I
n the 1970s, it seems as if U.S.
Suzuki must've thought that
every motorcycle should have
a name. We say this because
as a matter of fact, every Suzuki
motorcycle did have a name!
From the Trailhopper 50cc to
the mighty, liquid-cooled GT 750
Le Mans, Suzuki blessed each
motorcycle in their lineup with a
moniker that would not only help
distinguish, for example, the five-
speed TS 125 Duster from the
eight-speed TC 125 Prospector,
it would also seduce the buyer
into believing that under the skin
of their workaday average Ameri-
can selves lurked the spirit of a
Savage (TS 250).
In the enduro world (long be-
fore the term dual-purpose had
been coined), the alpha male on
Suzuki showroom floors was the
400cc two-stroke single, dubbed
the Apache. The TS 400 was one
of the last of the big ring-a-ding
singles, which were slowly sur-
rendering the trails to the quieter,
more ecologically friendly four-
stroke singles. It would disap-
pear from the lineup in 1977,
and most of the TS lineup would
follow it into the braap heap
soon after.
Like the famous Apache
medicine man and fighter by the
name of Geronimo, the Suzuki
TS 400 was certainly enigmatic.
Geronimo spent his years fight-
ing the encroaching presence of
the white man, even though he
also claimed to be something of
a soothsayer. Apparently, even
knowing that the white man was
going to win in the end wasn't
going to deter Geronimo from
putting up a good fight.
The Suzuki Apache, at least
according to Cycle News,
seemed to be fighting its own
battle within. Was it a street bike
that could be taken off-road? Or
a dirt bike that could be ridden
on the street?
"Physically, it is as big as any
350-500cc street bike," wrote
tester Lane Campbell. If the
reader were looking for more
reasons to keep the TS 400 on
the pavement, Campbell added
that the bike was "long, tall and
bulky between the knees," the
kind of description that would
make modern-day suitors rapidly
swipe left!
The Cycle News' staff found
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GAUCHO. HONCHO. STINGER.
SEBRING. BUT, AH, THE APACHE
BY KENT TAYLOR
Street bike or dirt bike? The 1975 Suzuki Apache was a nice idea, but...
