All the Duels – Face to face Honda 600 Silverwing – Suzuki Burgman 650: maximum pleasure among maxiscooters? – The Honda in town … and the Suzuki everywhere else

Face to face Honda 600 Silverwing – Suzuki Burgman 650: maximum pleasure in maxiscooters ?

All the Duels - Face to face Honda 600 Silverwing - Suzuki Burgman 650: maximum pleasure among maxiscooters? - The Honda in town ... and the Suzuki everywhere else

In the shadow of the 500 Tmax, the Suzuki Burgman 650 and the Honda 600 Silver Wing are attracting more and more bikers, including – above all? – in winter. What are the reasons for this success ? Comparative test of two competitors with very different qualities.

The Honda in town … and the Suzuki everywhere else

The Silverwing is undoubtedly a city dweller: for a 250 kg machine, it weaves its way through traffic with disconcerting ease. Its excellent turning radius and light steering manage to make people forget its oversized 1,595mm wheelbase (identical to the Burgman), while its twin-cylinder delivers a formidable punch that makes you do the hole shot almost at any fire, the whole thing. with a very appreciable sound !

From the top of its 50 hp, its engine offers a powerful and linear acceleration but also good times and an appreciable flexibility. If it were less bulky, the Burgman would also be very pleasant in town. The smoothness of its transmission and the smoothness of its engine are a treat as long as the traffic is fluid. Unfortunately, in a congested city center, you quickly find yourself stuck by the measurements of the beast. And even when retracting the electric mirrors, the Suzuki remains very wide from the front as from the rear..

On the other hand, as soon as the horizon emerges, the Burgman valiantly takes the lead at all levels: comfort, protection, performance but above all handling! When you escape the city and the pace picks up, the Silverwing is indeed less at ease..

In urban areas, where relatively little is done on the cycle part of a machine – apart from a few furious people! -, Honda’s weaknesses go almost unnoticed. On the other hand, they become glaring when the speed increases, when taking angles or on a degraded surface..

More than 60% of the 250 kg of the machine being on the rear, the front axle offers an insecure guidance which commits to winding more than to attack. The too soft fork makes the steering blurry and dives excessively during hard braking. As is often the case on scooters, the rear axle is too firm … And as the rear rim, fitted with a 150 mm wide tire, is only 13 inches in diameter, traction is quickly taken. faulty on bumpy or greasy roads.

Suddenly, the pilot sitting between this too soft front and this too hard rear does what he can to maintain clean trajectories … at a senator’s pace! It is all the more unfortunate that in addition, the Honda twin is really pleasant and efficient. It accelerates without slackening up to 170 km / h, then takes a little longer to hook up to the 180-185 counter, without however keen on these speeds..

Despite a simple front disc, braking is fortunately brilliant and very safe: ABS is forgotten and CBS (which combines the rear brake with the front brake) ensures very pleasant and healthy slowing down.

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