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November 13, 2006
Suzuki has a cool scooter
There is an old joke among motorcyclists about riding a scooter that isn't suitable for a newspaper. But the punch line is, "It might be fun, but you wouldn't want your friends to see you on one."
And so I felt some trepidation when I agreed to ride Suzuki's Burgman 400 for a week.
The Burgman, like many modern scooters, is a sleek number with more plastic than pizzazz, and though it is far more powerful, comfortable and reliable than, say, a vintage Vespa, it is nowhere near as cool. That's why you don't see them parked six deep outside hipster bars in the Mission.
Such thoughts vanished faster than oil from an old Triumph as I zipped through each day's commute on the road-going equivalent of a Barcalounger, smiling all the while knowing -- thanks to the big digital gauge smack in the middle of the instrument cluster -- I was getting 46 mpg.
Of course, motorcyclists aren't the target audience. The Burgman is aimed at urban commuters looking for reliable and comfortable transportation for a reasonable price, and it might be just the ticket for them. It's easy to ride, it goes forever on a tank of gas, it's freeway legal and it carries a ton of stuff.
Link.
Posted by Frank at November 13, 2006 1:55 AM
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