Suzuki Burgman: A scooter that keeps on going long past the city limits

By Bill Andrews, photos by Riles and Nelson

M.P.G.

Suzuki could have summed up their newest version of the Burgman 400 with those three letters—and who hasn't had that on their mind lately? It was important enough for the engineers to put fuel mileage data large and in charge on the scooter's dash, and for the media relations department to make a challenge out of it.

But, we'll get to that later.

Suzuki brought the moto-press to the San Francisco area to put the Burgman in its proper environment: inner-city streets with steep hills and stop-and-go traffic, along with a jaunt into wine country to show that this scoot has some traveling prowess, as well.

First introduced in Germany in '98, (which makes sense, since Burgman means "urban man" in Deutschland) the '07 version is the first redesign since the scooter came to our shores in '03.

Upgrades include more muscle from the single-cylinder, rubber-mounted engine, which also runs cleaner and meets Euro 3 emission requirements ('08 standards in the States). The power increase, according to Suzuki, comes from bumping the stroke 6.4mm, an increase in compression, and a new dual-overhead-cam cylinder head.

Other upgrades include a longer wheelbase, larger air intake in the front of the fairing, and a "swoopier" look, according to Suzuki Media Relations Manager Garrett Kai.

Styling and finish-wise, Suzuki really has brought all their guns to bear. The integrated lighting with turn signals on the front end comes together to form a big smile. 3-D emblems are placed on deep, rich, metal-flake paint that sparkles in the sun like either a blue or silver jewel (choose your color).

The Burgman's cargo-carrying capacity seems almost limitless. There's storage under storage and even hidden storage. Right beneath the handlebars, facing up, are two small bins that can hold gloves, a cell phone, folded maps and such. Below that, and mounted horizontally across the inner fairing, is a larger bin that opens vertically for a sweater, camera and maybe even half a gallon of milk. It even has a power port, in case you need to recharge your cell phone while riding.

The serious storage is under the seat, though, where there's a cavernous 62 liters of space. Two full-face helmets fit with ease with room left over. On either side within are two slightly hidden storage compartments—one holds the tool pouch while the other is... open to your imagination.

Connected to the underside of the seat is a light to help find things in the dark, and a lever to adjust the bump-up on the seat. Settling into the large comfortable saddle, I find that my 5' 11" frame fits snugly with the bump-up fully back.

The ignition switch keyhole is covered with a secondary security device. On the back of the key is an octagonal barrel that fits in a slot which opens a door to the ignition switch.

The dash has the usual set of gauges, but dead center between the speedo and tach is a large display giving you your cumulative average fuel consumption in miles per gallon. If less interested in that data, you can toggle it for ambient temperature as well.

But Suzuki made it clear the mpg figure was important. They even made a contest out of it, offering prizes to the writers who got the best and the worst mileage for the day. Since I wasn't sure I could eke out the best mileage, I decided to go for the other extreme and burn fuel with a Texas oil-man's abandon to keep that mileage number as low as humanly possible.

The thumper fires up with all the ease one would expect from a fuel-injected engine, and after releasing the parking brake, the scooter performs as expected right off the sidestand. Suzuki says this is due to an updated fuel-injection system and sub throttle body that's "complemented by an Idle Speed Control system."

This system reportedly not only aids in smooth running in all operating temperatures, and helps to reduce emissions, but also helps in the mpg department.

The scooter labors a bit when accelerating from a dead stop—full-on throttle just keeps up with traffic. But once over 30 mph, the engine arrives at its powerband at about 5,250 rpm and the scooter steps out.

"Shifting" is accomplished through the use of the scooter-standard CVT (Constant Variable Transmission) type, which works well to smoothly arrive at the bike's powerband, then backs off for economy. Hard throttle movements instantly bump you back into the power zone. The only real downside to this effortless system is the service interval—the belt is supposed to be replaced at 14,500 miles or 48 months. This service is included in the full scheduled maintenance to the tune of around $500—which is a bit pricier than the same full service on, say, a GSXR sportbike.

With the extra power and extra-smooth CVT, steep inclines seem to have little effect. Twist-and-climb was the standard in and around San Francisco, even on picturesquely twisted Lombard Street.

As we move out across the famous Golden Gate Bridge, the Burgman feels planted. Even at the upper end of legal highway speeds, the scooter felt every bit as stable and smooth as some full-on motorcycles, if not more so, with plenty of throttle left in reserve.

Credit good tires, 120/80-14 up front and 150/70-13 in the rear, and a good aero package that cuts through the wind with ease and leaves practically no buffeting behind the tall windscreen. The 440-pound claimed dry weight also helps keep the machine well connected to the road.

For the purists, the running boards do have a slight lean forward to them—where some believe they should be parallel to the ground. But without brakes or the need to shift, I found my feet fairly high on the turned up boards, for a very cruiser-like riding position. You can take the rider off the cruiser, but...

At a stoplight, both heels find earth, barely. But with such a low center of mass, comfort can be maintained with just one foot down.

We pull in for a Java Hut coffee break and I discover I'm able to get the machine on the center stand with ease. Credit here goes to good leverage on the long lifting arm, rather than any strength on my part.

As we climb into the rolling hills, the bike behaves very predictably in the turns, holding a steady line through sweepers and allowing mid-turn course corrections with no loss of confidence. The sidestand on one side and the center stand on the other make first contact, but I suspect the intended audience will rarely see the lean angles we were attempting. Two-up riders, though, would be well-advised to bump up the pre-load on the single-shock rear suspension and watch their corner speed.

A very slight but consistent buzz reaches the handgrips. It's not really annoying—just enough to remind you that internal combustion truly is happening somewhere beneath the multiple layers of plastic.

Out in the Sonoma wine country, I discover the suspension handles some of the worst stuff you can roll over, yet remains tractable in the twisty stuff with very little dive under hard braking.

As with most scooters, the rear brake seems to have the most bite, but equal application of both hand levers never left me wanting for stopping power.

At the end of the day, I've ridden just under 100 miles in a variety of conditions, all the while doing my very best to get the absolute worst fuel mileage possible. Still, the more we rode, the higher that digital readout went.

In the end, I recorded 50.4 mpg. Another rider in our group was able to achieve high 50s while trying to get the best mileage.

Bottom line: If your goal is to combine maximum ease of use, maximum storage capacity and maximum miles per gallon, while still being able to leave the city far behind when the whim strikes, the Burgman hits the sweet spot.

2007 Suzuki Burgman 400
Engine	Liquid-cooled, four-stroke single
Displacement	400cc
Bore x stroke	81.0mm x 77.6mm
Carburetion	Fuel injection
Compression ratio	10.6:1
Drivetrain	Automatic, centrifugal-type clutch, V-belt drive
Tires	120/80-14 front, 150/70-13 rear
Front brake	Dual discs
Rear brake	Single disc
Seat height	28.0 inches
Wheelbase	62.4 inches
Fuel capacity	3.6 gallons
Dry weight	440 pounds
MSRP	$5,899