Suzuki Burgman 125EX Street – UK Press Launch | FIRST RIDE  

Like its bigger siblings, the 125cc Suzuki Burgman has been around for years. Introduced in 2002, to join the AN400 and 650 Burgmans it was a maxi scooter with a learner-legal liquid-cooled engine. 

Fast-forward to summer 2023 and the big old Burger 125 has been replaced with an all-new, compact, more manageable and cheaper machine altogether. Welcome to the Burgman 125EX Street.

Affordable

Premium-level Japanese or European-built 125s come with a high price tag, which limits their appeal, after all, not many youngsters can afford £4-£6,000 for something they may only keep for a year. Equally, not all commuters want to spend that kind of dosh on something that’s going to be left outside and ridden in all weathers, potentially getting knocked around in parking bays and the like. A sub £3000 scooter with most of the attributes of its rivals makes a lot of sense.

The best of three

Earlier this year we were at the launch of the new Suzuki Avenis and Address 125s (pictured above) and this third new 125cc scooter completes their learner legal scooter lineup for 2023. Suzuki has been pumping big money into development and manufacturing in India, it looks like that investment is paying off if the 125s we’ve ridden are anything to go by.

A 125 for everybody

The Burgman 125EX Street is the highest priced of the Suzuki trio at £2999 (plus OTR) which is still very reasonable. The Address has an RRP of £2499 and the Avenis £2699. It gives a good spread of styles and pricing, from basic commuter with the Address to the sportier Avenis and more premium Burgman.

Suzuki Eco Performance Alpha (SEP-α)

All three scooters are built in Suzuki’s Indian factory and use the home market, tried and tested Suzuki Eco Performance 125cc air-cooled engine. It’s an engine that already powers over five million scooters. The Burgman 125EX Street gets the new higher spec Alpha (SEP-α) version. That differs by having Engine Auto Stop-Start (EASS) and a new Silent Start System. Those systems save fuel and provide a quieter and more refined feeling when the engine starts up. Both features are a first for Suzuki but can be found on several scooters.

148 MPG!

Peak power is 8.47bhp at 6,500 rpm and max torque is 10Nm at 5,500. MPG is an astonishing 148.67 MPG (the old Burgman made a healthy 12bhp and did 94.6 mpg).

With electricity prices still very high I doubt there’s much difference in running costs between an electric scooter and this frugal petrol-powered one. At least with a combustion engine you can fill it up and ride away rather than waiting 8 hours for a battery to charge.

Easy wheel change

One clever touch is the design of the exhaust, it’s been made to look good and sits far enough away from the rear wheel to allow the wheel to be removed with the silencer in place. That will save half an hour when changing tyres.

Massive weight loss

The old Burgman (pictured in white above) was a big scooter in comparison to the new one, it was heavy at 156kg (the new one weighs just 112kg), it cost around £1000 more than the new one and had started to look dated. Arguably, this new version has lost much of the identity of the original but in many ways that’s not a bad thing. This is certainly more accessible and appealing to a broader spectrum of riders.

Burgman heritage

In essence, this is a completely new scooter bearing the Suzuki Burgman badge. I’d say it feels closer to a Honda PCX (pictured above) than it does to the old-style Suzuki, although you can still see its heritage if you look closely.

Honda has topped the sales charts for many years with the PCX though so you can’t blame Suzuki for trying to emulate the style, albeit at a heavily reduced price – the Honda is £3599 so you save over £500 with the on the road cost of the new air-cooled Burgman. The Suzuki gets more practical flat floorboards than the Honda though.

No complaints here

Despite coming in at just £3078 on the road, quality control seems to be very good, I didn’t hear any of the dozen or so journalists at the launch moaning about anything, which is always a good sign. Having had a good look around the scooter it’s easy to see that they are built well, everything fits as it should and just as importantly it looks good too. There are three colour options, Pearl Mirage White, Pearl Moon Stone Grey, and Metallic Matt Black Number 2. All with red stitched seat and chrome graphics.

Crowd pleaser

I was a bit worried that the new engine wouldn’t perform well enough, after all it’s over 3.5bhp down on the previous model. As it happens, I was very pleasantly surprised. According to the Suzuki tech team it actually out accelerates the old more powerful Burgman 125. From 0-200 metres the new scooter is 14.4 metres ahead of the overweight old one. Without riding them back-to-back and side-to-side we can’t confirm that but it’s certainly no slouch.

As you can see from the video above, our gaggle of journos were jostling for position at every set of lights and blasting away before any cars could even think about it. We really did have a laugh during our 50 miles or so on board. 125s are great fun, especially when you’ve got your own scooter gang. At one point whilst doing the photos in Ely I rode past a playground and about 15 teenagers were hanging over the railings cheering me on and got me to ‘high five’ them all as I rode by, they loved it as much as I did. Sadly my video wasn’t running at the time.

Quick enough?

The scooter has a good mid-range and on faster stretches the speedo will creep up over 60mph. Whilst taking part in some ‘competitive’ riding I saw 68 mph on the clock – although my head was down, I was fully tucked in and I was doing my best to get into the slipstream of the riders in front. It’s a nippy scooter though so don’t always go off the numbers in the spec sheet, they can be deceptive.

The massive weight saving is partly down to the new frame which is built using large-diameter thin round pipe to minimise weight and increase rigidity. The new scooter is a massive 44 kg lighter which helps to explain its performance.

Being built in India means that a scooter has to be fairly robust and I’d say the Burgman felt very solid. Suspension wasn’t at all harsh and the larger 12” Dunlop shod wheels are a welcome addition (the Address and Avenis run on 10” wheels). This scooter also has a longer wheelbase than the Address/Avenis which adds to stability. The scooter comes with a front disc/rear drum combination with combined braking working off the rear lever. Again, this was a pretty decent set up so no complaints from me.

Engine Auto Stop-Start (EASS)

I mentioned earlier that this scooter gets start/stop and silent start. These systems do exactly what they say on the tin. Just like many cars, the engine will cut out to save fuel and reduce emissions. It cuts the engine if you’re idling at a standstill for a few seconds. Twist the throttle and the engine springs silently and seamlessly into life and you’re off again. It can be turned off though if you prefer – not that you need to.

Multifunction instruments

The instrument layout is also pretty neat, a large digital screen shows your speed in MPH, as well as dual trips, time, fuel economy, battery condition and the like. There’s also an eco warning light to let you know if you’re riding economically or not. We weren’t and still got 108 MPG during our test ride.

LED lighting

A split-lens LED headlight with integrated LED position lights is in keeping with the modern design of the scooter and looks cool. Up front the indicators are mounted below the headlight, whilst at the rear they’re integrated into the rear light.

USB

Just like the 400cc Burgman we tested recently, this one also gets a couple of storage pockets up front, complete with an illuminated USB point in the covered one.

Storage space

If you’re coming on to this scooter from a previous Burgman, you’ll probably miss some storage space beneath the comfortable seat. The new 5.5-litre fuel tank is half the size of the old model’s and sits under there now (previously it was under the rider’s footboards) so it eats into the space. It does mean the central raised tunnel has gone though and left flat, roomier floorboards. You get two utility hooks to hang a bag or two on now.

You do still get 21.5 litres of storage under the seat though – enough for an open-faced lid but the old Burger had 41 litres and space for two helmets. The optional 27-litre top box is worth having though and fits to the standard issue rear rack with an optional mounting plate. One thing you can never have enough of is storage space.

Trading up?

I think current 125cc Burgman owners may miss the refinement of a scooter with a larger presence, more storage and the characteristics of the liquid-cooled, more powerful engine. Have a thorough look around one at a dealer before taking the plunge. This is a different scooter for sure.

For new converts to the Suzuki Burgman, you’ll be getting an affordable maxi-style scooter with enough modern refinements to make your commute a happy one. You’ll love the frugal petrol supping abilities of your new scooter and be happy at its agile nature and nippy engine. I’d say it offers great value for money on a scooter from a respected manufacturer. Suzuki should do very well with this model.

Suzuki currently have stock in dealers but supply is going to be limited to begin with, get down to your local dealer and let them know that ScooterLab sent you.

Words: Iggy

Photos: Jason Critchell/video Ben Fish