[IntRunner40]

Ok, I have taken my 08 400 on a few 1, 000 mile weekend trips and have started to enjoy two wheel touring. So I started to look at some longer trips such as a circle lake Superior run which I am sure it can do, especially one up. But, a friend and I are hatching a National parks tour through the Rocky Mtn region to which my wife responded, "not without me". So now I question the ability of my little 400 which has been great up to now, even on the 70 mph slab. What are the thoughts of those out there as I am really thinking now that something like the ST1300 which can be had at a good price used might be what I need?

 

[Buffalo]

Well I know the 400 can handle 8,000 feet one up with no problems because I have seen that done.

 

[Daboo]

I think you have a number of considerations to think of:

• How much acceleration do you want? Two up with gear will make it perform like an old VW Beetle, not a Miata.[/*:m:24q3zt6h]
• How much gear are you bringing along? With one person riding, you can use the pillion seat for camping gear. With your sweetie there, where will you put it?[/*:m:24q3zt6h]
• The ST1300 is a great bike, but will have the same storage issue...where do I put this stuff at?[/*:m:24q3zt6h]
• You can also stay in motels, but you'll still need a couple changes of clothes.[/*:m:24q3zt6h]

I've taken my 400 out with my daughters on day hiking trips. Our hiking gear fits under the seat and in the top box. When we get to the trail head, we take the hiking gear out and stash away the riding gear. It's worked great for that. An overnighter creates a problem unless you're staying in a motel at night. Where do I put the tent, camp stove, food, clothes? A trailer?

I'd like to take a trip to Bryce Canyon National Park and the area around there. My preference would be to take my wife along. But in just looking at the logistics, I think we'll take the car for a trip like that. By the time we load all the gear onto the bike (assuming I could find a place to put it), it'll feel like I'm in a car anyway.

But if you want to use this as an excuse to buy a ST1300, don't let me stop you! :lol:

Chris

 

[303 whodat]

I have been 2 up'ing into Rocky Mountain National Park this year, and the little 400 handles well. Combined weight is about 300 lbs, we seem to be comfortable, but climbs can be challenging... I seem to be maxed at 50mph up steep inclines, at 8000 feet, with 10-15 mph crosswinds.

Please keep in mind these are day trips only, with no gear stashed. Weather is pleasant, warm June weekends, but you never know what will happen weather wise.

If there was an opportunity for a larger bike, and 2 up was your plan, I think I would suggest the larger. I love my little 400 solo, but ever since my significant other showed interest in riding with me I've been looking at 650's.

If and when you do come out, on whatever you ride, I'd love to meet and ride along with a fellow BUSA member.

 

[Daboo]

...Please keep in mind these are day trips only, with no gear stashed. Weather is pleasant, warm June weekends, but you never know what will happen weather wise...

That's the crux of the whole matter, IMHO. You could have a car engine installed and you'd still be limited by how much you can carry on anything more than an overnighter.

Maybe the answer is to buy his and hers 400s???

Chris

 

[IntRunner40]

If and when you do come out, on whatever you ride, I'd love to meet and ride along with a fellow BUSA member.

I might just do that because if our crazy plan gets off the ground then we would trailer to Denver and then start riding with Rocky Mountain National Park being the first stop, heading north to Yellowstone & the Tetons, swing south through SLC to Zion, Bryce, and return through Arches on the way back to Denver. Might as well add the N rim of Grand Canyon to that because its only a fraction of an inch away on the map .

 

[IntRunner40]

Maybe the answer is to buy his and hers 400s???

Chris

Chris, my wife likes riding as a passenger on those perfect days when its not too hot for no longer than a few hours. I talked to her a little more a lunch and explained that we would have many 8 hour days with cold mornings and hot afternoons. I then mentioned I would happily return with her in a car at a more relaxed pace to which she mentioned " maybe you should go by yourself". Packing issue resolved :cheers:

 

[Scooter_Maniac]

From the Arches, on the way to Denver you MUST to go over Colorado National Monument between Fruita, Colorado and Grand Junction, Colorado. Access points are located from Highway 340 just outside of each of the two cities. From there you can get to Denver off interstate and take only about an additional 20 minutes through some beautiful country. Also, as you leave Moab, take the route northeast along the river and, if it is on a Sunday, stop for brunch at the Red Cliff Lodge about 20 minutes out of town. It is awesome. Be sure to visit the free museum downstairs.

 

[Aladinbama]

I've got an ST1100 and no offense to the Burgman, for any long trip, it's a DREAM! Itgets @47-50 mpg and you can go as fast as you need to/want to. It also has a 7.4 gallon tank so you are limited by your butt and not the tank. I usually stop every 125 to 150 miles anyway, but have ridden 225 before semi-comfortably. My 400 is a nice bike, but the 1100 is the most fun I've had in a long time (don't tell the wife)!
If you can get the wife to ride and she can do that confidently and comfortably, buying another 400 may be the way to go. If she's anything like mine, I'd never want her to ride solo anywhere of any great distance - she's not secure enough and might panic. Of course miles under her butt would change that, but she would rather watch the world go by from a backseat.
Good Luck!

 

[Mike337]

I'm sure if you're not expecting much, stay calm, and in the slow lane with the VW busses and Geos, it can be done. The whole trip won't be up hill and the bike is fuel injected. I'd do it just to say I did it on a 400 Burgman. Now it sounds like your wife will not be on back, then heck ya, why not.
Good luck, and we'll be looking forward to the daily updates you promised us :lol:

 

[303 whodat]

If we get a chance to ride together, I'll be sure to post pics... would be a treat to see another Burgman up here. Mostly big cruisers and touring bikes on the road in the park.

There is a place in Estes Park that rents scooters by the hour and day...

http://www.zootscootestes.com/

They have Honda metropolitans, Yamaha Vino 125's and 2 Big Ruckus for rent.

 

[Buffalo]

would be a treat to see another Burgman up here.

If you had been out and about in June of 08 you would have seen 5 of us riding together. We had plans to go over the mountain on 34 then catch 40 south to I-70 but a snow storm closed the road about halfway up. We road up as far as we could then came back down and went south on 7, 72 and 119.

We spent a whole week in Colorado making a big circle of the state. If your interested in seeing the pictures I took on our trip you can find them here https://picasaweb.google.com/JCNolen/ColoradoJune2008

 

[IntRunner40]

From the Arches, on the way to Denver you MUST to go over Colorado National Monument between Fruita, Colorado and Grand Junction, Colorado. Access points are located from Highway 340 just outside of each of the two cities. From there you can get to Denver off interstate and take only about an additional 20 minutes through some beautiful country. Also, as you leave Moab, take the route northeast along the river and, if it is on a Sunday, stop for brunch at the Red Cliff Lodge about 20 minutes out of town. It is awesome. Be sure to visit the free museum downstairs.

Scooter Maniac, thanks for the advice as the plant is to pass through Arches, so we'll definitely look to incorporate this into our route as I am not afraid to follow the advice of those who passed through before me.

 

[IntRunner40]

I've got an ST1100 and no offense to the Burgman, for any long trip, it's a DREAM! Itgets @47-50 mpg and you can go as fast as you need to/want to. It also has a 7.4 gallon tank so you are limited by your butt and not the tank. I usually stop every 125 to 150 miles anyway, but have ridden 225 before semi-comfortably. My 400 is a nice bike, but the 1100 is the most fun I've had in a long time (don't tell the wife)!
If you can get the wife to ride and she can do that confidently and comfortably, buying another 400 may be the way to go. If she's anything like mine, I'd never want her to ride solo anywhere of any great distance - she's not secure enough and might panic. Of course miles under her butt would change that, but she would rather watch the world go by from a backseat.
Good Luck!

Thanks for the wish of good luck as I just made a deal for a lightly used, under warranty, and well farkeled ST1300 (one of those deals you just can't pass up). I guess I'm following the course of Daboo in adding something a little bigger to the garage in addition to a Burgman 400 (actually, if I include my Sh150, then I now have three scooters/motorcycles, so we'll see how long my wife lets me keep all three). At the moment, the plan is to keep the ST only for a few years as my wife is in graduate school, so I have some time to do a lot of long distance rides, and then I should be able to flip it without taking too much of a hit on depreciation and maybe at that time upgrade to a Burgy 650 or a newer 400 if they make any worthwhile changes as a person can't beat twist-n-go.

 

[IntRunner40]

We spent a whole week in Colorado making a big circle of the state. If your interested in seeing the pictures I took on our trip you can find them here https://picasaweb.google.com/JCNolen/ColoradoJune2008

Buffalo,

Thanks for sharing the link to your trip pictures, they are definitely motivating. I did notice that your entire group was on 650's which I'm sure handled the trip without any problems.

 

[Buffalo]

Yes all the riders were on 650s on that trip. They had no problems at all with altitudes up to 11,000 feet riding one up with all our luggage for a 9 day trip loaded on the bikes. Given the way they performed I would suspect they wouldn't have any problems 2 up either. As I mentioned earlier in the thread, highest I've been when one of the riders was on a 400 is about 8,000 feet. Don't have any pictures from that ride though.

 

[Jeff_MdR]

Got home about three hours ago after 11 days. Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Yosemite, Ebbet's Pass over the Sierra to Lake Tahoe, Yuba River pass, Napa/Sonoma, Marin Headlands, Santa Cruz redwoods, Big Sur/Hwy 1. 2-Up with soft saddlebags. The 650 handled everything I asked it to do - not once did I feel limited in any way. The only times I wish I was on a tourer like the Honda were on the few long stretches of Interstates I couldn't avoid, and some of the goaty backroads I tend to prefer - its the suspension limitations of the scooter. In the mountains with climbing and descending hairpin turns by the dozens (if not 100's), the Burgman's engine braking and E-CVT power mode is perfectly matched to the task. I don't even want to think about the shifting and braking I would have had to do on a motorcycle, especially with a passenger to consider.

This is the sixth year I've ridden tours like this, all on Burgman 650's (two on my '05, four on my '07). Both bikes performed flawlessly.