Ridden: Suzuki M1800R

IT’S a Gixer turned cruiser … twice over! Suzuki’s monstrous Intruder M1800R is massive; almost double the weight of my GSX-R1000. Could it give Harley-Davidson, the king of cruisers a long ’n’ low run for its money?

That’s something Suzuki is adamant it’s not trying to do. Although the Intruder is lumped into the same category as the American manufacturer, the Japanese company is intent on creating something quite different and one look at the Intruder suggests it has done just that.

You got the look

The styling is breathtaking. Dual slashed pipes curve seductively towards the 240 section rear tyre, the side-stand looks like it should take pride of place at an exclusive London art gallery, whilst even the seat dips with fluidity not normally associated with such a mass of metal. It’s this exclusivity and dream-machine air about the bike that’s made it a popular one in its first year in the marketplace. Less than 80 bikes were brought into the UK and all have been assigned a loving owner already. So finding one now will be as rare as finding a WAG without her face on.

That’s why Suzuki has informed me that 250 are on order for next year; such is its confidence in the model, which gets new paint schemes plus LED tail light and slightly shorter exhausts for 2007. Suzuki has every right to be excited by the success of its cruiser. Some GSX-R sports bike technology has been carried over to this new breed of Suzuki. It boasts radial brakes and the Suzuki exhaust tuning for example, but the shaft drive is a first for this Japanese manufacturer. By its very nature, this system increases the unsprung weight, so the ride, especially over imperfections in the road’s surface, can feel a little harsh, as can the gear changes.

U-turn if you want to

The bike lurched forwards each time I selected a new gear. This was most noticeable lower down the gearbox. It can be smoothed out with a little rider consideration and fourth and fifth gear seemed far less abrupt. The rear suspension has adjustable pre-load, and although I left it on the stock setting for my test ride, perhaps with a few tweaks, the rideablity could be improved. It wasn’t unpleasant by any stretch of the imagination, and with less challenging road surfaces, the M1800R proved to be capable of going the distance in style and with a good degree of comfort.

It is perhaps more comparable to Triumph’s Rocket III than a Harley-Davidson cruiser. But because the majority of the bike’s weight’s carried lower down, beneath the 19-litre fuel tank and in front of the rider, it feels relatively easy to manoeuvre and the 700mm seat height is 40mm lower than the Triumph’s. This helps to make the bike feel more manageable and maybe makes it even more appealing to potential customers. The more I rode the M1800R, the more I began to gel with the bike. U-turns for the photo shoot became less trouble as the day progressed and actually, feet up turns are not only easy, they’re comfortable too.

On balance

For a big bike, the M1800R is balanced remarkably well. Once you’ve got your head around the fact that the steering lock is far better than you’d imagine, even the narrowest road presented itself as a go-for-it, feet-up challenge! And where a riding position like this often tests the various sporting injuries I carry, apart from the occasional jolt as the bike dived into the odd pot hole, I felt as though I could ride this cruiser for some distance - only not too fast and certainly not too hard.

With just a tad over five inches of ground clearance available, it’s not long before things begin to scrape. That may be pleasurable to some riders but I usually find it slightly disconcerting and therefore restrictive. The engine’s torquey and strong, and will propel you towards neck-wrenching speeds pretty quickly. Although the cruiser’s wind protection is limited, the headlight housing does deflect some of the blast away from your head and torso. Next year’s model is likely to be a naked version for US customers, but for the UK market, this mini, but perfectly-formed cowling stays put.

Verdict

The true sophistication of the M1800R lies in its looks. But providing you’re accepting of the limitations of a bike with these dimensions, the £8,999 price tag is sure to be as attractive as the bike itself.