2022 Suzuki Burgman Street 125

We test the new Burgman Street 125 from Suzuki

Commuting these days is a real challenge. Not only that commuters need to spend hours in the queue to catch the next train, but the high cost of fuel has forced public utility drivers to raise the minimum fare, making commuting not only tiring but also expensive. Also, with the high fuel costs, some jeepney drivers cut their trips or are forced to stay in the garage to avoid further losses which mean fewer public utility vehicles on the road and harder for commuters to catch the next jeepney ride home.

This is where the  Burgman Street 125 shines, which is touted as the “maxi scooter you can afford” by Suzuki.

Strong 125 engine

The Suzuki Burgman Street is inspired by the maxi scooter Burgman 400 – which is one of the best-selling scooters in Europe. It is powered by a 124cc, air-cooled EFI engine and produces 10.6 Ps of power and 10.2 Nm of torque.

One of the highlights of the Burgman Street 125’s engine is that it was made using lightweight aluminum making it durable and at the same time lightweight.

Design and features

As mentioned above, the relatively new Burgman Street 125 is inspired by Suzuki’s top-selling scooter in Europe, the Burgman 400 maxi scooter. The Burgman Street exudes a maxi scooter body which is then abundant in legroom space, under-seat storage, and even glove box storage just below the handlebar.

It enjoys both LED and traditional bulb lighting, a combi-brake system, a fully digital panel, a charging port, and a big 5.6-liter fuel tank.

Riding the Burgman Street

The Burgman Street 125 seems to be just like any other scooter. But, after hopping on it, the rider would immediately notice its wide seat that offers comfort unlike any other scooter in its category. And thanks to that wide seat, the rider and pillion could really rack in hundreds of kilometers at a time without having a butt sore.

Although an Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) is not available for the Burgman Street, its combi-brake feature (in some way) makes for it by applying just the right amount of brake to the front when the rear brake lever is squeezed.

What made us like the Burgman Street the most is its fuel efficiency. There was one time that we have to attend a few events in just one day. The low fuel warning went on somewhere on the way to the City of San Juan, and we have to pass by a few more cities before going home. We slowly crawled our way along EDSA during rush hour, bringing down the Burgman Street’s fuel efficiency but still, we managed to reach a gasoline station in Las Pinas with a few milliliters to spare.

By our estimate, the Burgman Street 125 has an urban, real traffic fuel consumption of about 48 kilometers per liter. Theoretically, the Burgman Street can reach up to 267 kilometers in just one top-up. That’s about the same one-way trip from Manila to Baguio City.

Verdict

Visually, there are many detractors of the Burgman Street. But for us, its utilitarian capabilities more than make up for it. For example, its big body allowed for large legroom, making carrying stuff very easy. Its under seat compartment can also fit a lot of stuff, including one full-sized helmet.

Also, being a very fuel-efficient scooter makes the Burgman Street a good choice for commuters who are fed up with the poor mass transport system we have and want to switch to riding, to and from work.

Going back to its being a utilitarian scooter, the Burgman Street is also perfect for those who want to earn extra by being a delivery rider from Lalamove, TokTok or Angkas. If there are things that we might suggest as an improvement for future updates, we hope that Suzuki will consider putting an ABS for safety or an idling start-stop system to further save on fuel.

At PHP 80,900, the Burgman Street is one of the most affordable scooters available from the Japanese “Big 4”.

^{*EDITOR'S NOTE: The SRP of the Burgman Street was PHP 77,900 at the time of filming the review.}