Two things have been common in my long rides in the past year.
A) The route of my long rides and
B) the mode of transit.
Now, I don’t know about the route part.
We can have a separate write-up some other time.
This article shall focus on the mode of transit.
As I write this article, the Burgman has been with me for roughly fourteen months and nearly 7000 kms. I feel that this maxi-scooter segment has a lot of potential in India because of the following reasons:
a) Practical to use (storage)
b) Decent fuel efficiency
c) Easy on your pocket (low maintenance)
d) Comfortable to ride (handling and suspension)
e) Engine
f) Looks
What I shall try to do is to present my Burgman concerning the above-mentioned five aspects as I believe these are the key aspects when owning a two-wheeler (a non-geared one to be precise).
a) Storage: Let’s deal with the practicality part first. The Burgman has decent storage options. In the front, you get a couple of storage options to keep your mobile phone and a half-a-litre bottle. You also get a mobile charging socket to charge your electronic devices. The under-seat storage capacity of 21.5 litres is plenty enough for your usual nicknacks. For reference, I keep a toolkit, a helmet, a microfiber cloth, a WD40 spray (small one), a bottle of water, and a poncho (I don’t know why) at all times in the underseat storage. The storage suffices and covers me for most of my trips and day-to-day driving.
b) Fuel efficiency: Fuel efficiency depends on a lot of factors, the most important being your riding style. I am a sedate rider and mainly ride in the range of 40 to 50 kmph. With these kinds of speeds, the Burgman has been kind to me considering that I am heavily built and weigh to the north of a ton. I couple this speed with engine breaking and careful riding which ensures that I get an average fuel economy of 42 to 44 kmpl in the city and anywhere between 45 to 48 kilometres to a litre when out on the highway. The 125cc engine has a very linear power delivery and there is no sudden surge in acceleration which also aids in achieving these decent fuel efficiency figures. Overall, I am satisfied with the fuel efficiency figures that I am getting as of now.
c) Easy on your pocket (Low maintenance): The Burgman in the past fourteen months has been very economical to maintain. I have not had anything except routine oil and air filter changes made. All the periodic services have been done at the dealership from where I purchased the Burgman. Usual services are in the vicinity of 800 to 1000 bucks. I have purchased an Annual Maintenance Contract which has four routine services, nitrogen air filling and two washes for a total of 1200 bucks for one year. Only consumables which require changes shall be charged extra and that too with a discount on labour and consumables. I believe these services are very reasonable and pocket-friendly.
d) Comfortable to ride (handling and suspension): The Burgman is a comfortable scooter. The seat is nice and wide with spot-on cushioning for city commutes. During my time with the Burgman, I found that the suspension is a tad bit on the stiffer side and you will have to tackle the bad or broken roads in a very gentle manner. While the stiff suspension is something that not everyone will like, I, with my previous experience know that when the roads smooth out and are full of twists and turns, the Burgman does a very good job of keeping the rider satisfied with its semi-sporting potential (the wheels are the spoiler here). Also, the chassis is pretty good at the job of making the Burgman flickable and traffic-filter friendly. The overall dynamics of the Burgman are thus more enjoyable to those who love a little bit of sportiness.
e) Engine: The engine of the Burgman is a refined one. The 124.7 cc mill displaces around 8.6 bhp and 10 nm of torque. Power delivery is very linear with little to no urgency displayed in accelerating. It takes its own sweet time to settle into a cruise and I am okay with it. Mind you, if you are someone who likes the acceleration to be like Activa, you’d be disappointed. I reached a top speed of 72 kmph before I felt that the tyres were not supporting the vehicle dynamically. Also, I felt that my generous body frame was a deterrent to any more climb in the speed.
f) Looks: This is one of my favourite parts of this review. The Burgman looks (except for the tyres) decently bigger than the competition. The stretched-out footboard and a long wheelbase lend the Burgman proper grown-up maxi scooter presence. The Burgman is a good buy for those who are generous in frame. In my view, the matt black colour lends a mean character to the Burgman. While looks are subjective, what feels good are the second glances that I’ve often encountered while out on the streets. Not that the Burgman is uncommon, it’s just that the presence and the LED lighting in combination make it stand out from the usual sea of similar-looking scooters.
While these aspects have ensured that I am satisfied with my purchase, I still feel that I need to rant about a few things and pray that someday manufacturers do understand that we Indians as consumers have evolved and that when we say we need a maxi-scooter, we actually intend a maxi-scooter.
The ranty bits please:
a) External fuel filling is something that I miss. I feel that getting down and opening the underseat storage for fueling is a bit inconvenient especially when the competition has an external fuel filling facility at a lower price bracket.
b) The lighting though LED, is a bit weak and would be great to have a brighter set of lights if you are looking to take this on long tours. I do this cautiously when going on long rides.
c) Only the headlamp unit is LED. Would be great to have an all-LED setup for the lights.
d) The windscreen is virtually non-usable and has no real purpose. At least something to deflect the wind must be installed. Sure, there are aftermarket parts, but they are not as good as the company-fitted ones when it comes to quality.
Keep in mind, it is also a bit inconvenient to clean it properly.
e) It’s time to move that maxi-scooter aura to the under-seat storage as well. The Jupiter, for example, has done an excellent job of maximizing the under-seat storage and the Burgman must take cues from it.
f) It is a more premium offering in the 125 segment when compared to the competition, but it does not have anything that denotes premium in the segment. The switch gear, build quality, fit and finish levels are all strictly average.
g) Some parts have shown that it is prone to rusting early on if not cared for.
h) Fit and finish needs to improve a lot.
To sum it up then, the Burgman even with its share of shortcomings is still a good attempt in the maxi-scooter segment as it has at the very least tried to place a product in the maxi-scooter segment with all its positives in terms of fuel efficiency, economical ownership and ability to cruise freely with decent luggage carrying capacity while others have been playing safe with its conservative offerings.
No product is complete in today’s times and this also presents an opportunity for the Burgman to better itself in the coming iterations to truly become a premium offering.
Thanks for reading!
