What to buy

My girl wants to start riding and is up in the air on what to get, the Silverwing or the Burgman.
It would be greatly appreciated if some of you could weigh in on the pros and con's of theses two scoots.
Thanks and ride safe!

Ron

Well, you're obviously going to get a lopsided group of answers from this board, but I guess you posted the same question on a Burgman forum.

Three reasons:
1. Honda Reliability.
2. A large aftermarket part community for mods.
3. This board. Its always nice to have a friendly support system for learning things they don't teach you in the MSF course, as well as do-it yourself maintenance, etc.

Have a look at all 9 pages of this post, make up your own mind about the Burgman.

http://allsuperscooters.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=771 :flower:

dspevack wrote:

Well, you're obviously going to get a lopsided group of answers from this board, but I guess you posted the same question on a Burgman forum.

Three reasons:
1. Honda Reliability.
2. A large aftermarket part community for mods.
3. This board. Its always nice to have a friendly support system for learning things they don't teach you in the MSF course, as well as do-it yourself maintenance, etc.

Haven't posted on the Burgman because I'm more interested in the silver wing.
Honda has always made a superior product know matter what line of product they entered.
Availability is going to play into it. I live in Springfield Ma. And haven't seen any around this neck of the woods.

Ron777 wrote:

My girl wants to start riding and is up in the air on what to get, the Silverwing or the Burgman.
It would be greatly appreciated if some of you could weigh in on the pros and con's of theses two scoots.

Which Burgman 400 or 600?

How tall is your girl?

honda_silver wrote:

Ron777 wrote:

My girl wants to start riding and is up in the air on what to get, the Silverwing or the Burgman.
It would be greatly appreciated if some of you could weigh in on the pros and con's of theses two scoots.

Which Burgman 400 or 600?

How tall is your girl?

She is 5' 10" and she saw the Burgman 650 at a local dealer but cant find any silverwings around. She has her heart set on the wing but cant find any around.

Both machines are superb but for totally different reasons.

The Silver Wing, simplicity in motion. easy to service and responsive to ride.

The Burger, 400. Superb machine. Nice for short legged people.

The Big Burger. Lovely ride but spoilt by the overall effect by being mega expensive if the transmission develops a fault.

Ron777,

IMO, tell your girl to hold out for what she wants. It will be worth it in the long run. It's not clear whether you are looking for new or used. I was at my dealer last week, and the only scooters on the floor were Metro's. All the bugger stuff had been snapped up due to the price of gas. On the other hand, you see posts in this forum time and time again where someone has bought a good used one and have been totally happy with it. The scoot has been almost unchanged from the beginning, so parts availablity and other kinds of support (including this forum) are plentiful. I suggest searching Craig's list or similar local listings to see what is out there.

Good luck in the hunt, and encourage your girl to get proper training. That will also be worth it in the long run.

GaryL wrote:

Ron777,

IMO, tell your girl to hold out for what she wants. It will be worth it in the long run. It's not clear whether you are looking for new or used. I was at my dealer last week, and the only scooters on the floor were Metro's. All the bugger stuff had been snapped up due to the price of gas. On the other hand, you see posts in this forum time and time again where someone has bought a good used one and have been totally happy with it. The scoot has been almost unchanged from the beginning, so parts availablity and other kinds of support (including this forum) are plentiful. I suggest searching Craig's list or similar local listings to see what is out there.

Good luck in the hunt, and encourage your girl to get proper training. That will also be worth it in the long run.

Thanks for the info and on a post up top I read some things about the transmission on the burgman and I think she will wait for the wing. Might even get a better deal after the season ends. Hows the wing in the power department? Will this scoot keep up with the pack?

It has enough power to ride you and your girl on it and pass the car that was in frount of you as you are going up a steep hill and it has enough power to go faster then any speed limit signs in the USA with two of you on it . But I don't recommend you go faster then the speed limit . If the Honda Dealer is out of Silverwings and you would like a new one ask them to order you one Thay can have a new one in about a week . If you would like a used silverwing look Craig's list check every day and you will find one .

wingmann wrote:

It has enough power to ride you and your girl on it and pass the car that was in frount of you as you are going up a steep hill and it has enough power to go faster then any speed limit signs in the USA with two of you on it . But I don't recommend you go faster then the speed limit . If the Honda Dealer is out of Silverwings and you would like a new one ask them to order you one Thay can have a new one in about a week . If you would like a used silverwing look Craig's list check every day and you will find one .

Well it would be just her on it as I have my own bike but that's good to know!
She is looking for a 06-08 because its all our finances will allow at this point.
We have been on eBay and craigslist but the ones we found are on the other side of the world.

Ride safe.
Ron

I had the 650 Burger as my previous scoot, and it's a very good two up tourer, the under seat storage is better than the Wing's, but it's a heavy scoot. This is partly due to weight of the transmission, I don't think there's a problem with it either, the good thing is owners tend to leave it alone and don't think they have to get into all this Dr Pulley / J. Costa nonsense.

First before buy----get a motorcycle lic. MSF works and they usually have bikes for the class, learn to shift, etc.

I have had a new Burgman 400---fine, except windshield, same for SilverWing---for either GIVI adjustable windshield makes them ride-able...

Remember used scooters can be expensive to fix.

Burgman has plenty of power, lighter, cheaper. Givi racks are available for both.

My take 400cc is more than enough for first time rider----and powerful enough to put you in the weeds. My Burgman 400 was smoother than SilverWing, plastic maybe a little harder to get off to work on. Then there is insurance---Burgman was cheaper to insure than 600 Silverwing. I would buy either one again.


John Grinsel

Like to add to Meldrew comment on Dr Pulley, etc/ 110% agree. I have had 9 new rubber band scooters----never changed rollers, etc (except routine replacement with stock parts)-----if I wanted to go fast always had bigger bike standing by.

Think Burgman 650 probably best for serious use of big scooters....At the $10,000 price point, not too cheap. Also not for first time rider.

Executive----power windshield plus. Next spring is new bike time for me.....have to see what happens at buy time.

Meldrew wrote:

I had the 650 Burger as my previous scoot, and it's a very good two up tourer, the under seat storage is better than the Wing's, but it's a heavy scoot. This is partly due to weight of the transmission, I don't think there's a problem with it either, the good thing is owners tend to leave it alone and don't think they have to get into all this Dr Pulley / J. Costa nonsense.

She rides quite often from Springfield Ma. to the Berkshires and is looking for a scoot with some power. I think there is only a couple of things I'm not sure of on the Burggy and that's repair expenses and the transmission. It's good to hear some positive feed back because the wing is really not available around here and I hate to buy what I cant see if you know what I mean. There are Burgman's around here and she looked at some last week.

Sounds like you have no choice but to get the Burgman with an extended warranty. The tranny likely will not prematurely fail, but if it does you'll be sorry.

Meldrew wrote:

the good thing is owners tend to leave it alone and don't think they have to get into all this Dr Pulley / J. Costa nonsense.

A lack of understanding or interest in a product doesn't make it nonsense. Unless you're Meldrew...

john grinsel wrote:

Like to add to Meldrew comment on Dr Pulley, etc/ 110% agree. I have had 9 new rubber band scooters----never changed rollers, etc (except routine replacement with stock parts)-----if I wanted to go fast always had bigger bike standing by.

Think Burgman 650 probably best for serious use of big scooters....At the $10,000 price point, not too cheap. Also not for first time rider.

Executive----power windshield plus. Next spring is new bike time for me.....have to see what happens at buy time.

Hi John, This would be her first bike but she will take the lessons and she's quite coordinated and could easily handle the weight. We wont be doing city riding but spend 99% of our time on back country roads. I have a Yamaha roadliner and its nice if she can keep right up with me or a group of riders.
Thanks for the feedback John.

bigbird wrote:

Sounds like you have no choice but to get the Burgman with an extended warranty. The tranny likely will not prematurely fail, but if it does you'll be sorry.

Well we still have time seeing we wont be buying till late fall early winter and the prices may drop some at seasons end. The tranny has got me worried but will definitely look into a extended warranty.
One thing for sure is I never expected to get this type of response on a forum and this is quite reassuring!

http://www.scooterfinds.com/honda-silver-wings-for-sale

Here are two that I should think are reasonably close. They are a little older than your target, but I woudn't worry too much about that if there is a good maintenance history. As others have said, the SWing will keep up with anything reasonable, so I wouldn't worry about that either.

$1,800 2002 13000 miles West Medford MA 08/05/11 11:50 pm (1 day ago) Craigslist
$2,600 2005 30000 miles, Bennington, NH 08/05/11 10:37 pm (1 day ago) Craigslist

Good Luck!

My neighbor owned a B650 for several months when I was looking for something to keep up with him. Here are a few of my recollections of riding his 650, and some comments on the Silverwing I own:

B650 had a clusterf**k of buttons on the left grip. Confusing and unnecessary. Power button and manual/auto mode are neat for the first week, then never used again.

B650 tranny had a LOT of engine braking. I had a tough time doing slow speed moves. I could probably deal with it better now.

B650 dash looks real '80's to me.

B650 front end looks better to me than SW. Back of SW is better.

B650 weighs about 50 pounds more than SW.

B650 has nicer fork - a double triple-clamp vs SW single triple-clamp.

I could live with a B650 easily enough.

SW is a simpler machine - tranny is same as little scoots and easily worked on or modified. Lighter variator weights or sliders are cheap enough and improve your take-off.

SW seat initially feels comfy, but bothers me after a while. Your GF, at 5'10" will need to mod the seat by removing the buttstop and turning it into a backrest. Look at leroybeal.net site for info. What bothers me is the floorboards are a little close to the seat and my knees are higher than my hips. An AirHawk cushion helps a lot.

Nobody has a good stock windshield for me. But, your GF may find the stock windshield a good height (women tend to have longer legs/shorter torso than men). Easily fixed with aftermarket windshield or Laminar Lip.

SW fork is a bit soft. That is fine around town and at slower speeds, but makes high speed curves a little tougher. Aftermarket springs are available that improve handling a lot at the expense of the cushy ride.

FYI, that neighbor that let me try his B650 got real bothered when my Silverwing (with J Costa variator) outran him (he does weigh 75 pounds more than me). He ended up with a 2005 yammy cruiser (1100 cc V Twin) and discovered it was even slower. He went to a Suzuki C109 - I could almost hang with him, but he was definitely faster. However, it was a beast (800+ pounds) and he dumped it. Swapped down to a 1300cc Yamaha (new 2009, fuel injected and water cooled VTwin) and we now run neck and neck. If he were to miss a shift, I would outrun him. Whats all this mean? Mostly that your GF won't have any problems keeping up with you.

Either scoot is a good machine. I got the SW largely because I thought I got a good deal (2003 in 2009, original owner, 3800 miles, GIVI screen and V46 Monokey box, Kuryaken grips, new battery and a service manual for $3600 in September 2009). If you find either machine and it looks well cared for, you probably will get a lot of riding pleasure out of it. I went looking at MCs several times this year, but didn't buy anything. I just couldn't trade off the weather protection, storage, good mpg, light weight and comfort for the good looks of a MC.

buddy19520 wrote:

My neighbor owned a B650 for several months when I was looking for something to keep up with him. Here are a few of my recollections of riding his 650, and some comments on the Silverwing I own:

B650 had a clusterf**k of buttons on the left grip. Confusing and unnecessary. Power button and manual/auto mode are neat for the first week, then never used again.

B650 tranny had a LOT of engine braking. I had a tough time doing slow speed moves. I could probably deal with it better now.

B650 dash looks real '80's to me.

B650 front end looks better to me than SW. Back of SW is better.

B650 weighs about 50 pounds more than SW.

B650 has nicer fork - a double triple-clamp vs SW single triple-clamp.

I could live with a B650 easily enough.

SW is a simpler machine - tranny is same as little scoots and easily worked on or modified. Lighter variator weights or sliders are cheap enough and improve your take-off.

As one who has owned a Helix 250, a Burgman 650, a Burgman 400 and a Silverwing 600, I wholeheartedly agree. Except that I do not care for the front end looks of the B650. To me the big Burg with its two mirrors extended and its front wheel fender looks like a face that has Dumbo ears and a droopy upper lip. Take a look at a picture of the front view and you'll see what I mean. To me the front of the SWing looks much better: kind of a smiley insect face, LOL.
But the thing that drove me nuts with the B650 was the prominent engine braking--horrible. I got used to it in time, but hated the "bucking" feeling while trying to find the right amount of throttle in sharp corner turns. The Power button was nice, but you hardly ever used it and you could almost feel your gas economy go down if you did. Ditto to the thoughts of the digital dash. I did prefer the extra glove boxes Burgs had as well as the underseat storage seemed to be more open as the SWing seems to have a narrow middle due to the battery and other stuff making items not fit as well. B650's underseat light and backrest adjustment seemed easier to use. Both seemed just as quick off the line--more than enough for me. At the time I owned the B650, I lived in a home with a terribly poor warped driveway and found that backing it up manually over those bumps was a pain with my shorter height. I had to actually sit on the center hump to push it back over a bump. Too heavy of a machine. Even though the Swing supposedly has the same seat height as the B650, I now have no problem flat footing the bike due to the slightly narrower seat. I know your girlfriend is taller, but she may not like the extra weight the big Burg has. In almost every way, I loved the Burgman 400 far more than the 650. As a matter of fact, out of the four maxis I've owned the B650 comes in dead last while the Swing, B400 and Helix are all neck and neck in different ways. At least to me. I hope you like what you pick in the end anyway.

bigbird wrote:

Meldrew wrote:

the good thing is owners tend to leave it alone and don't think they have to get into all this Dr Pulley / J. Costa nonsense.

A lack of understanding or interest in a product doesn't make it nonsense. Unless you're Meldrew...

Of course it's nonsense, the SW has enough performance as it comes out the crate without all the need for that stuff, and speed limits aren't that much different on this side of the Atlantic. It's much the same as Harley riders paying for the loud pipes and bad ass bits, a Gold Wing rider adding tons of useless chrome trim, a teddy bear, and the obligatory big lass on the pillion. A BMW GS rider feels he has to have a set of alloy panniers, and half the Touratech catalogue fitted just to pop down the shops for a carton of... sorry you're in Canada, a bag of milk!

buddy19520 wrote:

My neighbor owned a B650 for several months when I was looking for something to keep up with him. Here are a few of my recollections of riding his 650, and some comments on the Silverwing I own:

B650 had a clusterf**k of buttons on the left grip. Confusing and unnecessary. Power button and manual/auto mode are neat for the first week, then never used again.

B650 tranny had a LOT of engine braking. I had a tough time doing slow speed moves. I could probably deal with it better now.

B650 dash looks real '80's to me.

B650 front end looks better to me than SW. Back of SW is better.

B650 weighs about 50 pounds more than SW.

B650 has nicer fork - a double triple-clamp vs SW single triple-clamp.

I could live with a B650 easily enough.

SW is a simpler machine - tranny is same as little scoots and easily worked on or modified. Lighter variator weights or sliders are cheap enough and improve your take-off.

SW seat initially feels comfy, but bothers me after a while. Your GF, at 5'10" will need to mod the seat by removing the buttstop and turning it into a backrest. Look at leroybeal.net site for info. What bothers me is the floorboards are a little close to the seat and my knees are higher than my hips. An AirHawk cushion helps a lot.

Nobody has a good stock windshield for me. But, your GF may find the stock windshield a good height (women tend to have longer legs/shorter torso than men). Easily fixed with aftermarket windshield or Laminar Lip.

SW fork is a bit soft. That is fine around town and at slower speeds, but makes high speed curves a little tougher. Aftermarket springs are available that improve handling a lot at the expense of the cushy ride.

FYI, that neighbor that let me try his B650 got real bothered when my Silverwing (with J Costa variator) outran him (he does weigh 75 pounds more than me). He ended up with a 2005 yammy cruiser (1100 cc V Twin) and discovered it was even slower. He went to a Suzuki C109 - I could almost hang with him, but he was definitely faster. However, it was a beast (800+ pounds) and he dumped it. Swapped down to a 1300cc Yamaha (new 2009, fuel injected and water cooled VTwin) and we now run neck and neck. If he were to miss a shift, I would outrun him. Whats all this mean? Mostly that your GF won't have any problems keeping up with you.

Either scoot is a good machine. I got the SW largely because I thought I got a good deal (2003 in 2009, original owner, 3800 miles, GIVI screen and V46 Monokey box, Kuryaken grips, new battery and a service manual for $3600 in September 2009). If you find either machine and it looks well cared for, you probably will get a lot of riding pleasure out of it. I went looking at MCs several times this year, but didn't buy anything. I just couldn't trade off the weather protection, storage, good mpg, light weight and comfort for the good looks of a MC.

Buddy thanks for the review! One thing that really is a turn off is the engine braking and that wont go over well with the gf. I have the roadliner 1900cc and the back pressure makes it hard to control 2 up. I hope we can find a good deal on a wing and from what I've read she will be much happier. It almost sounds like a chop saw brake and that just doesn't sound fun!
Thanks again Buddy for your time and valuable info.
Ron

Like the others here, I'd recommend the Silverwing over the Burgman 650.

Looks...the Silverwing has it hands down. The B650 looks like Dumbo.

Maintenance and upkeep...the Silverwing is simple, but effective. If the transmission breaks on the B650, many on BurgmanUSA have said it is a throw-away bike. I can't afford that. There's not much you can't fix yourself on a Silverwing, especially with a forum like this to help you.

For a first time rider, another one to consider is the Burgman 400. Like the Silverwing, it is svelte. Handling and power are sufficient for a single rider. In one of my stupider moments, I followed two bikers on liter touring bikes at 90 mph in the North Cascades National Park. I was actually catching them in the corners. When they left me was when we started getting into traffic and they could pass where there was questionable room to do it safely. I dropped back to the speed limit and enjoyed the scenery...and told myself how dumb I had just been. The point is, that the B400 will surprise you with what it will do. If you're riding close to the speed limit, it will keep up. It also has the gas mileage of a 250cc engine. On my trip last weekend to Mt. St. Helens, I averaged 69 mpg over 330 miles.

You can find pre-loved Silverwings (or the later version of the B400 (07+) ) relatively inexpensively on places like Craigslist. Many people buy them, ride them a little bit, then park them in the garage when the novelty wears off. Let them suck up the depreciation costs. The bikes are pretty much bullet-proof. The risk of getting a lemon is pretty small.

A great search tool is Search Tempest. It'll do a search on all the Craigslist ads within a certain mile radius you select.

Chris

Previously I rode a K4 Burg 400 (along with several Honda Elite 250, Honda Reflex 250 and still a Honda Big Ruclus 250). I now ride a 2005 Silverwing.

Best all around scooter for solo riding ... the Burg 400. Great looks, plenty of power for cruising or passing, very flickable when running full chat, easy to handle in slow/tight situations (over 100 lbs. lighter than the SW) and it gets my vote for the "best driveability" award. It will be first out of the parking lot, is quicker than most cruisers off the line and handles hills with ease. Finally, definitely keeps up at any highway speeds with no problems unless the rest of the group is riding silly fast.

My Silverwing has more power available and is quicker than the 400 but not as much as one would think. It too is faster than most bigger bikes off the line thanks to the auto and no gears/clutch to fuss with. It will more than hold its own at any speed and its top end is faster than the Burg 400 and many cruising/touring bikes.

The Swing has a lot more engine braking than the Burg 400 which takes getting use to and I find myself flashing my SW's brakes lights when the engine braking is slowing down the scoot just to alert the drivers behind me that I am in fact slowing down. Over time, I have gotten use to it. However, the Burg 400 has minimal engine braking which I prefer.

The Burg 400 wins in the underseat cargo area and glove box. It's just better designed and provides more usable space. Both are relatively easy to work on and perform regular maintenance work. I give the nod to the Suzuki for making the plasticware easier to take off and put on and less prone to breaking off the tabs. I also like the 4-way hazards on the Burg ... none available with the Swing. Both are vastly improved by a better windscreen over the OEM screen.

I tried and subsequently rejected the Burgman 650 as I found it heavy, too bulky and I really didnt need the "manual" tranny mode. I also don't need the potentail additional repair problems if something should go wrong ... which happens but is rarer than what some forums/posts would lead you to believe. Lastly, I rarely ride 2-up so having the additional oomph of the 650 is not an issue for me. Surprisingly the 400 has plenty of zip and consistently outperforms most metric 750's (Honda Shadow etc.)

Of the scoots I've ridden (7 in the past 6 years), I give the Burgman 400 the overall, all 'round best scooter award. Looks great, very economical (65 mpg avg.), lots of power ... especially when riding solo, and easy on the pocket book. I would seriously look at a 2007+ Burgman when comparing with a Silverwing. Both great rides ... both will do the job for your GF.

Hope this helps. ~ sonuvabug ~

Very insightful report, Sonuvabug.
Thanks.

+1 On sonuvabug's review. You got more specific than I did on the B400. Great for unhurried one-up riding. I'd agree on all the points except the tupperware removal. The pre-'07 B400's tabs were sadistically designed to drive one nuts. I had the whole rear end "sag" due to broken tabs and had to zip-tie it all underneath. http://burgmanusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=43052&p=398919&hilit=tail+light#p398919 The design had the entire rear and sides as one whole panel, whereas the new 400 has a separate panel for just the tail-light area. Bulb R &R on an SWing is much easier due to access from under the seat. One thing that was real nice on the Burgmans were those U-shaped metal bars that came off the frame near the upper part of the rear wheel. You could attach a bungee cord from the bottom of your saddle bags to it to hold them down.
BTW, the Swing's additional weight, while nowhere near the excess of the B650's, does seem to keep the bike much more "planted" in heavy cross-winds than a B400 does.
I almost want to say that the B400 is the best bike, but I'm having way too much fun on my SWing.

LVScooterBill wrote:

... snipped ... The pre '07 B400's tabs were sadistically designed to drive one nuts. ... BTW, the Swing's additional weight, while nowhere near the excess of the B650's, does seem to keep the bike much more "planted" in heavy cross-winds than a B400 does.

IMHO ... every scooter I've owned had a sadist design the tupperware ...

Good point and I totally agree with your "plantedness" comment. I recall the weight difference being about 150 lbs. between the B400 and the Swing which definitely makes it more firmly planted. This is great at road speeds ... not so great if you haven't mastered slow speed manouvering.

One last item I'd like to comment on is the meter/gauge cluster. The pre '07 B400's had big, bright white numbering on black background analog gauges ... just the way I like 'em. (I wear reading glasses and with the Burg, no issues). The 2007+ have analog but the numbering is smaller and the colour combo not so distinctive.

The Big Burg650 (affectionately known as the Lardy), has digital meters which for me, don't cut it. Size is OK but the styling reminds me of my '85 Honda Elite. The Swing falls somewhere in between ... I like the analog, don't mind the digital fuel, temp, trip counters etc. but, IMHO, the size of the tach and speedo or the actual numbering on the tach and speedo could be larger. I find myself squinting to read them most times. Again, this from someone who wears reading glasses.

Don't want to give the wrong imprression. I am enjoying my Swing very much and appreciate the extra power and plantedness. It's just that it is taking longer to adjust to it coming from the B400 and my mind keeps going back to what a great "all 'round" maxi-scooter my K4 AN400 truly is ... as my sweetie has now discovered. ~ sonuvabug ~

sonuvabug wrote:

Previously I rode a K4 Burg 400 (along with several Honda Elite 250, Honda Reflex 250 and still a Honda Big Ruclus 250). I now ride a 2005 Silverwing.

Best all around scooter for solo riding ... the Burg 400. Great looks, plenty of power for cruising or passing, very flickable when running full chat, easy to handle in slow/tight situations (over 100 lbs. lighter than the SW) and it gets my vote for the "best driveability" award. It will be first out of the parking lot, is quicker than most cruisers off the line and handles hills with ease. Finally, definitely keeps up at any highway speeds with no problems unless the rest of the group is riding silly fast.

My Silverwing has more power available and is quicker than the 400 but not as much as one would think. It too is faster than most bigger bikes off the line thanks to the auto and no gears/clutch to fuss with. It will more than hold its own at any speed and its top end is faster than the Burg 400 and many cruising/touring bikes.

The Swing has a lot more engine braking than the Burg 400 which takes getting use to and I find myself flashing my SW's brakes lights when the engine braking is slowing down the scoot just to alert the drivers behind me that I am in fact slowing down. Over time, I have gotten use to it. However, the Burg 400 has minimal engine braking which I prefer.

The Burg 400 wins in the underseat cargo area and glove box. It's just better designed and provides more usable space. Both are relatively easy to work on and perform regular maintenance work. I give the nod to the Suzuki for making the plasticware easier to take off and put on and less prone to breaking off the tabs. I also like the 4-way hazards on the Burg ... none available with the Swing. Both are vastly improved by a better windscreen over the OEM screen.

I tried and subsequently rejected the Burgman 650 as I found it heavy, too bulky and I really didnt need the "manual" tranny mode. I also don't need the potentail additional repair problems if something should go wrong ... which happens but is rarer than what some forums/posts would lead you to believe. Lastly, I rarely ride 2-up so having the additional oomph of the 650 is not an issue for me. Surprisingly the 400 has plenty of zip and consistently outperforms most metric 750's (Honda Shadow etc.)

Of the scoots I've ridden (7 in the past 6 years), I give the Burgman 400 the overall, all 'round best scooter award. Looks great, very economical (65 mpg avg.), lots of power ... especially when riding solo, and easy on the pocket book. I would seriously look at a 2007+ Burgman when comparing with a Silverwing. Both great rides ... both will do the job for your GF.

Hope this helps. ~ sonuvabug ~

Thank you sonuvabug for your review!! So now I guess its down to a 07+ on the Burgman 400, or a 07 silverwing. Being she will be riding mostly with large displacement motorcycles I'm leaning slightly to the wing but ultimately this is her decision and I can only guide her but not chose.
What would you consider a fair price for a 07 SW and a 07 400 Burg?
Once again I would like to thank all of you for your support in helping us in the right direction and this is truly a top of the line forum!

Ron777 wrote:

Thank you sonuvabug for your review!! So now I guess its down to a 07+ on the Burgman 400, or a 07 silverwing. Being she will be riding mostly with large displacement motorcycles I'm leaning slightly to the wing but ultimately this is her decision and I can only guide her but not chose.
What would you consider a fair price for a 07 SW and a 07 400 Burg?
Once again I would like to thank all of you for your support in helping us in the right direction and this is truly a top of the line forum!

You are welcome Ron. On my last post, I added my opinion on the gauge cluster ... this may be important to your GF. Don't worry about the B400 keeping up with the cruisers and tourers, it does so with no trouble and in fine style. I know as I ride with our local Southern Cruisers Riding Club (SCRC270) and it's not our maxi-scooters who have trouble "keeping up". Also, the 2007+ B400's also have a slightly larger engine (400cc vs. 385cc) and larger wheel so these are improvements over our 2004. Having said that, last June I rode our B400 from Canada to St. Louis MO using your interstate highway system and had no issues keeping up and "holding my own".

Pricewise ... I can't help you. The markets are so different between Canada and the USA ... the US being markedly cheaper than Canada for used motorcycles. Check out the www.burgmanusa.com site as members there can list their scoots for sale. Perhaps you'll find something there.

Also, I've personally had good luck on eBay (I've bought 5 maxi-scooters and 1 car on eBay and imported them into Canada) but I am patient and picky.

Whether its a Swing or Burg ... your girlfriend really can't make a bad choice. Don't make the mistake of pushing her into a machine that isn't right for her (read too big). That'll frustrate her and turn her off riding for good. We ride with the big bikes almost exclusively and believe me, once you get de-sensitized to the "hamster engine" jokes, we do not take a back seat to any of them performance wise.

Good Luck. ~ sonuvabug ~

Thanks to all who thanked me earlier in the post.

In your search, as Daboo said, try searchtempest.com. Searches craigslist over any size area you choose.

Since the discussion has slid towards a 400cc machine, don't forget the Yamaha Majesty. Personally, I still thought the B400 was quicker and more comfortable, but your GF might think differently. If I were to buy a maxi based solely on looks, I would pick the Majesty immediately.

If you are looking at the B400, they had a major re-design for the 2007 model year. The extra HP is offset by extra weight, but there is a MAJOR difference in the maintenance schedule, particularly valve checks. For that reason alone I would avoid the earlier models. If buying a 2007, check carefully for any noise from the clutch. Suzuki redesigned the clutch in later model years, but won't admit any fault or replace parts under warranty. I would focus on '08, '09, '10 models.

Somewhere amongst the posts there was a figure on the weight diff between a SW and a B400 - 150 pounds. Here are some more accurate figures:
http://www.bikez.com/motorcycles/honda_silver_wing_2003.php
http://www.bikez.com/motorcycles/suzuki_burgman_400_2008.php
http://www.bikez.com/motorcycles/suzuki_burgman_650_2008.php
Weights are 439 pounds for the B400, 481 for SW, 518 for B650. I believe all weights are dry. The weight for the 2008 SW shows 540 pounds, but I think it is showing the wet weight. My service manual for the 2003 model specifies 485 dry and 527 wet for the non-ABS model. I can't think of any changes in the bike to warrant the big weight increase except that the Bikez website posted a wet weight instead of dry for the 2008 model year.

All three bikes are listed as having lengths between 89.0 and 89.6 inches.

When choosing my scoot, I rationalized the SW as being only a little heavier than the small ones, but having the engine of the largest one.

Besides, the SW has that cool twin cylinder sound. The 400's have the chug chug chug sound of a single. It's just not the same music to my ears.

To anyone who thinks the extra performance of the SW engine is insignificant, I suggest you try a J Costa variator or lighter rollers. The JC will take the 0-60 time from 8+ seconds to the low 6's. It can't be beat. I can stay with my neighbor on his 1300cc Yamaha cruiser (water cooled and fuel injected 2009 model). I couldn't say that if my bike was stock.

Despite all the above info favoring the SW, any of the machines will give good performance and value. I doubt you would go wrong with any of them, but for a first time rider (and female) I would select SW first, B400 second, Majesty third and B650 last (too much weight mostly).