Suzuki Burgman 650 Executive Scooter

Filtering through peak-hour traffic on a Suzuki Burgman is akin to using a 20kg sledge-hammer on a drawing pin—neither is suitable for the job, although they’ll both complete the task. But, unlike the 20kg sledge-hammer, the 2008 Burgman 650 Executive has folding mirrors to make its
design brief a little easier—not the normal, swiveling motorcycle items, but ones that swing in electronically with the touch of a button. A gimmick? Initially I thought so, but they actually do work.

There are plenty of other buttons to press on the Burgman’s switchblocks, too, with the big Burger possessing an electronic six-speed manual shift in addition to automatic operation, activated by pushing buttons on the left switchblock. It’s similar in operation to the electronic sequential shift found on expensive sports cars.

But the buttons don’t stop there. There’s also a power mode button, plus another button for raising and lowering the electrically adjustable screen. Yes, buttons aplenty. But the Burgman isn’t your normal, everyday scooter.

Suzuki’s maxi-scoot is really a touring motorcycle in disguise and, in its latest Executive guise, it has more features than ever before. For 2008, it gets ABS as standard, a pillion backrest and an immobilizer system,
all for the same $12,990 price as the 2007 model—oh, and those folding mirrors.

The Burgman is undeniably the king of the maxiscoots, a point driven home at last year’s Dumb & Dumber winter soirée when a number of maxi-scoots were unleashed in Australia’s high country. The Suzi loves the open road and pampers the rider with unrivaled weather protection, a luxurious saddle and a humongous 56 liters of under-seat storage.

There are also three good-sized compartments in the fairing, plus it has excellent high-speed stability and the onboard computer keeps the rider abreast of fuel consumption—5.7L/100km around the suburbs and 5L/100km on the open road. With a 15-litre tank this gives a range of 280km.

The Burgman’s got the biggest engine in the maxiscooter category at 638cc, the bulkiest bodywork, the most kilos, the most legroom, the greatest number of tech features—and the most buttons. Speaking of buttons, I can’t really see any advantage in manual shifting as the Suzuki Electronically Controlled Continuously Variable Transmission (SECCVT) allows the Burgman to win most traffic-light drags. Set and forget is fine by me.

There’s a surprising amount of automatic engine braking on offer at slower speeds via the SECCVT, such as when approaching traffic lights. It’s a bit too strong for my liking, but I soon learned to adapt. Suzuki accessories for the Burgman include a Zumo 550 GPS for $1399, soft cylindrical tailbag for $139, an optional screen for $229 and a chrome front panel for $237.11 worth of extra bling.

The added bonus with the 2008 incarnation is that those gimmicky mirrors can be folded in for improved aerodynamics in any traffic-light drag, then folded out 400 meters later to see the shocked look on the face of the HSV driver as you leave him/her eating Executive
dust. Priceless.