Great Little Bike
Written: Jun 05 '01 (Updated Jun 05 '01)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Comfort: |
 |
|
| Handling And Control: |
 |
|
| Quality and Craftsmanship: |
|
|
|
Pros: Comfortable for smaller people (under 6 feet, under 160 lbs.)
Cons: Small gas tank.
The Bottom Line: Great bike for a medium sized person on a budget. Super comfy with a torquey, rev happy motor. Personally like the older models with the polished engine.
|
|
|
| feeney's Full Review: 2000 Suzuki INTRUDER 800 |
This is my second Intruder 800. I've owned a 1994 and 1995. Both in the black with blue metal-flake paint scheme. I think Suzuki has made two minor styling mistakes with the later models. First, you can't go wrong with basic black. To my knowledge, it is no longer available. Second, what's with the blacked-out motor? One of the most appealing traits of this bike are the clean, uncluttered lines of the HIGHLY polished motor. I'll never buy one with the blacked out motor.
I could have purchased any number of bikes, but I no longer crave sport-bike power and top speed. I'm growing accustomed to a little comfort, and I'm a relatively small guy (5'9" at 150 lbs). There's nothing like a 700 lb. Harley Road King on the open road, but this bike allows me to be slightly aggressive on windy roads and handles the open road adequately.
I road this bike with some friends whose father had three Harleys. Two Sportster 1200's and an Electra Glide. All day, we traded off and on with the Sportsters and the Intruder (Dad wouldn't give up his Electra Glide). By the end of the day, we were all fighting over the Intruder and referring to the Sportster as the "box of rocks". The Intruder was just that much more ergonomically comfortable than the Sporsters and a lot less money!
The performance of this relatively small motor (by road bike standards) has to be applauded. I run right with my friends 1100 Sporster (if not outrun) and keep up with or beat just about any cruiser to 90 mph. Top speed is just a bit over 100, maybe 110 on a good day.
Compare this bike with a Sportster 883 (probably the main rival) feature by feature and there's little choice to be made. I'd say the standout features are 1. the motor. Liquid cooled, 4 valves per cylinder. It's pretty torquey and loves to rev. The only bad thing is it doesn't sound like the Harley. Never will. 2. Shaft drive. Though the Sportster is belt drive (nice!), this feature trumps other Japanese Cruisers, even the new Shadow Spirit 750 from Honda (chain). 3. Hydraulic clutch. Even the HIGHEST end Harleys, pushing $20,000+ don't have hydraulic clutches! Go figure. 4. General Styling. Suzuki did a nice job to keep things from hanging off the side of the bike. That makes the ride very comfortable with your legs not protruding out like you're sitting on an in line four. Hey, it's a v-twin, not a CBX! There's another published opinion that complains about burning your legs. Never happened here, and I've logged plenty of time. Be Careful, it's a hot motor!
You can't go wrong with this bike. I park it on the sidewalk in front of the gym and work out where I can see it. Passers-by stop and check it out all the time! Remember, it's not a sport-bike, but it has great power for what it is, and handles OK, for what it is. This is a function over form bike. It's also a great bike for a medium build person on a budget! Have fun!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 3000
Condition: Used
Model Year: 1995
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
feeney
|
|
Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 0 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.