Staff blog: Burgman v Tmax: the jury's out

One or two readers have commented that they doubt the Burgman 650 is as good as some other big scooters out there, like Yamaha’s Tmax or BMW’s C600 Sport. This week I’ll be finding out.

 

I’m doing a group test of six big scooters, also including the Honda Integra, Aprilia SRV850 and BMW C650GT.

 

I’ll be doing my 160-mile commute on each of them over the coming days, and taking them all to a test track.

 

Last night I rode home on the Tmax, which is so different to the Burgman 650 I think it belongs in a different class.

 

It feels much smaller. It’s like getting on a 300cc scooter after the Burgman. I don’t think it’s as fast in a straight line but the handling is much sharper. On the Burgman, even sweeping bends can feel a bit wobbly at high speed. The Tmax feels totally composed. It handles like a motorbike. It’s a genuinely sporty scooter. It might be more fun than the Burgman.

 

A considerable portion of luxury is lost though. There’s a lot less glove box space, room for only one full-face lid under the seat, no electric screen or mirrors, no power socket and no heated grips or seat. Consider it a hot hatch to the Burgman’s V8 estate. 

 

I think I’m going to split the six scooters into sport and touring classes for the test, and have a winner in each, as well as an overall champion.

 

You’ll have to wait until it’s printed on July 17 if you want to know whether I rate the Tmax above the Burgman. 

 

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