First ride: 2014 Suzuki Burgman 650

Life aboard Suzuki’s Burgman 650 is, in a word, simple. Supremely easy to ride, it’s also easy to live with, easy to commute on, easy to tour on, and easy on the wallet (at the fuel pump and, for a maxi scooter, in the showroom).

Granted, maxi scooters aren’t about to usurp litre-class sportsbikes in the ‘sexy’ stakes, but chances are if you’re reading this now you place practicality and utility up towards the top of your two-wheeled priority list. And those two words go some way to summing up the big ‘Burger’s’ charms.

Add to that ‘comfort’ and ‘speed’ – yes, speed – and the Burgman’s enduring appeal becomes clear. After all, while our roads aren’t exactly awash with them, there have evidently been enough people buying them for the model to retain its spot in Suzuki’s local line-up since 2002. Plenty of other models, both scooter and motorcycle, have fallen by the wayside in that period.

When first introduced the Burgman 650 was Suzuki’s riposte to the model that sparked the whole maxi scooter genre: Yamaha’s TMAX 500. But where the TMAX was (and still is) a sporty maxi, the Burgman 650 is more about mile-munching comfort.

It’s undergone relatively few changes over the years and indeed is still powered by a 638cc, liquid-cooled, eight-valve, parallel-twin engine. Recent changes then include the adoption of floating front brake discs, a lighter ABS system, updated instrumentation (with ‘Eco Drive’ indicator – more on that later), a new muffler, a redesigned park brake lever (hold the front page), electronic retractable mirrors, and some mechanical massaging that Suzuki says has reduced fuel consumption by 15 per cent over the previous model (when in Drive mode – the rider can also select Power mode or a pushbutton manual mode).

At $13,590 (plus on-roads) it’s only a bit more than its $10,090 little brother, the Burgman 400 – and incredibly only $600 more than when it first went on sale all those years ago.

BURGMAN 650 IN BIKE SHOWROOM

I must have put the best part of 2000km on Bikesales Network’s test Burgman 650 and its ease of operation and numerous clever touches soon made it a faithful friend. Its size demands respect – 275kg (wet) is a lot to push around in the shed – and at first it feels a little top heavy, wanting to tip into corners a little too readily. However, that sensation fades with familiarity, and after a day or two I was relishing the way it slices through turns and the ease with which it can change its line.

It’s incredibly refined, too. There’s barely a hint of vibration at any point through the rev range and hardly any to speak of even when it’s copping some stick. The Burgman fairly leaps away from a standing start and the go keeps coming through to ‘Please officer, put the gun away’ speeds. I’m guessing here – really, I am – but the old ton should be entirely achievable if that’s what the voices in your head tell you to do. It turns most cars and a good few bikes into specs in its clear, distortion-free mirrors.

At 100km it’s pulling just 3750rpm in Drive mode – really it’s just ticking over, which is ideal for long days on the open road.

It’s also quite accomplished in terms of its handling. The feet-forward format doesn’t naturally lend itself to sporting antics but the Burgman will happily tear up a winding road at lean angles you wouldn’t readily associate with a scooter. The centrestand eventually touches down but there’s ample scope for sporting fun.

Of course all the frivolity is delivered by a no-fuss, twist-and-go CVT transmission, meaning you don’t have to think about a clutch and gear changes and whatnot. Well, if sir really must sir can select the pushbutton manual mode – but most ‘sirs’ in my experience will fiddle with it once or twice and then forget about it.

There’s a ‘Power’ mode too, which essentially dumps another 1750rpm (or thereabouts) onto the engine speed. Again, I used it a couple of times but found the normal drive mode to be entirely adequate for most occasions.

The ‘Eco Drive’ feature is nothing more than a little green leaf-shaped light that illuminates on the dash whenever you’re going easy on the throttle. There’s no reward though other than the knowledge you’re not wilfully raping the planet, and to be honest the little green light annoyed me – it kept prompting me to glance down to check I hadn’t left the indicators on. It’s nothing a small square of black gaffer tape wouldn’t fix!

These are minor foibles, however, and hardly deal breakers, as there are simply too many good aspects to the big Burger to enjoy. The ABS-equipped brakes are a good match for the scoot’s size, speed and weight, arresting its progress with safety and security, while the seat – with lumbar support for the rider and a backrest for the pillion – is a royal throne of a perch that’s perfect for all-day touring.

The seat lifts up on a hydraulic strut to reveal a sizeable 50lt, carpet-lined storage space, which even has its own light. It’s big enough to take a full-face lid and an open-face one, but not two full-face helmets. Still, it allowed me to cart around a backpack, all my camera gear, wet weathers and more, and then there are also the three glove compartments. Now I’ve handed it back, I’m certainly going to miss the Burgman’s carrying capacity…

Generally speaking the weather protection is good but the electric screen is a bit too short. Then again, at 188cm I am on the taller side. More relevant, then, is the fact that I can fit that 188cm into the Burgman’s ride position with ease. There’s plenty of legroom; that certainly wasn’t the case on the Aprilia SRV 850 I tested some months back…

The electrickery continues with the Burgman’s retractable mirrors. Now Suzuki says these are just the ticket for parking the scoot in tight confines but they work when the scooter is in motion too – like when you’re lanesplitting in peak-hour traffic. The Burgman is wider than most scooters so this handy feature actually makes a big difference in the rush-hour crush.

There’s no trip computer as such but the instrumentation is clear and easy to read, offering up fuel level, engine temp, ambient temp, the time and a choice of two trip meters or an odometer.

Given its size, weight and performance the average fuel economy figure of 4.2L/100km I recorded seems pretty frugal – it’s a bit of a shame it’s only got a 15-litre tank, as the Burgman 650 is comfy enough to cover far more than the safe working range of 330km its fuel capacity affords.

In essence it’s a touring scooter; I wouldn’t have any qualms whatsoever about heading off on one for a lap of Oz.

Twelve years on Suzuki’s Burgman 650 is yet to show any signs of ageing. Yes, it’s a lot of money to pay for a scooter but it’s not much money to pay for a touring bike – it all depends on your perspective.

In any case it’s actually pretty fairly priced by maxi scooter standards: BMW’s C 650 GT is $1300 more and Aprilia’s sporty SRV 850 is $1400 more, although Yamaha’s recently revised TMAX 530 is $91 cheaper.

If you place real-world practicality ahead of ‘cool’ – because let’s face it, for most motorcyclists a scooter will never be cool – this maxi really does have plenty to offer. On a Burgman 650 you can finally tell people it is big and it is clever!

PERFORMANCE
Claimed maximum power: 55hp (40.5kW) at 7000rpm
Claimed maximum torque: 62Nm at 6400rpm

TRANSMISSION
Type: CVT auto
Final drive: V-belt

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame type: Tubular steel
Front suspension: 41mm conventional fork, non-adjustable
Rear suspension: Twin shocks, adjustable for preload
Front brakes: Twin 260mm discs with Nissin twin-piston calipers, ABS equipped
Rear brake: 250mm disc with twin-piston Nissin caliper, ABS equipped
Wheels: Five-spoke cast aluminium
Tyres: Bridgestone Bridgestone Battlax TH01; front 110/90-13, rear 130/70-12

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Rake: 26 degrees
Trail: 106m
Claimed wet weight: 275kg
Seat height: 755mm
Wheelbase: 1585mm
Fuel capacity: 15 litres

OTHER STUFF
Price: $13,590
Colours: Metallic Grey
Bike supplied by: Suzuki Australia, www.suzuki.com.au
Warranty: 24 months, unlimited kilometres