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508 Posts
BOOOOO YAAH!! 
At last, Mike and I picked up our new Burgman 400s today. It was 41 miles from the dealership to our house, via back roads (and with one detour to show the new toys off to my parents).
As the entirety of my experience riding 2-wheelers, up until today, was pottering around last year on a 1996 Honda Elite 80, I haven't a vast collection of memories to draw upon for comparison. However, here are my first impressions anyway, in hopes they will help someone. 'Tis only fair, as this Forum has been unbelievably helpful to me.
Just FYI, I am a 41-year-old woman, 5' 7" tall, weighing 145 lbs, with a 30-inch inseam.
:arrow: Acceleration: Magnificently smooth! Having never so much as ridden the 400 around the parking lot, I had to pull across 4 lanes of traffic to catch a side road I wanted. I was nervous as hell, but the 400's acceleration was perfect. Plenty of power, but delivered so smoothly that my fears of being "run away from" were completely unfounded. (Hey, who knew that going from 80 CCs to 385 would be this easy?)
:arrow: Handling: Excellent. No more troublesome to maneuver than what I was used to from my Elite. Yes, one notices that the Burgman 400 weighs 125 pounds more than the Elite, but the Burgman's center of gravity is so low that the size difference is no big deal. The "feel" around corners and curves is substantially the same as on the Elite.
:arrow: Ride: Sweet. Sure, I was buffeted around some when I wound up in the slipstream of a boxy old Plymouth minivan, but I was expecting stuff like that. It was no big deal. The machine was sure-footed over bumps and nimble avoiding potholes. I'd never driven more than 35 MPH on 2 wheels before today, but the Burgman's ride was so good that it was easy to step out. I had been *prepared* to be afraid of going that fast ... and just wasn't.
:arrow: Windshield: Inadequate. We both agree with the general opinion of this Forum's members -- the stock windscreen is unimpressive, and we're going to invest in either GIVIs or Laminar Lips without delay. I'm accustomed to having no help at all from a windscreen, as the Elite effectively has none, and all last year I rode with no face shield. At 35 MPH, which is about the Elite's top speed, one can cope if the weather isn't too cold and the ride isn't too long. However, at 45 MPH on a cloudy 50-degree day like today, that wind HURTS after 20 miles, even with my new helmet and face shield. Moreover, tonight I have sore neck muscles from fighting the buffeting. I'll probably go for the GIVI, to get some wind protection for my hands, too.
:arrow: Seat: The jury is split on this one. I thought the seat's comfort was adequate, but Mike now knows what is meant by the term "butt burn." He claims his rear end was numb by the time we got home. Perhaps a gel pad is in order.
:arrow: Leg room: Again, split decision. With the "bum stop" set all the way back, I was still reasonably comfortable after an hour in the saddle. With his "bum stop" set all the way back, Mike (5' 11", 230 Lbs, 31" inseam) felt a bit cramped after an hour. He's probably going to try removing the stop and testing out how he feels without it.
Those are the major points out of the jumble of thoughts and impressions we are still sorting through after today's experience. In short, we are both AMAZED by how beautifully this machine drives. "Twist and go" isn't just a figure of speech here, it's the truth. The Burgman 400 is as comfortable pottering through little villages at 25 miles per hour as it is blowing down the straight-aways at 65 (yep, went over 4,000 RPM that time). It was like the machine could read my mind.
If I had to pick one word to describe my new Burgman 400, it would be this one: Smooth.
Hooo whee, I think I'm in love!
At last, Mike and I picked up our new Burgman 400s today. It was 41 miles from the dealership to our house, via back roads (and with one detour to show the new toys off to my parents).As the entirety of my experience riding 2-wheelers, up until today, was pottering around last year on a 1996 Honda Elite 80, I haven't a vast collection of memories to draw upon for comparison. However, here are my first impressions anyway, in hopes they will help someone. 'Tis only fair, as this Forum has been unbelievably helpful to me.
Just FYI, I am a 41-year-old woman, 5' 7" tall, weighing 145 lbs, with a 30-inch inseam.
:arrow: Acceleration: Magnificently smooth! Having never so much as ridden the 400 around the parking lot, I had to pull across 4 lanes of traffic to catch a side road I wanted. I was nervous as hell, but the 400's acceleration was perfect. Plenty of power, but delivered so smoothly that my fears of being "run away from" were completely unfounded. (Hey, who knew that going from 80 CCs to 385 would be this easy?)
:arrow: Handling: Excellent. No more troublesome to maneuver than what I was used to from my Elite. Yes, one notices that the Burgman 400 weighs 125 pounds more than the Elite, but the Burgman's center of gravity is so low that the size difference is no big deal. The "feel" around corners and curves is substantially the same as on the Elite.
:arrow: Ride: Sweet. Sure, I was buffeted around some when I wound up in the slipstream of a boxy old Plymouth minivan, but I was expecting stuff like that. It was no big deal. The machine was sure-footed over bumps and nimble avoiding potholes. I'd never driven more than 35 MPH on 2 wheels before today, but the Burgman's ride was so good that it was easy to step out. I had been *prepared* to be afraid of going that fast ... and just wasn't.
:arrow: Windshield: Inadequate. We both agree with the general opinion of this Forum's members -- the stock windscreen is unimpressive, and we're going to invest in either GIVIs or Laminar Lips without delay. I'm accustomed to having no help at all from a windscreen, as the Elite effectively has none, and all last year I rode with no face shield. At 35 MPH, which is about the Elite's top speed, one can cope if the weather isn't too cold and the ride isn't too long. However, at 45 MPH on a cloudy 50-degree day like today, that wind HURTS after 20 miles, even with my new helmet and face shield. Moreover, tonight I have sore neck muscles from fighting the buffeting. I'll probably go for the GIVI, to get some wind protection for my hands, too.
:arrow: Seat: The jury is split on this one. I thought the seat's comfort was adequate, but Mike now knows what is meant by the term "butt burn." He claims his rear end was numb by the time we got home. Perhaps a gel pad is in order.
:arrow: Leg room: Again, split decision. With the "bum stop" set all the way back, I was still reasonably comfortable after an hour in the saddle. With his "bum stop" set all the way back, Mike (5' 11", 230 Lbs, 31" inseam) felt a bit cramped after an hour. He's probably going to try removing the stop and testing out how he feels without it.
Those are the major points out of the jumble of thoughts and impressions we are still sorting through after today's experience. In short, we are both AMAZED by how beautifully this machine drives. "Twist and go" isn't just a figure of speech here, it's the truth. The Burgman 400 is as comfortable pottering through little villages at 25 miles per hour as it is blowing down the straight-aways at 65 (yep, went over 4,000 RPM that time). It was like the machine could read my mind.
If I had to pick one word to describe my new Burgman 400, it would be this one: Smooth.
Hooo whee, I think I'm in love!
