Atlantic 500
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one of our forum members also rode an Atlantic, that is 'til he checked out my 650. Now he rides the Big Burgman.
I ride two up with my wife all the time. I am 220, she is about 115. Hills, highways, mountains, city streets etc. Always plenty of power. In fact there is always power to spare, and then some!
I ride two up with my wife all the time. I am 220, she is about 115. Hills, highways, mountains, city streets etc. Always plenty of power. In fact there is always power to spare, and then some!
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11,296 Posts
The Atlantic is a lovely looking machine and well put together.
Unfortunately many owners spend a long time admiring its aesthetic form while they wait months for spare parts!
It is a great machine but a single 500 is acknowledged as being at the upper limit of the swing arm design (and perhaps a tadge over it).
The Big Burger has 2 big dynamic advantages over the Atlantic. The biggest is that it is more planted, with a motorcycle engine in frame design thus reducing the sprung mass problem of the traditional scooter design. The other - the twin cylinder and increased displacement/power. I am not sure how that translates specifically in power to weight terms as most manufacturers only quote power at the crankshaft - when to make meaningful calculations you really need the real power delivered to the rear wheel (after transmission losses). But I am sure the 650 owners can (and have) give a real world performance assessment.
You will of course lose all the 'goodies' of the Atlantic, top boxes and comms stuff. You can have and fit these to the Burgman but $$!
The best course of action would be a test ride from the dealer, alternatively a swap with a friendly Burger owner on a ride out.
Unfortunately many owners spend a long time admiring its aesthetic form while they wait months for spare parts!
It is a great machine but a single 500 is acknowledged as being at the upper limit of the swing arm design (and perhaps a tadge over it).
The Big Burger has 2 big dynamic advantages over the Atlantic. The biggest is that it is more planted, with a motorcycle engine in frame design thus reducing the sprung mass problem of the traditional scooter design. The other - the twin cylinder and increased displacement/power. I am not sure how that translates specifically in power to weight terms as most manufacturers only quote power at the crankshaft - when to make meaningful calculations you really need the real power delivered to the rear wheel (after transmission losses). But I am sure the 650 owners can (and have) give a real world performance assessment.
You will of course lose all the 'goodies' of the Atlantic, top boxes and comms stuff. You can have and fit these to the Burgman but $$!
The best course of action would be a test ride from the dealer, alternatively a swap with a friendly Burger owner on a ride out.
Honest assessment
That is a pretty honest assessment in my book and I ride a Scarabeo but I know both Aprilia maxi scoots very well.
The big trade off is the swing arm design and styling, features, fit and finish.
No doubt the big Burgman 650 is much more of a motorcycle. I haven't had any difficulty with obtaining parts but then I've not needed any. knock on wood
Me, I prefer the Scarabeo and next I'll be on a R1200 CL. Notice the comparison in styling.
ride safe,
Mybug
ps. I'm still looking for other maxi scoot riders in the KC area.
That is a pretty honest assessment in my book and I ride a Scarabeo but I know both Aprilia maxi scoots very well.
The big trade off is the swing arm design and styling, features, fit and finish.
No doubt the big Burgman 650 is much more of a motorcycle. I haven't had any difficulty with obtaining parts but then I've not needed any. knock on wood
Me, I prefer the Scarabeo and next I'll be on a R1200 CL. Notice the comparison in styling.
ride safe,
Mybug
ps. I'm still looking for other maxi scoot riders in the KC area.
I have a Scarabeo 150 and needed to upgrade as I wanted more touring capability. Rode the Atlantic, the Scarabeo 500 and after lots of test rides, bought the Burgman 400. We have a Aprillia dealer in Vegas and he has ben great to deal with, but I also discovered the parts problem with Aprillia. I love the AN 400 and I expect that one day I'll get the 650. The 400 one up is is perfect, 2 up for a long journey would be a comprimise. The 150 is for sale, now when I sell it, if I can talk my spouse into driving the 400, HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN.
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5,363 Posts
I agree! Oops - this was from NormanB... Oh what the heck, I'll agree anyway. :wink:NormanB said:
My eye kept straying to the two Aprilia Atlantics that came to Scootercade. Atractive lines, very nice colors - pretty scooters for sure.
One of these days those Italians may build the Ferrari of scooters - ultra high performance and drop dead gorgeous. Probably cost $15,000 too -and worth every penny to own one. Maintenance costs - high. Fuel consumption - high. But as long as it goes faster, handles better, looks better and sounds more wonderful than any other scooter made - I'd let one sleep in my garage.
Meanwhile, I have to stay with my Burgman 650.
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11,296 Posts
Oh!pauljo said:
I see! :roll:
There was I, sailing along under the illusion that you adopted the contrary position to everyone. But clearly, now, it appears I was unwittingly seduced into that false dawn - that you had reserved this more intellectual of pursuits (almost) exclusively for me.
:wink:
Sir, I am honoured - now choose your weapon --- matey! :whdat:
Personal experience
I bought a 2004 Atlantic earlier this summer, then sold it after one test ride on the Burgman 650. I was seduced by the Atlantic's Italian styling and Indiglo dashboard when I originally bought it. It had more power than the Vespa I was replacing, but on the highway it seemed to languish in the 70-mph zone, depriving me of the power I needed to quickly and confidently accelerate away from other cars. The Burgman, meanwhile, has decidedly more pep, from the out-of-the-blocks start to the highway. There's easily enough power to quickly push from 70 mph to 85 mph and higher, which can be helpful on New Jersey highways where the speed limit is routinely ignored. The Burgman has much more storage space than the Atlantic, and much more legroom, and much more space for the pillion. The integrated passenger footrests on the Burgman are much more sensible than the flip-out footrests on the Atlantic. Another huge difference is parts availability, as ronayers.com seems to have every single body part in stock and ready for delivery, versus Aprilia, where I waited a month for a top box only to find there were none to be found. Many more Suzuki dealers than Aprilia dealers for service, that's for sure. I found the Aprilia saddle to be a bit delicate, almost like suede in how it seemed to show every fingerprint. The Suzuki saddle is more durable, and the Corbin seat I replaced it with is better yet. I'm very glad to have switched, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Burgman 650, as long as you're comfortable with a 540-pound scooter. It does take more effort to get it on the center stand and lug it around the driveway, etc. But it's worth it. Joe
I bought a 2004 Atlantic earlier this summer, then sold it after one test ride on the Burgman 650. I was seduced by the Atlantic's Italian styling and Indiglo dashboard when I originally bought it. It had more power than the Vespa I was replacing, but on the highway it seemed to languish in the 70-mph zone, depriving me of the power I needed to quickly and confidently accelerate away from other cars. The Burgman, meanwhile, has decidedly more pep, from the out-of-the-blocks start to the highway. There's easily enough power to quickly push from 70 mph to 85 mph and higher, which can be helpful on New Jersey highways where the speed limit is routinely ignored. The Burgman has much more storage space than the Atlantic, and much more legroom, and much more space for the pillion. The integrated passenger footrests on the Burgman are much more sensible than the flip-out footrests on the Atlantic. Another huge difference is parts availability, as ronayers.com seems to have every single body part in stock and ready for delivery, versus Aprilia, where I waited a month for a top box only to find there were none to be found. Many more Suzuki dealers than Aprilia dealers for service, that's for sure. I found the Aprilia saddle to be a bit delicate, almost like suede in how it seemed to show every fingerprint. The Suzuki saddle is more durable, and the Corbin seat I replaced it with is better yet. I'm very glad to have switched, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Burgman 650, as long as you're comfortable with a 540-pound scooter. It does take more effort to get it on the center stand and lug it around the driveway, etc. But it's worth it. Joe
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3,411 Posts
Correction: 37.4HP SAE Corrected Rear-wheel Horsepower; 58.6 lb. ft. SAE Corrected Rear-wheel Torque.NormanB said:
This comes from CycleStats™ in the May 2004 Motorcycle Consumer News ®.
(I was at work earlier, and speaking from memory -- which I should know by now is a mistake.)
And who says the AN650K puffs uphill 2-up?
Kind of long, sorry.....
Maybe I can lend some insight into the Aprilia parts issue.
My wife's Scarabeo 150 had a speedometer go out. I had called the same dealer that I had gotten a sidestand off of and they "attempted" to order the speedo. Note that because of the issues that I had heard of with parts, I sought out a dealer for the sidestand that had one in stock. This dealer was in Florida, had the sidestand, and overnighted it to me with no problem.
Anyway, back to the speedo. Aprilia never got back to them. The dealer, very frustrated, gave ME the phone number to ApriliaUSA in Atlanta. So I called them and they had an automated "press 2 for parts" and I did. I actually got a person. I never identified myself as a dealer, but he made the assumption and I never corrected him. I gave him the part number and he said they had the part. To quote him exactly, he said "those don't go out all of the time, but they do go out often enough that we keep them in stock. We have over 100 in stock right now."
Now I figured that since I was going to be ordering the doggone thing anyway, I might as well go through our local Aprilia dealer. Ironically, this dealer is pretty big, but not in scooters. They do sell Audi, Volkswagon, Porsche, and Aprilia. They called, emailed, ordered via web and phone, but could never get an order confirmation. Finally, I told them let me handle this.
I called Aprilia and got the parts manager. He said that the dealer never ordered the part correctly. He said "some of these new dealers are green behind the ears and they don't do it right." I told him that the White-Allen Auto group in Dayton OH has been around for 70 years and the specific dealership is a very large Porsche/VW/Audi dealer AND if anyone screwed this up I am not betting against the 70 year old dealer group, but I will bet against a very young Aprilia USA that has a record of this sort of thing happening." Silence was all I heard.
So he then said he would order it himself and work with the dealer to get this done. A week later I called Atlanta again...customer service confirmed the part was not on order. So I got ahold of the parts guy again and flamed him. He told me that he ordered the part but it was coming out of Italy and it woudl take a while. I told him I confirmed the part was in the US already and that I also confirmed he didn't do jack to get the part ordered. I told him I confirmed he never called the dealer or did anything at all to correct the problem.
Now I could go on and on, but I think you are seeing the problem, right? I did. So I called the dealer network folks and got their song and dance to a point. Then I told them something that seemed to wake them up. I told them "say what you will, but I have spoken to numerous folks that have acknowledged that the Atlantic and Scarabeo are some of the best scooters on the market. And they have never done as I have, complained and cussed over your dealer and parts support. No, they never did that. Instead, they quietly bought a Honda or Suzuki. So here I am telling you of a problem and I am getting lip service. Listen, keep your scooters. The Chinese are coming at the 50-150cc market and the Japanese are already dominating the 250+ market. Keep making excuses and jacking the customer around. It won't get you far."
I did get a call from one of the head honcho's in parts and he did acknowledge the parts issue, stating all kinds of excuses. I told him that it doesn't bother me as I ride a Honda (had the helix at the time) and as long as I can get parts for it, I guess my wife will have to suffer."
Again, silence.
Hope this explains at least some of Aprilia's problems.
Maybe I can lend some insight into the Aprilia parts issue.
My wife's Scarabeo 150 had a speedometer go out. I had called the same dealer that I had gotten a sidestand off of and they "attempted" to order the speedo. Note that because of the issues that I had heard of with parts, I sought out a dealer for the sidestand that had one in stock. This dealer was in Florida, had the sidestand, and overnighted it to me with no problem.
Anyway, back to the speedo. Aprilia never got back to them. The dealer, very frustrated, gave ME the phone number to ApriliaUSA in Atlanta. So I called them and they had an automated "press 2 for parts" and I did. I actually got a person. I never identified myself as a dealer, but he made the assumption and I never corrected him. I gave him the part number and he said they had the part. To quote him exactly, he said "those don't go out all of the time, but they do go out often enough that we keep them in stock. We have over 100 in stock right now."
Now I figured that since I was going to be ordering the doggone thing anyway, I might as well go through our local Aprilia dealer. Ironically, this dealer is pretty big, but not in scooters. They do sell Audi, Volkswagon, Porsche, and Aprilia. They called, emailed, ordered via web and phone, but could never get an order confirmation. Finally, I told them let me handle this.
I called Aprilia and got the parts manager. He said that the dealer never ordered the part correctly. He said "some of these new dealers are green behind the ears and they don't do it right." I told him that the White-Allen Auto group in Dayton OH has been around for 70 years and the specific dealership is a very large Porsche/VW/Audi dealer AND if anyone screwed this up I am not betting against the 70 year old dealer group, but I will bet against a very young Aprilia USA that has a record of this sort of thing happening." Silence was all I heard.
So he then said he would order it himself and work with the dealer to get this done. A week later I called Atlanta again...customer service confirmed the part was not on order. So I got ahold of the parts guy again and flamed him. He told me that he ordered the part but it was coming out of Italy and it woudl take a while. I told him I confirmed the part was in the US already and that I also confirmed he didn't do jack to get the part ordered. I told him I confirmed he never called the dealer or did anything at all to correct the problem.
Now I could go on and on, but I think you are seeing the problem, right? I did. So I called the dealer network folks and got their song and dance to a point. Then I told them something that seemed to wake them up. I told them "say what you will, but I have spoken to numerous folks that have acknowledged that the Atlantic and Scarabeo are some of the best scooters on the market. And they have never done as I have, complained and cussed over your dealer and parts support. No, they never did that. Instead, they quietly bought a Honda or Suzuki. So here I am telling you of a problem and I am getting lip service. Listen, keep your scooters. The Chinese are coming at the 50-150cc market and the Japanese are already dominating the 250+ market. Keep making excuses and jacking the customer around. It won't get you far."
I did get a call from one of the head honcho's in parts and he did acknowledge the parts issue, stating all kinds of excuses. I told him that it doesn't bother me as I ride a Honda (had the helix at the time) and as long as I can get parts for it, I guess my wife will have to suffer."
Again, silence.
Hope this explains at least some of Aprilia's problems.
What got me was I told them "Please ship it directly to my house" They wouldn't. I asked them to overnight it to the dealership and I would pay extra. They wouldn't. They simply didn't seem to care whether I was happy or not. I told them that this experience kept me from buying an Atlantic 500 and that is, in fact, the truth. While I am not sure whether I would have bought an Atlantic or Burgie, the horrible customer/dealer support of Aprilia made my buying an Atlantic simply not feasible.
My wife puts on maybe 1500 to 2000 miles a season. I can do that in a month of riding to work and back. Good dealer support is required for me.
My wife puts on maybe 1500 to 2000 miles a season. I can do that in a month of riding to work and back. Good dealer support is required for me.
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