Plan B Forum

I have enjoyed riding for many years, and ultimately realized that "real" motorcycle riders must have more than one bike. Sometimes, you feel like cruising, sometimes you want to go tooooo fast, sometimes you want to just ride around with your sweetie sitting on the back (and she must be comfortable).

But I can never justify having multiple bikes (and have no place to put them), so I end up changing bikes about as often as I change underwear. Drives my wife crazy. She wonders why I don't just go ahead and get what I "really want," not quite grasping that I want something different at different times, and so whatever I own at any given time is a compromise.

In any event, my current bike is what is called a "Sport Touring" bike, a Honda ST1100. It is a wonderful machine, and I have fitted it out with a nice GIVI hard trunk that has a nice backrest for my wife (I don't like Honda's factory sissy bar and I won't pay $250 for a piece worth $50).

The problem is that the riding position is too "sport" for me. I have a long torso and short arms, and in order to ride this bike properly I am tilted forward at an unacceptable and uncomfortable angle. When I bought the bike I assumed that I could correct the problem with handlebar risers. I tried to have handlebar risers installed, but the Honda shop said the cables were not long enough to accomodate the higher bars (charged me $350! for the day they spent trying to make it work).

I have a guy who actually wants to buy my ST and he will give me as much as I have in it.

So I'm actually thinking about getting a scooter. My first choice (based on survey of road tests on the internet) is a Suzuki Burgman 650. It has sufficient power for two people, good aerodynamics, good economy, and the reports indicate it is quite comfortable for two. The Honda Silverwing and Yamaha Majesty also look like possibilities, as does the Burgman 400. I hesitate to go with the 400, however, because I can't imagine that a one-cylinder engine is sufficient for two riders & gear.

As it happens, there is a dealer north of hear (a Harley dealer, believe it of not) that has a Burgman 650 "Excecutive," which has some additional trim (mainly a passenger backrest) and seems generally nicer than the base model. The asking price is $4,500, which seems reasonable.

I read that the performance of the Burgman 650 is satisfactory to someone who is used to riding a "real" motorcycle. They dont' publish HP figures, but the estimates run around 50HP, which is as much as a Sportster 1200. I don't think the CVT will bother me at all, even though I enjoy playing with the gears.

Anyone out there have experience going from a MC to a Scooter?

Harley? I thought you were after a motorbike, not an agricultural tractor.

I'm sticking with sports tourers, when the SV 650 bites the dust, I'm going to be in the market for one of these;



http://www.topspeed.com/motorcycles/mot ... 64962.html

Not to be argumentative, but the latest V-Max from Yamaha is a more powerful "naked bike" than the Beemer you've linked.

I have had my fill of un-faired naked bikes. The Suzuki Bandit 1200S is about as naked as I'd care to get. It is no fun at all to be hanging onto the handlebars, fighting the wind at 80mph on a naked bike.

There we will disagree then, I think it's HEAPS of fun fighting the wind at 80/100/120 mph on a naked bike.

Until you end up with stitches from a piece of gravel! My uncle managed that on his old Enfield.

(Yes, he had an Enfield. Yes, it leaked oil. Yes, it was slower than snail shit. Yes, it had shitty brakes. Yes, it had to be kick-started and yes, it was incredibly finicky about starting. Yes, he came to his senses long ago and sold it. No, he does not have the vaguest idea what possessed him to buy an Enfield.)

So, Gob...how about a nice Enfield?

I like my Enfield





No, really, I have two of these

Jarlaxle wrote:
So, Gob...how about a nice Enfield?

Funny you should mention that, one of my projects for retirement is doing up an old Brit bike.

One of my first bikes was a Ariel Red Hunter, I'd love to restore one of those again.

His was great...didn't go well, didn't stop well, didn't turn well, sure as fuck didn't seal well, big-ass single cylinder engine shook like it had Parkinson's, didn't even get great mileage, started on the first kick about one time in four. He never rode it at night because the lights didn't work most of the time. He never bothered locking it up when he parked it...he knew damned well that no thief could ever get it started!

That's British bikes for you!
The red hunter is a single 500cc, I once started the bugger without the silencer on it.
It took the cops 3 minutes to knock on my door...

Anyone out there have experience going from a MC to a Scooter?

I've never gone from MC to scooter but I do ride and MC and have had the "opportunity" to ride a few scooters. Keep in mind the ones I rode were nowhere near the 600cc range. HEck, I don't think they were in the 150cc range.
Anyway, I did not like the way one sits on a scooter and that would take some getting used.

Also, I know a lot of guys who have multiple bikes but most seem to stick with a certain type. That is, a guy who likes touring bikes will not have a "crotch rocket" as his second or third bike. And usually, only one of the multiple bikes is in tip top running conditions with the others in various states of "being fixed".

I miss my magnas...

FWIW, it took a looooooong time to sell my Honda ST1100, and I took a price for it that was a lot less than by personal estimate of its "true" worth, but it's done for now.

I have continued my exploration into the super scooters and continue to believe that the Burgman 650 "Executive" is the way to go. The Honda Silverwing and Yamaha Majesty are cool, but don't quite measure up. I have sat on all of them but have not yet ridden one. This afternoon I'm going to the little hamlet of Murrysville, PA to ride an '04 B'man Executive to see what's what. The price is remarkably low ($3,799), especially considering it is being sold at a Suzuki dealership. The only conspicuous downside of this vehicle is a persistent number of complaints about the high cost of maintenance (because of the plastic that has to come off to do even simple jobs). Certainly, a Suzuki dealership should be willing to confirm that all maintenance is up to date before delivering the Scooter.

dgs49 wrote:I have continued my exploration into the super scooters and continue to believe that the Burgman 650 "Executive" is the way to go.

Only if it comes with all the extras;



I'm waiting until healed before deciding whether to carry on motorbiking, I love it, but am totally pissed off with this recovery period.

I need some adventure in my life, this is becoming more and more apparent to me, but is a bike the best way to get that?

I'll give you some adventure if you think you are getting any accessories.

Gob, I gave up riding on the street a few years back, just too many people not paying attention and as you are finding, the results can affect you for years. I do still ride a dirt bike however, you should give it a try, every bit as much fun, even more if you throw in a few jumps.

This is what I have.

Sweet Liberty, and we have some neat dirt trails around here too, well worth considering!

Hen, you know I only have eyes for you my darling!

Nice, ahhhhhh, wheels!

Ironically, I came across that same series of pictures the other day when looking into the Burgman 650.

However...

I took a specimen for a long ride last night and concluded that it weren't for me. As best I can describe it, when I'm riding a motorcycle (esp. a cruiser) I have a sense that I am part of the vehicle - at least as concerns the balance and control of the vehicle. With the Burgman, I couldn't get past the "feeling" that I was balancing myself on top of the vehicle. It might have had something to do with the riding position, which places your knees closer together than on a MC (in a "secretary position"). It was not a comfortable feeling. Also, I thought that the wheels on the Burgman were about the same size as conventional MC wheels, but they seemed to turn a bit more abruptly than I was used to.

I had a hard time fighting the reflex to squeeze the clutch lever when slowing down, except that there is no clutch and I was squeezing the rear (I think) brakes. I had a couple of surprisingly short stops before I got used to it. I would have to be careful for a while until this reflex died.

There was much positive to experience about the "bike," as well. The drive train was outstanding. There was plenty of power, whether you allowed the CVT to do its own thing, or chose to shift it manually. It was pretty comfortable, especially with my feet planted in the front footwells. I think it would have been OK for longer trips as well.

I think that if I had three bikes, one of them would have to be a Burgman. But for a single bike I'm leaning toward a VTX1800 set up for touring. I had a Nomad once, and a Road Star Silverado would also work. The hundred-plus HP of the VTX is calling out to me.

Yes, one of my main complaints/concerns about scooters is their small wheels. It makes them much more suceptible to bumps and ruts in the road since they appear much larger to the approach angle of the tire and would make the ride inherantly rougher requiring a softer suspension. A secondary affect is less stability from a smaller gyroscopic effect. Generally larger wheels equals more stability from a combination of factors.

Good call