Floorboards, grab handles, front bodyside, and mirrors if it you can't stop it. $$$$

 

Once the mirror folds up/breaks off, it lays completely flat on its side, resting on a nearly unbroken line from the top corner of the small glove box to the rear edge of the passenger's footboard.

If any part of you gets trapped underneath, a big chunk of the scooter's weight rests on that body part, in my case my luckily boot covered ankle, which I was completely unable to retract without help from a helper, who heard me honking the horn and came to rescue.

Full story: http://burgmanusa.com/forums/22-road-stories/48022-crashed-trapped.html

 

So far, I've dumped my 650 gently to the left twice while not moving. It seemed to land on the center-stand foot which kept everything else from being damaged. I think it would have been a different story if I had been moving or if I had dumped it to the right.

 

+1 exactly my experience

However as mjr says, don't try and stop it just help it down gently. I tried to stop and I did myself all sorts of injury , And getting it back up EASY ! With all the adrenaline pumping

 

Yikes,

Scary story. If that ever happens to me I'll try to remember to lift the legs I had a couple moments pulling into my driveway when it felt like it could go down, but I realized I was using front brake only. I noticed on the Burgman and a Silver Wing I rode that the rear brake is more effective than on most motorcycles I've ridden. I plan to try using the rear brake much of the time, with front brake in the last few feet of stopping or in emergencies.

It also looks like stop-and-go should be a lot less physically demanding on a scooter.

 

Oh - please don't - the front stoppers are fantastic on the 650 especially with ABS - they are the main line of defence.
You've got it completely backwards..

The rear brake is useful but does not have stopping power.

WHere you need care with the front brake is in very slow manuevers...it will torque over instantly with a turned wheel at slow speed.
THAT is where the rear brake is very good and also a bit for standing the bike up a bit in the twists if you are offline a bit.

The front brakes in twists can make the tires howl coming into a corner and then accelerate out using the Power button.

Front brakes in slow maneuvers are problematic on all bikes.

One thing to watch out for with the Burgman if you are going slowly downhill on engine braking the CVT will release at a certain speed and you'll find yourself with 600 lb of bike freewheeling rather rapidly....this is where feathering the rear brake keeps you out of trouble while turning slowly.

Easy rear brake use at slow speed and coming to a stop makes it smooth.

Front brakes are the main anchors especially in an emergency where the rear may lock up if applied hard.
All the weight is on the front and the traction and stopping power is on the front.
Needs to be used that way.

 

I didn't explain that well. The front brake will be used in every stop except perhaps for low-speed maneuvers. I know the front brake is the main stopper, but I do notice that the rear brake seems to have more effect on scooters, probably because of the weight on the rear wheel. I guess I just plan to use the rear brake more, in coordination with the front. And of course the front will be my primary whenever I need quick stopping or diving into a corner. Contrary to MSF dogma, I always cover the front brake so it's there instantly if needed. That alone kept me from bagging two deer in NC a few years ago.

 

If someone borrowed it and dropped it, where does it take the hit? Looks like that plastic panel under the footboards would get skinned up for sure. Do they stop at that point, or keep going? If the mirror takes a hit, does that mean the retraction mechanism can be damaged? I guess I'm asking how much it costs to drop one. At first it seemed like a low center of gravity and not likely to go down, but I notice when the steering gets close to lock it requires care.

Of course, I would never drop one, but what if someone else did?

Me always say never happen to me also, me drop 2 times now.

As you say in USA, never say never !

 

but I notice when the steering gets close to lock it requires care.

exactly and that's where feathering the rear brake against a little bit of throttle and staying off the front brake will keep you upright.
Those front binders are excellent and that works against you in slow maneuvers...

 

I'd be very careful lending it as many riders have difficulty with the engine braking at low speed.

 

I was being facetious. If anyone drops it, it will be me and it wouldn't be the first time I let one get away from me.

 

My mechanic dropped my 400, sctratched the windshield and took out the muffler guard.

Dropped the 650 on the left side from a small tap from another rider and scratched the front faring, broke the brake lever and turn signal lens.

Worse was a slow speed low side slide on the right. Scratched the lower panel, front faring and mirror, dented the muffler guard.

What's a proper MC without a few battle scars? Still runs fine.

 

The biggest heart break of it going down is the expense of the Suzuki parts! The second is dealing with all the weight getting it back up although the adrenaline does do wonders!!Mark

 

You can pretty well expect that some part of every thing on that side will get scratched if it falls completely over . I've bought and sold or flipped a lot of bikes over the years and I'm always amazed at the damage people do to these scooters .

Recently I saw an ad on Craigslist for a 650 Burg with like 1700 miles on it , it was from a dealer about 50 miles away . The ad said some scratches so I emailed them and asked for close up pics . As god as my witness there wasn't any thing on this scooter that wasn't gouged ,scraped or cracked . Even the front up high on the windshield . It was almost as if some one walked around the entire scooter with a high powered electric sander on a mission of revenge .

Be careful , plastics for these scoots are EXPENSIVE !

TheReaper!

 

Years ago I was riding on my '03 in a parking lot, jammed on the brakes, and turned the handlers hard right. The bike suddenly lurched over and before you realize it all the weight surprises you. It went down but luckily I was able to stop it from completely going over but man it was heavy. It scraped the right lower painted panel in front/back where the footrests are, the triangular shield on the front of the muffler, and the removable shield on the muffler.

 

YUP ! If you have your front wheel turned while braking hard it will SUCK you right into the pavement . That was one of the things I covered extensively when I was teaching my son to ride .

This girl tried to look cool and come to a slide after this little contest . While it's hard to see she turned into her stop to try and get that rear tire to slide out behind her, like we did as kids with our bicycles . But as you can see she was SUCKED into the pavement . I'll bet she'll never try that again ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1BZmpp-YLE&list=FLFpmvfyHnFqTyigpxW839cg&index=15



TheReaper!

 

I had a lady show up at a ride on a Silverwing she had no business riding as she was a newbie. After she dropped it while parking, she said I must strong because it took two guys to get it up last time. Last time?

When I said the bent brake lever could be replaced, she said she was used to it as its been bent from the drop before the last one. (That's three drops if your counting).

Finally she said the scratches were from the first time she dropped it. That's four times and she hadn't ridden it that much. She also said she had been kicked out of the MSF course and a private instructor dumped her as well.

I suggested she look for another hobby. Some just weren't meant to ride.

 

I had a lady show up at a ride on a Silverwing she had no business riding as she was a newbie. After she dropped it while parking, she said I must strong because it took two guys to get it up last time. Last time?

When I said the bent brake lever could be replaced, she said she was used to it as its been bent from the drop before the last one. (That's three drops if your counting).

Finally she said the scratches were from the first time she dropped it. That's four times and she hadn't ridden it that much. She also said she had been kicked out of the MSF course and a private instructor dumped her as well.

I suggested she look for another hobby. Some just weren't meant to ride.

Watch this video see if she is in it , after you watch this you will find that there are a lot of this type of rider out there .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0UkKEvnVkU

TheReaper!

 

I didn't explain that well. The front brake will be used in every stop except perhaps for low-speed maneuvers. I know the front brake is the main stopper, but I do notice that the rear brake seems to have more effect on scooters, probably because of the weight on the rear wheel. I guess I just plan to use the rear brake more, in coordination with the front. And of course the front will be my primary whenever I need quick stopping or diving into a corner. Contrary to MSF dogma, I always cover the front brake so it's there instantly if needed. That alone kept me from bagging two deer in NC a few years ago.

you got it - had me worried there....

On the other hand we have some riders on GTAM site that seem to think they should avoid the rear brake entirely......not quite as risky but first time they hit some gravel they'll be SOL.

The Burgman 650 is actually okay on dirt - even on the occasion rocky streambeds thanks to my buddy's misinformed GPS.

those be rocks not leaves....had to call on some rusty scrambling skills. Low CofG

and yes the rear brake was very useful.

 

you got it - had me worried there....

On the other hand we have some riders on GTAM site that seem to think they should avoid the rear brake entirely......not quite as risky but first time they hit some gravel they'll be SOL.

The Burgman 650 is actually okay on dirt - even on the occasion rocky streambeds thanks to my buddy's misinformed GPS.

those be rocks not leaves....had to call on some rusty scrambling skills. Low CofG

and yes the rear brake was very useful.

That's encouraging that they'll run in that terrain. They look awfully low. Did the underside get scratched up? I figured they were just pavement ponies for sure.

 

Not so good on desert washboards.

Or sand....there was like a 10' stretch of loose sand drift over pavement....paddle spin, paddle paddle spin spin.....took like 10 minutes for 10' ( seemed like it anyway )

 

You can save yourself a lot of grief by getting some automotive trim tape, half-round, 3/8" wide. You will need 20'.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/UNIVERSAL-3-.../270949708763?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3f15dc73db&vxp=mtr

Stick it along the outside edge of the front fairing and footboards. If the bike falls (at low speed) the tape will absorb most of the damage, apart from the mirrors. The tape is expensive at $50, but the tupperware is that much more expensive.

Regards
Scott Fraser
Calgary

 

The 650 demands respect and attention at all times - especially when stopped. I had two slo-mo drops on my former '05 just from not paying attention. When it starts to list, it goes from 'I can save this' to 'Oh S..t!' in an instant.

 

It is actually quite amazing considering just how low in the frame all the heavy bits are. Its like a magnet is sucking it down at one point.

 

Almost dropped mine today. My wife and I were pulling out from a parking spot when a car pulled out from a space two spaces over from me and gunned it right in front of me. I pulled a newbee mistake, hit the front brake while my speed was low and with the handlebars turned. I can't believe I did that after over 50 years of riding and me taking every motorcycle safety class I could find close to home. But I did do it. Managed to keep the bike up somehow. Pure strength I think...

So, to all of you. Even us old grizzled riders can do things like this too. We aren't a special breed. It is just that most of the time, we have made the mistakes often enough over the years that we have corrected most of our bad riding habits. Not for me today. This was a rookie mistake that I made. I rode the bike home and parked it. Today is not a day I need to ride. I don't seem to be fully engaged with riding today.

 

I wonder what bike manufacturers think when they design these things. I know there are aerodynamic and esthetic considerations, but they also have only two wheels and they can fall down. Plenty of bikes, the Burgman among them, seem to have been designed with no thought for that. Maybe Suzuki makes a lot of money selling tupperware.

I've been on a V-Strom 650 the last four years. They go into a lot of rough country and if it goes down, you put some Black Again on the side case, touch up the engine guard with some black paint and go on your way.

It wouldn't take much to make almost any bike drop resistant as well as esthetically appealing, but maybe we don't demand it because of our macho nature on this subject.

I once had a BMW 1150RT, which has the well-earned rep as the most dropped bike ever. It was tall, wide and heavy and had a horrible, fully- linked, power-assisted brake system. Don Canet dropped one on a news media photo shoot. Any use of the rear brake activated the front as well. Honda had a similar system but it was a much better design. Even worse, the first 800 2002 BMW models had too harsh a power assist. BMW changed that in mid model year but refused to retrofit the early ones. CHP refused to buy the bikes in that configuration. so BMW made a police unlink mod but refused to sell it to individual owners. Typically, BMW never admitted it was a bad design, but has never used that system on another machine since.

 

I once had a BMW 1150RT, which has the well-earned rep as the most dropped bike ever. It was tall, wide and heavy and had a horrible, fully- linked, power-assisted brake system. Don Canet dropped one on a news media photo shoot. Any use of the rear brake activated the front as well. Honda had a similar system but it was a much better design. Even worse, the first 800 2002 BMW models had too harsh a power assist. BMW changed that in mid model year but refused to retrofit the early ones. CHP refused to buy the bikes in that configuration. so BMW made a police unlink mod but refused to sell it to individual owners. Typically, BMW never admitted it was a bad design, but has never used that system on another machine since.

Typical german crap, impossible that they do mistake or be wrong.

 

Without generalizing too much, I have unfortunately lived through at least three occasions in which Chérie's statement proved uncannily accurate...
Marco

 

Both my 1977 Moto Guzzi and , to a lesser degree, my 1981 BMW R100 had crash bars that actually protected more expensive parts.

It can be made for the Burgman, too. http://burgmanusa.com/forums/15-burgman-650/53354-efficent-crashbars-russia.html#post528712

 

Worth a second post since it's on topic
Suzuki should take a lesson from the Honda ST1100 which has a little triangle that is barely visible.
Bike can be over and completely untouched.

See the little gray blade below the engine opening?

The bike rests on that, the tip of the bar and the bottom of the pannier.
Not even the mirrors are touched, the shifter is not touched

Yet you hardly see it.

This is what is underneath

I dumped mine on a hill when the clutch failed - lay on those three points and was relatively easy for two of us to pickup.

 

I'm guessing it's because the Honda ST was also aimed at the Police market, where dropping the bike during training is not uncommon.

 

yes widely used

 

That ST design was really good, both functional and visually pleasing. I added aftermarket tip-over "mushroom" heads to my FJR (Moko brand if I recall correctly, mounted with an engine bolt replacement) but they did not look nearly that good.

 

You are referring to sliders , I have Them on my FJR , saved much , not all, of my Tupperware, when my bike was pushed over.

But I think the better option is canyon cages, they do them for the FJR, Connie etc
http://www.mcenterprisesusa.com/products/search/dsp_searchForm.cfm

Just not for the burgy, but you could contact them, when the 2013 FJR came out they contacted the FJR forum and asked if some one would lend the bike or a free set. They are in so cal somewhere