On a recent trip to Southern Spain I was staggered by the amount of scooters there were around, writes John Gilbride.
In most European countries two-wheeled tiddlers are de-rigueur, everyone and his aunt rides one and every teenage kid on the block can be seen sporting the very latest in designer clothing and trying to out-do one another with the ultimate in hi-tech scooters from manufacturers all over the world.
Foreign kids are given a crash helmet at birth and a set of wheels almost as soon as they can walk, scooter riding is part of life for street-corner kids all over the world. Not so in Britain.
Although we are slowly catching on to the pleasure and convenience of getting around on mini two-wheelers, the scooter is nothing like as popular as an everyday mode of transport. What is proving to be a hit however is the 'super-scoot', which is basically a big daddy body on small wheels. The Suzuki version of the super-scoot is the Burgman, a single-cylinder liquid-cooled, fully faired automatic which comes in either 400cc or for the purpose of this test the 250cc.
The Burgman first arrived on these shores back in 1998 and received high praise from motorcycling journos as being a handy gadabout for town work as well as a competent long distance tool.
The first thing you notice about the Burgman is its size. The bulbous fairing and long wheelbase cast a doubt over its ability as a jam-busting alternative.
How can something this big possibly nip in and out of four wheel queues . . . well believe me it does.
It may be big but it's a well thought out design and all doubts disappear as soon as you bump it off the stand and sit on its spacious comfy seat.
Press the starter button and the engine hums below, so quiet you have to check it's running, twist the throttle and off you go. No clutch or gears to worry about, keep the gas on and the single-cylinder engine will purr its way around town sliding nimbly into the smallest gap.
But the Burgman can handle more than just city traffic. On the open road, it hits the legal limit very quickly and with a surprising amount of protection from the fairing it would seem that all the praise and claims of the superscoot's ability as a long-distance tourer should be believed.
The motor is quite torquey and the linked braking system and stable handling conspire to inspire confidence for novice and veteran alike.
The superscoot was designed to appeal to the city slicker businessman or woman needing to thread their way through traffic from office to client without the worry of creasing their Armani and Gucci gear with leather jeans and jacket.
It's a lifestyle machine that's just as happy commuting as it is touring, although the more pokey 400cc version would be better for the latter.
All you need is a waterproof oversuit and you could go anywhere. There's enough space under the seat for a full face helmet, a briefcase or even a couple of days' shopping and a lockable compartment in the front fairing takes care of your valuables.
The Burgman is a whole lot of fun-bike for the money, it trashes the public transport alternatives and as 'point and squirt' scooters go, it's better than any I've ridden. It's so user-friendly you could trust your granny on it. On the road price is £3,900.
Story date: Wednesday 16 February
Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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