I'm 52 yrs old and this Suzuki Burgman 650 Scooter is my first bike. And what a pleasure it is! And even better now that I've installed a new XL Clearview windshield, which has significantly reduced the amount of wind noise I hear at highway speeds. I still look over the windshield, but its greater height now channels the wind toward the top of my helmet.

Prior to purchasing the Burgman, what I thought I really wanted was a BMW R1150 RT. I decided to get the Burgman instead, mainly because of the price difference. Now, having put over 6000 miles on the Burgman, I test drove the BMW recently, and honestly have to say that I like the Burgman better.

Despite the bad points I listed, this Suzuki Burgman 650 is one heck of a bike! From the front it looks like a sportsbike, from the rear it might be construed as a cruiser, and from the side it definitely reveals its step-through scooter attribute. But with the 650cc fuel-injected engine, this thing runs circles around more conventional bikes with bigger engines! It handles extremely well on the freeway with plenty of power for passing. I've had it up to 116 mph but with the known 10% over-reporting, this is more like 104-105 mph and it was smooth the entire time! In fact, the only time this thing becomes annoying is on any road that isn't smooth. Potholes are extremely intense on this bike. I ride with Harley's and other large metric cruisers and I can tell you that on twisty, curvy mountain roads, the other bikes just don't measure up... but the wide floorboards tend to scrape if you take a curve too fast... this effect worsens when riding 2-up. So in this respect, it can't handle as well as a sports bike, it doesn't have the comfort of a large cruiser, but overall its a pleasure to ride. The low center of gravity and low engine placement make this bike exceptionally well balanced.

Suzuki Burgman 650 Scooter Review
I've been riding motorcycles since 1972, and for the most part have been riding long distance cruising bikes. I've been losing use of my left knee and left wrist for a couple of years and this spring felt that I could no longer competently support my BMW R1200C with a passenger on it, and riding through city traffic was uncomfortable for my wrist. I rode several different automatics from several different manufacturers. I went back as far as the older Hondamatic 750's from the 70's. Without question, the Burgman feels the best "planted" when going into a curve, the least "flexible" when going through a dip or an unmarked speed bump, and my fiancee's 2004 has been rock solidly reliable for over 3000 miles. Yes, they are hideously expensive, yes, they are unbelievably expensive to insure (but if you check around, you can find reasonable insurance), but trust me, this bike is worth the money. Just try to find a used one. NOBODY wants to part with one once they have bought one.

The Author:

Hans Pluygers, 46 years old, Dutch, Engineer, Aston Martin UK Cars 25 years, now Zen Buddhist teacher. Already two years a dedicated Big Scooter Driver, I have just changed up? to the Suzuki Burgman 650. This a 2004 model, Dark Blue with 3000 kms behind it. This initial review is to give potential buyers a "first insight" into what's what, no nonsense, no heady enthusiasm, just facts. I hope this helps you.

Basics:-

The Burgman is without doubt the Mother Ship of all Scooters. Its big, but don't let that worry you, those useful fold away mirrors are great in the tight traffic conditions. She's heavy, but manageable for anyone taller than 1.75. If you are shorter, maybe you should consider the Silverwing, its seating is lower. Driving position is excellent, vision (rear view mirrors) perfect. Steering and braking are excellent although the brakes need a good pull to make them work. Engine and drive train are also good. Seating position, wind and weather protection are also good. Lots of gadgets to play with?, good storage. Now for the details.


What makes this bike GO!

Regarding the mechanics of all of this, the engine and transmission are laid down along the length of the bike centred between the front and rear axles. The centre of gravity is thus BMW style low. That's a big plus point for stability and manoeuvrability. The engine is quiet, smooth and gives out a low sounding drum sort of sound, quite relaxing. In normal mode (sport mode is switch-able) is a low revving unit, again adding to the relaxed nature of this beast. Its got loads of power and the fuel injection along with the computerised systems makes its heartbeat faultless under all conditions. The auto/electronic (variomatic)drive system when left in auto is also faultless, really! There is the possibility to use a sort of Virtual Triptronic, but then this turns the perfect system into something far too fiddly. If you swap from Auto to Manual at too low speed, say 40 kph, the bike can quite violently jolt as the computer selects the virtual gear relative to your speed. Toys for the boys, but is it really necessary? well I wonder. Next week I'm heading for the mountains, so maybe I'll try the system out there and report back. Another toy switch, is the normal/power mode. Needed?, well. The auto clutch on this bike is of the "wet" variety. That means it swims in oil. Very smooth on take-up with few revs needed. Serene. BUT.., if you have the engine running and want to manoeuvre backwards (out of a parking spot), that wet clutch virtually stops you going backwards. The cure.... turn off the engine, then push her back and re-start. Suzuki, take note. This bike could really do with a reverse! Back to the drive, it really is smooth and sounds a bit like a Tram. I like the whirring sounds, but maybe you don't. Finally, the gearing/final drive ratio's are also as near perfect as you'd wish. On the open road, cruising at around 130 kmp, (that's around 85 mph), her revs are kept at around 5,000. That's relaxed.

OK, the bits and pieces.

To make the bike go, there are a group of switches, all on the left hand handlebar. The switch group looks like a joy stick out of a helicopter, or one of those computer game shifts. Simply too much. By the time you've hunted your way around which button to press, "power mode, left right, Triptronic shift, pass light, horn, dip and main, you can get crazy. If left in automatic, you only need a quarter of them. For my initial introduction, this is my big criticism. As the bike is designed (only my opinion) for the market of + 35 year olds, we've "been there, done it, bought the tee shirt". In terms of technical achievements, its of course a demonstration that the Suzuki "has it all". On the right hand group of switches are the more useful hazard light switch, kill switch and starter. Perfect! The ignition key is also a clever trick piece of work. Firstly it has a simple, but almost unique tamper proof lock cover that works perfectly. Once the lock is opened (by way of the ignition key), the actual ignition does, steering lock, parking lights, ignition and finally seat opening. The latter is to my taste a pain. I like the key opening for the seat somewhere placed on the side of the bike. If you want to open the cavernous under seat compartment, you have to fiddle with the ignition switch. The bike has two small glove boxes and one larger. All three are fine, one lockable, who not. There is a 12v cigarette lighter socket too so you can charge your mobile BUT, it's placed too near the flat of the locker, so most plugs can't be inserted and the flap closed. Not such a clever positioning then. Detail, detail. Screen is great.

The Cockpit.

I call it a cockpit because its something out of Startrek. Its big, its all LED. A pure matter of taste. It works well, all of it. Full of idiot lights, a big display of speed, two trip meters reading up to 10,000 kms, which I like, fuel, temperature of engine and lots more. I'm a lover of Analogue, but it really is fine.

In Earnest.

Its a very limited market, very limited. Suzuki have built a machine that is worthy of BMW badging, its that good. It has its faults, but then no design is perfect. More detail should be directed towards material quality, but that is typical of the far east. For the rest so far so good. If you are serious, you won't go far wrong with this one. The only other bike that comes near to this Mother Ship is the Silverwing. You pay your money, you make your choice. I loved my Silverwing (see report there), but this is simply "better".

Thank you for your time in reading this report, its is written with an open mind and wishing you a good choice. Safe driving.

Believe me there are not a lot of machines of the same power as the Suzuki Burgman AN 650, that can outrun it, especially when you use the serious performance facilities on the Burgman, its quick, precise and forgiving, a joy to ride everyday, and across Europe with my Grandson as passenger.
The new Burgman AN650 gave Lee & myself some wonderful travelling experiences. It will sit between 104 & 111 miles per hour, all day long, on the motorways through Europe.
The "power" button (push to pass in English) is a kick in the backside: not a lot can stay with it - then; you have the "manual override gearbox" it's an experience not to miss; Wow! - And it will cruise delightfully in Auto.
On the whole 2500 mile journey the bike only used a small cupful of Oil and about half a pint of water! It did not miss a beat for the whole journey.
I made an amazing discovery before we left England: Shell have a new fuel called "Optimax". It improves the performance by a very noticeable amount, accelerating for the first time after filling an empty tank with the new fuel, it gave me such a surprise I had to grab the handlebars to hold on!!
One thing, I do wish Suzuki would pay attention to some development of the model, there are only a couple of negatives about the bike but it's a shame:
One drawback is that it doesn't have the AN400 breaking system, The AN650 will not stop as brilliantly as the "linked" 400 system we travelled on last year.
There are 2 traps to be aware of that can cost you money in breakdown recoveries if you are not aware of them.
1/ There is a piston inhibitor switch on the side stand, which will not allow you to start if it gets stuck!!
2/ There is a piston inhibitor switch on the main stand which will stop the engine getting out of bottom gear if it gets stuck!!!!
I know that R&D has to catch up, but do Suzuki talk to riders? I don't understand why Suzuki haven't developed the "linked" system for the AN650?
It really needs it. But as they say "All future bikes will be made this way"

The Suzuki Burgman 650 Scooter is a dream to ride. I wanted something that was responsive and I did not want to shift gears. The automatic transmission is smooth as glass. The fuel tank holds plenty of petrol and since the bike gets better than 50+ miles per gallon, that equates to a couple of hundred miles.

I have found it is a very stable platform as well. Having been passed by speedy tractor-trailers, the bow shock effect is negligible. I have been in cars that were affected more.

All in all, I am very pleased with my Burgman 650. Looks like gas will be hitting $2.50 a gallon soon and it is a great time to get your hands on a Burgman.

I agree with the reviewer who said this is a much better scooter than the Honda Silverwing. I have owned both and like the Burgman much better. It has also been more reliable and is smoother and more comfortable.

The Suzuki Burgman 650 is the best overall multi-purpose motorcycle I have owned and I have had over forty motorcycles of all types and all sizes in the past thirty years.

I would highly recomend this Suzuki Burgman 650 Scooter, I get stopped everywhere and people just want to know about it. If they made a bigger Burgman I would trade up but until then this thing flys and handles like a dream. I do get the snob treatment from the Harley crowd but I just blew them away when I flew past their group on the highway. The pickup is incredible you will love this bike.

Having had practical experience with the Honda Silverwing (FCS6003), with its' 4 safety recalls in the course of one year, I knew it was time for a change. I had had my eyes on the Suzuki Burgman 650 Scooter for some time but had been reluctant to actually commit to a purchase as Honda had a longer run with the "Scooter" class. (I've never liked the word Scooter - these are motorcycles.) I had no idea what I was missing by limiting my purchase criteria to experience in building scooters. Suzuki, with the AN650K4 has out Classed and out performed and is the uncontended Champion in terms of engineering, product development, quality of manufacturing and meeting/exceeding customer expectations! From Drive Off, I knew this was the Luxury Version of Motorcycles in its' Class: the unparalled performance, responsiveness, handling, smooth ride characteristics and the "built in" engineering capabilities of this machine are awesome. This is the BEST decision that I have made in the purchase of a Motorcycle. I strongly recommend the AN650K4 to anyone that values Luxury, Class and Performance. Way to Go Suzuki!

The wife and I rode the Suzuki Burgman 650 scooter down to Moss Landing Harbor and had lunch at Phil's Fish Market. Delightful fresh fish cooked in various Italian ways. Very good.

From there, we rode down the Coast highway to Big Sur. This coast can be very windy and sometimes foggy. We were blessed with a good off shore breeze that made for warm riding. We rode 75 miles of winding road along the cliffs and down by the sea. Very pretty. Plan on stopping at the little road side pull offs to take in the hues of blue Ocean hitting the green Redwood shoreline.
Pashnit has a good photo display of these roads if you're interested:
http://www.pashnit.com/roads/cal/Hwy1BigSur.htm

Vivi and I stopped at the biker bar in Big Sur to get a Hamburger. The place was surrounded with Harley's and their leather clad warriors. Despite Their fearsome appearances, all were genuinely happy to be out on the road. The bar served up a decent hamburger. The gas is the highest in the nation at $3.75 a gallon. (YIKES)

One of the pleasant things to do in Big Sur is to get a day pass at the park and ride to the upper Camp Ground. The river flows down a rocky canyon, making various pools and water falls. This is a nice place to get off the bike and take a dip. Watch your feet, those rocks are a little sharp.

Below Big Sur 20 miles or so is the Nacimento Ferguson road. This road leaves Hwy 1 and heads up over the mountain range towards King City. This is a nice way to see miles of wide open California country. You can go for 50 or so miles without seeing a sole. You definitely want a full tank of gas and some water before heading this far into the wilderness. The mountain range runs from Redwoods on the Ocean side to Oak trees on the Eastern side of the mountain. As you drop down into the valley, miles of grassland with scatter Oaks and rock formations.

Nacimento road goes into the back of Fort Hunter Liggett. We were stopped by the Federal Police who checked every piece of ID we had. Despite the shakedown, he was good enough to direct us to the base gas station to let us fill up. Watch out on these bases. 25 means 25 mph. Despite the base being deserted, the two lonely police were shooting radar. It would have been easy to pick up a ticket after miles of high speed riding.

We rode back up the Salinas valley, past miles of green crops. The bike is really beginning to break in now. The bike was purring along effortlessly along the straight 70 mph run.

The trip was 230miles round trip. Most of the roads we took at 35 mph as they were small, windy two lane roads. We had two different couples stop and ask questions about the Burgman. They really seem to like it.

I knew the Burgman would be supremely practical, but I didn't expect to find myself doing day trips with it. The smooth engine, good seat and ergos, the great storage make this bike a decent mid weight bike for touring.

The Suzuki Burgman 650 is a great scooter. Well worth the money at show room price, not to mention the awesome bargain I got used.