Blowing over the Afsluitdijk behind a sleek cockpit in your classically cut leather outfit? Do not do it. With the current heat and max speed thing, cruising is cool. And you apparently do optimal cruising on a motorcycle with a V2 block. They also came up with that in 1985 at Suzuki. But while many Japanese manufacturers still lived in the land of twilight between a Harley clone and a rocking horse, the Suzuki Intruder was clearly a machine with its own face. They were kind of chic yet kewl enough. Essentially they were like 700 cc (import restrictions!) models intended for the United States. The rest of the world got them as 750's, 800's and 1400's (of 1360cc) bikes and the program was rounded down with the 400's and 600's.
The Suzuki Intruder clearly had its own face
And that was clearly tailored to the American market. Americans are like Germans: They love shiny things. check. The V twin? A must! The buddy's ass that actually disturbed the smooth slope of the bike? Well, yes… Technically, the Suzuki was at the level of The Great Example. The bike was made for driving in American conditions: long, straight roads with strict speed limits. But you didn't buy a Suzuki Intruder to make long, fast journeys or race through the Ardennes. The brakes hadn't learned for that either. It was more of quiet seeing and being seen.
A great choice
But what it was intended for, such a Suzuki Intruder (700, 750 or 800) was a good, neatly finished machine. Sales went so well that the entire line was discovered by the aftermarket suppliers. They made happy with things that could usually make an Intruder shinier, more American and/or noisier. Just like it was a century before Harley. So what happened to the Suzuki Intruders? It was – again just like with the Harleys – often enthusiastic and injudicious tinkering. A topper was to mount an exhaust system as loud as possible and to adjust the block in such a way that you could count the blows at no load. That sounded very tough. And the bigends went broke. Mounting other air filters without adjusting the nozzle seating also proved that with enough ignorance you can kill even the best technique.
A heavy one is your true one
Of course, many people fell in love with the Suzuki 1400 Intruder. Strangely enough, the 700, 750 and 800 cc machines were often dismissed as motorcycles for women. The only thing we can imagine is that the seat height on those machines is very human-friendly. But a Suzuki Intruder from the somewhat lighter series is certainly not the most women-friendly motorcycle in our opinion.
Intruders now
We can conclude that the Intruders are classics. They present a rather original, fresh interpretation of what an American V-twin can look like when it looks very much like a large example. Standard and normally maintained, such an Intruderblok is certainly good for a ton.
chrome scabies
Under European conditions, which used to be humid, the chrome – especially the coating of engine parts – turned out not to be very climate resistant. If moisture got under it, the surface looked like it had some serious skin disease. But now a good used Suzuki Intruder is an affordable, fun and reliable classic. It also has shaft drive. And about 60 hp? That's more than enough.
Handy: Buy as original as possible and with as few kilometers as possible. Have fresh brake fluid and new, good tires. A good second option: buy one that is not original, but has been professionally treated. Tastes differ, but you might just fall in love.
Stay miles away from scrambled double-tough ones with open legs, wrapping around the bends and the famed matte black overcoat.
Also read: more stories about classic engines
To each his own of course, but an Intruder is actually a good thing in terms of base. And what about those brakes that hadn't learned before big performance? Ah,…. Someone who has accidentally blindly relied on a great front brake from a Harley WLAII knows how to cherish the brakes of an Intruder as a serious sanctuary. And that rear wheel in the photo inspires respect. Even as a BMW adept I look at that with taste. Fair is fair. I know what many are now trying to achieve with 'open pipes'. That it makes more noise, you can bet on that with something like that. But put it on the rollers. 10 to 1 that you can look for the horses that have inexplicably disappeared from the stable for the layman. Exhaust systems are generally pretty well figured out by the manufacturer. Birding it in the wrong way will cause problems. Don't tell my former math teacher that you have open pipes fitted to your two-wheeler. He then had his standard response in stock: “The more noise, the less sense”. People who ruthlessly rely on scoring power with open pipes will unfortunately run into the serious scope of that saying.
You had a good smart math teacher.. nicely said .... the more noise the less sense ... super good of him. And completely agree of course
In a test it was noticed that only 2 of the 14 tested aftermarket exhausts under a 1400 were about as good as standard. The bad set lost 14 hp
Cool such an old intrusion: with decent revs into the tunnel, the run on/or button on or, accelerate, and then the run on/or button on on again…. Big blow which sounds extra nice in a tunnel!
Then check if the spark plugs are still in it 🤪
(don't try this at home)