# Maxi Scooters



## MarkF (Jul 5, 2003)

I am thinking about buying one, maybe a Yamha (YP) Majesty, Suzuki Burgman, Honda (FES) Foresight etc.

I was riding in the dales today (nice waterways festival in Skipton) when I decided I was too old/lazy to be bothered with changing gear any more. Why aren't bikes all automatics by now? Changing gear is just too much effort.









Has anybody owned/ridden one?


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

I like Skipton...and it has a very nice castle.


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## Roger (May 17, 2003)

In this part of the world....the kids refer to them as "Pansy Tractors"


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## MarkF (Jul 5, 2003)

Silver Hawk said:


> I like Skipton...and it has a very nice castle.


Yes it has, it was very busy today with the festival, of which I knew nothing about. There were a lot of nicely decked out canal barges, morris dancing







and folk music














One stall had some owls, real live ones, they sat on my hand, no, really they did, I wish I'd had a camera, they were beautiful creatures. Lots of bikes there, a good day out.









Pansy tractors?


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## pauluspaolo (Feb 24, 2003)

I know someone who used to own a Suzuki Burgman (400cc version I think) & he liked it very much. Said it was fast enough for him, very stable & very comfortable with excellent weather protection. He also said it handled well & was effortless in traffic (since it's basically a big twist & go scooter) - in fact I'm not sure why he sold it really


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

I know of only one person who bought a Bergman.... he was about 35 and 20stone and a penny pinching IT contractor (what is it about IT contractors? they either drive a Scooby/Evo and spend like crazy or drive a van 'on the company' and never open their wallet at the pub??) who also had a vw polo van.... say no more! he liked how frugal it was and comfy etc. He also had a Pan European IIRC and a Serow trail bike... those other bikes in his stable kinda say a lot to me about the kind of person who buys a Bergman. ie. they ride within their limits for enjoyment of the days ride, not the thrill of the next corner; they are sensible and play within the realms of what they know they can acheive etc

IMHO its not a bike to ride the dales and switchback A roads... its more for nipping into town to pick up some milk (or bank your most recent company dividend














).

For some reason the bergman and its mates have a dowdy reputation and are not 'real' bikes, yet the Gilera 180 is... go figure!

The only scooter Ive owned was a Vespa 90 I bought for Â£25 without a piston. I fixed it up and flogged it back to the original owners dad for a huge profit (he made me an offer I couldnt refuse!), I hated the fact I had no bike between my knees and it just felt so unsafe to be sat 'on' it rather than 'in' it like a normal bike!


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## thorpey69 (Feb 8, 2006)

have ridden most of the scooters on the market,owned a 180 runner not long ago,they are very nippy but dont handle,also have a mint vespa px200 at work which i keep meaning to sell,the aprilia atlantic 500 rides really well and will cruise at 80mph in armchair like comfort,the only downside is the bulk of the things when they get up in the engine sizes,bergman 400 another good choice or maybe even the honda silverwing.

think that most of the manafacturers nowadays poduce a maxi scooter of one type or another ,dont be put of by the so called real bikers who put them down,they really are a good alternative to motorcycles in some situations and are great fun.

as for auto bikes,we converted a ktm supermoto to auto clutch a while back which was great when you got use to it,they are becoming popular for enduro and motocross machines.


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## MarkF (Jul 5, 2003)

thorpey69 said:


> have ridden most of the scooters on the market,owned a 180 runner not long ago,they are very nippy but dont handle,also have a mint vespa px200 at work which i keep meaning to sell,the aprilia atlantic 500 rides really well and will cruise at 80mph in armchair like comfort,the only downside is the bulk of the things when they get up in the engine sizes,bergman 400 another good choice or maybe even the honda silverwing.
> 
> think that most of the manafacturers nowadays poduce a maxi scooter of one type or another ,dont be put of by the so called real bikers who put them down,they really are a good alternative to motorcycles in some situations and are great fun.
> 
> as for auto bikes,we converted a ktm supermoto to auto clutch a while back which was great when you got use to it,they are becoming popular for enduro and motocross machines.


I'd like a PX too, I see prices are now rising.







Real bikers? You mean the Sunday dayglo guys?







They give me lots of amusement and the last thing I would care about is those looking down on me. 

I am having a ride on a Burgman 400 tomorrow, for sale locally, I'm looking forward to it. My neighbour does actually have a mint automatic Honda CB750 from the early '70's, I can remember an awful 400 automatic Dream but not a 750, must have been USA only.


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## pauluspaolo (Feb 24, 2003)

I vaguely remember the automatic Honda 400. Wasn't there an automatic Moto Guzzi 1000 back in the 70's/80's as well







??

Looking forward to hearing your report on the Burgman - will be interested to hear if you like it after years of riding "proper" bikes. As far as I'm concerned anything that's got an engine & 2 wheels is a proper bike!


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

So Mark, how was it?


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## Roger (May 17, 2003)

> So Mark, how was it?


A bit like this maybe??


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

Roger said:


> > So Mark, how was it?
> 
> 
> A bit like this maybe??


ahh the Ariel 3, the C5 of it`s time


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## MarkF (Jul 5, 2003)

It was weird, it was hard to get my enthusiasm up as it was pissing down.

Good points:-

Very comfy, I reckon you could ride until you fell asleep.

Great vision from the seat and mirrors.

Felt like a bike not a scooter.

Plenty of storage.

Exceptionally fast from standing, instant peak torque, I don't understand the principle but peak torque is available always at low speeds, great fun with no gears to worry about.

Bad points.

Exceptionally fast from standing, instant peak torque, I nearly took out the seller and his daughter when I came back up his drive.







Nearly impossible to ride smoothly at walking pace.

I felt just tad gay, just a bit, not gay like I was riding a Harley or anything but I don't think it's me.

I might or I might not buy it.









Here's one, what do you reckon, is it gay or not?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SUZUKI-BURGMAN-AN400...1QQcmdZViewItem


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

Have you considered one of these Mark?









C1


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

MarkF said:


> not gay like I was riding a Harley


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

I dont remember an suto 400 Super(wet)dream.... I had a normal one... it was crap. blue tank, silver back end... motad pipe (best bit of the thing til the outdoor cover melted onto it!)... it was circa 5years old and the frame was already rusted thru in lots of places and the tank needed soldering up thru rust at the lower edges... I paid Â£125 for it from a mature student girl at college who was steadily sleeping her way thru my class...







I sold it for 150 after I got an MOT on it to my mate who promptly had it stolen and he got 400 back on insurance! b'stard.

I also remember a mini 850 auto shoehorned into a bike frame... that looked like a bad idea to me even when I was 16!

So Mark... whats the plan... big scoot or just get a trail bike for town like the rest of us?


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## MarkF (Jul 5, 2003)

JonW said:


> I dont remember an suto 400 Super(wet)dream.... I had a normal one... it was crap. blue tank, silver back end... motad pipe (best bit of the thing til the outdoor cover melted onto it!)... it was circa 5years old and the frame was already rusted thru in lots of places and the tank needed soldering up thru rust at the lower edges... I paid Â£125 for it from a mature student girl at college who was steadily sleeping her way thru my class...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hi Jon, it was the original Dream not the Super wet one, I thought the first was better looking, anyway the 400 was definitely available as an auto. I was in London last week and saw plenty of Superdreams







They have disappeared oop north, just like Ford Sirerra's, one minute there everywhere, next, gone!









I'd like another trail bike, I had a Honda 650 Dommie, it was, by far, the most "fun" bike I have ever owned. I went to Amsterdam on it and the short 80 mile trip to the ferry was enough to give me severe arse pains. At one point on the M62 on my return I nearly started crying.











potz said:


> pg tips said:
> 
> 
> > MarkF said:
> ...


Took your time











mach 0.0013137 said:


> Have you considered one of these Mark?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Mac, I hate everything about it.


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## blackandgolduk (Apr 25, 2005)

MarkF said:


> Here's one, what do you reckon, is it gay or not?
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SUZUKI-BURGMAN-AN400...1QQcmdZViewItem


Not so much gay as a little bit bi?


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## oldfogey (Nov 29, 2005)

Who gives a **** what people who don't know you and / or haven't ever ridden one care?

It seems to be a decent ride (haven't tried one, can't comment) and does what you want. When I go to Le Mans each year, quite a bit of the ride is on a motorway, we're on fastish bikes (mine's a VFR800i) and I regularly see people one or two-up on the bigger Burgman-type scooters doing the whole journey in comfort and in decent times. Any traffic hold-ups and you go just as fast as any other two wheeler and they'll cruise happily at 80mph on motorways.

You pays your money, .....


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

MarkF said:


> JonW said:
> 
> 
> > I dont remember an suto 400 Super(wet)dream.... I had a normal one... it was crap. blue tank, silver back end... motad pipe (best bit of the thing til the outdoor cover melted onto it!)... it was circa 5years old and the frame was already rusted thru in lots of places and the tank needed soldering up thru rust at the lower edges... I paid Â£125 for it from a mature student girl at college who was steadily sleeping her way thru my class...
> ...


Ahh the prev 400 was before my time! lol.









Have you looked at any of the SM models? the Suzuki DR400zSM might be a goer? more fun to ride but needs more effort from the rider... 



oldfogey said:


> Who gives a **** what people who don't know you and / or haven't ever ridden one care?


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## MarkF (Jul 5, 2003)

JonW said:


> Ahh the prev 400 was before my time! lol.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Here's a pic of the auto, it has a certain style, I think so anyway, I won't ask for opinions unless it sets oldfogey off









I can't remember if the side panels say "Automatic" or "Hondamatic"










The DR is ideal, 350/400cc is the optimum size for a single but..........have you seen the seat







The only single I have seen with a comfy seat is the BMW F650 but it looks awful.


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## oldfogey (Nov 29, 2005)

To clarify my comment, it was about worrying about what other people would think when you rode it, specifically speculation about your sexuality!

I'm far too opinionated myself not to enjoy the sharing of opinions on forums like this!


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

Sweet Comstars on that Hondamatic... It looks cool, but would drive terrible I reckon... the later version wasnt my fave machine... and an early auto... hmmmm

er the DRz SM has an ok seat.... have u tried one?

Oldfogey...


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