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Pre-newbie (about to buy a B650)

2K views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  Ted White 
#1 ·
Hello one and all. I've just agreed to buy a 6 month old 650 Burgmobile with 300 miles under its wheels and I collect it Monday next (the present owner's an impetuous fellow who traded a three-week-old X9 500 for it and has since changed his mind about two-wheeled life, having now bought a Mercedes car instead - his change of heart, my change of fortune). I currently have a Yamaha TMax (having had an X9 myself previously) and the Burger will have to be every bit as good as it's vaunted if it's to stand critical comparison with the Yam, which has proved to be an excellent machine, dynamically much better than the Piaggio.

My two-wheeled background includes VFR 750's, Pan Eurupean, Goldwing and BMW R1100RT and, until the X9, a complete disdain for scooters. I have now seen the light - please may I come and play with you?
 
#2 ·
Welcome aboard. You will find many Burger enthusiasts on this board, many of which have traded other machines for the Burgman and have no regrets. I too have traded my 1300 Yamaha Venture for the Burgman and pick it up next week. I haven't even test ridden the burgman yet.
 
#3 ·
Hatman,
Welcome, and what good luck! Not only have you found yourself a Burgman, but you've also had the chance to get your hands on scoots that aren't available to us on this side of the pond. I get very jealous when I read the pages of Twist & Go magazine. So many to choose from, and now the new Gilera Nexus is coming your way. We'll look forward to hearing your comments as you get to know your new ride.
Bruce G. Woodburn
AN650
 
#5 ·
Pre-newbie

Thanks for the welcome, chaps - I think I'm going to like it here. Well, I got it yesterday and rode it the 200 miles back home. First impressions? Well it obviously looks the poodle's noodles as it only had 400 miles on the clock, effectively brand new.

It's much heavier to manhandle than the TMax and it makes a funny noise on tickover (a bit like a diesel, I think someone described it on one of the other threads and, I would say, that's about right). My trip home was on fast trunk roads rather than motorways (too boring and not good for running in to sit for hours on end with a constant throttle opening).

With my motorcycling background (and because the TMax screen is as noisy as an air raid) I fitted earplugs for the ride but a subsequent short trip without 'em suggests that they won't really be necessary with this bike

Even with the ear plugs in, one thing that I did notice each time I re-started from a junction or roundabout, was what I can only describe as a sort of muted chainsaw sound which I've taken to be the cogwheels in the final drive - am I right? I read in the T&G report that the Japanese Skywave version has had to have helical gears fitted instead of the standard straight-cut ones because of their stricter noise laws (I wouldn't have thought that my muted chainsaw noise was loud enough to disturb passers-by but, to be fair, I did have ear plugs in).

Once it's run in it's obviously going to be a fair bit quicker than the TMax and, I imagine, with the 'Power' button to play with for overtakes and the traffic-lights grand prix, it's going to be a hoot. Don't know that I'll ever bother with the manual-shift buttons though - they seem like a waste of money and technology to me; the whole joy of a thing like this is the twist-and-go-like-the-clappers facility that only superscoots offer - just yank open (sorry - English expression - no offence meant) the throttle from a standstill and allow the brilliant Japanese technology to spin the motor up to max power/torque and hold it there while the rest of the bag of tricks sorts out the gearing to suit. How could you possibly compete with that via the normal opening and shutting the throttle while whacking the clutch lever back and forth and doing an eightsome reel on the gearlever at the same time? Manual changes? Who needs 'em?
 
#6 ·
Yank's OK, Hatman. We use the term similarly over here, as in "I gave a yank on the chainsaw's starter rope and she fired up."

I think you're spot on about the who needs gears thing. My background is in sportbikes. It's quite refreshing to merely sit there and relax on the Burgie.

Welcome to the club
 
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