Scooters, Scooters, Scooters

[Sensei]

Bring on Scooter GP & SBK next

[MSTRS:Me]

I'm surprised I didn't see the G-strider in any of that.

YUCK! note the date(s) of original posts tho. Also note that biker sensibilities in NZ have not been upset with a rash of these things appearing on our roads. There's hope yet.

[Badcat]

i did a burgman review for TONE magazine....

Don’t call me Scooter…
By Matthew Black

OK, there’s this thing in my garage, and I’m at a loss to what I should call it.
It’s a 650cc twin, but it’s twist and go automatic.
It has full scooter leg shields, but it weighs 238 kilos dry.
The front of the bike has the sharp pointed twin headlights of a new generation sports bike and the rear has the boxy dimensions of a touring bike.
My wife says it looks like the villain from a Japanese TV cartoon.
The Suzuki Burgman 650 is probably best described quite simply a HUGE high-tech scooter, but it’s also more than that. It’s a very competent motorcycle.
Now I love odd things, so when my friend Jo from Holeshot Suzuki suggested it, I was pretty excited to be able to test the Burgman. What I wasn’t ready for was how much I like it!

Firstly, pictures don’t really show you how BIG this thing is.
The Burgman positively dwarfs my GS1200ss motorcycle, it’s taller with the huge windscreen and has a longer wheelbase. What is astonishing is how easy the bike is to maneuver though, as the parallel twin engine’s cylinders point straight forward bringing the weight as low in the frame as possible.

Every component of the bike says luxury. The seat is large and extremely comfortable with a small adjustable backrest and excellent pillion accommodation. Under the seat is a 56 litre storage area that easily takes 2 fullface helmets while parked, and a large sports bag while you’re moving.
The underseat storage even has a light and a gas strut! There’s 3 separate gloveboxes below the handlebars, one is even lockable and has a 12 volt power outlet to power your radar detector or charge your cellphone!

Automatic for the people
The transmission deserves special mention here.
Using a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission), the bike has two auto modes, standard and power. Power simply holds the revs higher in the range, reducing the auto lag when you apply the throttle for quick getaways.
But here’s where the Burgman gets interesting. As the gearbox is microprocessor controlled, manual mode gives you 5 manual ratios and a handlebar mounted up\down switch allowing you to ride the Burgman like a real bike. There’s no clutch, you simply switch to manual and twist the throttle.
The very large LCD tacho shows when you’re approaching redline and you thumb the “up” button to grab the next gear. Back in auto, the transmission also greatly improves the ride for your pillion – there’s none of the typical fore/aft pitching that a normal manual bike exhibits under acceleration. Because of this, it’s easily the best bike I’ve ridden for carrying a passenger. There’s also a great grab handle for pulling the bike onto the centre stand and for the pillion to hold during flight.


Riding the Burgman
If you get the chance to ride a Burgman, Keep your eye on the speedo.
The Burgman is much faster than you may think. Maybe it’s because it’s automatic, or so quiet, or perhaps you just don’t expect a “scooter” to be a risk to your licence. You’ll be breaking the speed limit very quickly if you don’t take care. You have been warned….
Stopping is easy too, the bike have dual disc brakes on the front and a disc on the rear. There’s also a park brake like a car’s handbrake, although I never used it. The bridgestone tyres are sports pattern, and are good in the wet.
Weather protection and large windscreen was very good – I rode in the rain twice and was surprised how dry I was afterwards. The extra weight also made the bike very difficult to upset in heavy winds, handy for the Auckland harbour bridge in a squall.
Fuel injection and electric start means easy starting every time with no choke.
The very comprehensive dashboard features digital speedo, clock, fuel and temp. gauge. This is no Vespa.
The twin headlights are very bright, with very wide coverage for open road riding. High beam is impressive, and low beam has a distinct cutoff to ensure opposing traffic is not dazzled.

Summary

It’s hard to explain why I like this bike so much.
Maybe it’s because it eliminates a lot of the irritating things about riding a motorcycle day after day. In the city, the bike is perfect, with all the storage and convenience of a scooter. On the open road, it becomes a very manageable tourer, easily capable of 4-6 hour stints with a passenger.
Because it’s simply so easy to ride and capable once you are moving, I found I was making excuses to ride it. That to me speaks volumes for any bike.

Suzuki are making a brave move with the Burgman – pouring so much technology and luxury into a bike that doesn’t really fit existing market segments. It’s $14,995 retail price will seem steep when you can currently buy a good race replica 650 for that money, but the bike was never designed to compete with sports bikes.
The Burgman will challenge the way you look at motorcycles.
Do what I did and closely examine the actual riding you do, and it starts to look very clever indeed.

Some details:
550 cc 4-stroke liquid cooled parallel twin
Fuel injection and electric start
Automatic + 5 speed CVT transmission
Low emission catalytic exhaust
15 liter fuel tank
Turning radius 2.7m
Seat height 750mm
Weight 238kgs

[Waylander]

YUCK! note the date(s) of original posts tho. Also note that biker sensibilities in NZ have not been upset with a rash of these things appearing on our roads. There's hope yet.

Well that's what I get for posting wen I'm tired as. I feel silly.

[Tmaxfever]

I have a T-Max as well. How many around do reckon there are?
How much difference(if any) does the performance air filter make?
I think it would be better with the HyperPro spring kit on the forks.