[CarolinaStory]

Hello Burg nation,

I currently own a Triumph America, 865cc Parallel Twin. I ride with a buddy who owns a Goldwing. Last year we went to the Outer Banks. On the way down I really enjoyed the trip. We were mostly in the back roads, it was early in the year, still pretty chilly out, and there was some excitement that comes with being on the first road trip of the year.

It didn't last.

We ended up needing to take the highway because we had a need to get back quicker than expected. It was then I realized that my bike tops out on the highway at 82 MPH indicated (about 74 MPH actual). I couldn't keep up with the Goldwing, couldn't pass traffic, and the bike was generally unhappy about the entire experience.

I have about a $10K budget. I'm considering the 2013 Burgman. I want something with great wind protection, that is great on the highway, in the mountains, around city, on the back country roads, or where ever I want to take it. I'm about 270 pounds. I'm not interested in racing, but I'd really appreciate a motor that can pass on the highway without taxing the engine. It has to have legroom. I can't ride a standard due to my knee. After 30 minutes I need to get off and stretch.

So far I've called 6 Suzuki dealerships in this part of the state. Most have a Burgman in stock. One even has a 2013. None of them will let anyone test drive them though, which is a bit frustrating. I actually had this same problem a few years back as I was looking at Burgmans in the past and passed on them since I couldn't test drive one.

So now I guess I'm just looking for honest opinions. Is the Burgman the kind of machine I can live with for 5 years? Will it make me happy on the highway when I'm riding around the state with my Goldwing buddy (a true 75 to 80 MPH)? Will it be dependable? Am I asking too much out of the Burgman given my weight? Are there other alternatives I should consider?

Thanks a bunch in advance!

 

[29534]

Either of the Burgmans would do the job but the 650 would do it better. Have you considered going for a used one? They have both been basically the same for a few years and you could find a good 650 for under $5,000 if you look carefully. Many have been used very little. You could probably ride a used one and you would be riding the same bike as a new one (other than a 2013). My little 400 will run and maintain speed up until at least 80 (haven't tried more) but the 650 will do it easier. They are both dependable and give good weather protection.

 

[blackcat54]

"So far I've called 6 Suzuki dealerships in this part of the state."

What state?

Oh... North or South Carolina?

 

[TwoWheelTim]

Interesting. I am 5 feet 10, and 180#, and found the America a good fit (in the showroom) It was the only other bike I was considering before getting my 2011 Burgman 400. Are you under my height? I cant imaging anyone over 6 feet being comfortable on the America.

I would have thought the America would have had more top end than that . My little Burgman has been up to 90 MPH, and will do 70 all day long.

I don't know if anyone is going to say the 650 will be perfect for you, that is your call, but from my years on this board, it is the best fit and the most powerful domestic scooter.

Good luck,

 

[Just Me]

My 650 did fine last fall with two up in the mountains of W. Va. It will hold 80 mph all day on the super slab except the wife thinks I'm in too big a hurry, that I should slow down and enjoy the moment which I do at 80 too. The top speed I did on the '04 was 98mph and this one 92. The speedo is off 1mph at that speed according to GPS since I darksided it. Both had power to spare at those speeds.

 

[Doraemon]

Have a look at the 650GT by BMW, yes a little more expensive if you get the heated grips and seat, and tire pressure monitor setup. But, so far they are proving stronger than the Burgmans 47hp over 42hp and 40Ftlbs over 32Ftlbs, future maintenance is more often than the burgman, but each service you can do yourself with basic tools, not a pull apart and cry on the cost of a belt. I weigh 260 and had a burgman over 105 corrected and verified by gps, and for my BMW I went to 100 so far and had room to go, the BMW is electronically controlled at 110 or so.

Both have the ability to move your feet around on the deck while driving, however, the Burgman is more of a sit in feel and the BMW is more of a sit on feel. you can test ride the BMW anywhere they have them, I borrowed one for a full day.

I rode a 2011 burgman and fully tuned it and traded it in for the Sport BMW, I have a knee issue as well or I would still be carving up curves at 160+ on my FZ1.

 

[NormanB]

I know things are different your side of the pond but here in UK if you go on the Suzuki website there is a facility to find out where you can book a test ride. check to see if Suzy USA does the same.

If you are parting with such a substantial slice of your hard earned cash you should at least ride buy before you buy - maybe there is a kind hearted forum member nearby who might help there. :wink:

But in principle, the 650 should satisfy your requirements admirably. The 2013 offers some real claimed advantages over previous design iterations but we are yet to have any evidence if those claims will translate to user experience. So if you are willing to splash the cash the 2013 could well fit the bill BUT you could save a ton of cash by buying used, say a 2010 model.

As an aside your reported performance of the Triumph would suggest there is a problem, are you sure you have eliminated the obvious - sounds to me as though it is only firing on one pot!

Welcome to the forum BTW :hello2:

 

[Chérie]

Me surprise Triumph America only go 74 mph (actual), something not ok with that Triumph.

650 Burgie will go 80-85 mph with passenger all trip long, lot and lot of dealer everywhere for part, service, adjustment, tweaking and Burgman USA is incredible forum for learn everything for maintenance, repair, knowledge.

First Burgie 650 come out in 2002 this now 12 year available for us and 2013 model have many improvement done for evolution of burgie bike.

Can get very good deal on used 2010-2011-2012 instead of new 2013, do not be afraid to get Burgie 650 it best all around bike you can purchase, fantastic wind & weaher protection, extremely confie, never feel engine heat, can go fast all day, twist and go is just fantastic, spoil self with Burgie 650 plus smile all day long when riding.

 

[Dave_J]

I'll add my name to the list of go for a Burgman. I am on my 3rd 650. I can cruze at 75 to 80 MPH all day long and get 45 MPG doing it. I have also done the Car tire on the rear called Darksiding and it corrects the speedo to almost exact. I can go from 80 MPH to 110 MPH at will, about 8 seconds or so. NO its not a race bike. My hotrodded 83 GS750N would do the 80 to 110 MPH in less than 5 seconds, and to 140 in about 8 seconds.

I had taken a 2008 Triumph American for a ride and thou I never tried to get to 80+ MPH, it got to 70 MPH fair enough.

I just did a search for reviews of the Triumph, found loads but not one had top speed listed.

 

[CarolinaStory]

Thank you all for the replies.

To answer a few questions, I'm 6' tall, and live in Raleigh NC.

I'm going to do my best to find a local 650 to test ride. I'm also considering the Honda CTX700, but it doesn't come out until August, and Yamaha has the new V Star 1300 Deluxe coming out that has the fairing / hard bags / sound system / gps, but it's quite a bit more at $13K. Not sure I want to spend that much.

Thanks for the encouragement and opinions. I'll report back after I get a chance to ride one and tell you what I think.

 

[29534]

Thank you all for the replies.

To answer a few questions, I'm 6' tall, and live in Raleigh NC.

I'm going to do my best to find a local 650 to test ride. I'm also considering the Honda CTX700, but it doesn't come out until August, and Yamaha has the new V Star 1300 Deluxe coming out that has the fairing / hard bags / sound system / gps, but it's quite a bit more at $13K. Not sure I want to spend that much.

Thanks for the encouragement and opinions. I'll report back after I get a chance to ride one and tell you what I think.

Have you considered one of these? http://raleigh.craigslist.org/search/?a ... catAbb=sss If you go and look at one, ride your motorcycle so they will know you know how to ride.

 

[bigfoot]

I had a 2007 650 Executive that I put 38,000 miles on in 3 years covering 31 States and parts of Canada.
I considered it a very capable and dependable touring motorcycle.

I weighed around 300 pounds at that time and I'm 6'4" tall.
I had to take the drivers backrest off in order for my knees to not touch the dash. Once I did that I was very comfortable in the saddle.
You'll find that Suzuki's speedometers tend to read higher than actual. My 2007 650 read 9% high.
I was easily able to achieve an actual 107 MPH many times verified by my GPS.

Performance;
1. Riding dawn to dusk is my preference when riding cross country, and the 650 does that with ease.
I had at least six 1,000+ mile days, 2 of them were 1,360 miles in 22 hours. (Akron Ohio to Key West Florida).
2. Riding hour after hour at a true 80-85 MPH was easily accomplished on the 650.
3. The 650 loved to carve the twisties and I was able to easily outrun most other bikes.
4. Rear tires (for me at least) needed replaced after 6-8 thousand miles while the front tires could have easily gone double that. This rear wheel mileage limit meant that I had to get a new tire before I could go on my long trips and I had to limit my trips to under 7,000 miles.
5. The on-the-fly electrically adjustable windscreen is fantastic.
6. The electric fold in mirrors were good for parking in the garage.
7. I was able to average 49 MPG over the time I owned the 650.
8. No noticeable engine heat. I can't say that about the Victory Vision

If I was you;
I'd buy the 2013 because of all the improvements.
1. Better MPG's (15% improvement) should return 200 miles between stops. (160-180 miles between fill-ups on my scoot was what I planned for)
2. Less clutch drag when moving the bike Fred Flintstone style in your garage and less engine braking which used to be fairly dramatic. Simply decelerating the throttle would cause such loss in speed that you had to consider being rear ended by a distracted driver. I used to flash my brake lights if traffic was following too close.
3. Better front brakes.
4. Low oil indicator that wasn't available on mine. Had to get on my knees and check the sight-glass.
5. Better lighting.

Drawbacks of the 2013 model over previous models;
1. Loss of 8 litres of under-seat storage.

As I get older I realize that my time on my 900+ pound Victory Vision is drawing to an end. I plan on buying a new scooter when that time comes.
I like to tour and ride the twisties on my motorcycles, so I would have liked to see cruise control, heated grips, tire pressure monitors, and a radio set up similar to the one on my Vision that allows me to plug in my ITouch for music.

You should be able to see a 2013 650 ABS in a dealer's showroom in about a month.

 

[CarolinaStory]

Still no luck finding a '13 Burgman. Anyone else managed to find / ride one yet? I'm curious to see if you feel any noticeable difference vs the 2012 and earlier in terms of engine performance or comfort.

I did manage to find a dealership locally with a used 2011 Burgman 650. They want $7900 for it, which doesn't really seem like a good deal once you factor in interest rates. It's less than $10 a month difference. Still, hoping they'll let me test drive it tomorrow.

 

[DandyDoug]

I managed to snag a good test ride on a used 650 my dealer had , it sold me on the Burgman .
If you still have not been able to ride one PM me and maybe we can set something up.
I am in Lewisville, just outside of Winston Salem , NC.
Doug

 

[candoman]

I owned a Triumph Speedmaster for a year or so and it performed well and was an overall enjoyable experience. However, now that I have a 650 Burgman I enjoy it even more. So much so, I now own two 650 Burgmans. I don't think you will regret buying a Burgman. It reminds me of my past 1981 Goldwing in some ways, but is a much better bike in my opinion. The Burgman grin is for real.

 

[CarolinaStory]

Another update.

Just went to the local dealership on my bike to get an idea of the trade-in value. While I was there, a few things happened.

First, the General Manager checked the system and said there was no info on the 2013 yet. He said no orders had even been placed yet, so it was at least 6 weeks out before the 2013's become available in the US. This means it's not possible to get a 2013 before the 0.0% APR offer ends on March 31.

Secondly, they made me a good offer on my bike.

And finally, they made me a great offer on a 2012 model 650 Executive.

So the big question, can anyone think of any reason not to buy the 2012? I read about the changes to the 2013 (15% better fuel economy, more power (due to the clutch changes), less clutch drag, body changes, 55% lighter ABS, etc)? Does any of this sound like it's worth about $3.5K more money than the 2012? That's about the difference once you factor in rebates, 2012 markdowns, and interest over the duration of the loan (considering 0% APR on the 2012 vs an average loan on the 2013).

Thanks again for your feedback.

 

[InfernoST]

Both bikes are basically the same weight and the changes IMO aren't worth the additional coin.

 

[DandyDoug]

buy the 2012, ride it and smile all the way to the bank :thumbup:

 

[phyciocc]

I am weighing the same choices.
I have a trade in, the 2012 can be had at a good price(Suzuky is offering $500 cash and zero % financing) and the 2013 are simply not here for a while. If the dealership I am talking to makes me a decent offer, I think I'll go for a 2012.
Marco

 

[zackman]

Hello and welcome, If I may let me add my 2 cents worth, I did a quick craigslist search in North Caroline near, raleigh went to Motorcycles list then typed in the search box for Burgman and found six used burgmans for sale you might want to take a look, you might have a better chance of a test ride that way then a dealer, Now as for the Burgman itself I have had the 400 and now have the 650, I like the 650 a little better because it feels to me at least more like a crusier bike where as the 400 more like a sports bike, Both are very good and a sweet ride but like I said I like the 650 better, I am 6 foot 2 inches tall, weight is close to 280 lbs, and I have no problem going up and down the road at 80 to 90 miles per hour when need, but I do try to keep it at the speed limit but it is such a fun bike it is hard, :lol: : and I always have that Burgman , I have had many bikes In my life so far; from little sporters to big bikes, but I do like my Burgman the best, I have had quite a few Mod's done to her since I got her, You might also want to look at last year model to see if you can get a good deal that way as well, which is what I did I got mine in Feb of 2012 but it was a 2011 model and I saved Thousands on her. Now the 2013 model is very nice from what I am reading about her but not enough for me to drop all that money for it, I got the bike I want for now and will be happy with her for Years and Years to come. I hope my 2 cents was helpful and if you need any more help just ask away this is the best place to find alot of answers and A WHOLE LOT of FRIENDLY FOLKS Here. so ride safe and happy trails. Zack :thumbup: