Suzuki Intruder M 1800 R 2015 — Specifications

In the fierce battle of custom dragsters, Suzuki had been rather discreet. The manufacturer had indeed once fielded a 1600 Marauder, more to have its own large custom than to face the competing armada.

Since then, Suzuki has faced the challenge and remains one of the last to offer its "big-twin-custom-that-tears-up-the-road." The M 1800 R (no joke) competed upon its release with the Kawasaki VN 2000, Yamaha 1700 Road Star Warrior, and Honda 1800 VTX. Now, it confronts the Harley 1250 Muscle or the Triumph Rocket III Roadster, with certain particularities that capture our full attention. During the era of Japanese power-cruisers, the 1,783 cm3 twin was not the largest in the group but it was the most powerful. No less than 120 horsepower jostle to exit the crankshaft! With that, the power-cruiser concept reached a new level. This 4-valve-per-cylinder twin, with GSX-R 1000-type double butterfly injection, does not follow the same power development logic as its rivals. With a huge bore of 112 mm - the largest on a production motorcycle, until the arrival of the 1299 Panigale and its 116 mm - for a reduced stroke of 90.5 mm, the engine designers clearly favored power over torque. It is the last of the group to brandish Japanese horsepower in this niche; the others have abandoned and the Suzuki relies on its beautiful remains and its menacing styling to face the English and American machines.

The M 1800 R adopts a rather futuristic line, quite distant from the immobility of this category and its timeless aesthetic canons. The Suzuki power-cruiser is truly the most stylistically advanced custom (especially thanks to its headstock), although its chassis, its cycle part values, and its huge 240 mm tire are within the current standard of machines of this type. The front end does not agree with this, and outrageously displays its inverted fork and radial brake calipers (Suzuki pioneered this type of mounting on a custom). Disorientation is guaranteed at the dashboard level. Divided into 2 parts, it consists of a digital tachometer like the VTR SP-1 placed in front of the handlebars; and an analog speedometer, fixed on the tank, graduated up to... 240 km/h!!!

M.B - photos manufacturer