[HomeCamp]

Hello All,

I'm Dan, Retired Air Force and living in Mountain City, in East Tennessee. I've come to the forum seeking information to help in my decision of purchasing a scooter. What better place than to Burgman owners!

I've owned big and small bikes through out my life but now due to a physical problem, I need a step-through style scooter. I'm currently torn between the 650cc Burgman and the SilverWing 600. Both seem to be a good over all scooter on steroids! Haven't rode either one yet, just sat on them both and have done the normal online research.

The good folks on the Silverwing forum of course feel the Silverwing is the better way to go. So to be fair, I need to ask Burgman owners your reasons for going with a Burgman? Especially if you had the same decision as I now have, what pushed you away from a silverwing and in the direction of a Burgman?

Thanks much,
Dan

 

[fernando]

hey Dan, welcome to the forums, choosing between the two its a hard call, first thing would advise if to ride them first, this will make up your mind pretty quick, the second thing is to look for maintenance costs, parts, aftermarket accessories and support. I dont own a 650 but there is so much info about burmans on Internet and accessories that you could build one with a 3D printer if you want to.

 

[pdxstriper]

Hi,

My take: ride them both and if there isn't a clear winner, buy the Burgman. The resale will be quicker and a better return.
Pete

 

[MacDoc]

I've owned both and the Burgman 650 is the better ride in my view.
I don't like the replacement belt cost on the Honda and it tended to track highway ruts etc.

The Burgman is a bit heavier around town but much more stable for cruising and a total hoot in the twisties with the power button which transforms the machine.

This is the review that got me into the category
http://www.onewheeldrive.net/2006/10/04/scoot-touring-the-honda-silverwing-and-suzuki-burgman/

I bought the SWing first then moved to the Burgman and immediately was happier.

THEN I discovered what it could do on twistie roads.

When you read the review you'll see the VFR800 rider comment that "if this was a race there would be no losing the 650 "....impressive statement coming from a track rider on a much more powerful machine.

Love the big brakes as well. If you are coming from bigger machines I suggest the 650 is a far better choice.

 

[Desert Rat]

Dan
The Silverwing's cvt has more or less the same design as the Burgman 400. 650 has a totally different set-up which has a different feel than the Silverwing or 400 when riding.
Part of the reason I went with a Burgman was this forum. Seemed to be so many great folks that would help with any kind of questions I had. Don't get me wrong first bike I owned was a Honda, but wouldn't trade my 650 in on any Honda now.

 

[JohnK]

I choose the Burgman for several reasons:
Slightly more power for 2-up, mountains and freeway.
More storage space then the SW
Adjustable W/S
Electric mirrors come in handy in tight spaces.
Power button and manual shift is helpful in the mountains and twisties.
Dual ABS front brakes vs single.
Larger tires front and rear 15/14 vs 14/13, slightly better ride & tire mileage.
Seating position seemed more relaxed and with more legroom and foot positions available.
Although the Burgman is slightly heavier it felt that it sat slightly lower and carried that weight better balanced then the SW.
Owned my Exec. for 7 years and still love it.

 

[osbornk]

Dan, welcome. I rode through Mountain City on Tuesday. We ride the Snake about a dozen times per year. We don't go especially to ride the snake but it is part of our ride. I haven't had a Silver Wing but I've ridden our mountains many times on both a Burgman 400 and a Burgman 650. They both do great in the mountains. They handle very well on the curves and have enough power on the upgrades. I understand the Silver Wing is more a twin cylinder but larger Burgman 400 rather than a 650. The CVT on the Silver Wing is like the 400. It works very well but the 650's electronically controlled CVT gears down automatically and you need the brakes less than with the others. Also, the power button on the 650 makes it respond almost like a sport bike on our mountain roads. I think the Silver Wing uses more fuel than either of the Burgmans (my 400 got 12-15 MPG more than my 650). Fuel mileage was one reason I bought a Burgman rather than a Silver Wing. Also, Burgmans are much easier to find around here than Silver Wings. I bought my 400 in Telford but I went to the Eastern Shore for my 650.

 

[Spwoody]

I test rode both bikes before making my decision to buy a 2012 Burgman 650 in May. I felt like both bikes ran and handled well, but the Burgman just felt a little more solid a balanced better. The other thing that influenced my decision was my local Suzuki dealer gets much better reviews from people I have talked to than the local Honda dealer does. The 0% financing at the time didn't hurt either.

 

[TheReaper]

Presently in my garage is a Tmax , a Silverwing and a 650 Burg . Hands down if I could only keep one it would be the Burg . It's not even close , let me be perfectly clear

NOTHING RIDES LIKE A 650 Burg !

TheReaper!

 

[osbornk]

Near you:

http://tricities.craigslist.org/mcy/4072033273.html

http://tricities.craigslist.org/mcd/4084013361.html

http://tricities.craigslist.org/mcy/4022963755.html

http://greenville.craigslist.org/mcd/4083514446.html

http://asheville.craigslist.org/mcy/4079954306.html

http://knoxville.craigslist.org/mcy/4030049755.html

http://swva.craigslist.org/mcy/4018261952.html

 

[remus64]

silverwing or burgy

both bikes are great, but heres my 2 cents worth. I demoed a new sil. wing, but had heard so much about burgy I would not commit until I rode the burgy. I was sold right away, and am very happy with the suz. I have a friend who has a low mileage silverwing and loved it until he rode my burgy. tomorrow we are picking up his burgy he just traded for. said he wished he never had rode my burgy ha ha. actually the burgy seems smother, and its like stepping up from ford ltd to lincoln

 

[byryky]

I did the same thing you are doing about a month ago. I was driving a beautiful "79" Suzuki 1000L, a very sweet bike but just wanted to do a maxi scooter as I am now in my mid 50's and my son said he would be more than happy to take over the "Old School 1000L" and that made me very happy. I test drove a test drove these scooters in this order, 400 Burgy, 600 Silverwing, 650 Burgy. Being 6'2" 220 the 400 Burgy was OK just lacking a little of that get up and go that I was used to with my 1000L. The 600 Silverwing is a very nice scooter, handles great, more powerful than the 400 and a very nice ride and handling. Now to me the 650 Burgy is the ultimate of scooters, I was blown away when I twisted the throttle on the freeway, my first thought was this is a motorcycle in a scooter skin, totally amazing. The low center of gravity is great, I was a little worried since it weights in at a little over 600 LBS but that has never been a problem, more of a benefit for freeway driving. So did a little looking and found myself a used 04 650 Burgy with a little under 4000 MI on it in great shape. Been in love ever since. I believe when you test drive them like I did that will that will give you more info than we can here, theres nothing better than feeling that bike under you going down the road. Have fun on all your adventures and ride safe.

 

[davej]

I've owned both and the Burgman 650 is the better ride in my view.
I don't like the replacement belt cost on the Honda and it tended to track highway ruts etc.

The Burgman is a bit heavier around town but much more stable for cruising and a total hoot in the twisties with the power button which transforms the machine.

This is the review that got me into the category
http://www.onewheeldrive.net/2006/10/04/scoot-touring-the-honda-silverwing-and-suzuki-burgman/

I bought the SWing first then moved to the Burgman and immediately was happier.

THEN I discovered what it could do on twistie roads.

When you read the review you'll see the VFR800 rider comment that "if this was a race there would be no losing the 650 "....impressive statement coming from a track rider on a much more powerful machine.

Love the big brakes as well. If you are coming from bigger machines I suggest the 650 is a far better choice.

+1 MacDoc...I too have owned both, and the best comment I've read regarding this question is.......'the Silverwing is a scooter that thinks its a bike, the Burgman is a bike that thinks its a scooter'.!

Have a ride on both if you can, and you'll see what I mean.

 

[TBall]

I had my 07 Swing and loved it very much. Now I have a new Burgman and do love it more. Absolute dream to ride. Slow speed or highway it is so good. Actually riding 65 is much easier on the burg and then to twist the throttle amazing. I vote burg but all my experience is with the 13

 

[Scootereno]

Both are great Scooters with good reliability. You can't go wrong with either.
Every Silverwing I've ever seen has been dropped and scuffed on the hand grab rails. I don't know if it is because they seem a tad top heavy or the higher seat height comes into play there? I have been told by an owner that in higher winds at freeway speed the front tire feels like it is lifting off the road. I have rode his Silverwing and thought it was a great machine and if the seat was lower I would have no problem owning one.
I know many Burgman 650 owners as well and none of them would own a Silverwing by choice. They all love their ride.
Me personally would get the one that fits you and your wallet the best and start to enjoy the Scooter life!

 

[DandyDoug]

I will chime in here and say that my decision was in favor of the Burgman 650 over the Swing, it just felt better and fit me better.

If you decide on the Burgman , I have a 2012 model for sale at a very reasonable price.

 

[HomeCamp]

Burgie or Swing

Thank you for the warm welcome,

OK Guys! I get it, I get it! I came to this forum asking for advice/personal experience and I sure got it, in spades! All great points. First I need to decide what I will most be using the scooter for. If for running into town for a loaf of bread or just putt sing around the back county roads and an occasional short run on the freeway, I need to be considering the Silverwing or Burgie 400 but if I have greater aspiration with any amount of 2-up, the Burgie 650, Right? And I need to find a dealer or owner to let me try them out. That part might be difficult to find.

I was amazed at how many of you have had a Swiing's or Bergie 400's and went to the Bergie 650.

I did read the review at onewheeldrive.net and the comment made by the VFR800 rider, Great 1st hand review.

I was not aware of the Power button and manual shift on the 650cc, a must have for tripping!

I appreciated the testimonies of those that had ridden all three and come to the conclusion what was best suited for themselves. I especially liked TheReaper's testimony, Here is a member fortunate to own three big boy's toys and makes bones as to which one is his favorite!

Thanks osbornk for the craiglist listing. It's a great place to shop! Seems to be fewer burgies for sale here than Swings. Maybe that should tell me something? Here's hoping prices will start dropping going into the winter season.

I do need to know the difference between Swing & Bergie, if any, in the area of maintenance costs, parts cost, aftermarket accessories and support. I've read that Burgie parts are more expensive and that the Swing is much more owner friendly when it comes to servicing and back yard maintenance. Is any of that true?

One more question: Should I have any concerns as to the year models? Any problems or improvements through the years of manufacturing the burgies? Best I can tell, 2003 the first year for the 650cc?

Again Thanks to all that responded to my concerns. Hope to get to know you all better.

Here in the Beautiful Smoky Mountains,
Dan

 

[Buffalo]

I do all my own maintenance on both my 400 and 650 and don't find working on either to be much of a problem. On the 650 most of your maintenance will just be changing fluids and filters, both are easy to do. You don't have any regular CVT maintenance on it other than cleaning the filter and checking the stopper bolt. Both of those take just a few minutes. On the 400s and the Silverwing you will have to do regular belt and possibly roller changes. That is not hard work but it does take time that you will not have to spend on the 650 because the ECVT is constructed differently than the CVT you find in other scooters.

The big maintenance hit with the 650 is if you do actually have to get into the ECVT. It is not hard to do but you have to pretty much strip the whole bike to get to it. The good news is that it is not very likely to happen until you get 50,000+ miles on the bike. I finally had the belt in mine go at around 82,000 miles. I pulled the ECVT and changed the belt myself. It cost me a little over $300 in parts and about 3 days worth of labor.

On this board you can find information and videos on how to do most everything you will need to do to maintain a 650 including one on how to pull and disassemble the ECVT. Similar information exist for the 400.

 

[Buffalo]

Suzuki has made upgrades to the 650 over the years to address issues that have cropped up. Personally I wouldn't go back any further than the 2007 model because of several upgrades that were made that year. If I were shopping right now I would be looking at a 2011 or later version because of a couple of changes in the primary pulley of the ECVT. Of course you could go with an older model and if you ever have to crack the ECVT open you could upgrade to the newer style primary pulley at that time.

 

[Desert Rat]

I agree with Buffalo. If you decide on a 650 i would go for the exc model which came out in 06 & newer. The power windshield & abs are worth it. Also has power mirrors that will fold back but I never have used that feature on mine.