[leaderdog]

Hello scooterers,
I've had a number of different bikes in my time.. most recently, I got a new "95 Honda Helix and after that the new 2000 Goldwing. Funny... I got rid of the Goldwing the same year.. not because it was not a great highway bike.. but because it was not as practical as my Helix ( for the majority of my travels - ex grocery stores, to see friends etc..) And, the huge investment in the GW could not be justified since I was not really "touring" ... I put 12,000 on that thing in 8 months.

I've been without a bike since 2000, and got the bug again. Without a doubt I want a scooter. Well...I was considering the Burg 400, Aprilia 500 and next month comes the Yamaha Majesty 400 but can't find info like on the Burgs. There has been so much good info on the Burgs that I think my decision is made.I considered the 650 , but from what I read, the 400 will satisify 95% of my needs. ( 70 + MPG.. Really?? that is better than the 250-Helix! )

I acutally plan to USE this as my primary transportation ( whether permitting). I loved the Helix for it's reliability and simplicity. I was not reluctant to travel on the highways with it ( always easy to hit 65 - 70+ but not much more) The extra 135 cc will be very nice to have. I hope it is as reliable as the Helix.. I only had to do routine maintenance on it.

Do Burgman's hold their value like the Hondas? That Helix only lost $1,000 value in five years...

I live just north of the Detroit Michigan area ( Rochester) and if there are any in the area who want to plan day trips, feel free to contact me. BTW , the price I'm looking at for a 400 is $4,895 + tax. Is that a good price?

Thank you everyone for all the information. It's a good sign to see this many satisfied consumers. Tom

 

[ted clement]

Tom, that price is in the right ball park, and yet the 400 will do an honest 80mph based on my GPS, although the speedo reads much higher. Whateverthe speedo says, its at least 6mph too fast (roughly). I ride an '04 and two of my friends also have the same. We get anywhere from 60-70 miles per gallon, depending how hard you push it. Maintenance is about the same as the Helix....valves that have to be adusted once in awhile and rear end oil that seldom needs changing..according to the hand book. Adjusting the valves is easy, but getting to the motor is a fairly lengthy job taking off a lot of plastic parts...you'll need a shop manual. Took me 5 hours the first time...didn't have a manual and spend lots of time looking at things, two of us 3 hours the second time. I figure 2 hours the next time. Most folks change oil before the required 600 mile service to get the metalic particles out. Oil filters at the dealer are about $6.95. Same setup as the Helix, but with a filter that inserts instead of the screen on the Helix. You'll notice right away that it has consideralby more power, particularly when you need to enter a freeway.
Handling is much much better than the Helix...more like a motorcycle.

Don't know anything about the Yamaha...it sure looks good, and has an extra 100 cc's. They've been selling in Europe so maybe there is a forum that specificlly deals with maxi-scoots over there. Theres a couple of more of our members from the UK....maybe they can fill us in on the Majesty.

Enjoy.....

 

[pauljo]

Tom,

Welcome to BurgmanUSA. I ride a 650, so I can't help much with the 400 questions. As far as resale value - it is much too early to tell. The Helix has been around forever, and has a loyal following, which probably helped with your resale of that machine. It would appear that the Burgman 400 is well on its way toward generating the same sort of following, but for any new machine I think resale value will be mixed for the first several years. My thought is that I bought my 650 to ride and enjoy and to keep for at least 3 years. I've put 9300 miles on it since last September, and I'm enjoying it a lot, so I'm getting what I paid for. Resale will be whatever it is when I sell it. To buy a machine based on resale projections rather than how well it will fit my needs is a major mistake as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Invincsum]

Welcome, Tom!

We've got a 400--in less than 2 months, we've put just about 2K miles on it. She is soo much fun to ride! The 400 has plenty of pick up, even at 70 mph. We've not had it going too much beyond 75--was cruising down a Jersey highway (55 zone) and gasped when I looked down at the speedo and found she was doing 75! :shock:

She is a pleasure for local errand trips--can't beat the underseat storage, as I'm sure you know from the Helix--and very comfortable even for longer journeys. The way the leg fairing area curves, it's like having highway pegs.

$4800 is a great price. We paid $5000 for ours (plus discounts on gear at the same dealer). You also may want to check a dealer in Ohio (you can probably find from previous posts) that seemed to offer excellent deals.

Happy riding,
Bryna

 

[Randy]

I got my 400 in June (this year) had 356 miles on it , as of yesterday I have a littler over 7,500 miles and no trouble except the parking brake knob came off -since replaced-
At the rate I am using & enjoying it I would not change even if the resale value was going to drop.

I should get paid for glowing testimony like that

 

[leaderdog]

Humm.... not that an actual 80 is'nt enough... I'm just a little surprised because everyone is quoting "speedometer" speeds of 90 and up, and not an corrected speed like with a GPS. I guess the bottom line is can it get you ahead of or around the crazies if need be? How about with a passanger? I know the 650 would be ideal for two-up riding but $$$ will not permit this purchase at this time.

I've enjoyed rides with a passanger and though the Helix would still do 70, it has to work a little harder to get there than with just Uno. Here in D-troit, the highways can be like going down a mogal hill on a ski slope.( Not the best condition) And those signs with 70 must look like 80 or 85 to alot of drivers. There were times I even disliked being out there with the goldwing. I don't plan to travel alot on the highways but you can't always avoid them.

I agree that the resale value is not why you should choose to buy something. I was just always surprised how much used Helix(s) sold for.

I may be crazy, but I see a day when more people catch on to our little secret. Scooters DO fill a transportation niche of practicality, durable, ecconomy , and FUN! - Ok.. the FUN part should have been first..

Michigan is a beautiful state. Surrounded on three sides by ocean like lakes ( Michigan, Erie, Ontario, St.Claire) and lots of parks... The Upper Peninsula is still as untamed in parts as Alaska. So I have PLANS for this scooter.

One other question.... I noticed a local dealer has the '04 ( new) Silver Wing for $6,300... But I've been seeing some reoccuring negagive things about it among the positive things... I'd hate to not strap myself a little more if this or the Burgman 650 would be well worth the difference. I sort of decided on the Burg 400 because it seems less complicated mechanically and therefore lower maintenance.. is that a fair statement?

Thanks again for everyone's feedback... Tom

 

[pauljo]

Tom,

You'd make that dealer real happy if you bought the Silverwing. Many dealers are having trouble moving the SWs against the Burgmans. My dealer has had Silverwing on the floor for quite a while - he told me he'd let it go for cost. Meanwhile, he's sold a lot of Burgmans. The SWs aren't as capable as the Burgman 650, and they've been afflicted with various quality issues serious enough to trigger recalls.

As far as maintenance, I don't think you'd see a major difference in cost between the 400 and the 650. Valve adjustments are simpler on the 400, but need to be done more frequently - so there are some trade-offs. Fuel economy will definitely be better with a 400 - probably by 10 mpg or more.

For the type of riding plans that you have, including carrying a passenger, the 650 would be a better choice (cost aside). But we have a lot of happy 400 owners here too. Heck, I've seen couples touring 2-up on 250cc Helixes - just got to have more patience, and realize that sometimes you'll have to drop back instead of trying to run ahead of that "crazy".

 

[billmeek]

I considered the 650 , but from what I read, the 400 will satisify 95% of my needs. ( 70 + MPG.. Really?? that is better than the 250-Helix! )

I acutally plan to USE this as my primary transportation ( whether permitting). I loved the Helix for it's reliability and simplicity. I was not reluctant to travel on the highways with it ( always easy to hit 65 - 70+ but not much more) The extra 135 cc will be very nice to have. I hope it is as reliable as the Helix.. I only had to do routine maintenance on it.

Tom,

I've been checking milage since I purchased the 400. My average is 60.54 miles per gallon. I do tend to ride the 400 pretty hard. I've also noticed that the average has dropped about 5 MPG since I've been using it more on the Interstate with higher speeds. The 400 handles 'normal' Interstate speeds pretty well. I've had mine upto 95 (indicated) and might have been able too eek out a couple more MPH under better conditions. If you are going to do 2 up touring, you might consider the 650. For anything less, the 400 should handle the job well.

 

[Brian]

...the 400 will do an honest 80mph based on my GPS, although the speedo reads much higher. Whateverthe speedo says, its at least 6mph too fast (roughly). ....

The Suzuki scooters are reading 10% high, not a fixed 6MPH high.

If it says you're doing 25 you're really doing 22 - 23 (not 19). If it says 90 you're really doing 81 (not 84). When mine said 112 I know it was actually 100 - 101 (not 106).

And of course, if it says 5MPH you're actually doing 4.5MPH, not -1!

Humm.... not that an actual 80 is'nt enough... I'm just a little surprised because everyone is quoting "speedometer" speeds of 90 and up, and not an corrected speed like with a GPS.

If you're in traffic don't worry too much about what the speedo says, just drive smoothly with the flow of traffic.

Whether 400 or 650, the Burgmans should be able to get you away from the crazies, but I'm not sure I'd try to go around them, much less get in front of them. :shock:

 

[pauljo]

If you're in traffic don't worry too much about what the speedo says, just drive smoothly with the flow of traffic.

Yeah - I still do that. I'm not comfortable with going slower than the flow of traffic. But it got me a $200 ticket back in Connecticut several years ago. Traffic was flowing 10 mph over the posted limit. Darn State trooper pulled me out of a line of cars to ticket me... Selective law enforcement at it's worst...

 

[Brian]

If you're in traffic don't worry too much about what the speedo says, just drive smoothly with the flow of traffic.

Yeah - I still do that. I'm not comfortable with going slower than the flow of traffic. But it got me a $200 ticket back in Connecticut several years ago. Traffic was flowing 10 mph over the posted limit. Darn State trooper pulled me out of a line of cars to ticket me... Selective law enforcement at it's worst...

Well, I did say "don't worry too much about what the speedo says." I didn't say ignore it completely. :wink:

Still, on behalf of my former peers, I apologize for him pulling you out of the line. Sure, he couldn't stop everyone and so had to pick one, but it should have been a cage that he stopped. Unless we're doing wheelies or something, bikes should be left alone. (Do you think I'm biased? )

 

[pauljo]

I probably shouldn't whine. I've gotten away with a few too... I've cruised through speed traps a bit too fast in my car a few times. The troopers never ever bother themselves with the white Ford Taurus. But the person going the same speed on a motorcycle, or in a sports car, is ticket bait. I can't tell you how many times I've seen that. I don't think anyone could drive a new Corvette or Porsche at even 10 mph over the limit very far without getting stopped.

Now the Burgman from the side view is a scooter - and should fall into the Ford Taurus "stealth" category, because everyone knows that scooters just can't go fast. From the rear view, with a Givi trunk, it's a Gold Wing. And the troopers cut Gold Wings a lot of slack - a lot of troopers own Gold Wings themselves. The problem is that from the front - it's a sport bike - and anyone riding a sport bike is probably a speed demon most of the time, and could use a little chat with law enforcement... So I guess it depends on which view registers with the trooper... :?