Ha Ha! Finally got my hands on one! 2004 Burgman 650 Black (with a hint of blue metal flake in the sun).
THE GOOD:
Comfort - Soooooo dreamy. Was good before I found the adjustable backrest, now it is like sitting on Unicorn dreams and puppies. My wife LOVES riding with me again. Oddly, she wasn't a fan of pillion riding on my Honda CBRF4i...
No Shifting - Shifting is for chumps. I have never been as smooth on a bike as on the Burgman. The tranny dumps it into neutral at 10mph - Odd at first, but quickly becomes a source of happiness.
Storage-O-Rama - Holey crap. Riding used to mean wearing a backpack & carrying your helmet. Those days are over. Plus, the seat has a shock absorber thingee to keep the seat up AND a light. If you think the light isn't handy, you'd be so wrong. Lots of other nooks to keep stuff too.
The Steering - Smacks of the new Honda Goldwings, but way more flickable! Leans over easily & carves right through. No suprises in the corners, just smooth & steady. Handles like a MUCH lighter bike, even at parking lot speeds - I only notice the weight when braking. Which leads me to...
The Brakes - Stops a lot of bike FAST! Not grabby or touchy & definately not underpowered. I MUCH prefer unlinked brakes without ABS, so I was a happy, happy camper.
The Instrumentation - Sweeping needles are for chumps too! The Burgman's LCD patch tells you everything you need to know - Even when to change the oil! Why doesn't every bike come with a gear indicator!?!
It is FAST - Burned a Harley & a few 4-cyl wunder cars at the Stoplight Summer Nationals already. Never even broke 4k rpm... Happily climbed to 80mph in short order - Huzzah!
THE BAD:
Windshield Cleanliness - No matter how I toil & try, I don't think I shall ever be able to get the windshield completely clean and streak free. %^@$^&*%!$^
The Color - Black is insanely hard to get to look pristine - Everything shoes if you look. Gotta get some trick graphics to catch the eye.
The Rear Fender - Why do Bikes come with these GIANT black plastic sails behind the rear tire. it is awful & hides what is going on back there. Bleh. It will be going soon...
The Dealer 'Service' - I got a decent deal, but the dealer seemed VERY interested on squeezing the life out of my wallet for Scheduled Maintenance. They said that they would be doing any warrentee work & if they didn't do the scheduled maintenance themselves, they would need documentation to be sure the work was done. Given the fact that they apperently couldn't be bothered with cleaning the bike or checking the tire pressure - I sure as hell won't let these fools change the oil. I made sure I checked all the fluids when I got home, just in case...
THE UPGRADES!!!
White Headlights (DONE!) - The headlights were plenty bright... Now they are plenty BRIGHTER! $10.00 from Midnightmoose.com for a pair of EagleLights (arrived in 3 days!!! Huzzah!). Undid 2 screws to remove the plastic splash guard (GREAT IDEA!!!) from the triple tree. Did it by feel from underneith, done in 15 minutes. So worth it.
Suzuki Passenger Backrest (COMING SOON!) - On order, looks pretty easy to install. Even more comfort for the missus. She is on Cloud 9.
Fender-ectomy (COMING SOON!) - Looks like a couple of bolts will get the deed done. License plate light may require some creativity to retain it's utility, no biggie. The giant, ugly, back fender has gots to go!!!
Protective Film for the Headlights (COMING SOON!) - 3M made a film to protect the leading edges of a propeller. It is tough, and crystal clear - I buy bulk sheets from xpel.com. It protected the uber-expensive headlight unit on my CBR for years. Rocks, bugs, UV - No match for this stuff! Takes patience to install, but your time is WELL rewarded with headlights that will last & look good indefinately.
Graphics (COMING SOON) - It just needs a little flair. Perhaps this will help me choke down the urge to have it repainted...
Have a Good One!
Sid sends
THE GOOD:
Comfort - Soooooo dreamy. Was good before I found the adjustable backrest, now it is like sitting on Unicorn dreams and puppies. My wife LOVES riding with me again. Oddly, she wasn't a fan of pillion riding on my Honda CBRF4i...
No Shifting - Shifting is for chumps. I have never been as smooth on a bike as on the Burgman. The tranny dumps it into neutral at 10mph - Odd at first, but quickly becomes a source of happiness.
Storage-O-Rama - Holey crap. Riding used to mean wearing a backpack & carrying your helmet. Those days are over. Plus, the seat has a shock absorber thingee to keep the seat up AND a light. If you think the light isn't handy, you'd be so wrong. Lots of other nooks to keep stuff too.
The Steering - Smacks of the new Honda Goldwings, but way more flickable! Leans over easily & carves right through. No suprises in the corners, just smooth & steady. Handles like a MUCH lighter bike, even at parking lot speeds - I only notice the weight when braking. Which leads me to...
The Brakes - Stops a lot of bike FAST! Not grabby or touchy & definately not underpowered. I MUCH prefer unlinked brakes without ABS, so I was a happy, happy camper.
The Instrumentation - Sweeping needles are for chumps too! The Burgman's LCD patch tells you everything you need to know - Even when to change the oil! Why doesn't every bike come with a gear indicator!?!
It is FAST - Burned a Harley & a few 4-cyl wunder cars at the Stoplight Summer Nationals already. Never even broke 4k rpm... Happily climbed to 80mph in short order - Huzzah!
THE BAD:
Windshield Cleanliness - No matter how I toil & try, I don't think I shall ever be able to get the windshield completely clean and streak free. %^@$^&*%!$^
The Color - Black is insanely hard to get to look pristine - Everything shoes if you look. Gotta get some trick graphics to catch the eye.
The Rear Fender - Why do Bikes come with these GIANT black plastic sails behind the rear tire. it is awful & hides what is going on back there. Bleh. It will be going soon...
The Dealer 'Service' - I got a decent deal, but the dealer seemed VERY interested on squeezing the life out of my wallet for Scheduled Maintenance. They said that they would be doing any warrentee work & if they didn't do the scheduled maintenance themselves, they would need documentation to be sure the work was done. Given the fact that they apperently couldn't be bothered with cleaning the bike or checking the tire pressure - I sure as hell won't let these fools change the oil. I made sure I checked all the fluids when I got home, just in case...
THE UPGRADES!!!
White Headlights (DONE!) - The headlights were plenty bright... Now they are plenty BRIGHTER! $10.00 from Midnightmoose.com for a pair of EagleLights (arrived in 3 days!!! Huzzah!). Undid 2 screws to remove the plastic splash guard (GREAT IDEA!!!) from the triple tree. Did it by feel from underneith, done in 15 minutes. So worth it.
Suzuki Passenger Backrest (COMING SOON!) - On order, looks pretty easy to install. Even more comfort for the missus. She is on Cloud 9.
Fender-ectomy (COMING SOON!) - Looks like a couple of bolts will get the deed done. License plate light may require some creativity to retain it's utility, no biggie. The giant, ugly, back fender has gots to go!!!
Protective Film for the Headlights (COMING SOON!) - 3M made a film to protect the leading edges of a propeller. It is tough, and crystal clear - I buy bulk sheets from xpel.com. It protected the uber-expensive headlight unit on my CBR for years. Rocks, bugs, UV - No match for this stuff! Takes patience to install, but your time is WELL rewarded with headlights that will last & look good indefinately.
Graphics (COMING SOON) - It just needs a little flair. Perhaps this will help me choke down the urge to have it repainted...
Have a Good One!
Sid sends
