It seems that the word "scooter" is becoming more of a style of bike than a statement of size. The Suzuki Burgman 650 and the Honda SilverWing are redefining the term by offering much larger engines, high cruise speed capability and the user friendly auto trans, especially the Burgman 650 with its 5 range manual shift mode and 130mph top speed. I personally have long thought that you should be able to buy a bike that has touring ability without sinking the major bucks for a GoldWing or Ultra Classic. Even for simple commuting to work you need the capacity to carry a few things around with you and most entry level or up level cruiser bikes offer very little in this department. These new "SuperScooters" are offereing huge storage spaces under the seats and even some add-on luggage. The Honda Griffon and Suzuki Strider showbikes signal a new direction the bike market is taking. Soon I dont think they'll be able to call them "scooters" anymore, with 750cc's and higher on tap, this is getting into a whole new breed of machine. I read that Suzuki has decided not to build the Strider citing high sticker cost as its primary reason. I personally would still like to see some version of this bike because I would open my checkbook for it for sure. I did a rather rough chop featuring elements of both the "Strider" showbike and the Burgman 650 to try and come up with someting more "producable" or closer to what they already build...they could still pack the 900cc's if they wanted but even 100 less would make a strong street bike...check it out and tell what ya think.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v217/thunderbat/BurgmanStrider800.jpg

Honda has always had a pretty good Scooter section.

The Big Ruckus is cool for commuting


http://powersports.honda.com/scooters/

My parents both have Yamaha Riva's. One is a 75cc, the other is a 125cc and they're fun to ride. I wouldn't want to own one, but I don't mind riding them.

582cc liquid-cooled four-stroke parallel-twin
Base MSRP
$7,949


or

649cc, 40-cubic-inch, air-cooled, SOHC, 70° V-twin
$6,899 (Two-Tone Color)

What would you rather buy???

You all know what my answer is.

I'm with you Herc.

LOL that's my ride minus the bags and windscreen. Although those are coming eventually.

I was comparing those for the "touring" aspect :p

By the way have you gone back and picked up your bike yet?

Real performance wasn't a factor I guess.

har har, I picked it up that night. It was wet, but most of the flooding has disappeared.

I saw a big ruckus at the honda dealer in richmond...it looked like a naked Helix with big headlights and knobby tires ...and I see your point Herc, but how much extra are those bags and windscreen? (I cant believe how expensive bike accessories are)...Suzuki's C50T Boulevard comes with bags,windshield,pass backrest,footboards and heel/toe shifter for the same price as the Burgman 650...I just hate those wide whitewall tires ...oddly enough tho, even with the saddlebags the bigger bikes dont have as much storage as the Burg does under the seat...and I gotta admit (this puts me squarely in the old fart category)that 5 range auto trans is pretty cool stuff...I've decided to wait and see what the future brings.

The Roadstar(cruiser pictured above) comes with the bags, windscreen, and floor boards for both passenger and pilot. Without all that then it's a regular Vstar for $5800!!! You'd actually be amazed at how much room those bags have. And for another $100 you can throw on a sissybar bag and increase the capacity tremendously.

I've done a little surfing on eBay motors while I've been at work and noticed more than a few Kawasaki Nomads up for sale for pretty decent prices compared to a new one...what's the drawback with this bike?...usually when a lot of them are for sale it means they have ills or issues that folks dont like.