Review: 2015 Suzuki Burgman 200

When I was offered the keys to Suzuki’s Burgman 200 a smile came across my face, to say the least. I rang my sister Mandy and told her to grab her gear, “We are going for a test ride on a scooter.” There was silence on the other end of the phone and after a moment she said, “What, it has two seats?” ‘Yes,’ I laughed, ‘Scooters have two seats…’

The first thing I noticed when I sat on the scooter was how deceiving it is in size, it is much smaller than it looks. I put this down to the appearance of the distinctively large seat. The seat is 735mm high and the narrow contouring at the front made it easy to get both feet on the ground. At 162cm tall – or should I say short – leg room for me was no concern. However for taller riders the floorboards allow room to adjust your feet in any position.

While we rode from one end of King Street to the other, we arrived quicker than the bus and I am guessing cheaper. Lane splitting through the traffic was effortless and a breeze coming from driving a car regularly. Riding around the city on the Burgman 200, I had a mixed opinion. I didn’t get the normal head nods and hand waves that I was accustomed to on a motorcycle. Then it occurred to me, scooter riders are happily focused on just getting from A to B.

The 41L under-seat storage held two full-face helmets and my sister wanted to test the space. She has a 15inch laptop and transporting this is a necessity for her. The under-seat compartment fits a spare helmet, laptop and small bag. We were both satisfied that the storage compartment is more than adequate for everyday commuting or an overnight bag. The 12V power outlet in one of the two front storage compartments is also ideal for a mobile phone or GPS.

After introducing my new ride to friends in Newtown and leaving my sister behind it was time to head down the freeway. This is where the liquid-cooled fuel injected 200cc single came in handy. Sitting on speeds of 90-110km/h was smooth and for a brief moment I forgot I was on a scooter. The vented duct at the bottom of the tall windscreen also helped prevent any serious head wind.

I also found the 13in front and 12in rear wheel large enough for the freeway and still small enough for manoeuvrability in tight narrow streets.

Pulling into a service station with the fuel gauge flashing on one bar, the 10.5L fuel tank took only $10 to fill, which was another bonus. Because of the location of the fuel tank, the centre of gravity is also down low, making the 161kg weight easy to manage, even for smaller riders.

Like most scooters the centre stand is standard, a great feature for uneven ground and easy parking
Heading home I noticed the instrument cluster was easy to read both day and night and when it was time to park, the scooter’s narrow 740mm width was easy to manoeuvre past the side of the car to get into the garage.

The Suzuki Burgman 200 is $5,490, plus on road costs, and being a 200cc model in NSW falls into the cheapest registration category making it very good value to keep on the road. With its quality finish and sporty design getting from around easily and in style is a way of life.

SPECIFICATIONS: 2015 Suzuki Burgman 200

suzuki.com.au

PRICE: $5,490 + ORC
WARRANTY: 12-month, unlimited kilometre
COLOURS: Cool Silver
CLAIMED POWER: 13.3kW[18.1hp]@8000rpm
CLAIMED TORQUE: 17Nm[12.5ft-lbs] WET WEIGHT: 161kg
FUEL CAPACITY: 10.5L
ENGINE: Liquid-cooled, single-cylinder, four-stroke, SOHC, EFI
SEAT HEIGHT: 735mm
WHEELBASE: 1465mm
SUSPENSION: Telescopic, coil spring forks, dual rear coil spring shocks
BRAKES: 240mm front rotor, twin-piston caliper, 240mm rear rotor, single-piston caliper
WHEELS: 110/90 – 13, 130/70 – 12
INSTRUMENTS: Analogue speedometer and tachometer, digital central display