It’s fair to say that the Suzuki Burgman 400 is pretty well established. For nearly a quarter of a century, mid-sized Burgman scooters have been cruising city streets, cruising ring roads and fueling the Sunday beat.
Initially available as the AN250 and AN400, the diversity has expanded over the years to include the 125, 200 and 650 models as well, and that’s what comes to mind when someone says “giant scooter”. By the end of 2020, only the 400 will be available in the UK. For 2023, the Suzuki Burgman 125 will also be reintroduced to the range.
And to ensure its sustainability in the face of new competition and stringent emissions regulations, this solo Burgman has been redesigned in the most modern style to date. It has a more refined, puppy-friendly engine, an improved display, and improved electronics. Widgets.
What Suzuki didn’t do was tweak a tried-and-true recipe. This is still the maxi-scoot model, and if you’ve driven a wonderful stepper at any point in the last 15 years, especially a Burgman, then this updated 400 will be very familiar to you.
Its combination of gigantic physical length with the agility of small wheels, its forward-foot driving position and its active automatic driving are precisely what you’d expect. The same goes for its wonderful practicality.
On the one hand, this is a smart thing to do. The Suzuki still offers the ease of use, usability, and usability it enjoyed since its arrival in 1998, only now with a little more generation and fewer villains spouting exhaust whispers.
However, it also means that the 400 turns out to have elongated incisors next to its new rivals. The sleek and modern Yamaha XMAX three hundred, the best-selling large scooter in Europe, has a larger under-seat garage area and is much less expensive (2022 prices).
And Honda’s new ADV350 comes with sleeker suspension, a superior power-to-weight ratio, an adjustable display, a voice-activated dashboard and eye-catching looks, all for £1,300 less than the Suzuki.
If you’re thinking of a Burgman, put your boots on: it’s the most productive 400 yet. But if you’re looking for the most productive giant scooter, this is probably rarely the one. . .
– Automotive Cycle News (@MCNnews) January 10, 2022
Driving the 400 is as exhausting as remembering to breathe. The long, low chassis makes the Burgman’s 218kg frame easy to handle, the low-speed balance is clever and with the variable transmission, there are no gears to worry about, or that are poor – it just accelerates. Get up and roll. It’s fabulously airy to fly and very easy to master.
The suspension is nothing special, mind you. While it’s decent enough to get around the city’s sleek streets, the setup takes a ride, with the bike shaking in the middle waves of corners and crashing into potholes.
Instead of the “luxury ride” promised by Suzuki, it’s a bit. . . well, a bit of a scooter. The chassis is also a little edgy in high-speed crosswinds, despite the added stability provided by the new, larger 15-inch front wheel.
The brakes are like a touring bike: front lever on the right bar, rear lever on the left. The small discs and two-piston calipers have some pretty clever power, even a wonderful bite feel. The ABS has already been updated for this style. it’s still pretty fundamental – it’s pressed intelligently when it’s raining and the levers press slowly, especially at the rear.
Suzuki’s 400cc four-stroke, twin-camshaft single-cylinder engine won an overhaul for this version. There’s a twin-spark plug cylinder head, new camshafts and revised timing, other injectors, and even a new piston.
These modifications were mandatory to bring the engine to the popular Euro5 and were not intended to increase production. In fact, this revised unit produces less torque and almost two horses less than its predecessor, reaching a maximum of 28. 6 hp at 6,300 rpm.
You’d think each and every horse would count against such a low performance, however, in the 218kg Burgman, there’s no obvious difference. It’s still a polished, roaring engine that shakes when tethered to the desk but moves smoothly. It’s buzzing on the freeways.
Given the amount of steel and plastic it carries, the modest car is also budget-friendly: Suzuki’s 70. 6 mpg would require a very controlled ride, but it’s simple to hit 60 mpg in general use.
The end of the 400 is good. The paint looks deep, there are LED lighting fixtures everywhere, the display is efficient, and I love the blue wheels. Unfortunately, a few other elements of the 400 have fallen off.
The trend for simulated carbon in the sprint and exhaust frame is extraordinarily 1990s, and the textured plastic handlebar canopy is a bit Morris Marina.
Reliability will have to be top-notch. The Burgman is a showcased platform, and thankfully, you can expect the engine to run many, many years from now and for thousands of miles.
But we want to be proactive in preventing (or at least slowing down) corrosion. Winter use will cause the undercarriage and engine hood to gnaw, and it’s simple for acres of body to hide all the horror. It is a smart concept to buy anti-corrosion products in bulk.
Suzuki’s newest Burgman is a wonderful £5,000 bike. Unfortunately, in the future it costs almost £7,000. That means it doesn’t seem to offer the best cash price to Yamaha’s more modern XMAX 300, which produces so much punch but weighs down. It weighs 38kg less, has more storage space under the seat, keyless ignition, adjustable bars and display and prices over £1000 less.
It’s a story with Honda’s ADV350. And for true city dwellers, the confidence-boosting and city-boosting Piaggio MP3 Sport three-hundred-wheeled is just £350 more than the Suzuki.
However, buy a Burgman 400 and you’ll get a three-year warranty, plus the peace of mind of making an investment in one more device than the one shown.
Nowadays we expect a lot of our money and a seven-thousand-dollar motorcycle teases us with a color demonstration with device-controlled functions or telephone connectivity. Or cruise control, auto-canceling turn signals, or heated grips. But you probably won’t find any of those peripheral subtleties in the Suzuki.
The Burgman, however, puts large ticks on scooter beds. There are two faired glove compartments: a small one that can hold a modest hamburger; and a giant one (with 12V plug) enough for a generous portion of fish and chips. Lift the seat onto its hydraulic strut and find 42 liters of space, enough for a suckling pig (or two hooves, as long as one of them is open-faced).
While the display and controls can’t be adjusted, the rider’s buttock prevention can be adjusted back and forth. Running on forums means dry feet, and with a clamping device, the Burgman keeps the shield clean covering the ignition to slow down screwdriver-wielding thugs. There’s also a “chain mount” that allows you to slide a protective chain around the frame, not just a wheel.
In this edition of the 400, the anti-lock brake formula is modernized. There is now also traction (on or off using the home button). It’s not a great formula: Suzuki claims it “reduces wheel spin when taking off at the desk. “It grips with the throttle fully open and reduces wheel spin on slippery or asymmetrical surfaces.
With less than 30 hp and a variable rev transmission, you’d struggle to lose grip when accelerating out of dry corners, an impatient wrist and 218kg of susceptible Suzuki can be a brake on the Dunlop ScootSmart rear tyre in the cold. , rainy and wintry roads.
The display has also been replaced to make the fuel data (range, consumption) easier to read. There’s also a green light that warns you when you’re driving slowly (sorry, it’s inexpensive) and makes you think you’ve gone off the corner. signals every time it rings in your peripheral vision.
Nothing.
It’s very accessible.
Great storage, simple handling, actually beats the guy who handles a Triumph Tiger outside my garden every day upside down. Excellent board, very comfortable, very good economy, 12v socket. If your ego desires an engine that sounds amazing, this may not be the motorcycle for you as it has been redesigned and has dual camshafts, but this is the first maxi scooter I own.