The inaugural Suzuki Burgman event last Saturday at KF1 Karting in Kranji acknowledges Burgman scooter owners, whose motorcycles make up a sizeable portion of Suzuki's commuter motorcycle line-up.
While a karting circuit may appear to be an odd venue for a two-wheeler gathering, a spokesman for Guan Hoe Co., the local Suzuki motorcycle distributor, said it was conducive.
The spokesman, Mr Quah Soon Aun, told The New Paper on Sunday: "Our (Burgman) scooters are for daily use. But there's no running away from racing which is synonymous with the Suzuki brand. Karting injects fun and some element of racing."
And perhaps Mr Quah was right.
About 80 scooter owners and their families came for the evening event, supported by partners like Metzeler tyres, Motul and Motovation.
About 60 scooterists had signed up for the kart rides.
Even with a kart's top speed of 50kmh, Burgman 200 owner Leon C Stewart seemed like he was on a charge to qualify for a World Superbike race.
By the end of the night, Mr Stewart, 47, won a top-eight duel, posting the fastest lap of 1 min 07 secs.
Mr Stewart, a youth pastor and executive officer at St Paul's Church, said: "It's my first time driving go-karts. But I went all out. My secret was I didn't use any brakes going into corners."
Mr Stewart, who had bought his Burgman 200 in late August, used to race Suzuki dirt bikes in the late 80s at the Loyang dirt track. He won a gold trophy and a calender.
The Burgman event was also the distributor's way of thanking its loyal customers.
Mr Quah added: "We want them (Suzuki owners) to know that when they buy a Suzuki, there's a value to it. It's not a one-off purchase... We want to build relationships and communities on top of raising brand awareness."
Those not on the circuit mingled and ate in air-conditioned comfort at the circuit's indoor viewing gallery.
At a nearby carpark, four judges scrutinised 20 Burgman scooters - including a 400cc and a 650cc variant - in a Shine and Show contest.
Judges like Guan Hoe's director Benn Teo, shared he was looking for "creativity and how owners make their scooters stand out tastefully".
Contestant Bryan Tan opted for the gloss black look with discreet-looking stickers on his 200cc scooter's body.
Mr Tan, 34, who works in the remittance industry, said: "Black is not only easy to maintain but looks cool too. Reflective stickers add a safety element because I'm easier to spot at night."
Like other Burgman riders, Mr Tan admits he chose the Suzuki because of its generous underseat storage space and the ease of getting onto the scooter.
The 10 winners of Show and Shine won prizes ranging from a $1,000 full-system Moriwaki exhaust to cleaning kits by Motul.
In the last three years, over 1,000 Burgman scooters were registered here.
Other than regular track days, the Suzuki distributor said it would be organising similar events for its motorcycles communities in the future.
This article was first published on October 02, 2016.
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