8th Jul 2008, 05:42

Most serious alternative would be the (very similar) Yamaha Majesty 400. A bit plainer looking, but has option of ABS, which clinches it for me. Yamaha quality maybe has a slight edge too.

1st Aug 2008, 06:08

If with CVT problem, you mean problems with the clutch, here in Europe it is warranty covered. In fact, you can acquire 07 and 08 models. If you get the cheaper 07, the retailer gives it you with new 08 clutch installed. New clutch has 5 points of friction while old one has only 3. Regards. (I'll get my new Burgie on Monday :-)

2nd Aug 2008, 20:53

I bought a 2007 Burgman in January and have ridden it continuously since. I absolutely love the bike. I ride it to work nearly every day and take it out for rides nearly every weekend. I have over 4,000 miles on it.

My only other bike was a 2001 Buell Blast that I put 36,000 miles on before it totally died. Therefore, I can't compare the Burgman to lots of bikes like others might be able to do. I can say this - the Burgman absolutely meets all my needs and expectations.

My gas mileage averages 70, with a low of 60.5 mpg and a high of 75.8! I nearly always get 68-72 mpg. Also, I find the power to be fine since I am not a speed demon anyway. The bike also handles curves well (better than the Blast). Just today I was on the Cherohala Skyway (TN and NC) and had a great ride. It kept up with everyone and handled the curves like Hugh Heffner.

The only problem with the bike that I can think of is that it gets blown around a lot when large trucks pass me on the interstate. I can live with this, however. Hope someone finds this helpful.

David in Knoxville.

4th May 2009, 21:51

I am the owner of the Burgman that I started this post with. I now have over 14,000 miles on the scoot with absolutely no mechanical issues that I didn't cause. I was pushing the Bergie back into my garage and hit the tail light on my work bench. It's cracked and I just haven't spent the $250 or so for the assembly to replace it.

In my original post, I mentioned the CVT lurching at ultra low speeds. I don't notice it anymore. Not sure it if quit, or if I just got used to it and drive a bit differently.

The wind still knocks be around a bit, but I have learned to accommodate it, and kind of grin while I do so.

Another reviewer noted that the side wind from large trucks knock him/her around a bit. I concur and have found myself moving to the farthest side of my lane when approaching or passing (yes, passing) a big rig. It basically takes care of the issue.

I had the unfortunate experience to have to ride in a bit of snow this past winter. It was wet and above 35 when I left home. In my 16 mile commute, the temperature dropped and the white stuff began to stick to the road. I believe the Burgie did quite well in the stuff, but I was ultra careful. I don't doubt that riding 2 wheels in snow is just a plain bad idea, and I will do my best to make sure I don't have to do it again.

My fuel mileage is down a bit, about 59 miles per gallon. I am due for service but that's not the main cause. I live in Oregon and the state has mandated a 10% ethanol content in gasoline year round. My first tank of this fuel dropped my mileage to about 60. Oh well, still better than the 12 I got with my previous truck.

If you are thinking of a luxury scooter I would urge you to check out the Burgie's. The 650 version had more "stuff" than I wanted, and the 400 had more power than my previous scoot (50cc). If you're worried about road speeds, no need. My 400 will travel with freeway traffic all day long and still sip the gas. I have opened it twice to see what it can do. The second time was to make sure that the Burgie topped out and it wasn't my lack of courage. My courage and the scoot maxed out at the same time - fast enough to get you a substantial ticket on the freeway, but not into triple digits.

I'll post again when I have more miles and/or run into my first mechanical issue.

I'm still on the original tires, and they are about at 50%, which is good for a two wheeler. Loving life and the ride!

11th Apr 2010, 09:10

Back again after 21,000 plus miles, without any mechanical issues other than normal wear and those pesky self inflicted problems.

I finally replaced the tires on the Bergie, and I hope these last as long as the last ones. I actually ran longer on the rear tire than I should have. Not a smart idea. Check your air pressure regularly and inspect the tire for wear – replace them when you think you might get another 1 or two thousand miles out of them. You will be glad you did.

Removing the front tire requires a lift to get the bike off the floor, and is pretty easy. The rear tire is not so easy.

As is the case with many bikes, you have to remove the exhaust pipe. To do this on the Bergie, you have to disconnect a sensor wire, which according to the shop manual can be done by removing two covers. Unfortunately Suzuki opted to move the location of the connector from what is shown in the manual. You have to remove the under seat storage area to get to the connector, which means you have to remove every cover from the gas tank back. What a pain! Then removal of the rear tire is easy. Keep this in mind if you are replacing the rear tire, because it can be an unpleasant surprise and takes much longer than you might think.

I had purchased the extended warranty on this bike, and the only real benefits I got out of it were a really nice ride to the dealership 30 miles away on the back roads, and they took care of the costs for oil changes. There hasn’t been anything else for them to do.

I replaced the brake shoes front and rear, and the fronts are very easy to do; the rear is a bit tougher due to space restrictions.

I also did an oil change in my home garage – no extended warranty coverage any more – and it is a very easy task. I spent the money for the two o-rings used in the oil change, an extra 5 to 7 dollars, to assure no leaks and it’s very easy to do.

If this is the extent of the difficulty in maintain the bike, I really believe the Burgman is an exceptional deal and a great ride.