Suzuki VZ800 Marauder
Written: Sep 07 '00
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Good straight line acceleration.
Cons: Lack of fuel capacity, poor clutch, poor slow speed driving.
|
|
|
| Dakotav16's Full Review: 2000 Suzuki MARAUDER 800 |
One look usually is all it takes to get people interested. This bike has good head swiveling, eye catching looks. I also found that many people mistake it for a Harley at first glance because it just looks massive.
I was surprised during my test drive to find out that it was actually easy to maneuver, for being such a big looking bike. My particular marauder ( Just bought this year, May 2000 brand new )does not like to drive along slowly in traffic. It stutters and the clutch does not release smoothly. It can sometimes grab suddenly causing the bike to lurch front. Especially when cold it has a slight to severe engine stuttering problem that sometimes causes the bike to stall completely. This problem did not go away after the first 1000 mile service.
There is one bright spot with the performance of this bike. It loves to go fast and be revved up. It does not have a tachometer so you can't see how fast the engine is spinning, but it seems to like it the faster the smoother and more powerful it feels. I think it has drag bars for a good reason and it is not just to look cool, this baby moves out when revved.
The ride is comfortable for daily commuting and short local trips only. I think some of this is my problem, in that I am 6' 2" tall and most motorcycles do not fit me comfortably.
The headlight is wonderful and on high beam really lights up the road ahead. The fuel capacity at 3.4 gallons including .8 gallons for reserve, was another disappointment to me. This allows only 127 miles before hitting the reserve switch. My actual mileage is only about 47 mpg in average mixed city/highway driving. The highway ride at speeds 55 to 65 m.p.h. is harsh and needs to be more compliant to be comfortable for longer rides. At slower speeds the ride is comfortable unless the road is bumpy, then again the jolts are delivered up to the riders.
If I had it to do again I would keep looking for a motorcycle that suits my riding styles and my height much better. Which I am already thinking about a Honda Valkyrie as a possible candidate for next time.
Thanks for reading.
Recommended:
No
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
Dakotav16
|
|
Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 0 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.