The nicely polished alloy...
The nicely polished alloy of the rear drive housing meshes smoothly with the matching cast wheels; chroming them should be easy. Although not as pleasing to some eyes as wire-spoke wheels, cast wheels with tubeless tires offer a number of maintenance and safety advantages, including easier cleaning.
High Points: Ultra-roomy, super comfortable saddle; Fat's where it's at; Most affordable of wide-look cruisers; Strong power with relaxed highway cadence.
Low Points: Grabby clutch makes even semi-quick starts difficult; Some details, like the battery, collide with otherwise excellent detailing; Range is limited for such a comfortable machine.
First Changes: Install a windshield for highway use; Optional fuel gauge would help fuel management.
Elvidge: Bigger isn't always better, and anyone who buys into that myth should be sentenced to own a 1500 Intruder. I can't get past the look...kind of a cross between a Pacific Coast and a Cuisinart. For me, the best thing going for the 1400 model has always been visual; the way the bike's other components accentuate the beefcake motor. What happened here? Fittingly, the 1500 felt like a slug on the road as well. The only time I experienced exciting acceleration is when the bike's dysfunctional clutch would launch it for a fraction of a second.
Giving an all-new Intruder a chance in the ring with a heavyweight like Kawasaki's Vulcan Classic was a sound idea, but boy, what came out wearing the gloves didn't seem fit for a fight. TKO.
Suzuki chose some nice shapes...
Suzuki chose some nice shapes for items like pipes.
Brasfield: Remember when people didn't call fat "fat" but "prosperous?" Well, I think the 1500LC's designers must have thought porcine was the direction cruising fashion was headed. Unfortunately, my cruiser taste leans toward big-boned, not corpulent. Just one look at the LC had me thinking about Lean Cuisine.
With the exception of the clutch, Suzuki has made one of my favorite engines better. The additional oomph does an admirable job of propelling the LC's formidable weight in almost every situation. Just don't expect 1400-like acceleration, and make sure you have good clutch control or a good grip on the bar. On the plus side, the LC addresses the 1400 Intruder's biggest failing. The LC exhibits none of the flexi-flyer handling problems of the 1400. Shaft effect is non-existent; the front steers slowly but steadily. The newfound stability inspires confidence even if the suspension isn't quite perfect. A bit too much compression damping makes rippled corners exciting, but the LC tracks true despite the jostling. I'll take a slightly harsh suspension over spongy every time.
All in all, I appreciate the Intruder LC's functional improvements over the 1400. But like the past-his-prime athlete who claims "it's not fat; it's muscle," the LC needs to hit the gym to tone up and lose a few pounds, if I'm gonna believe this Intruder isn't just sucking in its gut in an attempt to look buff.
Evans Brasfield
Brasfield, MOtorcycle Cruiser's former associate editor, has gotten prosperous and now has his own web site.
Smith: There's a whole lot to like in the newest Intruder. In fact, there's a whole lot, period: seven hundred pounds, a liter-and-a-half, 67 inches between axles, and a wider rear tire than some cars have. First time I saw the seat, I figured we could ride two-up on it, side-by-side.
When we compared it to the...
When we compared it to the similar Kawasaki 1500, the Suzuki wound up in second place, though we felt tall riders might prefer the roomy Suzuki.
Not that sheer porkiness is necessarily a liability, but it does kind of put me on alert. Did the guys engineering the thing maybe lose track of a detail here and there, along with their sense of restraint? In the 1500LC's case, I think a couple of stitches did indeed get dropped along the way. Take the styling. Its basic proportions look fine, but I'm unimpressed by such touches as the too-crude fork cover behind the headlight. It lacks detailing on the front, and from the cockpit, you stare into its rough backside.
Or, consider the performance. There's enough of it, certainly, but why does the clutch have to grab its friction plates and my attention? Even the comfort has one sour note. The floorboards mount so flat and so far forward that I can't use them as anything but heel rests.
If the devil is in the details, Suzuki needs a little exorcism to make the biggest Intruder hang together for me. Kevin Smith
Smith, Motorcycle Cruiser's former editorial director, is now doing the devil's work at Motor Trend, a magazine about vehicles that lean the wrong way in corners.
Suzuki had a line of accessories...
Suzuki had a line of accessories already available when the 1500 Intruder LC was launched.
Friedman: Some people think that putting the fuel tank under the seat with a dummy tank up top qualifies as some sort of fakery. Maybe so, but how much performance would Suzuki have sacrificed to do otherwise? If the tank were in the conventional location, a smaller airbox would have been required. That would have reduced performance; either because the extra intake noise meant that Suzuki further muted the exhaust or because the intake was restricted.
The conflicts between traditional and functional are sure to be tested increasingly in the years ahead. The old ways of doing things may not work as well as systems that just look like traditional-style. Buyers will decide what they want. I find other aspects of the Suzuki's styling, such as the battery hung out in front of the engine and the excessively wide fender, to be more troublesome.
Personally, I like the Suzuki pretty well. Its ultra-comfy saddle and the fact that such a big bike is so manageable especially impress me. I think the grabby clutch is a real handicap, however, and it knocks a chunk off of the Suzuki's score for me. Hopefully someone will offer a fix, removing the most serious blemish from a machine that's otherwise pretty nice to ride.
SPECIFICATIONS
1998 Suzuki Intruder 1500 LC
Designation: VL1500
Suggested base price: $9899
Standard colors: Black/green,yellow/white, brown/beige
Extra cost colors: NA
Standard warranty: 12 mo., unlimited miles
Recommended service interval: 7500 miles
ENGINE & DRIVETRAIN
Type: Air/oil-cooled, 45-degree tandem V-twin
Valve arrangement: SOHC, 2 intake valves, 1 exhaust valve per cylinder, operated by rockers, hydraulic adjusters
Displacement, bore x stroke: 1462cc, 96 x 101mm
Compression ratio: 8.5:1
Carburetion: 2, 36mm Mikuni constant-velocity
Lubrication: Wet sump, 5.0 qt.
Minimum fuel grade: 87 octane
Transmission: Wet multiplate clutch, 5 speeds
Final drive: Shaft, .852:1
Suzuki has made some updates,...
Suzuki has made some updates, including dual front brakes, to the LC since its arrival. The examples above are 2003 models.
CHASSIS
Wet weight: 669 lb, 55% rear wheel
Wheelbase: 66.9 in.
Overall length: 99.4 in
Seat height: 26.7 in.
Rake/trail: 32 degrees / 5.43 in.
Wheels: Cast, 3.50 x 16 in. front, 5.00 x 15 in. rear
Front tire: 150/80-16 Bridgestone G703 tubeless
Rear tire: 180/70-15 Bridgestone G702 tubeless
Front brake: 2 piston, double-action caliper, 11.8-in. disc
Rear brake: 2 piston, double-action caliper, 7.1-in. disc
Front suspension: 41mm stanchions, 5.1 in. travel
Rear suspension: Single damper, 4.6 in. travel, adjustment for preload
Fuel capacity: 4.1 gal.
Handlebar width: 33.3 in. wide, 1.0 in. diameter
Inseam equivalent: 31.2 in.
ELECTRICAL & INSTRUMENTATION
Charging output: 340 watts
Battery: 12v, 14AH, maintenance-free
Forward lighting: 55/60-watt, 7.5-in. headlight, position lights
Taillight: 1 bulb
Instruments: Speedometer, LCD odometer/dual tripmeter; warning lights for neutral, high beam, turn signals, oil pressure, fuel level
PERFORMANCE
Fuel mileage: 31 to 40 mpg, 35.9 mpg average
Average range: 147 miles
RPM at 60 mph, top gear: 2490
200 yard, top-gear acceleration from 50 mph, terminal speed: 71.7 mph
Quarter-mile acceleration: 14.19 sec., 91.9 mph