DandE said:
Art,
How do like the Burgman 650????
Those are on my list of possible 2nd rides as well as a C50T or M50.
Dale
We liked the first one (grey '06) so much that I bought a second for myself (white '07).
They handle and corner very well, with lots of ground clearance as compared to a cruiser, and you can make some very good time going through twisty road sections on one of these things. They have a long-ish wheelbase of around 62-63 inches.
They're quite large, and although Suzuki claims a dry weight of 518 on the standard version, they are reported to weigh-in wet by some owners as high as 625.
They're about as silent as a GW and turbine-smooth at almost any speed, speaking of which, mine has indicated 114 mph which, due to a ridiculously optimistic speedo is actually about 105 mph, which is
still a decent top speed for practical considerations.
It won't accelerate with the likes of an 1800 VTX, but I'm certain that it'll match, or even stay ahead of, a 1500 Vulcan or 1500 Suzuki LC as well as most cruisers below that displacement class.
The 650 will cruise effortlessly at an actual 75 mph on relatively level ground while in the 'manual' mode overdrive, or it can be kept in 'auto' mode to allow it to automatically vary it's rpm to deal with acceleration demands, headwinds and steep grades.
at 75 mph actual speed (speedo will be indicating about 83) in 'overdrive' it will be spinning at a very smooth 5000 rpm, which with an 8500 rpm redline, gives an amazingly relaxed and 'unstressed' sensation from the motor, which considering it's only a 650 twin, is kind of amazing. Our 1100 V-Star felt like it was almost 'splitting a gut' doing the same thing as the Burgman does with comparably ZERO fuss. It's an exceptional middle to long distance solo tourer, and handles short runs with a passenger just great too.
They're turning out to be very good 'hot-weather' bikes in the sense that there's no perceptable heat from the engine 'bay' roasting the rider at stoplights and in slow traffic, what heat it makes must be shunted out the back or something, regardless, it's not an issue. It has an LCD coolant temperature gauge on the dash that displays a series of five black 'bars' running across the gauge face, and they always show three 'bars' of heat once warmed-up to their normal operating temperature, never more or less, always three regardless of the demand or outside air temps.
The 'drivers' seat is about 29 inches, which is a bit tall for those with a short inseam, and the pilots seat isn't the best for comfort in spite of it's 'ample' appearance, but still not as bad as the stock VTX saddle. The passenger seat is outstanding, and the storage space beneath the hinged seat will swallow two full-face helmets and a bottle of Jack Daniels (or so I've heard).
Fuel mileage is respectable but nothing outstanding. They hold 4 gallons, and usually go about 130-150 miles before the gauge starts to 'blink', but will still have about one gallon left at that point. My '07 ranges from the high forties to mid fifties, but Teresa gets from fifty to the low 60's with her bike, likely due to her 'mouse-like' 120 lb weight versus my relatively bloated mass.
They require a 'break-in' service at 600 miles, that cost us around $140, but will vary depending on your location. The first valve-clearance check isnt' due until 14,500 miles, and can be very 'spendy' due to the amount of digging the mechanics have to do to find the little twin down there someplace. BUT! according to everyone who's had this done, the bike has never required a shim at this mileage, or even DOUBLE that mileage, so I'm just going to ride the crap out of them both and not mess with the valve clearances until the forty or fifty thousand mile mark.
Engine oil changes are a piece of cake, although I haven't tackled the tranny oil or rear-end oil yet so I don't know about them, but I haven't heard any horror stories about them so far.
Rear tires seem to go about 7000 or so, with fronts somewhere around 12,000, of course depending on your riding style to some degree. If you'd buy one of these bikes, be aware that the same dealers that sell them, often don't stock the tires for them, which sucks, as demonstragted by my recent 'educational' experience of picking up a nail in my rear tire and being forced to order tires online (which saved me about $50 bucks over the dealer tire prices anyway) because neither of the local Suzuki dealers had any Burgman 650 tires in stock. This happened one day before a planned overnight trip to the Bighorn Mountains on the two 650's, but we had to 'scrub' the trip because of the local unavailability of a replacement tire for one bike.
Oh! I forgot to mention that the Burgman 650's are just plain old fun to ride, are about the handiest motorized thing on two wheels ever devised by man. Having one of these things along with a more 'conventional' motorcycle or two would make for an interesting and very useful variety in the garage.
If you are considering buying one as a second bike, if possible, try to demo ride one if at all possible before making a decision. If, by chance, you're coming out to the Black Hills for the rally, you're welcome to take my white '07 for a ride with us, we'll tag along on the other one.
