‘Maxi-scooter’ essentially means – a touring scooter which usually comes equipped with higher capacity engines ranging from 250cc – 850cc. Although, for maxi-scooters, we get a multitude of options to choose from in the international market, here in India, the newly launched Suzuki Burgman Street currently enjoys a complete monopoly. Kinetic Motors had already tried to enter this segment of scooters in the past (2006) and failed miserably with the 165cc Kinetic Blaze. Since then it has been a forgotten trend rather than being a new one. Let’s hop on the all-new Suzuki Burgman Street and get to know the maxi-scooter up-close.
Design & Styling
The all-new Suzuki Burgman Street was first showcased earlier this year at the Auto-Expo and it had garnered a lot of attention for its design and styling. Though it’s not a true-blue touring scooter, at least it gives the feeling of a big scooter unlike the others on the road. The massive all-LED headlights don’t just look nice but also offers decent illumination at night and serves as DRL’s throughout the day. The quirky speedboat type handlebar is good to hold and is extremely comfortable even while commuting within the city during peak traffic. There is loads of storage space at the front as well as under the seat.
On the left side, there is a huge glovebox (not lockable) with a 12v charging socket and on the right side next to the multi-function key slot, there is a huge bottle holder of up to 2 litres. Under-seat storage is not illuminated but has a decent capacity of 21.5 liters (same as the Access 125), which Suzuki claims is the largest in the segment. We could easily fit in a small sized full faced helmet under the seat, but failed miserably when we tried to fit in a medium sized full faced helmet.
The Gixxer inspired digital console shows a host of information including fuel gauge, clock, two trip meters, speedometer, odometer and all the tell-tale lights. The switchgear is nice and clicky, the plastic quality is good, but misses out on the passing switch. The seat is XXL in size and width making it extremely comfortable for both the rider and the pillion with big or small tushies. The massive grabrail and the brilliant suspension just adds to the overall comfort.
The Burgman Street gets a flexible foot position; this allows you to stretch your legs out and place them on the angled footrests molded into the apron making the ride and the rider super comfortable on long hauls. Suzuki almost nailed it this time with the overall design, the only gripe being the small front wheel and the smaller rear wheel. The small wheels just look out of place on the Burgman and mess with the overall proportions.
Specifications & Performance
The all-new Suzuki Burgman Street shares the same platform with its sibling the Access 125. The underpinnings remain the same as well, it shares the same tried and tested 124cc single cylinder engine which pushes out 8.7bhp at 7000 RPM and churns out 10.2Nm of torque at 5000 RPM and is mated to a CVT transmission. The suspension also remains the same with telescopic forks up front and a hydraulic type at the rear.
The wheelbase remains same at 1265mm while the overall length is up by 10mm and the width is up by 20mm, all thanks to the maxi-scooter like bodywork. Even with the extra plastics and body panels, the Burgman weighs a meagre 6 kilograms (over the Access 125). The Burgman Street is just as quick and agile as the Access 125 if not more. The torque is immense at low speeds and evenly spread across the rev-range.
The scooter takes off quickly from a standstill and reaches speeds of up to 70 kph in no time. We could manage to hit a top whack of 104kph while coming down from a flyover. On a straight road, we could manage to hit only 98 kph with a lot of effort. Braking is good with a disc on the front wheel and drum at the rear, which helps bring the Burgman to a complete standstill effortlessly. Combi-brakes are now part of the package.
The fuel tank capacity is 5.6 liters and the Burgman gives an overall mileage of around 45 kmpl taking the overall tank range to over 250 kilometers. Overall the performance and mileage of the scooter are commendable. We could hardly stop ourselves from wringing the throttle in any and every given situation, be it the choc-o-bloc traffic or out on the open highway.
Verdict
The Burgman carves a niche for itself in the maxi-scooter segment with its stunning looks, practicality, comfortable, outstanding performance, backed by decent overall mileage of 45 kmpl makes it one of our favorite scooters in a long time. With a price tag of around Rs.85,000/- on-road Mumbai for the fully loaded Burgman, we are sure it’ll ruffle a few feathers in the industry amongst its competitors. Ignoring a few shortcomings like the small wheels compared to the rest of the body, no passing light switch, and no engine kill switch. We think it’s the best looking scooter in the 125cc segment and a very trendy one too.
