When i first got then Burgman I was intrigued by the option to manually shift, having a traditional motorcycle back ground I thought I would use it. NOT
I have tried manually shifting but it doesnt feel comfortable. Plus why would I want to do the work when I can twist and go. Does anybody actually use this option?
Maybe I'm just getting LAZY in my old age.
Its useful to keep the bike in OD when on the freeway. It lowers the RPMs and increases fuel milage. But other than that, Manual mode is fairly useless.
I have used it one time.......that's all it took to relize, no matter how fast our fingers are the bike will change when it wants to limit the damage to the bike. Its like having this option in my freakin car.....
After years of never using manual on my '05 and '07, I'm using it more and more on my '14 to avoid riding for extended periods in the 2500-3000 rpm 'vibration zone.' Depending on the terrain, this usually means dropping down from 5th to 4th, or 4th to 3rd. While I still harbor some resentment at being 'forced' to do this due to the changes in the 2013+ models, as shifting becomes more natural with practice, I'm loving the bike even more.
On my 07 I rarely use manual. As Liamjs mentioned about the only real use I have for it is to lock the bike in OD when riding on the superslab. But then I rarely ride on those kinds of roads so use it maybe a half dozen times a year for that.
Life's too short to continuously worry about what gear I'm in. I'd rather spend my time smelling the roses. I'm pretty sure that the little brain inside the Nolan 104 is no match for the bigger brain inside the Burgman 650. So I let it decide what gear it wants to be in. I have complete faith in it. ?
I believe that out of curiosity most if not all 650 owners do try it out and play around with manual mode and gear shifting on and off, I think we all quickly come to the realization that no matter how much we try we can not do better than the bikes ECM does, actually it is darn right impossible to beat it so why even bother. Now the power mode that is another story altogether, I like using that often and extensively even if for only a few seconds to one minute.
On my trip to Tasmania 9,200klms I used manual 6th o/drive and just leaving it in D and there's no difference (for me) in economy, the biggest change was folding the mirrors in.
I use manual if there's smart a$$ at the lights thinks there quicker, let it redline press up, it does go better than power mode.
I am new to the Burgman life. Those of you that use manual for long stretches of super highway, do you use manual to get up to speed or just change over to manual once cruising at around 65-70?
I rarely use the interstates, turnpikes etc., actually purposely avoid them to enjoy secondary road riding, the few times I do I will run up to 60-70 in automode and then switch in to manual mode to go to OD although with my 2013 now I do not really see that much difference on my previous 2009 it did.
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i have a 2013 650 and tried it out when i first got it new. Now i just use the power button in town to avoid the low rpm lugging vibes, otherwise i just twist n go......
I have the 2013 model and had a 2010 before that. I use it a lot, find the engine braking is excellent. When towing the trailer it is also good for engine braking. On the other hand one can use the auto and use Power Mode for get good engine braking if required. With the automatic car I also use the gear selector to get engine braking. Perhaps old fashioned but nonetheless the way were learnt when learning to drive.
Good to hear you have found a solution to the 2500-3500 rpm vibration on the 2013+ models. Unfortunately I couldn't deal with the vibrations, sold my 2015 and bought a 2012 with 1800 miles. Its nice to have some of the older model features back and I do miss a few of the 2013+ features. No worries, we are both riding and that's what matters. Safe riding.
I just posted to another thread ('2015 650 Vibration Help'), a technique I'm using that seems to help with this problem quite a bit. Would love to have other riders try it and get their feedback.
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Suzuki Burgman USA Forum
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