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Those darn MPG estimates – Suzuki reports officially

What’s the deal with those goofy scooter mileage estimates, anyhow?

ScooterMaxi.com gets that question every now and then, and the folks at Suzuki might rightfully be getting an earful soon. We had a little conversation with American Suzuki Motor Corp. Communications Manager Glenn Hansen immediately after he returned home to southern California riding a Burgman 650 Executive round-trip from the races at Laguna Seca in Monterey. Hey, smart cookie: Glenn surely had his pick of a Boulevard 109C RT or even (if slightly crazed) a Hayabusa, but instead he went with the high-end Big Maxi for the cruise.

Hansen was enthused to report back his mileage estimates on the 650 for the 900-mile trek. (Wouldn’t that get just a tad tiring on a Hayabusa?) The 100-mile stretch on the Coast Highway, using mostly power mode to pass slow moving RVs and Grand Caravans, kept mileage down around 44 mpg. Encountering roughly 100 miles in exurb LA traffic resulted in a terrific 62 mpg estimate, Hansen reports. Overall for the trip, he averaged 49 mpg. By the way, Glenn was pretty well weighed down by the extra stuff you’d normally carry on a several-day trip.

At left, time to punt on those Suzuki Burgman 650 Executive numbers: 44, 62, 49, 38 - hut, hut. 

Most of us are aware that official auto gas mileage estimates based on unrealistic federal testing guidelines result in some pretty hard-to-believe numbers compared to real-world conditions. Perhaps the most out-of-whack estimates are found on the Toyota Prius. Funny thing, though, about those occasional official estimates we see for MaxiScooters and motorcycles – they seem to come out lower than you would ever expect.

And so it is with the newly arrived factory-approved numbers for the Suzuki Burgman line. The official line is 38.1 mpg for the Burgman 650 and 56.4 mpg for the Burgman 400. Apparently they pulled one of the race-team guys off of his Hayabusa to arrive at those estimates. “Of course, I did better on my ride on the 650, but our factory (and legal department) gave us these ‘public’ estimates,” Hansen dutifully reported. And we couldn’t agree more with Glenn’s last comment, “Your mileage may vary.”

By the way, based on a variety of information and reader feedback we have received, the ScooterMaxi.com mileage estimate for the Burgman 400 has been revised slightly upward to “close to 60 mpg typical.” We have updated numbers for the Burgman 650, as well, covering the range from "upper 40s to low 50s mpg." Just remember Glenn’s last comment.

SYM Citycom is just around the corner

The gap between 250cc scooters in the Middleweight Maxis category and the touring-capable Big Maxis will narrow soon in the U.S.

Arrival of the SYM Citycom 300i in dealerships in the next few weeks has been confirmed, and ScooterMaxi.com will be among the first to review the new model. We want to find out for ourselves if the new 263cc power plant truly qualifies as a step above the 250cc class.

Why has SYM offered a model only 12cc larger than the 251cc engine on the RV 250?

Well, they say more than size matters. SYM already has a reputation for strong engines, largely attributable to the four-valve, four-stroke single-cylinder designs implemented on the RV 250 and the gutsy 16-horsepower 171cc engine offered on the popular HD 200. With the more-advanced Citycom, SYM implements electronic fuel injection for the first time.

Light touring credentials come with the 16” wheels front and rear, 59-inch wheelbase, heftier disc brakes, and a tall, upward-curved windscreen. With a fuel capacity of 2.6 gallons, the Citycom sacrifices some range for those larger wheels. Bottom line, you’ll find many differences between the two models providing choices that go well beyond engine size considerations.

From our perspective, we’re glad to see the U.S. finally getting some scooter models that fill in the gap between 250cc and 400cc. More riders are looking for versatile transportation that delivers clean burning characteristics and excellent mileage out of every gallon of gas. The SYM Citycom 300i appears directly aimed at the ever-growing number of those scooterists.