What mods would the perfect scooter have?

[respond2us]

Good morning, all!

I just bought my K7 400 last week and am in the process of modifying it to better fit my wife and I. I ordered the driver Utopia back rest last night, and this morning got the Givi AF266 from Kiwi Dave. In addition to that, I am moving my Givi top box from my ST1100 to the Burg, so I also had Dave ship me the mounting hardware to make it work on the scoot. That will make my wife more excited about riding, as the small backrest currently on it isn't going to work. (It's too low on the back and too far back for her to even lean on. Not sure what the point of that backrest was supposed to be... )

So, to my question. In your opinion, if you could deck out your scooter with all the best mods, what would they be? I think I'm hitting all the big ones with the above addons, but I'm interested if there are other "can't live without my..." items you guys/gals have found. (cup holders, grip changes, gps, etc)

I'm REALLY hoping this week's additions will make my scooter really comfy for 400 mile days. I'd love to put down some miles this Summer.

Any input would be great!

By the way, I'm loving this forum! Everyone has been super friendly and helpful. I'm very grateful for the assistance I've gotten this week, and look forward to meeting some of you on the road.

[Steve D UK]

Gel seat insert(s) and some form of cruise control.

[zackman]

Hello and Con-Grads on the bike, you seem to hit most of the list pretty much head on, But I would like to throw my 2 cent in, I have own an -08 400 and now own a 2011 650, both are really great bikes but the only think I didn't like about them was the stock seats that came with them, on the 400 I used an Alaskanleather sheep skin pad and that worked great and would let me ride for at least 4 hours or so but it does add height to your seat so when I got the 650 I didn't want to add more to me so I had my seat Re-done by Burgmanseats.com you can find pic. here on this site under best seat in the house, , but that was the way i wanted to go, now other then side cases and a good top box I am very happy with my ride but theres always somthing that might look good down the rode, you will find lots and lots of ideas here I would even go to youtube and look up Burgman Mods and you'll find great vids there of things people have done. hope this helped some Ride safe and Happy trails, Zack

[Daboo]

DPS weights in 18 or 19 grams. And a beaded seat cushion. Grip puppies are nice too. All of those, along with the AF266 Givi Airflow windshield and Dr. Pulley HiT clutch were transferred from my 07 400 to the 08 400. There was never a thought of riding without them.

Chris

[Allan]

I would consider the ScalaRider headsets. You can talk to each other, receive phone calls, have a radio and if your phone is A3DP compatible, you can have music from your phone. I think that this would go a long way to making the trip easier.

[Hammer]

+1 on the headset but one that comes with a mute button. Don't ask me why.

[respond2us]

I was checking out the scala rider site yesterday. They get great reviews on this board. I might look into a team set later (after my wife has recovered from the $550 I dropped on Burgie accessories this weekend.).

[respond2us]

Well, I got the Givi shield and trunk mounted this weekend. I must say, its much for comfortable now. My wife says the trunk is perfect support for her back. We'll see how a long ride is later this week.

[wayneman]

My biggest issue with the 650 is the stock seat. It is too high, too hard and just flat out butt numbing.
I also just ordered a utopia this past week. I know it will do wonders for the back support but now i must
concentrate on the seat pan and my butt numbing issues. To bad Mustang seats doesn't make one for the Burgman.
Also adding a brake light blinking mod that fits where the useless reflector is under the licence plate. I have a big fear
of some cager taking me out from behind as they yap on there cell phone.
The other ridiculous set up in the 650 is the 12v aux in the glove box. Come on Suzy "Q" you can do better than that.
Above all though, riding comfort is #1.

[G-Bo]

I have an '07 400 and here's what I've added to it or have stored on it:

Givi Windshield
Givi Trunk
Bearcat's back rest (A Life saver)
Seat Back cushion that I slip onto back rest ($15 @WalMart)
A hard wired to battery DC socket that comes up though the instrument panel. The glove box plug just isn't ideal for me. This way I can plug up my mounted iPhone and not worry about the cell battery.
A Ram Mount on the left handle bar for my iPhone....since its also my GPS and song box.
A hard wire battery tender cable to quickly connect up the battery charger to the Burgman. Great for the winter charging and before long trips.
Sunblock. Trust me, you want this handy.
A bag of tools that stay under the seat. I called it my "Triple A" kit. Comes in handy for group rides. Something can always happen. It contains:
Mini air compressor
Fix a Flat
Duct Tape
Tire Repair Kit
Sockets to match bolt heads on scoot
Homemade version of jumper cables
Bungee cords
General purpose tools(Flat head/Phillips, Crescent wrench, pliers, and small hammer)

My next addition will be a thermos-style Fuel Can for the long rides. I've only run outta gas locally, but got close once on a long country road setting. Wouldn't not have been ideal.

Hope this helps....

[Marv]

My next addition will be a thermos-style Fuel Can for the long rides. I've only run outta gas locally, but got close once on a long country road setting. Wouldn't not have been ideal.

Highly recommend the Primius 1.9 L fuel bottle. I bought it on the internet for about $20. It is red and has a safety cap. It looks like a marine fire extinguisher. It is made out of aluminum. Should be good for 20 miles. I keep it in the under seat stowage area in the back.

[gruntled]

I don't like the idea of a fuel bottle under the seat but I do carry a small one with probably enough gas for about three miles in my saddle bags. Even an empty one could be useful to give you something to carry fuel back.

[mikeofmarin]

after the creature comforts are performed I like to add shiny bling, added the burl walnut dash panels and a chrome nosepiece and will be looking into the exhaust for a nice carbon fiber system that adds performance and looks better as it is smaller and makes more room for the back rider.

Maybe your wife is like me, add something shiny to the bike and it makes one smile.

I think you did all the right things, the bikes are built well so not much to do, I will also be looking at one of the drivers backrest, I'm pretty tall and I've read that they let you sit back a bit further and give an inch or two more legroom. There is so much on Ebay but I want something that looks nice and like it was meant for the bike.

Happy scoots,

Mikie

[respond2us]

Got my grip puppies installed last night, and man... What a difference! Love 'em already...

[cliffyk]

A "perfect scooter" would need no mods...

[respond2us]

Well played, cliffyk...
Of course, the intended question would have been "what mods would a burgman need to make it the perfect scooter?" however, that's a bit long I think.
Geez... Some people are tough to please.

[cliffyk]

Well played, cliffyk...
Of course, the intended question would have been "what mods would a burgman need to make it the perfect scooter?" however, that's a bit long I think.
Geez... Some people are tough to please.

My wife tells me that all the time, she will say "You know what they meant!", to which I will respond "Yes, however that is not what they said."

When I was a grad student many (many) years ago I dated one of my former professors, a mathematician. I had been working throughout school at a manufacturing plant that had purchased 20 machines as a lot, and over the 2 or 3 years I was there 5 or 6 had failed while the remainder just ran and ran. While discussing this with my "date" one evening (hey, this was at MIT) and stated it to be odd that "5 or 6 out of 20 identical machines failed while the others just hummed along".

She raised one eyebrow in a perfect imitation of Mr. Spock and asked "Identical?" I can tell you it put the aspiring MSME candidate in his place...

[oldsomeman]

Indeed no two things are identical.....so no scooter can be perfect for all..but start with some similar model made to a standard pattern and then you make them ideal.
Why i keep telling my wife I'm 'Purfect' in almost every way as she wont get one as good as me Mind you the retort is often unprintable!

[Scotty1981]

I have a mod I would like to see standard on the exec model. While traveling on the highway I folded in the mirrors in an attempt to improve MPG however small. Everytime I wanted to change lanes I had to open the mirrors so I could see if it was clear. While the mirrors are folded in it would be nice if you could set them to open when the turn signal was activated and close again without having to hit the blue button everytime.

[ErikDK]

....While the mirrors are folded in it would be nice if you could set them to open when the turn signal was activated and close again without having to hit the blue button everytime.

I don't know about USA, but here you look first, and IF the coast is clear THEN you apply your turn signals and change lanes.

I would like cruise control, better suspension and more functions in the board computer, which should be controlled from a handlebar switch.

[cliffyk]

I look in the mirror first and, if the target lane is clear, turn on the signal. Then look in the mirror again while swinging my head around to get a real look, then change lanes glancing at the mirror as I do so.

You get to look as many times as is prudent, but you only get to die once...