This is an average of over 100 miles per day, and 3 of the 4 days have been work days. I think I have put BurgerTime through his paces. I have not observed the recommended 4000 RPM limit that is supposed to be in effect through the 600 mile mark. It is ridiculous, and I could only ever go about 35 mph if I observed it. I believe that varying engine speed and changing the oil & filter at 600 miles are much more important.
On the way home from the dealer, being used to the sound of Bud, I found myself going over 85 mph on the expressway. Its funny how one gets used to the sound of one vehicle and associates that sound with a certain speed. We don't even realize we're doing it, but we sure do. I can tell you, because on the second day I owned the FJR, I got ticketed because of it. Ditto in the first week of ownership of our Toyota Matrix. For the Burgman, I was just lucky there were no cops that day.
HANDLING
The way BurgerTime handles is something new to me. I have had several different types of motorcycles, and two scooters prior to getting this Suzuki. I thought I pretty much knew what to expect. I expected it to be not quite as smooth of a ride as our FJR, and not quite as stable, but much more stable than the Buddy 125. The thing I didn't take into account was the effect of the huge wheelbase of the Burgman. Even though its wheels are smaller than the FJRs (15" front, 14" rear vs. 17" front & rear on the FJR), the Burgman gives a smoother ride due to the longer wheelbase. It is also partly due to the relatively soft stock seat on the Burgman compared to the hard Corbin saddle on the FJR. The Burgman doesn't flick back & forth as easily as the Buddy 125, but it is surprisingly close, and much quicker than the FJR. With the Buddy, it is light weight and has a short wheelbase and aggressive steering geometry, although it has a high center of gravity for a scooter. So although BurgerTime is a couple hundred pounds heavier, it does very well in transitions because its center of gravity is so low. To flick the FJR back & forth as quick as either of these two smaller bikes, one really has to work at it. One has to throw one's body back and forth. It has more aggressive steering geometry than the Burgman, but it is also another 200 lbs. heavier and has a higher center of gravity.
With the rear shock preload on the Burgman, it is perfect for a person of my weight. (175 lbs.) Add a passenger and go faster than 40 mph, and the ride pogoes around a bit. We did an expressway run yesterday. I went to Chicago (55 miles) to pick up my wife on BurgerTime. We came back the same way, via Interstate 94. To be fair, I should firm up the rear shock before making a judgement, but my first impression is that the Burgman is plenty stable with a passenger up to about 60 mph. After that, the passenger becomes a sail and starts pushing the bike around in the lane twice as much as usual. This is at speeds of 70-80 mph with the stock, suspension setting. At high speed, the FJR is much more stable, and the wind protection is also better. For those thinking of a Burgman for two, that will be used frequently over 55 mph, I would suggest the 650. The 400 is perfect for one, the 650 is perfect for two and overkill for one.
Ground clearance on the Burgman also surprised me. I expected it to drag things like a cruiser, but it doesn't. It leans far enough over that I haven't dragged anything on it yet. It leans further than Bud and at least as far as the FJR.
One nice thing I noticed about the Burgman's handling that I can't explain is how well it holds a line. When I lean into a corner on it, it stays leaned right where I put it with no wandering. Even the FJR wanders a bit, so this was quite a shock. It translates into extra cornering confidence.
BRAKING
The Burgman has dual front disc brakes and a single rear disc brake. Braking is adequate under all situations, even two up. Furthermore, it tends not to dive as much as the smaller, taller scooters and motorcycles. I attribute this to the low center of gravity and the fact that when braking, the rider's weight shifts forward behind the front wheel, instead of down on the front wheel. This was a welcome surprise. I have a feeling stopping distances are similar between the Burgman 2-up vs. the Buddy 1-up, but the Burgman stops with much less drama and it feels more in control when stopping from speeds over 45 mph. The FJR easily out brakes both of them and would probably out-brake the Burgman even if two were on the FJR. The FJR also has ABS, which I wish Suzuki would have offered on the Burgman for the '07 model year. This bike will go 90 mph, why wouldn't it be a good idea?
RIDE QUALITY
The ride of the Burgman was one of the best surprises. Over teeth-chattering railroad crossings and the usual frost heaves of the road, the Burgman's ride is smoother than the FJR by probably 10% and better than smaller scooters by probably 50%. It is amazing, what the long wheelbase does for the ride. To me, this is what cruising is all about. Not about heavy steel & chrome that weighs 900 lbs. No hassle with shifting. Not that I mind shifting, but having a bike that is always in the right gear is liberating. I find that my mind is more clear when riding the Burgman than it is when riding the FJR. The ride is just more relaxing.
One thing worth noting is that although the ride on the Burgman is smoother, I am more tired when dismounting after a long ride than I am from the FJR. Reason? Posture. On the Burgman or any other scooter or cruiser, you're either sitting straight up or in a slight slouch. Every bump that goes under the rear wheel goes right up your spine. With the FJR and many other motorcycles, one has a slightly forward posture. When one hits a bump on these bikes, the shock is split between your spine and your wrists & shoulders. I've found that a slightly forward-leaning position is the most comfortable. Next would be straight posture, and after that, a tie between slouching as one would on a cruiser and leaning way forward like one would do on a sportbike. The difference is that on a sportbike, the faster you go, the more weight the wind takes off of your wrists. With a cruiser, the wind forces you into more of a slouch and your back really takes a pounding. With a windshield on a cruiser, one maintains one's original crouch.
ACCELERATION
The Burgman loses out here. Having a CVT, it can't be expected to be in the same league as a motorcycle, especially not one with an engine three times as big, and equally high-tech. The Burgman 400, in my opinion, takes a bit too much time spinning up. The clutch slips until 25 mph. After this point, acceleration is VERY good. It is surprising, because it is so gentle, but when you look down at that speedo, you're gaining speed much faster than it feels like. From a stop, all the cars shoot away from you, as the centrifugal clutch is spinning and you're only very slowly gaining speed up to 15 mph. I would say from 0-40 mph, my Buddy 125 is quicker than the Burgman. The FJR is easily 10X quicker than either of them. Then again, the engine is 3X bigger, the price is 3X bigger, and the amount of skill needed to handle it is 3X higher.
CREATURE COMFORTS
BurgerTime trumps everything short of a full-dress tourer in this regard. Not only does it have a 62L trunk, which can hold two full face helmets and a jacket, but it also has a quite useful locking glove compartment, and two more non-locking compartment, each big enough for a wallet & set of keys. There are no toys to play with that one might find on a high-end Goldwing, such as a CB, CD changer or heated grips. The driver backrest is a mixed blessing. On smooth roads, it is quite nice to have that extra support. But when one hits more than a small bump in the road, that backrest hits you in the back. Lots of Burgman riders have removed this. One thing that maxi-scooters have in the way of comfort that motorcycles don't is different leg positions. With the Burgman, there are a staggering array of places to put one's feet. (for the driver) There is straight down, as on a conventional scooter. This is OK as a change of pace, but the most comfortable position for most is extended to the angled front floorboards. After an hour in the saddle, when your butt starts to go to sleep, one can just move foot position, and it changes the area of your backside that the weight goes on. When one's knees get stiff, one can put one's feet slightly behind to bend one's knees.
ECONOMY
The Burgman does pretty well. Two up, at 75 mph, the economy readout indicates 58 mpg. One-up, at 80 mph, it gets 59 mpg. At 75 one- up, it gets to about 61 mpg. Others have reported getting over 70 mpg, which was probably obtained at 45-55 mph speeds. I believe this is in line with what one might find on a modern 400 cc motorcycle. Around town, the motorcycle would probably do much better, since there wouldn't be as much power wasted slipping the clutch. For reference, my Ninja 250 got about 73 mpg, and my Honda Nighthawk 250 motorcycle got about 82 mpg in the suburbs, and my FJR gets 47 mpg one-up and 42 mpg two up. Others have reported getting fuel economy as low as 50-55 mpg. With a fuel tank capacity of 3.6 gallons, this means the range is between 180 - 250 miles. 180 is pretty safe bet unless you're gridlocked the whole time. It helps a lot that the Burgman 400 only needs 87 octane gas to be happy. I found that my Buddy 125 ran better on premium fuel, which cuts into the benefit of the 90+ mpg economy.
There are several other little things that goe through my mind about BurgerTime when I'm riding him, but I can't remember them now. More later.
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