The Suzuki Intruder 800
I have a friend of mine who recently purchased an Intruder 800 (the model line has been virtually unchanged since 1992, so this Review will apply to everything made since then). I was curious as to its performance and handling, since I had owned a Marauder for about two years, and Suzuki’s Marauder shares the same engine.
I took the Intruder 800 for a ride to Cook Forest, PA. (I was living in Erie, PA at the time--so this was a 100-ish mile ride.)
The first thing I need to say about this bike is that it really rips. Getting it on at a stoplight and reaching the speed limit within seconds, is quite nice on a torque heavy cruiser like the Intruder. You would never guess it was a middle-weight cruiser.
The model I rode had a complete system of Cobra slash cut pipes installed. The 800's motor has the “chug” of a v-twin, but when it takes off or runs at a higher rpm, it sounds more like a muscle car that a motorcycle. It actually sounds a bit like a Honda Magna, or Honda Valkyrie with aftermarket pipes.
Overall, the main difference between my old Marauder and the Intruder 800 is in the styling. Intruders come with a chopper style seat. The passenger sits slightly higher than the pilot, and a passenger backrest ("sissy bar") comes as a standard option. When you first look at the bike, it seems like the front end and handlebars sit too high to be a comfortable ride--but that's not the case. Actually, after some time getting used to the feel of the buckhorn handlebars (the handlebars on my current bike are drag bars) I liked it very much. I also like the fact that the passenger pillion provides a natural backrest for the driver. I was very stretched out and feeling good from the waist up.
