Suzuki VX 800

Last updated
Suzuki VX 800
Suzuki VX 800.jpg
Manufacturer Suzuki
Production 1990-1997
Class Naked bike
Engine 805 cc, V-twin engine, Water-cooled, Four-stroke, 4-valves
Power 63 hp (47 kW) @ 7500  rpm
Torque 54 lb⋅ft (73 N⋅m) @ 6500 rpm
Transmission 5-speed, Drive shaft
Brakes Front: 1 disc; Rear: 1 disc;
Tires 110/80 R18 inch front, 150/70 R17 inch rear
Wheelbase 61.6 in (1,565 mm)
DimensionsL: 89.8 in (2,281 mm)
W: 31.7 in (805 mm)
H: 43.9 in (1,115 mm)
Seat height 31.5 in (800 mm)
Weight 524.7 lb (238.0 kg) (wet)
Fuel capacity 19.5 L (4.3 imp gal; 5.2 US gal)
Related Suzuki Intruder

The Suzuki VX800 is a road motorcycle shaft-drive V-twin bike from Suzuki.

V-twin engine 2-cylinder piston engine in vee configuration

A V-twin engine, also called a V2 engine, is a two-cylinder internal combustion engine where the cylinders are arranged in a V configuration. Although widely associated with motorcycles, V-twin engines are also produced for the power equipment industry and are often found in riding lawnmowers, small tractors and electric generators.

Suzuki Japanese multinational corporation

Suzuki Motor Corporation is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Minami-ku, Hamamatsu. Suzuki manufactures automobiles, four-wheel drive vehicles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines. In 2016, Suzuki was the eleventh biggest automaker by production worldwide. Suzuki has over 45,000 employees and has 35 production facilities in 23 countries, and 133 distributors in 192 countries. The worldwide sales volume of automobiles is the world's tenth largest, while domestic sales volume is the third largest in the country.

Contents

The VX800 was designed at U.S. Suzuki's Design Studio in Brea, California from 1986 to 1989, and produced in years 1990 to 1997. Lackluster sales in the United States brought the model to an end in 1993, European version was produced until 1997.

Brea, California City in California, United States

Brea is a city in Orange County, California. The population as of the 2010 census was 39,282. It is located 33 miles (53 km) southeast of Los Angeles.

Concept and prototype

Among others, the design team consisted of Don Presnell, Lead Designer-styling, Aki Goto as Lead Engineer and Sam Yamazaki for frame and engine engineering.

Sam Yamazaki and Aki Goto were the inspired R&D engineers who started putting together a crude prototype at the Brea Studio utilizing a 750 cc Intruder engine in a modified Intruder frame. The rake and trail were modified on that prototype, as were the footpeg/shifter positions. The prototype was finished off with a hand-hammered aluminum tank mastered by Sam Yamazaki. The first full scale clay modeling of the VX750 was done by Don Presnell at the Brea facility. A quote by Don Presnell on the changes made in Japan on the concept. "The original full-scale clay model that I accompanied over to Japan had a rear fender/seat more like the first sketch. It's true that Japanese management did want to play it safe, so they went with the more traditional styling on the rear fender. Many times a transportation Designer's sketches/models get compromised when it gets to the Marketing Dept. stage!" The suspension, engine work and final touches on the frame were done in Hammamatsu, Japan, once the concept & design direction were established, at this point it was out of the hands of the U.S. development team. [1]

Variations

There were four variations of the VX800:

Engine

The engine for the VX800 was derived from the Intruder 750, with a 3 mm larger bore to increase displacement, and larger 36 mm carburetors replacing the 34 mm units. The addition of a back torque limiting clutch, similar in operation as the VS1400 Intruder. [3]

Model VS51A, 45-degree crank pin offset, model VS51B, 75-degree crank pin offset

Type: Four-stroke, water-cooled, OHC TSCC, 45-degree V-twin
Piston displacement: 805 cc
Bore & Stroke: 83.0 mm × 74.4 mm (3.27 in × 2.93 in)
Compression ratio: 10.0:1
Carburetor, front: Mikuni BDS36SS, single
Carburetor, rear: Mikuni BS36SS, single
Transmission: 5-speed constant mesh
Final drive: Shaft, 3.090:1

See also

Related Research Articles

The Honda XR series is a range of four-stroke off-road motorcycles that were designed in Japan but assembled all over the world.

Honda Shadow motorcycle

The Honda Shadow refers to a family of cruiser-type motorcycles made by Honda since 1983. The Shadow line features motorcycles with a liquid-cooled 45 or 52-degree V-twin engine ranging from 125 to 1,100 cc engine displacement. The 250 cc Honda Rebel is associated with the Shadow line in certain markets.

Suzuki GS series

The Suzuki GS series was Suzuki Motor Corporation's first full range of 4-stroke powered road motorcycles, having previously almost exclusively manufactured 2-stroke machines. Suzuki had produced the 4-stroke Colleda COX 125cc and 93cc 4-stroke single-cylinder machines in 1955 however the rest of Suzuki's production from 1952 to 1976 had been increasingly sophisticated two-stroke road machines, whose ultimate expression was the 750cc 3-cylinder water-cooled GT750.

Yamaha XS 650 Yamaha motorcycle

The Yamaha XS650 is a mid-size motorcycle made by Yamaha Motor Company. The standard model was introduced in October 1969,and produced through 1979. The "Special" cruiser model was introduced in 1978 and produced through 1985. The XS650 began with the 1955 Hosk SOHC 500 twin. After about 10 years of producing 500 twin, Hosk engineers designed a 650 cc twin. Later the Hosk company was acquired by Showa Corporation, and in 1960 Yamaha had bought Showa with Hosk's early design of 650 cc twin.

Suzuki Katana

The Suzuki Katana is a standard motorcycle sold between 1981 and 2006 and then since 2019. It was designed in 1979–1980 by Target Design of Germany for Suzuki.

Suzuki RGV250

The Suzuki RGV250 (Gamma) was a Suzuki high performance sport bike which had a great number of its features and design cues based on Grand Prix technologies and ideas. It is a race-replica based on Suzuki's 250 cc (15 cu in) GP bikes from 1987 to 1998, the RGV Gamma V-2 racer. This motorcycle replaced the RG250 Gamma, which employed an alloy frame with a two-stroke parallel twin engine. The bike produced over 50 bhp in a narrow power band between 8,000 and 11,000 rpm. The dry weight ranged between 128 kg (282 lb) (1989) to 140 kg (309 lb) dry weight.

Solex French carburettor manufacturer

Solex is a French manufacturer of carburetors and the powered bicycle VéloSoleX.

The Suzuki Boulevard S50 is a motorcycle manufactured by Suzuki and released in 2005 and production stopped in 2009. It features an 805 cc v-twin engine with four valves per cylinder. It was formerly named the Intruder 1985 - 1991 VS 700 (USA), 1985 VS 750 VS 800.

Yamaha DragStar 1100 motorcycle

The Yamaha XVS 1100 DragStar, sold as the V-Star 1100 in North America, is a motorcycle manufactured by Yamaha Motor Corporation. It comes in two versions, the XVS1100 Custom and the XVS1100A Classic, the former a more modern style, and the latter a more classic style, with rounder edges and is 13 kg (29 lb) heavier. The seat height is slightly lower on the Custom.

Suzuki GSX-R750 750 cc class sport bike motorcycle from Suzukis GSX-R series of motorcycles

Suzuki GSX-R750 is a family of 750 cc sports motorcycles from Suzuki's GSX-R series of motorcycles. Looking like a Suzuki Endurance racer, it can be considered to be the first affordable, modern racer-replica suitable for road use. It was introduced at the Cologne Motorcycle Show in October 1984.

Yamaha XS750

The Yamaha XS 750 and Yamaha XS 850 was a line of inline three cylinder motorcycles produced by the Yamaha Motor Corporation from 1976 to 1981 for the worldwide motorcycle market. The last model year of manufacturing was 1981. Released in Japan in 1976 as the GX750 sporting wire wheels the XS750 became the name for the export model.

Suzuki RE5 Suzuki rotary-engined motorcycle

The Suzuki RE5 is a motorcycle with a liquid-cooled single-rotor Wankel engine, manufactured by Suzuki from 1974 to 1976. Apart from its unusual engine, the RE5 is otherwise a conventional roadster.

Suzuki GT750 Suzuki motorcycle

The Suzuki GT750 was a water-cooled three-cylinder two-stroke motorcycle made by Suzuki from 1971 to 1977. It was the first Japanese motorcycle with a liquid-cooled engine. The Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan (in Japanese), includes the 1971 Suzuki GT750 as one of their 240 Landmarks of Japanese Automotive Technology.

Suzuki RF series

The Suzuki RF series are sport touring motorcycles. They came with three engine variations: 400, 600 and 900 cc. It was in production from 1994 to 1999.

Suzuki Intruder motorcycle

The Suzuki Intruder is a series of cruiser motorcycles made by Suzuki from 1985 to 2005. After 2005, the Intruder lineup was replaced by the Boulevard range. In Europe, the Intruder name remains in use on certain models. The VS Intruder bikes all have 4-stroke V-twin engines.

Suzuki Boulevard C50

The Suzuki Boulevard C50 (VL800) is a cruiser motorcycle made by Suzuki Motor Corporation since 2001. Prior to 2005, the model was named the Volusia for Volusia County, Florida, where it was unveiled at the 2001 Daytona Bike Week. In 2005, Suzuki re-branded it as the Suzuki Boulevard C50. It follows the formula of a smaller yet capable engine fitted into a one-size up frame, a popular combination also in use by Honda, Kawasaki, and Yamaha in their respective cruiser lines.

Suzuki Boulevard M50

The Boulevard M50, or Intruder M800 outside North America, is a V-twin engine cruiser motorcycle made by Suzuki Motor Corporation. Global model number is VZ800. It is based on the popular VL800 C50 with C standing for 'classic'. The VL800 C50 was originally named the VL800 Intruder Volusia, but the name was later shortened to Volusia. Its styling is from the first generation VZ800 Marauder. In 2005 the marketing name was again changed when Suzuki replaced the carburetors with fuel injection, with M standing for 'muscle' and 50 representing the displacement of the engine in cubic inches. Intruder M800 refers to the 800 cubic centimetre engine following the naming convention for Suzuki cruisers in markets outside North America.

Yamaha TX500

The Yamaha TX500 is a two-cylinder standard motorcycle built by Yamaha and sold in 1973 and 1974. Early models closely resembled the Triumph Bonneville in style. In 1975 the bike was renamed XS500 and then continued to be updated until 1978 when production ended.

Kawasaki A1 Samurai motorcycle

The Kawasaki A1 Samurai is a 250 cc (15 cu in) standard class Kawasaki motorcycle which was sold from 1967 through 1971.

References

  1. "1986 Suzuki VX800 concept, prototype, spy shots". Totalmotorcycle.com. Retrieved 2011-12-30.
  2. 1 2 Cycle, July 1990, pg 60
  3. 1990 Suzuki new model update seminar, VX800L, pg 7 http://csteveg.wordpress.com/2010/12/12/vx800btl/