Motorcycle Adventures

2008 Suzuki Burgman 650 Executive

Price
Price: $8450 OBO
Don’t forget to look at the amazing list of additional and standard features!  This is not an ordinary scooter or bike!

Call: 604.837.5794 (please note, emails can often be returned much faster than phone calls)
Skype: al.gauthier
email: al@motorcycleadventures.info

Why am I selling?
Some time in the summer of of 2010 we are moving to Australia.  Because of this I need to sell my loved Burgman. In fact, once we get to Australia, I’ll be buying another Burgman 650 and adding on all of the accessories I’ve added here.  It’s my perfect machine.

I spent months researching the Burgman.  I wanted something I could commute with that had enough space to carry groceries and my laptop, and it had to have enough space to go on long camping vacations with my wife and our friends.  The Burgman 650 does everything in comfort and style.

I have used the Burman to commute, to shop, and for wonderful vacations to Nelson, BC.  It is super comfortable for the long rides, and has more capacity for storage than my wife’s BMW!  It it easy to maneuver in traffic and in town, and capable to carve the curves on the highway. It is fun, comfortable, capable, safe, and so enjoyable with all the additions.  You can listen to music while you wait in traffic, and talk with your friends when you ride together.  You can even charge your cell phone while you go.  It is the perfect ride!

After buying the Burman, I added a long list of accessories to make this the perfect machine.  Everything I bought is included in this huge package.  Here are the details:

Photos from my rides

Standard Features for the Executive:

Comfort
- Large comfortable seats, both with backrests, are comfortable for long and short trips
- Upright seating position for comfortable ride

Storage
- 62 Liter lighted and locked under-seat seat storage
- Locked from glove box with accessory outlet (charge your phone etc)
- Two additional storage compartments left and right

Safety
- ABS Breaks
- Twin Disk Breaks in Front
- Disk Breaks in Rear
- Electronically controlled Windscreen (control the height for your comfort)
- Safety lock covers key-hole when not in use
- Large Folding Mirrors make seeing traffic easy
- Large left and right headlights are both always on
- Front mirror mounted signal lights are large and easy to see

Transmission
- Fully Electronic / Automatic Transmission
- Power button favors quick, effortless acceleration
- “Manual Mode’ allows you to control the transmission settings between 1st and 5th gear using up and down buttons on the handlebar

Engine
The large 650cc fuel injected engine is powerful and responsive.

Other Controls / Instruments
- High-beam “passing” button
- High-beam/low-beam switch
- Up and Down control for windscreen position
- Hazard lights button
- Fold-in Mirrors position button
- Digital Temperature (accurate)
- Odometer with A/B memory
- Fuel Consumption meter (displays in km/litre or Litres/100km)
- Clock
- Grear indicators / trouble lights on dash
- Electronic service indicators

Additional Free Accessories
After buying my Burman, I wanted to add those few things that would make it perfect for our camping trips.  All of these extras are included and represent over $2000 of additional installations.
- Givi Windscreen – Adds width and high to make the ride virtually wind-free and quite
- Starcom1 communications system – This system adds the ability to listen to music while you ride, and to communicate with your friends while you ride.
- Communications system includes 2 long-range FRS radios with rechargeable batteries and charging dock
- Additional connection for pillion communication
- Installed music connection inside left storage compartment to connect your favorite music player to the sound system
- Installed iPod charging system inside left storage compartment
- Installed connection for communication system above glove-box for easy connection
- Installed Alarm System (includes two small multifunction remotes with blue back-light). Alarm system includes shock, tilt, and proximity sensor with easy configuration options. Lights flash when alarm is armed/disarmed.  Quite mode allows arming and disarming with no sound from remote.
- RAM mount system for use with RAM accessories.
- GPS navigation – with custom RAM mount arm, and power connection
- Powerlet plug installation.  Used for GPS, however can be used for heated clothing or other accessories.
- Installed Battery tender Connection – easily keep your battery in perfect condition when bike not in use for long periods of time
- Battery Tender device included
- Suzuki luggage bolts to easily use back seat for storage

Brakes Front	Disc brake, twin
Brakes Rear	Disc brake
Color	Black, White
Curb Weight	277 kg (611 lbs)
Final Drive	Gear Drive
Fuel Tank Capacity	15.0 L (4.0/3.3 US/Imp gal)
Ground Clearance	130 mm (5.1 in)
Overall Length	2260 mm (89.0 in)
Overall Width	810 mm (31.9 in)
Seat Height	750 mm (29.5 in)
Suspension Front	Telecsopic, coil spring, oil damped
Suspension Rear	Swingarm type, coil spring, oil damped
Tires Front	120/70R15M/C 56H, tubeless
Tires Rear	160/60R14M/C 65H, tubeless
Transmission	Automatic & Manual Shift
Wheelbase	1595 mm (62.8 in)

Nelson 2009 – Day 5

Today we began a two-day trip following more of the Selkirk Loops.  The Selkirk loop is a series of highways with beautiful scenery, specifically marketed to motorcyclists, that winds its way up from Nelson to Balfour, over Kootney lake by ferry (the part that we rode yesterday) and then down into Idaho. Going through Bonners Ferry, Sandpoint, and Priest River.  As it enters Washington it passes through Newport and then winds its way through several smaller towns before entering Canada again.  Along the way they have marked out many “super side-trips” to extend the loop, and therefore your stay in the various areas – spending money as you go!

The Selkirk Loop Map

We decided to go south from Nelson down to Highway 3, and then west to Creston, before going south into Idaho.   We stopped at Bonners Ferry for a stretch.  Bonners Ferry as it turns out, was named after a ferry that used to run in this little town.  We payed a visit to the information center and picked up a list of camp sites in Idaho.  Then we were on our way again.

The ride was beautiful.  The gentle curves carried us through beautiful agricultural land and treed forests.  It was, however, not the sort of twisty motorcycle wonderland that we had hoped for.  In comparison to the ride the day before, it couldn’t have been more plain.  It was a short ride however, and within 1.5 hours of crossing the boarder we were already in Sandpoint.   We stopped at a gas station to orientate ourselves (that is to say our wonder-navigator Nicole was orientating herself).  As we looked over the map a friendly over-helpful gentleman came to our “rescue” pointing us in various directions for good camping.  As it turned out, campsites were quite hard to find, and despite our maps and my GPS, we couldn’t locate anything.  We decided to follow the instructions of the old fellow and headed over a bridge.  We found the campsite without any trouble but it was already full for the night.

I had a very poor sleep the night previously, and had mounted a campaign to stay in a motel for the night.  I was afraid that if I did not get a good nights’ sleep, I would be unsafe to ride the next day, and being so grumpy, would probably be banned from the group anyway   Everyone was hungry and tired of looking for a campsite anyway, so we found a smoky greesy spoon for lunch, and started to look for a motel.

Nicole was wonderful, standing outside the restaurant on a pay-phone trying to make us reservations so that we had some options.  In the end we stopped at a Days Inn, right next to the motel we had reserved.  I went in and talked them down to the price of the Motel 6, and since it was a nicer place, we stayed there for the night.

By now it was after 4pm and we hadn’t even gone into Sandpoint to explore.  We quickly unpacked and ran back out the door to explore.  Sandpoint is a cute little town, though lacking all character.  The shops were the standard type of shop you would find in a small touristy town.  One shop had the largest crystal I have ever seen.  It stood taller than us, and sad in the window just inside the shop.  (see photo).

We looked into several stores, and then found directions to the beach.  We had been hot all day, and were looking forward to jumping in some cool water.

The beach was no disappointment.  Wonderful clean sand on a crescent-shaped beach overlooking wonderful clear lake water.  Perfect!  Eryk and Michelle, who had been enjoying the shops on thier own, met us there by chance, and we all enjoyed playing in the water.  It was a wonderful way to cool off and enjoy the late afternoon.

For dinner we found an all-American style restaurant complete with salad bar.  The dinner choices included such meat combinations as steak and fish, and lobster and steak.  The salad bar came with the meal, and while fresh, was a very sorry excuse for a salad bar.  There were no cucumbers, no red or green peppers, and no carrots.  A couple of the vegetables came pickled.  In true American style, there were at least 8 different high-calorie dressing options.

I had the fish and chips as most of dinner options were heavily coated in dairy products.  Even my “safe” option came with a large helping of butter soaked beans.  Michelle enjoyed an alfredo pasta that had the meat taken out of it.  The chef had suggested that she go to the salad bar and bring back whatever vegetables she would like to add into her pasta.  Either the chef had no idea what was at the salad bar, or had no idea that lettuce and pickled beats might not be good additions to her Alfredo sauce.

We had great conversation and despite missing the quality of the Vancouver food we are so used to, the atmosphere was just what I was looking for.  We were after all on vacation, and visiting an restaurant like this just had to be part of the American experience.

After dinner I insisted that we stop and have a piece of pie next door at a restaurant that was apparently famous for their pie. My fresh strawberry pie wasn’t what I expected.  It was much smaller than the American standard.  It was essentially a pie bottom, into which strawberries had been laid, and then covered in a jello-like substance.  I enjoyed it non-the-less, and again it was a fun experience.

After all that food it was time to go back to our motel. I had left the air conditioner on full when we left, and by the time we got back it was as cold as a fridge.  We enjoyed the queen-sized beds, watched some TV, and then went to sleep.

We are so very pleased to say that doggie sitting has been arranged for all 3 of our vacations!!  I was going to mount Mandy on top of my helmet, but now I don’t have to!!

A wonderful ride today with our awsome friends Eryk and Michelle.   We started off in New West, and took the number Lougheed Highway to Mission, were Eryk treated us to a wonderul brunch.  Then, on to Harrison.

We had a nice walk around Harrison, took a look at the art exhibit, and then went back.

It was a wonderful warm day, sunny with a few clouds.  Perfect day!!!

Well today was yet another wonderful day with Nicole. After a relaxing sleep in and morning, we rode our motorcycles to Wreck Beach. We spend several hours relaxing, soaking up the sun. We ate a healthy lunch while enjoying sea air. There is no beach quite as relaxing, entertaining, beautiful, and free as Wreck.

Sorry, no photos today

Afterward we went into town, and watched the new Star Trek movie. It was great! It was funny, with great action, a reasonably good storey line, better than average acting, and some great special effects. The best part was how much the movie enjoyed making fun of the old Star Trek. It was a refreshing change… It’s worth seeing, and probably even worth seeing in the theater.

Hey Everyone, Nicole’s Bike is Back!!!!

After having spent the winter hibernating, Nicole’s bike is now back from the shop.  It went in late March for major repairs ($7000 worth, more if you include the helmet) from the rear-ending that Nicole got last fall…  John Volk did an excellent job repairing it – it looks absolutely brand new.  There isn’t even any dirt on the engine.  As with all thinks John Volk, they took thier time with the repair, but they did a great job.

Nice to have Nicole back on the road again!!!

It’s great to have done something more significant with my bike recently

I’ve been riding for more than a month now, rain and shine, since we’ve moved.  It’s been nicer than taking transit on almost all days, and it’s much faster and cheaper as well.  Up until now it’s just been commuting however, so it’s great to be able to write something a little more interesting.

Today Eryk, who recently picked up is brand spanking new BMW GS650, and Michelle rode with me to Golden Ears Park, where we went for a wonderful, if not a little snowey walk along the lower falls trail.  It was a great time, despite being very dissapointed that I couldn’t hike in my Fivefingers… But it was great to hand out with our friends, and go for a mini bike adventure.  Nicole of course joined us as well, taking the car as her bike is still in the shop.

The trail is easy and pleasant, with great views, and a wonderful rocky beach for soaking up the sun and the beautiful surroundings.  I was very pleased that I got some barefoot time into our hike as well – always a plus for me when the shoes can come off

The ride there was a little chilly, with temps around 9 degrees, but the ride back was almost HOT, with my gauge hitting 21!!!  Which is as high as I’ve seen it all year.  Fantastic!  Perfect day.

Well I’m so pleased for Eryk – he has recently brought home a brand new, long awaited BMW GS650!  I have yet to see it yet because we’ve been so busy. 

I can’t wait to go for rides with him!!!

It’s been so cold I haven’t been able to get on my bike in many weeks – I’ve got the itch and can’t wait to ride on a daily basis again!

Yay! Reinsured the bike today. Wonderful weather, though the mornings are still too cold to ride. Nice to have options however. Can’t wait to go for a rise.

Well It’s great news…. Eryk, Michelle, Nicole and I are on all board with the same plan to travel back to Nelson this August for our long awaited best friend motorcycle adventure

I’m thrilled.  I have reserved 2 rooms in the hostel I stayed at before for the length of our stay.  The reservations can be changed if needed, but for now we have all the firm plans we need in place for our vacation!

Well today was a sad day.  A day that we remember the wonderful summer that has now past us, and look forward to another year of riding enjoyment.

With loving care I put our two blue babies to rest today.  They got a clean and scrub, and some fuel stabilizer, battery charger, and were covered for thier winter rest.

I envy those who live down south for thier all-year riding season… But it makes the warm weather that much more enjoyable I guess.

Great News….. Our Friend Eryk has ordered a new F650GS for himself… The order was placed on Sunday, and the bike is due to arrive in October 2008!!!

I’m very excited for him, and for Michelle… And for us! – It means more great rides together!!! Yay!

Eryk Ordered all the extra features for his bike, so it’s going to be a great setup… It includes a full trip computer, with temperature, fuel consumption, trip meters, as well as tire pressure sensors…  He’s also ordered the full set of hard luggage with a backrest for Michelle… Yummy setup..

It was 5am when we both woke up at the same time… It was a hot night… and not a very restful one. But it was bright outside again, and there was something that resembled some cool air (cooler than it was before anyway), so we were both up in a flash and ready to start our trip home. The earlier we started, the cooler the ride would be.

We got up quickly, had a quick breakfast, and then packed up.

We had our camp site torn down and loaded onto our bikes by 6:30am! Off we went. The ride was much nicer than the day before, and the temperature stayed constant between 22 and 25 degrees for our entire trip. We stopped in Princeton for a nice hearty breakfast and a rest, before continuing on to Hope.

Manning Park was beautiful, but we did encounter some traffic and got stuck behind a few trucks on our way. It was the longest leg of our day, and with how tired we were, it was the most challenging…

We were happy to get past Hope. We had decided previously that the Hope – Vancouver leg was the longest and most boring… We had driven it so many times, and we wanted something new… So we took the exit to Harrison, and followed highway #7 home the rest of the way. The detour added perhaps another 30 minutes onto our trip, but it was nice to get a chance of pace from the freeway… I think we were both happy we made the detour.

The trip was fantastic… I can’t say enough how great it was to spend some time with Eryk. We had great conversations and I think had a very compatible way of spending our weekend together… I would go on another trip with Eryk in a heartbeat.

It was a memorable and wonderful way to spend a long weekend….

We went to bed last night at midnight, so it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that we got up a little later than usual. We were up at 7:30am, got ready, packed, and went into town for a great pancake breakfast at The Red Fish. Did I mention I really like the Red Fish? I had oatmeal and poppyseed pancakes… Very good! I think I have a like minded eating buddy in Eryk – it wasn’t hard to make the choice for all three of our meals in Nelson!
After a great breakfast, back to The Alpine Lodge we went to load our bikes, drop off our keys, and we set off back to Osoyoos.

It was a little later in the morning this time, and so the temperature had already started to climb. It wasn’t long before the temp rose to the 30’s. The ride was a great ride, but quite warm. We started off on a section of the 3a that wound its way through wonderful countryside. We seemed to be the only ones on the road, and in fact, it was only because my GPS had sent us along this lesser used highway that we were on it in the first place.

After about 40km, we connected back to the main highway, quicky found the nearest gas station as we were running out of gas, and continued on our way.

the temp continued to rise as we rode, eventually hitting 38 degrees. It was getting a little too hot for comfort. The wind hitting us was no longer cooling very much (Ok, who am I kidding, the wind was not cooling at all). We were very happy to get into Osoyoos and get our of our riding clothes…

We had reserved our campsite a couple nights ago, so we drove right up to it and set us camp as quickly as we could, and then, then it was time for a nice swim in the lake!

We had a great swim, a little snack, and then watched a thunderstorm come in. I think I even got video of some lightening! The sun shining through the clouds was beautiful. We spent a long time sitting on a dock, feel in the water, just watching. There was lightening and thunder, but it was all in the distance, just behind the town of Osoyoos, but close enough that we saw the lightening strikes, and we could smell the rain.

It never did rain on us very much. There was only a few drops, and with the heat, those evaporated very quickly.

After our light show we relaxed in the tent – Eryk reading, Al listening to the Vinyl Cafe on his Ipod.

Closer to 9:30 I went for another barefoot walk, which I have come to love so much… The pavement is so wonderfully warm and comfortable to walk on, and the sidewalk winds its way along the lake for quite a while. It’s the perfect place to go for a walk.

After I got back I tried to sleep, but the temp would not go down… The hot sun was gone, but the clouds that came in with the thunder storm had trapped in all the heat, and all the rock and sand and concrete must have been radiating it back into the atmosphere… It acctually felt as though it got hotter than 38 degrees.

It wasn’t until some time around 3am when it finally started to cool down, and we finally had a chance to sleep.

We had an early star today! It will be getting a warm for sure! We were up at 5am, after quite a good sleep on my part, and an OK sleep on Eryk’s.

The air is much cooler this morning, but it will warm up quite quickly I’m sure.

Its just about 7am and we are 95 percent packed and ready to go.

Off to Nelson we go!

—

Later:

We had a wonderful ride to Nelson. The weather was perfect because we left so early, and the highway almost completely empty… Fantastic! The section of the highway between Osoyoos and Nelson is just fantastic!

We arrived in Nelson at 11am, checked into the Alpine Motel, showered, unloaded our bikes, and went to have lunch at the Red Fish restaurant.

We had a great stroll around town looking in as many shops as we could (many were closed because of it being Sunday). We then went back to our room, and relaxed for the afternoon. I took a nap, while Eryk surfed the Internet…

After our relax, Eryk put his charged battery back into his bike, and I washed our bikes a bit to clean off all those dead bugs. Afterwards it was back to town for Dinner (Red Fish again – great food again) and then for a bit of a walk down to the water. Now it’s 10:30pm and we are back and ready for bed…

Tomorrow back to Osoyoos….