1988 Suzuki Dual Sport reviews

I know that Harley lookalikes are a dime a dozen but the 1988 Suzuki Intruder 750 is one of a kind. An engine that is so tight that you feel like you can put it through anything and it will come out the same and handling that gives you a confidence and feel of control that no other bike can do. Of course, the 750 whines a little at speeds of 70+ but it is built for cruising. I love this bike and instead of selling it to get another I will simply put it in storage for my future wife. Show less

I bought a 1990 750 Intruder almost 2 years ago, and have used it to commute to work every day, rain or shine. I do a round trip of 35 miles every day, in heavy traffic, often in 90 degree heat, and the bike hasn't let me down yet! I ride it harder than I probably should, but it keeps running like silk, with no problems from the engine at all. For a 11 year old bike, I like it. It doesn't blow smoke despite the constant thrashing, I do my own servicing (very easy with a manual, and I'm no wrench-head) according to the service intervals, and it's quite cheap to insure. I put some decent rubber on it and it corners very well for a custom bike, and I've added a few practicalities like saddlebags from J.C. Whitneys for the commute as well. I've left the exhausts as standard, no loud pipes here, and it is beautifully quiet at 65 mph. My only gripes are this: - 1.The tank range is a joke. 100 miles? Please Suzuki, give us a cruiser that has a bigger tank than 3 gallons! 2.Change the handlebars immediately! I put on some flat bars I got from the local Harley shop. Not only does it give better leverage in corners and at slow speeds, it also helps you hold on at over 50 mph. Looks better than those stupid ape-hangers anyway (i get more comments on the bars than anything else). 3.Put on an airhorn. The standard one is pathetic. 4.It needs a 6th gear. Would I own another one? Sure, it's a cute bike that is fast when pushed, and for the price I think it's a good value machine. Shaft drive is also a bonus for maintenence. I'm looking at trading to a Concours next as I want a fairing and more power, but you could do much much worse than a 750 Intruder! Show less

I have owned an 88 GSXR1100 for 4 years and have covered a lot of distance, and here are some things that I have discovered. 1.The seat although excellent when moving around and hanging off the side is EXTREMLY uncomfortable on long trips. 2.The standard steering dampener is a godsend. 3.Pillon passengers like the bike, the long stretch to the bars means that the pillion can actually see something and the power can be applied smoothly. 4.Remove the stock exhausts even if it isn't rusted out already its bloody heavy, I have a Yoshi system and it saves almost 10kg! And it sounds great. 5a.If you have a death wish the 1100 motor will fit into a 750 frame. 5b.The motor can be bored out to 1340cc. 6.Progressive rate fork springs and an Ohlins shock make a huge difference. 7.If you really like to lean over a long way run a 160 tire at the back (I lent off the edge of a 150). 8.Wach the steering head bearings with the steering dampener its hard to tell when their warn. 9.don't hit a rock wall at 90Km/h it really didn't do the bike (or me) any good at all. I bought the bike as transport to and from work in the city (around 100km each way) and as some fun on the weekend and maybe throw in a few road trips. The bike performed flawlessly and I am extremely happy with it (apart from the seat on long trips I now have 2 seats standard and a nice soft one for long trips. The bike handling is excellent with the steering dampener soaking up any bumps dices and cats eyes. The motor can only be described as grunt. Its quite happy to plod along below 3000rpm all day. And downchanging is not required for hills which makes two up riding great, but if you fell the need there's plenty more on tap (in the wet the back will spin easily when you open her up and she gets to 7000rpm). The handling is great and is an excellent mach for the motor, although slow by today's standards is still quick with relative skinny rubber, there's none of the self steer that some of the newer bikes suffer. The standard 1/4 mile time was 10.25 which is dam fast for a stocker (remember the exhaust). The reason for this is that it is a long bike and therefore not very susceptible to lofting the front end, it can be lifted but the clutch suffers. Suzuki built the GSXR1100 to win the Isle of Man TT and it did holding the lap record for some time, this is probably why it handles actual road conditions so well. Show less

This is the first year of the 750cc intruder and to my experience having ridden a couple of 90's intruder 800's, I find my 88 intruder to have more power and a tighter feel. I have 25,000 plus miles ridden hard and not a problem...Suzuki put a lot of pride into there early intruders that are not found now and days. Twelve years and the chrome still looks factory new. Intruders in general are not ment to be ridden fast but with a little practice and the right tires, I hold my own in the corners with the best of them... KATARAN's INTRUDER http://www.geocities.com/baja/mesa/8785/kataran.html Show less