[alburg]

Hi, I have been reading all the information on this forum for the past four weeks as I am trying to decide between a Burgman AN400 & AN650, it appears that I am not alone in this quandary. At this point I am more inclined to purchase the 650 as I don’t want to be in the position of buying the 400 and two months later buying a 650. Both appear to be great bikes so it just comes down to what individual needs are.
I retired in May of this year at the age of 57 and my wife and I moved from Vancouver to Naniamo, British Columbia, Canada. My son gave me a Vespa ET2 – (50 cc) for my retirement and I have been enjoying riding it around town. I have decided that I want a larger bike so that I can cruise on the highway/freeways and through the mountains 2 up; we will keep the Vespa as a second bike. I have not been able to test-drive the Burgman as I do not have my class 6 license yet. I start my motorcycle classes at the end of the month; I am looking forward to that.
Thanks to everyone for all the great information on this form, the information has made it a bit easier to decide what I want and I now have a shopping list for goodies to shop for when I purchase a 650.
Cheers

 

[wasions]

alburg,
Congratulations on your retirement, and welcome to BurgmanUSA. It's very cool how this has really become a world-wide forum. 8)

 

[allwalk]

Greetings and welcome to the forum.

If one of your goals is 2 up riding through the mountains then the bike for you is the 650 without hesitation.

Good luck on your course, retirement and acquisition of your new Burgman.

 

[av8rgal]

Hi and welcome

Welcome. I hope you continue to enjoy your visits to this site. I was once geared toward picking the 400. I have since made the decision, that when I do make my purchase, I would be getting the 650 because it has a little more power than the 400. Both are great bikes however. I hope you get yours soon!

 

[seatec]

Welcome , go for the 650 :wink:

 

[pauljo]

Welcome to the forum! I ride a 650 and love it. The 400 is a very capable scooter. The 650 just has a little more of everything. In my case, I also fit a lot better on the 650. That is often a major determining factor if a person is either taller or shorter than average.

 

[NormanB]

Hi alburg

Welcome to the forum. :wave:

Your intended use would point to the 650 - as long as you check your physical fit against the ergonomics - flat footing it whilst seated.

Enjoy the training - you can never have enough of that. :wink:

 

[billmeek]

Welcome to the BurgmanUSA forums alburg. Glad to have you join us.

 

[Brian]

...I am trying to decide between a Burgman AN400 & AN650...I am more inclined to purchase the 650...I want a larger bike so that I can cruise on the highway/freeways and through the mountains 2 up...

I have not been able to test-drive the Burgman as I do not have my class 6 license yet. I start my motorcycle classes at the end of the month; I am looking forward to that.

Greetings, and welcome to the forum. :hello2:

I just returned yesterday from a 3100+ mile trip from the Canadian Border at Blaine to the Mexican Border at San Diego, on a 650. Had a blast. It was great going through the various mountains in Oregon and California. On previous trips I have gone across the Cascade Range into Eastern Washington, and also once to Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park. The 650 handles mountain highways and byways with grace and aplomb.

On my most recent trip I had a week's worth of clothes, including a two piece rainsuit, under the seat -- no need for external baggage.

If you haven't had a chance to actually see a 650 up close and personal, let me know. Next weekend I'm busy, but the weekend of the 25th/26th I'm free and I could head up north and meet you in Blaine or Bellingham. Actually, I could even go into Vancouver; I haven't been to Gas Town or Chinatown in a while -- haven't even crossed the border completely since 9/11.

Anyway, good luck with your M/C course and your upcoming purchase.

 

[vfdcaptain]

Hi Brian,
Glad to see that you're back from your trip. What kind of gas mileage did you get?

 

[Brian]

Hi Brian,
Glad to see that you're back from your trip. What kind of gas mileage did you get?

I haven't done all the calculations yet. As soon as I get my photos back I'm going to post a full report in the Road Stories forum.

But as near as I can tell at this point I was getting nearly 50MPG the whole time, and one leg I went 200.1 miles on 3.63 gallons for a marvelous 55+MPG. That was all steady highway riding at 65 - 75 true MPH. That's more than twice what I got in my Ford Ranger two years ago when I drove to San Diego, and it was a lot more fun this time (although a bit tiring at times, too).