Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

" IQ G P E S N. Suzuki VS800R Intruder R IN .JM R S IO' :. (Above) At the heart of the Suzuki VS800R Is Its fourstroke, IIquld-cooled, ~ree V-twin powerplant. (Below ) Comfort Is one of the biggest assets the Suzuki Intru der VS800R has to offer, making commuting on the cru iser a pleasure. Bad fo By Kit Palmer Photos by Donn Maeda ruisers, Either you like them or you don 't. I, for one, don't. Well, I guess I sho u ld say, I didn 't li ke th em, Adm ittedly; my attitude has changed and a lot of that has to do with the Suzuki VS800R Intruder, In the past, if a streetbike wasn't race, sport, or performance orientated, I had no use for it. Image bikes, like full-on, "bad-to-the-bone" cruisers, just weren't my style, I have never really come to terms with the "black leather jacket" or "junkyard dog" icons that seem to be associated with cruisers, and I've never (and stilI don't) think much of the impractical "chopper" styling that a number of cruisers employ, And the many owners who modify their bikes' exhaust systems to make them louder, thus "cooler," haven't helped matters any, either. There are, however, a hand ful of cruisers on the market nowadays that have really caught my attention - bikes I wouldn't m ind owning on just looks alone , One of these machines is Suzuki 's sibling cruiser, the VS800R Intruder, The Intruder is a good-looking motorcycle - yes, in sp ite of its kickedout front end and skinny front tire. Unlike like many cruisers on the market, the VS8UOR doesn't rely on chrome alone to capture your attention. Instead, the Intruder relies on super-smooth lines and conservative curves to grab you, but it does have just enough of the shiny silver stuff to keep your attention. It did mine . Perhaps the Intruder's best visual feature is its simplistic looking fourstroke, liquid-cooled, OHC, 45-degree, V-twin engine. Suzuki engineers obviously did all they could to eliminate unnecessary gadgetry and paraphernalia in the engine compartment and, as a result, have come up wi th an uncomplicated and polished looking powerplant. C f~e ~one Luckily, the Intruder's en gine performs as good as it looks. For a midsize cruiser, the 805cc engine packs a powe rful, yet ultra-smooth punch. Of course, Su zuki designers directed all of that punch at the bottom of the rpm range and, consequently, the bike pu lls hard as soon as the throttle is twisted . You won 't be disappointed - I know I wasn't. Th e po wer tapers off q uickly at high rpm, but that is to be expected with a cruiser. An inherent problem with cruisers is vibra tio n, bu t not with the Intruder. Vibration is kep t to a minimum thanks to a rub ber-mounted engine. The little buzzing that remains is felt mostly at very low rpm an d around the footpeg area. Very little vibrati on makes it to the rider's arms, mainly because of the rubber-mounted handlebars. A shaft-drive system also helps cut down on vibration. Via the bike's dual exhau st pipes, the V-twin engine emits a low, rumbling tone that will still tum heads - but it isn't offensive. In fact, the Intruder is extremely quiet at low rpm or at idle. Even when on the gas, the bike is fairly quiet. Your neighbors will appreciate this when you leave for work early in themoming. Clicking up through its five-speed gearbox is a simple process, something that we've come to expect from Suzuki . The hydraulically operated clutch also performs smoothly and effortlessly, but if you don 't have the clutch lever pulled all the way in to the grip when downshifting, you'll hear a slight grinding noise just as you begin pressing down on the shift-lever. Other than that, the Intruder shifts flawlessly . The engine is tucked nicely inside the b ike's long a nd low-profile, double downtube frame, which features a radically raked-out front end, giving it that full-on chopper look. The Intruder isn't lacking whatsoever in the comfort departmen t. In fact, it's one of the most "ergonomically correct" motorcycles we've ever thrown a leg over. Overall, the bike feels nice and narrow, and the stepped seat gives adequate support to the rider's lower back. There is sufficient padding for long trips , and the low 27.D-inch seat height aids maneuverability in stop-and-go city traffic. The pull-back handlebars aren't positioned too high and offer good, confidence-insp iring control of the front end. Unlike some cruisers where the footpeg s are mounted far forward, sometimes in front of the engine cases on the frame's front downtubes, the Intruder's footpegs are mounted down low and closer to the center of the bike. On the Intruder, the rider's seating posi tion is more straight up and down, as compared to some of the other cruisers where the riders are forced into a backward lean. If there's one area in which the Intruder could use some improvement, it 's the suspension. The rear shocks could benefit from a bit more rebound and compression da mpi ng, bu t that will require a major u nde r taking because there are no external damping adjustments, jus t 5-way spring pre-load settings. Overall, the ride is a little on the rough and jarring side; yo ur kid neys will eventually beg for forgivenes s when you are motoring down anything less than a perfectly smooth highway. The skinny 80/90-21-inch front tire takes a little getting used to - both in appearance and performance. The front wheel looks as though it came off of a ID-speed bicycle, and its narrow wid th causes it to fall into grooves on the highway , causing the front end to feel a little squirmy and making the rider feel a little uneasy. The front end is very sensitive to any imperfections in the pavement. Desp ite the inept-looking braking system - a drum in the rear and a smallish single rotor/single piston disc up fron t - the Intruder stops amazingly well. Very little pressure is need ed on either the front-brake lever or the rearbrake pedal to get the Intruder hauled in. Every now and then you'll wish for more stopping power up front, but there is enough to get the job done. Not surprisingly, the Intruder isn' t a turner . Bu t what cr uiser is? It ge ts aro und the twisties okay, but it wo uld rather be pointed down a straight road . The front end doesn't give enough feedback for the rider to flick it through tums in a rapi d fashion - aga in due to the small size of the front tire's contact patch with the pavement. Of course, the kicked-o ut fron t end doesn't help matters either. If you do purchase the Intru der, plan on adding your local gas statio n attend ant to your Christmas ca rd list,

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