Badjelly]

Yeah, a bit of luggage space would be nice...

Warren, is the "maxi scooter" you're referring to the "02 Piaggio X9 250" in your personal info? The current X9 seems to be a 500. When I Googled "Piaggio X9" I found an interesting review in the Telegraph. They're pretty complimentary, but they did say

Generally, though, the X9 comes nowhere near the handling excellence of the Tmax, as it's still essentially built along scooter lines rather than with the motorcycle technology used by Yamaha. Its biggest handicap is having the engine integral with the final drive casing, the whole assembly pivoting around an axle on the underside.
On little scooters this is unimportant, but with a 500 the unsprung weight is significant and the ride suffers accordingly. Potholes send great shudders through the machine, while some frequencies of bumps pound away at the rider. On smoother roads there's no real problem, but the X9 is always riding closer to the limits of its ability.

I don't like the sound of that.

I'm quite interested in the idea of a biggish scooter, though the chances of me trading up from the Scorpio in the next ... 10 years or so are pretty slim. Still, maybe when I'm 75!

Do you find car drivers do silly things around you because they think you're on a scooter so you must be slow?

[Badjelly]

DougB

I just noticed your "Bike" listing is 1974 Aeromachi 350. The one with the horizontal single cylinder? Now that's a rarity!

[Warren]

Yeah, a bit of luggage space would be nice...

Warren, is the "maxi scooter" you're referring to the "02 Piaggio X9 250" in your personal info? The current X9 seems to be a 500. When I Googled "Piaggio X9" I found an interesting review in the Telegraph. They're pretty complimentary, but they did say

I don't like the sound of that.

I'm quite interested in the idea of a biggish scooter, though the chances of me trading up from the Scorpio in the next ... 10 years or so are pretty slim. Still, maybe when I'm 75!

Do you find car drivers do silly things around you because they think you're on a scooter so you must be slow?

Yes the X9 250 is the maxi scooter and yes the engine and transmission are unsprung mass. I don't notice it much though but I do have to slow down for speed bumps and would never take it out on the waimak riverbed like my old motorcycle.

The scooter is actually wider than most motorcycles when looking at it from the rear (some of the smaller bikes are very skinny) so it does have a good road presence. I can't recall any drivers treating it as a small underpowered scooter but it probably has happened.

[Pogo2]

They are a nice scoot alright. I went and had a look at them a few weeks ago and are in current 'negiotations' at home re purchase but I dont fancy my chances!!!

Interesting that you brought that lip for the windscreen. When I took one for the test ride I noticed a slight buffetting or burbling on or about the forehead and thought that an extension or similar would be the way to go. Does it make a difference?

Best of luck with your new scoot, and now I'll slink away seething in jealousy

Forgot to ask - what are the regular service intervals on that type of machine?