JLD said:
How often, expensive, or difficult are valve adjustments on the 650? What kind of gas milage do you get? How is the ride compared to say a
Honda st1100 or Kawasaki Concours?
I am trying to decide among the following: Burgman 650, Concours, st1100
not 1300, volusia or lc1500. I plan on using in for day trips(1 or 2 hundred miles) and at least one tour per year.
Like everyone, I want something reliable with little maintenance.
Thanks
Hi JLD,
I sold my Concours 2 years ago after 6 years and 66,000 miles. Good bike, great value for the price. Prior to that I owned a Honda 1100 Shadow for two years.
The Burgman 650 is more fun overall. I've put 13,000 miles on mine in just a little over a year. I did 3 tours on it this Summer, 500 mile days - no problem. A typical weekend romp out on the country roads usually rolls up between 150 to 200 miles on the trip meter. I've had no reliability issues, and I just follow the recommended maintenance intervals (3500 miles each after the intial 600 mile break-in service). Recommended valve adjustment intervals are 14,500 miles so I haven't hit that yet. Usually, with a shim under bucket design, you can exceed the recommended mileage without issues. I plan to have it done by the dealer at 14500, then we will see. The Concours recommended valve adjustment interval is 8000 miles if I remember correctly, but I usually doubled that, and they weren't out very much at any adjustment point.
Gas mileage for me is typically about 47 mpg. Accessories do effect that, and I do run with a larger than stock windscreen and a Givi trunk. I also have a moderately aggressive right wrist. In stock configuration, and a little restraint on take-offs, I was able to get 51 mpg. Loaded for touring, and cruising at a steady 80 mph, mileage drops off to about 40 mpg. The '05 model is rumored to have overdrive, which could help with that.
Ride quality is not as good over sharp road irregularities with the AN650 compared to the motorcycles, which have larger wheels. But it is acceptable. I found that Pirelli tires improve the ride significantly over the stock Bridgestones. I also run Ikon aftermarket shocks which provide more damping than the stock units. Mine rides pretty good - not as good as my V-Strom though. Handling on tight curvy roads is exceptional with the AN650. I'd pick it over the Concours or the V-Strom for that kind of ride (and they are quite capable motorcycles on curvy roads).
I'd keep the Burgman 650 on your "short list". It will do what you are looking for. I'd also add the V-Stroms. Power delivery from the DL1000 v-twin is WAY more fun than the often buzzy Concours inline 4 variety. The DL650 V-Strom is also getting excellent reviews from magazines and owners.
My experience so far with the Suzukis has been:
DL1000 V-Strom, owned 19 months, ridden 7500 miles.
AN650 Burgman, owned 13 months, ridden 13000 miles.
Considering that the V-Strom is very good at delivering grins-per-mile, that's a real tribute to the Burgman. Either machine rates higher than the Connie on my fun meter - and I wouldn't even consider buying another cruiser (not versatile enough).
As for the ST1100, it loses to the Connie when you factor in price. I sometimes ride with a guy who rides one, and he refers to it as a "heavy pig". I know that he, like myself, has owned a lot of prior motorcycles. For some reason, he's not all that in love with his st1100. But he might also react similarly to a Connie.
Hope this helps. Good luck with your decision.
