Suzuki Intruder Valusia VLBOO
STORY AND PHOTOS BY KIT PALMER
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V
ven with two middleweight cruiser-styled bikes already in its line-
up, Suzuki felt the need to add yet
another wallet-friendly 800cc bike to
its fleet - the Intruder Volusia VL800.
Suzuki developed the Volusia to compliment its 800cc line that already
includes the company's old-faithful
Thanks to a low
seat height and a
light feel, the
Intruder Volusia I.
comfortable in
motion and at rest.
So that every week i. Bike Week: Much of our evaluation of the new Suzuki took
place In the florida county from which It gets Its name.
16
APRIL 4. 2001 •
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chopper-style VS800 Intruder and the
back-street drag-bike styled VZ800
Marauder; now they have the more
traditional classic styling of the allnew Volusia.
One of the most interesting things
about the new Suzuki is its name.
You're probably familiar with that big
motorcycling happening in Florida
called Bike Week, where motorcyclists from all around the country
scrape the ice and frost off their
bikes' seats and come to Daytona
Beach for a week of cruising, motorcycle race spectating, and hanging
out and enjoying the sunshine and
warm air with thousands of other bike
owners - most of them, of course,
Harley-Davidson owners. This traditional gathering of bikers takes place
in Florida's Volusia County, the place
that the new Suzuki is named after.
By naming it Volusia, Suzuki is hoping that, no matter where you are,
you'll be able relive that Bike Week
spirit, excitement and sensation, not
just once a year, but every time you
throw a leg over the bike.
So it comes as no surprise that
Suzuki chose to introduce the all-new
Intruder Volusia in Daytona during
Bike Week 200 I, and we're happy
they did, because now we had a bike
to carry us from one race to another
during our busy workweek in Daytona. Unfortunately, a lot of our time
on the Volusia was spent sitting in
enormous traffic jams, waiting for the
ridiculously long traffic signals in
Daytona to turn green. Luckily, the
Volusia has a light feel and a low
27.6-inch seat height, so holding up
the bike while chatting with other bikers that were waiting for the same
light was an effortless act.
Once the lights did turn green, the
Volusia was anxious to go. Its liquidf:ooled, SOHC, 45-degree V-twin
motor, which is very similar to the
motor that powers the original Intruder and the Marauder (though it
resembles closer the Intruder's motor
since they both incorporate a shaftdrive system), pumps out decent
