Beat The Fuel Crunch: New Suzuki Burgman Street 125EX

[advrider]

Suzuki already announced a couple of 125-class scooters earlier this year, the Avenis and Address. These awkwardly-named 125-class step-throughs have a budget-friendly air about them, and on their release last summer, we didn’t see any buzz about them coming to North America. But today at INTERMOT, we saw a new scoot that’s much more likely to cross the pond into our market: The new Suzuki Burgman Street 125EX.

Scooters have always suffered from an image problem in the US, but if any step-through has a bit of a reputation for performance, it’s the Burgman. The original 650 Burgman had surprisingly zippy performance, and loads of practicality. Other scoots in the series might not have had the same power and tech (wot, no push-button shifting through the CVT?), but they’ve all been well-liked. Suzuki has a 400 in this class, and a 200—and now we get the 125.

The new Burgman Street 125EX has the Suzuki Eco Performance engine, same as the Avenis and Address, but retuned for slightly less horsepower and a higher redline (but the same torque output, which is important when you’re riding a 125). This retuning allows Suzuki to deliver a quieter-running engine which also uses less fuel—both very important in the modern emissions crackdown in Europe, where engine noise is also measured, not just tailpipe emissions.

The engine is an air-cooled 124cc SOHC four-stroke single-cylinder, rated for 8.4 hp and 7.4 lb-ft of torque. Of course, it has a twist-and-go throttle.

The mini-Burgman also comes with an Engine Auto Stop-Start system  for shut-downs at traffic stops, saving gas to get a claimed fuel economy near 150 mpg, which ought to satisfy at least a few environmentalists.

Although it’s positioned at the humble end of the two-wheeled market, the new Burgman Street 125EX does have some nice optional accessories—this isn’t a janky throwaway machine. A 27-liter topbox is yours for extra money, and even heated grips are available.

Twelve-inch wheels are standard front and rear, seat height sits at 30.7 inches, and claimed curb weight is 247 pounds.

Will it come to North America? Hard to say, but given the demand for two-wheelers and rising gas prices, it would seem to be a sensible idea to bring it into Canada and the US.

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