The first thing that struck me about the Burgman when it was delivered was that it looked beautiful. I had chosen black as the colour as I thought it would compliment the chrome parts and I think it was a wise decision.

The burgman has 3 storage areas, under the seat, a glovebox and another small compartment to the right of and above the glove box. The underseat storage is big enough for a full face helmet and maybe other small items. The glovebox is tiny as one side is occupied by the battery. The other small compartment is also tiny and DOES NOT LOCK which makes it less than useful.

Weather protection is probably average for this type of machine and in common with most other models the hands are fairly exposed.

The cockpit is nicely laid out all controls are accessible with gloved hands except for the high beam switch which I find a bit of a stretch.

There is a temperature gauge, fuel guage, digital clock and of course a speedometer which has 2 trip meters. There is however no tachometer, this does seem to be the trend with variomatic bikes.

There is a mechanism for locking the rear brake for parking. I would have liked this to have been lockable as an extra security measure.

I have been getting tips and asking questions on the alt.scooter newsgroup. I was concerned at the amount of brake dust deposited on the rear wheel of the Burgman and a strange noise when braking.

I returned the bike to the dealer who said that with only 300mls on the clock the brakes will still be bedding in. This was confirmed by a couple of people on the newsgroup but various theories were put forward for the strange noise which others also experienced on braking. I now believe the noise not to be caused by the rear brake as it also occurs when braking only with the front brake. So it would appear to be the front brake. This is strange because I would have thought the problem was with the rear brake as this is the one deposi
ting dust all over the wheel, but it seems this is common to Burgmans so I am not really concerned.

I have also wrapped the battery in some cloth and wedged it back into the glovebox as it just sits there not secured by anything and is free to rattle around. This could account for some reports of clunks at the front when going over bumps.

I have cruised it at 75mph and the bike had no problems at all. It was a breezy day and the wind was making itself felt. Crosswinds do seem to affect the Burgman quite badly and a feeling of insecurity does tend to come over me (perhaps it's my age). Acceleration is very good and there always seems to be plenty of throttle left to do what ever you like.

The Burgman now has over 1,000mls on the clock and is fully run-in. It cruises quite happily at 75mph and would probably be happy at 80 although there is a low "hum" from the engine which starts at about 80mph. It does not sound bad just different. For me 75mph with ample throttle left for quick overtaking is just fine.

We had a rather vicious thunder storm here two days ago and although I was not riding the Burgman it was out in it. I have not seen rain and hailstones like it for many years. However no water entered the storage under the seat and all my gear was dry. A small amount did enter the small storage compartment but not enough to cause concern and this was exceptional weather.

The suspension is about right for the machine, reasonble on urban roads and also OK for quick twisty roads. Pillion passergers have complained that the seat is too long and they tend to slide about on the bike making them feel a little insecure.