Disclaimer: I do not own a Suzuki Intruder 150 myself. But I am planning to get one very soon after having spent a good 1500 kilometers on my brothers machine. I do own a Suzuki Gixxer SF 2016 version and that has given me a fair bit of perspective on the Suzuki machines.
The behemoth Suzuki Intruder M1800 is a sight for sore eyes. The intimidating proportions coupled with a monster engine make for a cruising experience unlike anything that comes across in a mundane lifestyle. So, when Suzuki decided to scale things down things got interesting indeed. So, without further ado I will come straight to the point here.
Looks, Ergonomics & Handling: Polarizing, to say the least. Some will hate it and yet there will be others who will absolutely adore it. I have seen a stunning customized iteration in my city a few days back - and it looked gorgeous! The fat 140 section rear tires do look disproportionate in comparison with the wide rear end, and the tank shroud is as wide as a camping bed. I can imagine myself taking a nap on it under a green shade in the midst of a long trip. The seat is very low slung and even shorter riders like me won’t find it hard to touch the road with both heels. The foot pegs are a bit of a stretch for short riders; no denying that. The cruiser stance is a bit more radical than the Avenger siblings. It does feel odd at first with the legs stretched almost to the next town- I won’t say uncomfortable, but odd - but give it some time and you will find yourself flicking and cutting through thick city traffic like a butter knife. The Gixxer underpinnings are evident in the handling here. The raised yet short(in cruiser terms) handle bars are real darlings. They ogle you to flick the bike around adamantly. A cruiser, it is, but not without genes shared with the Gixxer brothers! So this long legged lass does handle well! As I said, you got to get used to the riding stance a bit.
Engine Performance, Noise, Vibration and Comfort: If you have tasted the Gixxer’s performance you already know how smooth things are with the Suzuki bikes. But with this machine Suzuki has taken refinement levels to a whole new solar system. You hardly feel a thing even when the bike is actually screaming at the RPM redline. Only the Yamaha R15 engine is smoother! An additional tooth in the rear sprocket has hiked the initial pickup of the bike. It sure feels more fleet-footed than the Gixxers, albeit with a slight drop in the top speed. But you can do a 100kmph all day on this bike and it won’t twitch - something other small capacity(500cc or less) cruiser manufacturers need to imbibe in their production process. The gear shifts are butter smooth and are many notches higher in smoothness than the Gixxer, which can be clunky on rare occasions. The seat is comfy and your but should not begin to complain too soon. The pillion will spit on you for the want of a proper grab rail, but that much - you can spit back on him/her if he/she complains about the seat or the rear monoshock. The beefy forks at the front and the monoshock at the back are optimally tuned - neither too soft for the curvy corners, nor bumpy like sports bikes. Even after a whole day of riding hard your bones will stay in place and your ears won’t pop.
Reliability: Suzuki reliability is heaven-sent. In fact all the Japanese manufacturers seem to be particularly finicky about this thing, which is good for us consumers, of course!
Road Grip: Superb! Even on the mountain twisties the bike feels as agile and sure-footed as in heavy city traffic. The credit goes to the superb combination of terrific tires borrowed straight from the Gixxer, a splendid chasis, and superb riding ergonomics.
Appeal: This is the tricky part. I was shocked by the looks initially. But this is one lady you gradually fall in love with. But let me tell you this - once you let yourself fall for her witchcraft, you are lost forever. There is a certain addiction to this machine that makes you quake for another chance to ride her.
Mileage: Ideally it should never drop below 40kmpl. If it is going south of that marker, get your bike checked for problems.
Love her or hate her for her looks, decide only after you have ridden this splendid machine. Suzuki has done a fascinating job once again this time. The sales figures might not be as enthusing as with the Gixxers for Suzuki. But this machine sure does bring a smile to the rider and owner’s face. I have been riding the Gixxer SF for two years now. I know that underneath the intricate plastic shrouds the Intruder is more or less the same machine. Yet, I swap my ride with my brother at the first chance.
I hope this review helps you to decide on this machine. You do need to shell out some extra dough over the Avenger siblings to get the Suzuki Intruder 150. But this bike is worth every penny spent on her.
Ride safe! Ride hard!