Introduction
What is a scooter? The traditional definition centres around an underbone chassis, an engine placed next to the rear wheel, and a complete twist-and-go ability.
But, if you commute in a congested city like Mumbai, which is currently being turned upside down courtesy construction of the metro, a few new flyovers, and concretisation of roads, a scooter needs to means more. It needs to epitomise comfort, ease of riding, and a stress-free commute.
After having ridden the Burgman Street in the city for a month and nearly 700km, we think it comes pretty close to that.
The good bits
When it comes to comfort, especially if you take over an hour and half to cover less than 40km, you need good ergos and a comfy seat. The Burgman has a large, cushy and comfortable seat. I spent over two hours on it once, and it didn’t leave me with a sore behind.
As for the ergos, taller riders will not like it much. Using the floorboard will cause the handlebar to foul with their knees. Sure, using the apron to rest their feet sorts this issue, but it still doesn’t make for comfortable seating. For me, though, the seating ergos work perfectly. I stand at around five feet, nine inches.
With the feet on the floorboard, I do lose some of the thigh support from the seat, but it gives me leverage over poor roads. But, with my feet up on the apron, thighs are well supported, my legs are relaxed, and I don’t have to hold on to the handlebar for dear life. Overall, it takes away the weariness from my daily commute.
Now, putting the feet up does restrict what I can and what I cannot carry on the floorboard. But, that underseat storage, doesn’t just hold my riding gear – barring the full-face helmet, it can also hold my laptop, my lunchbox, my coffee mug, and my magazines. No more do I need to lug my backpack around.
We also like the ride quality. The suspension, both front and back, has been set up soft. And, it has decent travel. So, over rumblers, road joints, poorly re-laid tarmac, and even rippled sections of the road, the Burgman doesn’t shake, bounce or feel skittish; it handles it all with poise.
The not so good bits
The soft suspension setup does have its shortcomings, though. Take the Burgman over a deep pothole or a pronounced step in the road – like you have when poorly laid tarmac sections connect with a concretised road - and the front of the Street tends to bottom out. It could also do with more bite for the front disc brake setup.
Then there’s the 10-inch rear wheel. It doesn’t significantly affect the way the Burgman rides, handles or brakes. And, it helps liberate more room in the underseat storage area. But, visually, especially with so much bodywork extending beyond it, it does look odd. And this is something that eight year olds in my building have pointed out as well.
Next update
Next month, we will try and put some highway miles on the Burgman Street. We know, it’s only a 125cc scooter, and it is primarily designed for the city. But, we still want to try out the maxi-scooter feel. And what better way to do that than to take a road trip on it. No, matter how short.
Bike Stats
Odometer: 908km
Kilometres this month: 765km
Fuel Efficiency: 46.8kmpl
Gallery
1/5
Suzuki Burgman Street 125
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