Faults:

I bought this scooter used. This month (March 2015) after I brought it out of winter storage, both of my low beam head lights burned out. Unfortunately, both headlights are hi/low beam. It cost me $60 per bulb. I thought the relay might have died and I had the dealer work on it. I'm new to the Burgman and I'm still learning more about it and how to fix it. Bummer.

I had to replace a tire for inspection, which is no big deal.

The previous owner laid the scooter down twice; once on each side. It's just cosmetic damage. I could not complain about the price I paid for it. I ordered and will install the 2 side leg shields, when the weather gets warmer. No problem in doing this; thanks to YouTube videos. I plan to order the front leg shield in the near future and will install that myself. After this, the scooter should look as good as new.

General Comments:

After riding a 125cc Daelim that got 65 MPG, I was ready for a more powerful machine. I was surprised by the 2006 Burgman, especially the MPG - 65 MPG highway. I'm very well pleased with the MPG. It has A LOT more power than the Daelim. Now I can pass cars and have a faster take off. The Burgman is most happy at highway speeds and it handles very well. It brakes very well.

The wife likes to ride on the back as a passenger. She says it is more comfortable than the Daelim.

I installed a Givi bracket for a Top Case with no problems.

Once I learn to do my own maintenance, it will be cheaper to operate.

Faults:

Rear wheel nut for some reason would not lock on my bike. Came off completely one time before a mechanic friend of mine noticed it and realized it was an accident waiting to happen. Later, the rear axle splines stripped, effectively preventing the tranny from engaging the wheel. Clutch was also stripped, and needed replacing.

Due to outrageous depreciation of scooters, and the outrageous cost of parts/labor, the overall cost to repair was more than what the bike was worth. Had to get rid of it.

General Comments:

First, it's a good ride. Don't take any of this as me totally bashing the Suzi Burger. Leg room can be a bit tight for taller folks, accessing tranny oil for changes can be a hassle, and sometimes it handles like a pregnant cow. But, you're riding a scooter, not a sport bike.

It gets off the line, loafs down the road, and hauls tons of stuff. With a large top-case, I was easily able to carry tons of groceries in the under-storage and top case. This bike handled 90mph down the highway with ease. There was little left to pass anyone, but at 90mph, you're probably not looking to race around other drivers on the road.

I found the braking to be a bit lacking. The ABS brakes keep it from skidding, but even when slamming on the brakes, you sometimes wish there was a bit more braking power going on. It's a heavy bike, and with a 250lb rider (me) on it, it takes a bit to come to a quick stop. However, this type of ride is meant to be ridden gently, not aggressively.

2-upping on the bike can be tricky. I would only recommend 2-ups for very short trips (taking your girlfriend/wife to a movie or what-not). I'm sure someone has road-tripped with it, but I wouldn't recommend it. The bike has enough power to haul one fat person around as it is, but you get 2 fat people on it, and it will be struggling.

Overall, the bike performs and runs great.

Unfortunately, the cost of repairs and maintenance are ridiculously cost-prohibitive. Maintenance check-ups at a dealer are ~$300. I would change my own oil, and a mechanic friend changed my brakes, v-belt and other things that would need periodic maintenance and repair. The hardware alone is crazy-expensive. For OEM parts, you're looking at $250+ for a new back tire. Brakes were like $200+. New v-belt... $150, but the labor cost to replace it bumps it up to a $300+ repair. Seemed like every 5000 miles I was popping another $500 on the bike. I put ~10k on my rides (car or bike) each year, and spending $1000 to upkeep a bike that had <20k on it when I got it seemed ridiculous. You can do some maintenance yourself, but due to the way the Tupperware is put on the bike, you have to bend over backwards to take it off just to access certain things (e.g.: the rear tranny oil). I loved riding it, but hated maintaining it.

Likewise, if you take it to a dealer for maintenance, they will charge you through the nose. A lot of dealers consider Burgers to be Lexus-like scooters, only ridden by rich people that can get taken advantage of. They will try to charge you through the nose for things.

Another depressing aspect is the depreciation on the Burger. New, these things cost like $8k. I got mine at ~17k miles for $3k. After I rode it to 30k and had major issues with it, it was only worth $2k if in working condition. Mine was not. The cost of parts and labor to fix the issues I had with it were going to be more than $2k. I guess I could have paid that and been running it still, but apparently after 30k miles the clutch burns up, the rear wheel is prone to stress fractures on the splines and stripping out, and that adds up to some serious cash. It upset me, because I just got done popping money on brakes, tires, v-belt, etc to cover all the maintenance... then it craps out on me.

I decided to sell it to a salvage yard rather than fix it. Probably a bad thing to do, but the cost to fix it wasn't worth it if I couldn't recoup that by selling it.

I bought a cruiser style motorcycle, and by comparison I do really appreciate the Burger in retrospect. Full, digital gauges, full fairing for weather protection (especially from water on the road in light rain), storage capacity, full automatic... the Suzi Burger was a far superior ride to a regular motorcycle. I loved it by comparison. Just did not love the high maintenance costs.