Breaking It In - September 3, 2011

After a five month hiatus, I AM BACK!

Bill, Boyd, Eddie, Robert, Bob K. and I gathered for breakfast in Plant City, FL this morning.  After the usual eggs smothered in sarcasm, we adjourned to the parking lot for the day's ride.  Unfortunately, Robert was call off to work, leaving five riders to head towards the Dade City/San Antonio area.

Everyone was on the customary bikes, but I was out to break-in my brand new wheels.

It is a white 2011 Suzuki Burgman 650 Executive that had 0.0 miles on it when I picked it up on Wednesday.  Okay, it's a scooter, but it's a super-scooter.  It lacks the low end torque of my my Gold Wing but provides a surprisingly quick, nimble and comfortable ride.  The break-in guidelines suggest the the revs not exceed 4,000 rpm for the first 600 miles.  I found that that limited me to only modest acceleration, but still allowed me to travel at near 70 mph in sixth gear.

Anyway, the five of us traveled to Dade City via some of my favorite twisties, including Swindell, Hancock, Sherrouse, and Old Dade City.  Somewhere near Zephyrhills, Eddie turned for home.  After a fuel and rest stop at US-98 and Clinton, Bill and Bob K. also headed for home while Boyd and I continued on to ride Jessamine, Bayhead, Hayman and Trilby.  We then turned for home as both Boyd and I wanted to be back by noon.

All-in-all, it was a great day back on 2-wheels.  I now have just over 200 miles on the Burgman and a much better feel for the machine, although I'm still not accustomed to not gripping a tank with my knees.  So far, the Burgman has averaged 43.4 mpg, which isn't too bad for break-in mileage.

See you next week,
Gunny