Suzuki Vx800
SUZUKI VX800
NEW FOR 1990
THE RETURN OF McBIKE OR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT?
WE ASKED FOR IT. MANY of you asked for it. Well, here it is.
In the responses we received to a story titled “The Cycle World Convertible," in which we called for a modern version of the standard-style motorcycle, and in the hundreds of letters bemoaning the fact that motorcycles have become too specialized that were mailed-in to our recent “What's Wrong?" survey, one thing came through loud and clear. Many riders, unenamored of cruisers and not willing to make the commitment to repli-racers, want an updated version of what once was called the Universal Japanese Motorcycle.
Suzuki, too, had been doing surveys, three years worth of them all across the USA, and it had come to the same conclusion. The 1990 VX800 you see here is the response.
Actually, calling the VX a 1990s UJM isn't quite correct, as it is powered by a V-Twin engine instead of the type’s generally accepted inline-Four. Suzuki simply says the VX is a “general-purpose” motorcycle intended to appeal to riders 30 to 40 years old, “a simple, no-frills sportbike that provides an easy, enjoyable ride for the adult rider.”
The liquid-cooled, V-Twin engine chosen was already on Suzuki’s books, the powerplant of the Intruder cruiserbike since 1985, and it makes the jump to the VX with not much more than an increase in the cylinders’ bore size. Displacement is now 805cc. with one extra horsepower—for a total of 63—as well as a slight increase in torque over the 750cc version.
Also making the changeover from cruiser to standard are the Intruder’s five-speed transmission and shaft final drive, albeit with higher overall gearing. And, like the Intruder, the VX has dual-shock rear suspension.
The latter features—shaft drive and twin shocks—may seem out of place on a bike with admittedly sporting intentions. But Suzuki says that’s what its surveys indicated riders in the VX’s target group wanted: shaft drive for convenience, two shocks for a traditional look.
Tradition, not to mention keeping production costs low, was also the driving force behind the VX’s frame, made of round-steel tubing and painted black. At least the VX frame is configured differently and uses thicker tubes than the Intruder’s, which delivered the wobbliest ride in recent memory when Cycle World tested the bike in 1988.
Perhaps as important as its increased rigidity, though, are the frame’s dimensions. With a wheelbase of 61.4 inches, the VX is a fullsized motorcycle, one intended to fit American riders. One of the complaints lodged against Honda's socalled “new-age” standards—the CB1 (wheelbase of 53.9 inches) and the Hawk GT (56.1 inches)—is that they felt too small. That shouldn’t be a problem with the new Suzuki. Nor should complaints of too-quick, racebike-like steering, thanks to a 31-degree rake and an 18-inch front wheel (the rear is a 17-incher).
A downside to the VX’s “American” sizing is increased heft. With a claimed dry weight of 484 pounds, the bike is almost 50 pounds heavier than the Intruder 750 and more than 20 pounds up on the GSX-R750 four-cylinder sportbike. Yet, the VX’s weight, like its relatively mild horsepower production and its conservative steering dimensions, doesn't bother Suzuki's product planners, who say that the VX was designed for people w ho spend most of their riding time between 25 and 65 miles per hour. Those in need of extended performance parameters already have Katanas and GSX-Rs to choose from.
Given the VX's intended mission in life, it's ironic that Suzuki arranged for press rides of pre-production bikes on a fast test track containing a front straightaway long enough to land jumbo-jets on. And the situation wasn't helped much by a rainstorm that pounced on the area 15 minutes into the riding session. Still, we came away with a few useful impressions. The engine, as you'd expect. churns out scads of torque, tugging the VX through the gears up to an indicated top speed of 125 miles per hour. Expect quarter-mile times in the low-13-second range, with a chance of breaking into the 12s. Handling is steady and predictable, and not as heavy as the numbers would lead you to think. Suspension rates, however, were too soft. Just supporting the bike's own weight took a big bite out of the fork’s 5.9 inches of travel and the rear end's 4.7 inches. Consequently, cornering clearance was a problem, with the exhaust pipes taking a beating in the turns. As this story is being written, development VXs are in the U.S. for suspension-calibration runs. We anticipate the suspension will be improved by the time the bikes go on sale in February or March.
A price for the VX is still being decided upon: "Under S 5000" was about as definite as Suzuki wanted to get at the time we rode the pre-pro duction hikes. We fervently hope the price will he closer to 5400() than to S499~. because the VX800. priced attractively, stands a good chance of becoming more than a new-age stan dard. more than a reborn t'JM. more than a sporthike for grown-ups. It could he a motorcycle that's right for the times.
