Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

FIRST RIDE 1998 Suzuki VL 1500W Intruder LC to the one found on the VZ800 Maraud er, thus a llowing th e clutch to s li p under h igh revers e- torque loads b rou g ht on b y ex treme d eceleration . The trannv com bines the 1400's first- through third-gear ratios with new, lower-ratio co g s in fourth and fifth. Prima ry drive has also been numerically lowered. It all adds up to a combination that is designed to pump out its peak torque at only 2300 rp m . If tha t sounds lame, fret not. The new five-speed tranny and drive ratios allow th e Intruder LC eng ine . to turn a trac torlike 2700 rpm whil e yo u' re lu mberin g along at 65 mph in top gea r. Massive enough for yo u? "Long and low" was defi ni tely carried ou t in th e chassis, w hic h was d esi gned w it h a 40mm-Iower stee ring head . The double crad le fram e has ga ined so me 70 pe rcent grea ter tors iona l rig idity via the use of large-diame ter, th in-w all tubing. The 4.1-gallon fuel tank has been moun ted bel o w th e seat to fu rther lower the center of gravity. That seat height, by the way, m easures in at a low 27.6 inches, tyi~g it for second-lowest in the cla s . wi th th e Vulcan 1500. Wheelbas e, how ever, is a limousine-leng th 66.9 inches making the Intruder LC the longest ride on the pavem ent. Styli ng is classicall y A merican- By Scott Rousseau Photos by Tom Riles 16 he " cruising spiri t." Time w as when that terminology was so closely associated wit h those folks fro m M ilw au kee th at they cou ld jus t abou t get away wit h patenting it. Recognizin g th e im pac t of bi g-bore, heavywei gh t cruiser bike s in the U.S. market through ou t th e m id -' 80 s, th e Japanese Big Fou r have constantly updated th ei r own cruiser m od els in a n at te mpt to "s pirit away" a s ha re of Ha rley-Davidson's sky-rocketing market. Ridin g those offeri ngs used to conjure up spirits, all right - many of the m demo nic. Some performed well but were horribly styled . All failed to acc urately conve y that bad-l ookin', low -rid in' attitu de. But the times, the y are a-changin'. In the '90s th e Far East has, through constant research and development, ton ed down (o r sho u ld we say rou ghed up?) an d refined its motorcycles to the po int that they have not only caught the cruising spi r it , but a re n o w squa rely entre nched in the whole damn re vival. Th ou gh o bviously still foll owing Milw a u kee 's " He r itage" s tyling cues , Kawa sa ki' s Vulcan Classic, Yamaha' s Ro yal Sta r a n d H onda's m onstrou s Valkyrie h ave nonetheless. provided pot enti al cruiser- p h il es w it h sev era l opportu nities to ca tch the crui se r spirit via some truly unique choices, whether it be in the form of an attractive price point or a unique powerplant, With its VL1500 Intruder, Su zuki is the last to add a new flags hip cruiser to its lineup of street-goi ng two-wheelers. In light of the obvious ly stiff competition that alread y crowds the market, chris tening the newest Intruder with the LC designatio n - which sta nd s fo r Legendary Classic a nd not Liquid-Cooled, as some people think - wa s a bold move on Suzu - (Above ) Stretch limo: Suzuki's new VL1500 Intruder LC s prawls across a section of tarmac in the Sonoran desert, With its seriously updated V-twin, all-new chassis an d classically ins pired sty ling, the LC delivers lot of value for its $9899 asking price. (Right) Stop light-tostoplight performance is hampe red by the LC's abrupt clutch action, but tha t is somewhat offset by the bike's stability and extrem e comfort on longer trips , making it a good cho ice as a day-touring rig. a ki's pa r t. Doe s th is late entry into the new world ord er of Japa nese cruisers have th e mettle to set itself ap art from the pack? Suz uki's Am erican arm took a decided ly hand s-on a pproach with regard to the Intruder LC, and there we re severa l key considerations that w ent to its development. Stylistically spea king , th e ca ll was made to make it long, low and massive, the mission to be carri ed ou t via a lot of cubes, a distinctive sound, and dist in ct iv e li n es that shi ed a way from ap pearing too busy. Starting wit h the po w erp lant, the new Intru der is mo tivated by a sig nificantly u pda ted d eri vat ive of the VL1400, wi th its 45-degree offset crankpins, Extra meat is pres e nt in the form of a bore and stro ke chan ge, from the old m otor' s 94 x .98m m to a hea lthier 96 x 101mm, bumping d isplacement from 1360cc to f462cc. Crankshaft inertia is also increased some 30 percent to im prove the low -end torqu e an d thus allow for taller overall gearing. Mo re refinem ent is fou nd further upstair s, with th e new pent-roof, three-valve cylinder heads that feature add itio nal squ ish area , althou gh new dish-crowned p ist o ns actuall y reduce compression from the 1400's 9.3:1 down to 8.5:1. Speaking of the pis tons, the cylinders in w h ic h they ride a re a lso new . The bores fea ture aluminum cylinder w alls that are plated with SCEM (Suzuki Electro-chemi cal platin g), a nickel-silicon-carbid e mater ial tha t is said to be harder tha n the p recedi ng iron s le e ves for increased durability. Down in the ba sement, th e VL1500 fea tu res a hydraulically actuated clutch wi th a back -torque limit er system simi lar inspired, but Suz uki ha s attempted to clean up the In truder LC by simplifying its lines , from the Heritage-look fenders to th e spa rse instrum en tation on the mammoth, fau x fuel tank. You wo n't find much plastic on this machine. Chromework is abu ndant, but tasteful , such as o n the massive oil coole r, w hich now provides oil for both cylinders ins tead of just the rear, as on the VS1 400. Its wide bars, hu ge, flat floorboards a nd generous sea t beckon the rider to swi ng a leg over and tak e the In truder LC for a putt. So we did, our chance coming w hen Suz uki invited us to try out the Intruder LC on a ru n from th e Sou thwes tern

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