Review of the Suzuki Intruder 1500 motorcycle (VL, VZ, C1500, M1500, C90, M90)

A low, steady gurgle comes from the long exhaust pipes. A black, sloppy car slowly drives out of the garage. I remember the first time I sat on her back, I quietly hummed the march from Star Wars.

Suzuki Intruder C 1500T

The first impression often determines everything. If so, the Intruder C 1500 T has a good chance of winning at the start, especially when it comes to looks. The muscular, powerful silhouette and ubiquitous black with a touch of chrome make this motorcycle predatory and elegant. Looks a bit like Lord Vader.

The offender in its touring incarnation is this excellent motorcycle: it is 257 cm long, has a wheelbase of 1675 mm, and weighs 363 kg ready to ride. In this category of motorcycles this, of course, is not a sin, but unlike other devices, the mass here does not allow you to forget about it. In addition, the wide steering wheel and huge windshield enhance the impression of sitting on a colossus. Maneuvering at low speeds is a real challenge because the bike weighs a lot, but what's worse is that its engine doesn't like to roll at minimum speed. But more on that later.

Description

The Suzuki VL1500 Intruder LC cruiser model was first introduced in 1998. The abbreviation LC stood for Legendary Classic. At the time of its appearance, the motorcycle was based on a V-shaped air 2-cylinder engine with a carburetor power system, but by 2005 it received an injector and changed its name to Suzuki C1500 Intruder and Suzuki Boulevard C90 (for the North American market). In 2013, the model receives the BOSS prefix, changing its appearance and receiving a new liquid engine from the Suzuki VZ1500 / Boulevard M90. Currently, the base version of the Suzuki Boulevard C90 BOSS is only available in the North American market - the touring version of the Suzuki Boulevard C90T is still available in other markets.

Pleasant gurgle

It's time to start. The 1462cc engine works hard and every vent allows you to almost feel the explosion in both 96mm cylinders. This is accompanied by a pleasant gurgling sound from long black pipes. “You don’t even need to invest in an extra exhaust,” I thought.

The clutch works quite hard. One jumps with a clear click, and the next one too. The gear ratio changes on a toe-toe basis, which I like. You can also do this simply with your fingers. And it’s good, because, unfortunately, you have to get used to frequent mixing in broadcasts. Just a v-twin engine, it heats up like a stove and loves to rev.

Suzuki Intruder C 1500T

Main modifications and generations of Suzuki Intruder 1500:

Suzuki VL1500 Intruder LC - existed on the market from 1998 to 2004. Visually different are the front 2-piston opposed calipers and the triangular air filter cover.

Suzuki Intruder C1500 / Boulevard C90 - existed on the market from 2005 to 2012. It is a continuation of the previous modification. Visually distinguished by 2-piston front calipers and an oval air filter cover.

Suzuki Boulevard C90T - existed from 2005 to 2012. Represents the previous modification + leather saddlebags, windshield and a different saddle.

Suzuki Boulevard C90 BOSS - appeared in 2013 and replaced the previous C90. The modification differs in a single-disc front brake, black color instead of chrome, different wheels and a liquid engine from the Boulevard M90 version.

Suzuki Boulevard C90T BOSS - appeared in 2013 and replaced the previous C90T. Built on the basis of the previous modification + saddlebags and windshield.

Currently, there are only 2 latest modifications on the market, available mainly in the American market.

The world behind glass

The sofa immediately seemed comfortable to me and, as I was convinced, having driven several hundred kilometers without stopping, this was not an instant impression. The legs rest on the slightly open floors. The leg angle and wide reservoir allow the air pulse to push the knees outward, which is tiring on long rides. It’s just that the huge windshield protects well from the wind, and in addition, its presence makes the motorcycle look less aggressive. Glass has a significant disadvantage, or even two. At 187 cm tall, the edge of the glass was in my eye line, and I had to either crane my neck to look out from behind it or lean forward slightly to look through it. Tiring turbulence also appears, so much so that after several hours of driving my head was buzzing like a beehive.

Suzuki Intruder C 1500T

A look at the fittings. The handles traditional for this type of motorcycle look like blacksmith planes. The plane is adjustable, but unfortunately there is no clutch anymore. The steering wheel, with its grips angled towards the driver, feels good in the hands, although I would prefer it to be straight. because the thin tube extended in addition to the reducing black looks a little frivolous.

Several of my friends had doubts about the switches. Yes, their beauty does not detract from the overall design, but what irritates me more is the strongly protruding horn button, which I got caught on when operating the turn signals. Also, not everyone liked the console on the tank. Black and light white numbers on the speedometer, LCD display (with meter, clock, tripmaster and assigned gear indicator) - therefore the fuel level reading may not be very accurate. The controls - especially in bright sunlight - are not very noticeable, and the plastic console looks too pretentious. A good job, however, are the fixed chests. They are beautiful, colorfully finished, lockable, have a capacity of 25 liters and visually fit into the silhouette of the motorcycle.

Suzuki Intruder C 1500T

Brief history of the model

1998 - start of production and sales of the Suzuki VL1500 Intruder LC model. Model: Suzuki VL1500 Intruder LC. Code: VL1500W

1999 - no significant changes. Model: Suzuki VL1500 Intruder LC. Code: VL1500X

2000 - no significant changes. Model: Suzuki VL1500 Intruder LC. Code: VL1500Y

2001 - no significant changes. Model: Suzuki VL1500 Intruder LC. Code: VL1500K1

2002 - The model receives dual disc front brakes, the rear brake receives a 4-piston caliper (instead of 2-piston). Model: Suzuki VL1500 Intruder LC. Code: VL1500K2

2003 - no significant changes. Model: Suzuki VL1500 Intruder LC. Code: VL1500K3

2004 - no significant changes. Last year of production of the Suzuki VL1500 Intruder LC model. The model receives hydraulic compensators, a hydraulic clutch and an alarm system. Model: Suzuki VL1500 Intruder LC. Code: VL1500K4

2005 - the model changes its name to Suzuki Intruder C1500 and Suzuki Boulevard C90 (for the American market). A touring modification of the C90T appears. The model receives an injector, a 14-liter fuel tank (instead of 15.5 liters) and minor visual changes (an oval-shaped air filter cover). Model: Suzuki Intruder C1500 (Europe and before), Suzuki Boulevard C90 (North America), Suzuki Boulevard C90T. Code: VL1500K5, VL1500TK5

2006 - no significant changes. Model: Suzuki Intruder C1500 (Europe and before), Suzuki Boulevard C90 (North America), Suzuki Boulevard C90T. Code: VL1500K6, VL1500TK6

2007 - no significant changes. Model: Suzuki Intruder C1500 (Europe and before), Suzuki Boulevard C90 (North America), Suzuki Boulevard C90T. Code: VL1500K7, VL1500TK7

2008 - no significant changes. Model: Suzuki Intruder C1500 (Europe and before), Suzuki Boulevard C90 (North America), Suzuki Boulevard C90T. Code: VL1500K8, VL1500TK8

2009 - no significant changes. Model: Suzuki Intruder C1500 (Europe and before), Suzuki Boulevard C90 (North America), Suzuki Boulevard C90T. Code: VL1500K9, VL1500TK9

2010 - no significant changes. Model: Suzuki Intruder C1500 (Europe and before), Suzuki Boulevard C90 (North America), Suzuki Boulevard C90T. Code: VL1500L0, VL1500TL0

2011 - no significant changes. Model: Suzuki Intruder C1500 (Europe and before), Suzuki Boulevard C90 (North America), Suzuki Boulevard C90T. Code: VL1500L1, VL1500TL1

2012 - no significant changes. Last year of production of Suzuki Intruder C1500 and Suzuki Boulevard C90. Model: Suzuki Intruder C1500 (Europe and before), Suzuki Boulevard C90 (North America), Suzuki Boulevard C90T. Code: VL1500L2, VL1500TL2

2013 - the basic version is replaced by the Suzuki Boulevard C90 BOSS and becomes available only in the American market. The model gets a new look (less chrome, more black), new wheels and brakes, and a new 77.8 hp liquid engine. (instead of 68 hp) and an increased fuel tank (18.2 l instead of 14.0 l). Based on the Suzuki Boulevard C90 BOSS, a touring version of the Suzuki Boulevard C90T BOSS appears Model: Suzuki Boulevard C90 BOSS (North America), Suzuki Boulevard C90T / BOSS (North America, etc.). Code: VL1500BL3, VL1500TL3

2014 - no significant changes. Model: Suzuki Boulevard C90 BOSS (North America), Suzuki Boulevard C90T / BOSS (North America, etc.). Code: VL1500BL4, VL1500TL4

2015 - no significant changes. Model: Suzuki Boulevard C90 BOSS (North America), Suzuki Boulevard C90T / BOSS (North America, etc.). Code: VL1500BL5, VL1500TL5

2016 - no significant changes. Model: Suzuki Boulevard C90 BOSS (North America), Suzuki Boulevard C90T / BOSS (North America, etc.). Code: VL1500BL6, VL1500TL6

2017 - no significant changes. Model: Suzuki Boulevard C90 BOSS (North America), Suzuki Boulevard C90T / BOSS (North America, etc.). Code: VL1500BL7, VL1500TL7

Having ridden a Suzuki Intruder 1400 with my wife Katya, we realized that there was not enough room for us on it. And the 1400 is not suitable for long-range grabs with two people. And our choice fell on the Intruder 1500, all that was left to do was to sell the bike, save some money and choose a contender. The choice fell on a car and a half with a crooked rear fender, without mufflers and a right side case from Kamensk-Uralsk, 100 km away. from us, for ridiculous money and quickly. Unfortunately, we can only get it quickly if it’s on credit, but there was no time to think about it since Ivan, the former owner of the Intruder, urgently needed money to buy another motorcycle. Which was sold for cheap, because that owner needed money to buy another motorcycle, etc... that’s how I unwittingly started the mechanism for exchanging motorcycles))) And so my father-in-law Lesha and I went by car to Kamensk to get a bike, it was done late September early October. Arriving at Ivan, the owner of the Intruder, I once again examined the motorcycle... God... how healthy it is, I sat down on the huge seat, pressing my lower back to the rear seat, the shape of which forms the backrest, and could hardly reach the steering wheel. And vice versa, I sat closer to the steering wheel, but did not feel support from behind, as I was used to on my old Intrusha 1400. After clapping hands, counting the money and signing the agreement, we said goodbye to Ivan and went home. I’m on my Intruder, dad Lesha is on a “two-wheeler”. It was already dark, we were leaving the city like this: I was ahead on the motorbike, Lesha’s dad was following. I was cheerful and happy with life, driving carefully, getting used to the dimensions of my new two-wheeled friend, observing all traffic rules and in accordance with the speed limit. Strictly according to the speedometer, and if the sign says 40 then I’m 40, if it’s 60 then I’m 60. The lights of the night city flashed past. One thing I couldn’t understand was why Lesha’s dad somehow fell behind. But I attributed this to the fact that it was more difficult to maneuver the car in city traffic. Having left the city, I accelerated to 90 km/h (according to the speedometer, of course), deafening everything and everyone in the area, since there was nothing on the motorcycle except exhaust pipes. Feeling high from the speed, wind and powerful exhaust, deaf and happy, I stopped at the right turn and began to wait for Lesha’s dad to arrive. He arrived about ten minutes later. The first thing he said to me was: “Well, you give it to Lekha!” Where did you go so fast? I couldn't catch up with you. — Yes, I seemed to be driving quietly, in the city it’s 60. If only outside the city I accelerated on the highway. - I answered. “Yes, and in the city you flew like you were scalded,” he answered me. We looked at the speedometer of the motorcycle, oh my god! I completely forgot, our Intruder comes from America and on the speedometer miles are marked with large numbers and kilometers with small ones. And looking at the speedometer and seeing the number, for example, 40, I thought that I was going 40 km/h. but in reality it was going 40 miles per hour. This is about 60 km/h, but I already know that. Oh, it took me a long time to get used to looking at small numbers, not paying attention to the big ones. After a smoke break and warming up a bit, we moved on. There were less than 90 kilometers to go to the house, along a very good asphalt road. It was already dark and cool, stars were twinkling in the sky, trees were flashing along the road. Dad Lesha was driving behind me in a car, and somewhere ahead a truck was crawling. We had an easy evening walk ahead of us, as I thought, and in an hour and a half to two hours we should have been home. But I won’t be me if I don’t find adventure even in such a small promenade. The road we were driving on is not of federal significance. It connects towns and villages between the cities of Kamensk-Uralsky and Bogdanovich. And it is adjacent to the Yekaterinburg-Tyumen highway, not far from the village of Baraba. And it originates at a turn near the village of Pokrovskoye. This is a good straight road with good asphalt, not particularly broken. In some places there are waves, but tolerable. And this road had such a peculiarity: at the railway crossing, which is not far from the village of Pokrovsky, there was no asphalt. At all. About five kilometers before the crossing, the asphalt ended and an embankment of crushed stone mixed with sand, earth and clay began. Moreover, this happened on both sides of the crossing, I don’t know why, maybe it had something to do with the fact that the railway crossing is not equipped with a barrier. Or maybe not... I don’t know... Naturally, after the rain, this area became muddy, and ruts appeared from a few trucks, various tractors and other heavy-duty equipment. And so, carried away by the speed, I fly into a piece of the road and feel that I am losing control of the motorcycle. Vaguely guessing where I had gone (it was dark), I began to slow down. The wheel began to skid on wet clay; it had just rained the day before. Damn!!! I still forgot about it. While driving along this side of Kamensk, we discussed the condition of the road, laying out our versions of why it was like this and that we would need to drive more carefully. Well, in general, with all my might, I lost control and fell to the left side right into this mess. “It’s good that I’m wearing a raincoat,” I thought. “It’s easier to wash.” I got up and began to lift the motorcycle. Having lifted it, he turned it towards some barely visible spot under the motorcycle in the darkness. With every second it grew and became larger and larger. At first I didn’t attach any importance to this, but a thought process began in my brain: the spot is growing, there are no arcs, it fell on the left side and I already had this... ahhhh... damn... yay... yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee... It dawned on me what kind of growing thing this is a spot... under my new... motherfucking... motorcycle... When falling on the left side, the motorcycle first hit the ground with the foot platform, which in turn broke the crankcase cover. This has already happened to me: one unfortunate driver, while backing his car, dropped my then Intruder 1400, and also on the left side. The oil in the engine did not take long to wait and flowed through the crack that had formed onto the ground, forming a spot that I tried to see in the dark. Yyyyyy... damn... th... motherfucker... bullshed... mother of a stump... your division... (and further untranslatable Russian folklore) To say that I was upset means to say nothing... I am very very... his mother was upset... Or rather: the sky fell to the ground and it became... and it became even darker... darker than on a dark night... the clouds thickened and covered the only light: the moon... black crows flew around, covering with their huge wings the last glimmers of light emanating from it. In the distance, wolves howled... And I fell... fell next to Intrusha, fell to my knees, ready to shed a stingy man's tear from despair. Damn... how I screwed up... and I’m not the first year behind the wheel... and not some first-season driver... I was ready to lie down next to my new friend, whom I didn’t save. Lie right in this mess... Lie there and think how I came to this, look at the spendthrift and feel sorry for both of us... and I don’t care... I’ll stay here so that no one finds out about my shame... But then Lesha’s dad drove up in his “two-wheeler” “he scolded me and said to me: “Why are you driving like that, the road there was all over the place after the rain.” I told him about the incident and pointed to a puddle of oil under the motor. After smoking a cigarette, he took out a rope from the trunk of the car. We tied the motorcycle to the car and agreed on how we would ride... The rest of the way, which is almost 80 km. I drove in silence, dangling on a rope behind the car, making sure that the rope was taut and not dangling. And only the wind rustled in my ears and the moon shone from the sky. I turned on the low beam, worried that Lesha’s dad couldn’t see me in the mirror. And Lesha’s dad was worried about me, worrying that I would freeze. So we drove, driving quietly for no more than 60 km. at one o'clock. And the route that could have been covered in an hour, we covered in three hours. The closer we were to the house, the dimmer the motorcycle headlight burned because... the battery tends to run out without recharging))) And finally we got to the house, putting the bike in the garage, I swore to him that I would fix everything and fix it. And that we must definitely become friends))) Which is what happened, and the three of us rode quite a few kilometers: me, Katya and our Intrusha. We visited ancient Arkaim and drove to Moscow to take a photo on Vasilyevsky Spusk. We swam in Lake Baikal, having previously wandered into Altai to look at Raspberry Lake. But, as they say, these are different stories.

Specifications