Suzuki Burgman 400 (AN400) reviews

I HAVE OWNED MANY NOTORCYCLES AND THIS ONE IS UP THERE AT THE VERY TOP OF THE LIST!!! NO COMPLAINTS AND MY WIFE AND I LOVE DAY AND NIGHT CRUISES ON IT. PROVIDES RAPID ACCELERATION AND AN EXTREMELY COMFORTALE RIDE. ONLY COMPLAINT, WISH IT CAME WITH A STEREO!!!

I had my doubts when my even-larger 80-year-old Dad decided he was going to buy the Burgman 400. Not having seen it myself as yet, I feared that it would inevitably be cramped, underpowered, noisy, cheaply built, destined to break down constantly -- essentially dangerous --particularly where my Dad's safety is concerned. Those fears were misplaced. The Burgman 400 is BIG, fabulously roomy (it even has space under the seat for 2 to 3 bags of groceries), with plenty of 'round-town power, quiet, smooth, reliable (so far), and ridiculously easy to ride safely. I don't really know about the gas mileage. I hear it's pretty good though. Over all this thing is a beast!!!! I would recommend it to all of you riders looking for easy and cheap transportation.

I just got into bikes last year, so I decided to get one this summer and all I have to say is "I LOVE IT"! This bike has even put a great impression on other bike riders. It is easy running still at 90 mph. A real charmer and easy to manage bike. It runs about 170 miles per tank at 3.5 gal capacity. Once again... I AM LOVING IT! And I am sure you would too.

Here is the deal, the Burgman can: Carry a lot under the seat including... - 4 plastic bags of groceries, a purse and two gallons of milk. - 2 cases of canned beer, with a couple of sweatshirts. - Everything to tune-up my lawn tractor, a trip to the CD store and a stop to pick up a pair of shoes, 2 pairs of jeans and four shirts. - A rolling type carry-on suit case. Go up to 100 mph. Carry my wife and I with enough stuff under the seat to go away for the weekend and still cruise at 75+ MPH (actually hit 85+ no problem). Averages 65+ MPG. How many bikes can you do all of this and still be able to charge your cell phone? Great machine!

My wife and I liked it so much that we bought 2. The ride is smooth and acceleration is excellent for it's meager 400cc size. The bike is easy to lean in corners and very nimble. This bike turns more heads than a $30,000 Harley. I can't wait to take it out on some twisty mountain roads. Riding with a tandum is not a problem either for speed and take-off, though this is with a 12 year old and not an adult. The downside for the AN400 is the lack of Suzuki or aftermarket accessories for this first year thoroughbred. I am sure that this aspect will get better as it has a pretty strong following to date. The AN400 is the perfect bike for the weekend cyclist, the new motorcyclist, the ladies, or the urban commuter.

This bike is awesome. It's turning heads everywhere I go. I love the performance of this scooter. It has nice torque through all ranges. I got out on the Interstate for a cruise, and passed other cars with ease. I can't say enough good things about this scooter. It has great handling, braking, gas mileage, and storage. Very roomy and comfortable. Extremely fun to drive. Go and get one. Do not delay!!! A great bang for your buck.

I have had my 400 for almost 1 year. After having a Helix for 6 years with 38,000 miles on it, the 400 is light years ahead for handling and comfort.I also have a beautiful Honda 1989 mint PC 800. It's always very hard to decide which one is more fun to drive. I did change the stock windshield for the larger give. Many times in a day I will ride 300 t0 400 miles and the 400 is the best. The only down side is if you are going to do all of your own maintainance, the 400 can be a bear taking off all of that plastic. I am very satisfied with the 400 and would not give a second thought to buy another one. With the 400 you have it all.

The 400 did great on a trip from my home in Paris, AR to Williams, AZ and the Grand Canyon. Had a horrible head wind most of the time while traveling west. The scooter handled this just fine but the MPG dropped to 56. My mileage overall was 67 for the almost 2600 mile trip. The top speed is about 90 mph. It is sometimes a bit more or less depending on the terrain and conditions. After completing this trip, I have only praise for this scooter. It seems just about the perfect ride if you're going to have just one. I also own the Burgman 650. And I just traded in a Reflex toward the Burgman 400.

...I did a trade-in on another HONDA before I had a chance to test ride this! -- You see, for all of the glowing reviews being bandied about regarding Honda's "REFLEX" (including a few kudos of my own), the 2001 model I traded my '99 CN-250 "Helix" in on (because I had always wanted my Helix in black, which was the color for 2001, but it was also supposedly Helix's final year run and production was cut back considerably so that no '01 models were ever shipped to our local dealerships) was apparently the only "lemon" in the crate of tangerines. For the two and a half years of my owning it and riding it almost on a daily basis, my NSS-250 "Reflex" had this NASTY habit of repeatedly draining the life out of my battery, and nobody could tell me why... so when the vampire most recently sucked my battery dry again, these last couple of times while I was at work where it did so TWICE IN ONE WEEK (the first time during what was at the time the second worst storm of the year 2003) I realized I could overlook the problem no longer and had to make the necessary move to get rid of it (with sad regrets, because I really did find much to like about that bike). -- So while shopping around for a potential replacement (and growing very tired of getting held captive and pressure cooked by our Kawasaki/Harley dealership) I decided to give the Honda dealership down the street a look-see, and to my surprise the "Helix" was back in production after a two year absence. Still not wanting to make any decisions right away, I visited the Suzuki dealership in town to inquire primarily about the "GZ-250" for '04 (which I was also considering back in 1999 before I decided on my "Helix" purchase) and I was greeted with another surprise... Suzuki was finally marketing the "BURGMAN" in the U.S. (I had been told around the time I bought the "Reflex" that Suzuki was only producing the "Burgman" for the European market.) -- At the time, however, they only had the AN-650 'Burger King' in the showroom, but I instantly fell in love with it at first sight, despite its excessive gadgetry. All of the sales and management staff at the dealership were so confident about the 'Burger King' that they insisted that I take it out for a "NO OBLIGATIONS" test ride... and I fell even MORE in love with it, despite its excessive gadgetry and bulky seating arrangement. The price was going to put me in the hole big time, but I was about ready to chance it... until I got quoted (and later confirmed) the cost for insurance coverage which, curiously, was roughly the same as what my insurance company would have wanted had I decided on Kawasaki's "Ninja 250"... and I'd decided that $700+ a year for a $3300 motorcycle was definitely not worth the effort. So, sad to say, I went back to the CN-250 "Helix" and took what they had in stock (an ugly bright yellow on black 'bumblebee'), because I needed something right then and I could not afford to wait for my desired color (either 'pearl white' or my originally desired solid black) to arrive "special order." -- No sooner did I drive the '04 "Helix" off the lot that I SEVERELY REGRETTED the decision (it was like taking a MAJOR step back down), so I made up my mind that I was going to spend a couple of weeks with the purchase before returning to Suzuki to trade in the 'bumblebee' for the 'Burger King,' despite its excessive gadgetry and bulky seating arrangement and steep price tag and high insurance costs. -- So when I walked back into the showroom two weeks later, I was pleasantly surprised to see the "Burgman" was still there. But then I noticed something odd about it... it was almost solid black in color (the one I test rode was silver on black). Then I noticed something else odd... it was not alone; it had a silver on black twin just a few feet away from it. Then I noticed the oddest thing of all... it was a lot smaller than I had remembered, the headlight arrangement was all wrong, the fairing mounted mirrors were gone, and the LCD digital dashboard had been replaced with analog indicators. The 'Burger King' I had test ridden had been sold, but the dealership got in an unexpected shipment of the 'Whopper Jr.' ...the AN-400! -- Since I was already determined to trade off the newly purchased "Helix" for the AN-650, I figured I should at least take the opportunity to test ride the 400, which I was unable to do earlier due to its not being available during that earlier visit. -- Not only did I find the 'Whopper Jr.' sportier looking and, for the most part, more "user friendly" than the 'Burger King,' but I am almost convinced that it has a much better ride than the 650, despite the fact that the 400 operates on a 'single cylinder' engine, compared to the 650's 'twin cylinder.' -- In comparison to the "Reflex," the King's little sister's handling is a bit more difficult and does not respond quite as freely, her rear end does not handle speed bumps (or anything similar to speed bumps) in any sort of fashion that doesn't jar your nerves unless you literally ease yourself over them, that freaky headlight arrangement still takes some getting used to (by me, anyway), and "Reflex" does actually score a couple of points here and there for a somewhat sportier body design, but overall the "Burgman 400" is King! (...Or, in the case of the 400, "Prince") More storage space (greater number of options as well as greater capacity), brighter lights, clearer displays, greater passenger comfort, outlandishly smoother ride (especially at the slower speeds in the initial acceleration gears), gentler idling, less jerky downshifting, better balance, wider range of foot placement, more comfortable & secure seating, and more security & safety features than the "Reflex" could possibly even dream of, as well as a strategically located parking brake lever, a fuel injection system, and a windshield that is NOT designed to decapitate or cause the blindness of its rider as "Reflex's" seems to be designed to do. -- I have only three real complaints about the "Burgman 400"... [1] the "speed bump" issue I've just mentioned, [2] the fuel gauge takes much too long to indicate tank volume levels (you actually have to ride it for a few minutes before the indicator lets you know what you're riding with, whereas "Helix" and "Reflex" would show you what was going on as soon as you switched the power on), and [3] the lack of a traditional "analog" odometer, substituting it instead with one of the purely "digital" variety which eliminates any indication of distances traveled in "tenths" of miles: Everything else beyond that is more or less nitpicking over certain aesthetic qualities (like how much I would love to have the integrated faring-mounted mirrors of the 650). -- Anyone who is seriously considering Honda's "Helix" or "Reflex" and who thinks that they just might be able to push their budget a few extra hundred dollars should seriously consider the "Burgman 400" as a viable alternative! I would even go so far as to suggest that anyone interested in the 650 'Burger King' should without a doubt take the 'Whopper Jr.' for a test spin too... you may find that you'll get many of the same features in a more compact package at a much more reasonable price.

I have had this Burgman for about 5 months. I put on about 1500 miles. I drive smoothly and fast solo. If you have another adult behind you it is a little tough to take off but when on freeway feels very good. Looks great and it will turn peoples heads when they see it. They come up to me and ask what kind and how fast. Speaking of fast if you are solo on the freeway I reached 95 miles per hour. Over all I love to commute so most of the time I am a solo driver. Go and Buy one.