• Welcome, Guest! We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMW MOA forum provides. Some forum content will be hidden from you if you remain logged out. If you want to view all content, please click the 'Log in' button above and enter your BMW MOA username and password.

    If you are not an MOA member, why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the BMW Owners News magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMW MOA offers?

Burgman 650? 400? Opinions please?

oldnslow

It's a way of life!
The Suzuki Burgman has caught my eye. Any one have real life usage opinions of the 400 and the 650. Two up touring and such. Maintenance issues...so on and so forth.:dunno

Suzuki has 0% for 60 months on these things...so I'm testing the waters.

Yeh its Japanese and not German, but they do seem to be rather well proven, and have a somewhat cult following.
 
I read somewhere that the 400 is a better bike, in terms of reliability, overall function and value for the money.
 
I read somewhere that the 400 is a better bike, in terms of reliability, overall function and value for the money.

I seem to be getting that vibe from my research..but I wonder about two up riding, if it has enough umph?
 
My brother in law owns a Honda Valkrie, Suzuki V-Strom, and a 400 Burgman. He rides the latter more than the other 2. He's about 250-260 lbs and the scooter has taken him on some pretty long rides surprisingly. He cruises easily on the highway and I don't know that he's had any major problems in the 2 years he's had it. I live in British Columbia so some of the roads he travels is pretty mountainous and he will be running ahead of traffic.

Hope that helps.
 
650 has lots of go power

I ride a 1150gs when I am in Taiwan, which looks like for the next ten years or until I kick the bucket. Anyway, I ride with a group every Thursday and mostly in the mountains. One group member has a Burgman 650 (only one with a scooter) and all the rest are a mixed group of bmw's, hondas, and harley's. It might be him partly as a very good rider but he can keep up easily with all the rest, even on the straigh-a-ways when we might hit 80 mph. I would add he can out accelerate the harley on the straights and off the line can out run all of us. He sometimes has a pillion which seems not to hold him off his usual ride. So, with that said...I think it has enough punch. Don't know much about the 400 except that it is lower to the ground if you need that sort of thing.:stick

DW
 
A friend has had both, currently the 650. But he says the 400 is lighter, and gets something like a third more MPG? Says they both have plenty of power, good handling, great brakes , and are comfortable. He says he moved "up" because he thought he needed more...turns out he could have stayed with the 400.

Another guy I know has a wife who rides a 650...he admits it will out pull his "96 Inch" Harley........
 
I have a Burgman 400 and my friend has a 650. I bought mine last fall after riding my friend's 650. It took him all summer to talk me into trying it and I bought mine the next day after I rode his. Besides the name and a similar look, the 400 and 650 have little in common. The 400 has a single cylinder and a conventional CVT transmission like a Silverwing. The 650 is a twin cylinder that has an electronically controlled CVT transmission that is automatic or you can shift manually. The 400 has a much lower seating position and is much lighter. They are both very reliable but a CVT transmission failure on the 650 happens on rare occasions and it is a very expensive repair. CVT problems on the 400 are rare and belt replacement is simple and easy. The fuel mileage of the 650 is in the higher 40s to the low 50s. The fuel mileage on my 400 is generally in the high 50s to the mid 60s (typically low 60s). They have both been on the market for a long time so there are a lot of aftermarket accessories available for them. A must have accessory for the 400 is a GIVI windshield as the stock one is not good.

I find both Burgmans to handle as well or better than an average motorcycle on crooked mountain roads. I almost always lead on our weekly group rides on crooked mountain roads and I ride at a speed that is comfortable to me. My riding buddies told me that I ride my Burgman faster than I ride my motorcycle. I find myself riding my Burgman far more than my BMW because it is so convenient and easier to handle. I can carry a lot of groceries and other stuff under the seat.

I consider the 400 as a "in addition to a motorcycle" and the 650 as a "instead of a motorcycle". I think the 400 is a good choice for riding alone but the 650 would be better if you ride with a passenger. Either will easily cruise in excess of any speed limit all day long.

http://www.burgmanusa.com/

http://burgmanriders.com/

ps. If you think you are not old enough for a scooter, ride one a few miles. (If you have a long inseam and money, try the BMW)
 
Last edited:
I replaced my 1985 R80 with a 2012 Burgman 650.

At this point i am just shy of 3k miles , bought it in late September last year.
I have nothing negative to say about it, and a whole lot of positive :thumb

It thinks it is a sport bike in the mountains , stops like one too, huge storage capacity, great fuel mileage, superb weather protection, ABS, electric adjustable windscreen, forum support almost as good as the MOA :whistle

Lot's of farkles available , maintenance is pretty easy.
It lacks cruise control but there are after market options available, along with heated grips and seats if you are so inclined.

I wear an old Widder electric vest and the charging system supports it with no problem.

Costs about $2k less than BMW's offering.
 
It thinks it is a sport bike in the mountains , stops like one too, huge storage capacity, great fuel mileage, superb weather protection, ABS, electric adjustable windscreen, forum support almost as good as the MOA :whistle.

I agree the forum support is good. One thing some of the members have done is You-tube videos on how to do common things on the scooters. Here is an example of what is on You-tube for my 400. (They have similar ones for the 650.) http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5FA8ED8FCA1FE85C&feature=mh_lolz
 
Osbornk, you may know of the person I'm referring with a 650 Burgman who I believe lives in VA or NC? I can't recall his name. Will (of Willville) was telling us this person frequents his campground on his Burgman. He has travelled all over the country on the thing. It has something like 160,000 miles now and he's done nothing to it other than services, it's still on the original belt! I think that is a heck of a testimonial. Last time I spoke with Will the man had traded it on a Honda Silverwing which he ended up not liking as well. When he took the Silverwing back to the dealer for some service he saw his Burgman was still there and bought it back.
 
I have a Burgman 400 that I ride more than my BMW. I have taken it on trips in excess of 2000 miles. I personally find it more enjoyable. It packs more stuff and allows me to ride in a little less of a hurry. I tried the 650 but can't appreciate it being heavier and more complex. I also tried the new BMW scooters and they don't appeal to me at all, being too heavy and a lot taller.
 
>>I'm 51 and still young enough to think they are cool!<<

Well, I just turned 71 and they're looking really cool to me!! :p
 
OsbornK

Thanks for that good write up. The Burgman is on my "someday, maybe" list, and what you wrote is very informative. I've never ridden either, but the 400 is the one that appeals to me.
 
OsbornK

Thanks for that good write up. The Burgman is on my "someday, maybe" list, and what you wrote is very informative. I've never ridden either, but the 400 is the one that appeals to me.

Same here. Thanks for all the replies. Very informative.
 
Reply

The Suzuki Burgman has caught my eye. Any one have real life usage opinions of the 400 and the 650. Two up touring and such. Maintenance issues...so on and so forth.:dunno

Suzuki has 0% for 60 months on these things...so I'm testing the waters.

Yeh its Japanese and not German, but they do seem to be rather well proven, and have a somewhat cult following.

I know a fellow GS rider here in St. Louis who has a used 650 Bergman for sale that he bought for his wife.... He's ridden it with us guys one trip down to Arkansas, and I must say, I was impressed with it.... His wife never did catch the call of the road, so it is pretty much still a new bike. Not sure how far you are from St. Louie, but I'd be glad to let him know you are looking..
 
Last edited:
The Suzuki Burgman has caught my eye. Any one have real life usage opinions of the 400 and the 650. Two up touring and such. Maintenance issues...so on and so forth.:dunno

Suzuki has 0% for 60 months on these things...so I'm testing the waters.

Yeh its Japanese and not German, but they do seem to be rather well proven, and have a somewhat cult following.

By the way, I would not buy a new one because they have been the same for a number of years and the initial depreciation is high. The Burgman 400 is the same from 2008 through the new ones except they added ABS in 2011. The Burgman 650 is pretty much the same from around 2006. However, I would want to get a 2008 or newer Executive model because they have an adjustable windshield and ABS that is not on the standard model. I paid $3,200 for my 2008 400 last fall with 9,600 miles on it and I had located a 2008 650 Executive for $4,800 with similar miles. There are a lot of scooters around with low miles that look the same (other than annual color changes) if you keep searching. I found several , including the one I bought on Craigs List by doing a search for Burgman in nearby areas.
 
Will let you know...

...as we are picking one up Thursday!

Looking forward to it even more after reading this thread!
 
Last edited:
Back
Top