2nd Jun 2009, 18:59

I just bought the 2005 S50 and it is a really nice bike. The previous owner apparently rode it very little, but did add the windshield, bags, chrome pegs and other minor stuff. The best things to like are smooth ride from the shaft drive, light weight and lots of power for its size.

14th Jun 2009, 00:52

I bought a used 2005 S50 a few weeks ago and have a few comments:

1st off, I love the bike. I stand 5'3" with SHORT legs, this is the only bike I could fit on and reach the foot controls. I like the stock muffler sound, bike seems reliable.

Performance: Suzuki claims this is a 805CC but its geared like a 350-400CC. I hit 5th @ 35-40MPH. My SR500 (single) runs at a lower RPM (seemingly as there is no tach). At anything beyond 'put put' speeds the whine of the gear noise is 2nd only to the wind.

The brakes are weak. The rear one is fairly useless and the front one while better is not strong enough.

I'm at a loss as to how others are getting such decent mileage on this bike. Even if I 'grandma' around, I'm only able to get 40MPG!!

Fit and function: Suzuki did a decent job outfitting the bike with chrome, however some of their design decisions leave me scratching my head. The rear cylinder spark plug is difficult at best to remove without scratching the frame with the included wrench, it has TWO air filters, making after market ones very pricey, a single cable throttle making your right arm sore fighting the return spring.

Mine came with a bent left foot peg. After buying a new one and examining what it took to install it, I ended up hammering the old one back into shape as the amount of disassembly required to replace it was way to much work.

There are plenty of cheap fasteners used throughout the bike. While my bike had only 3300 miles on it, many screws/nuts/bolts are rusted in place. The side covers snap AND screw in place, the placement of (again) the left side screw has a lot to be desired. I plan on replacing many of them with STAINLESS hardware.

While I don't have a problem (yet) with the seat, I'm a bit miffed here. I bought a Suzuki GEL seat that was advertised as being 1" lower only to find that it was 1" TALLER than the one I was replacing!! Besides being hard as a rock, I did not bother to leave it on the bike.

I'll keep it, but I really wanted something that got better mileage and operated at a lower RPM.

23rd Jul 2009, 17:26

I got a used 2005 Suzuki Boulevard S50 close to 2 years now. I purchased it fully stock and installed sissybar and a national cycle plexfairing windshield. The brakes were worn out in the front so I replaced them immediately. I did not have the brake squeals reported by some. After around 2000 miles though, they did start to squeal just a little bit during a hot summer. A good wash got rid of the squeal so it must be brake dust.

The bike is so much fun to ride and does have a lot of power. When I first got it, it was only doing around 39-40 mpg. I had the carbs rejetted and installed Vance and Hines Classic II Slip ons. This made the bike sound a lot better and a lot more fun to ride. It seems to have more horsepower and best of all it's doing over 50 mpg now!!!

This is also my first bike and it will be a while before I give up on this one. My next addition would be to replace the seat. On a 200 mile trip in the desert, it does become a bit comfortable. I also need to replace the rear tires soon and plan to purchase the Pirelli MT66 Route. Does anyone have experience with this tire?

Thanks and ride safe!!

11th Aug 2009, 17:19

Hello all! I bought an S50 brand new in early 2008 it is an 07'. I love this bike!! My previous bike was a Sportster I bought the S50 to have as a daily rider while I chopped the sporty, but in the end I like the S50 so much that I sold the Sporty!

Mine now has about 6000 miles on it and I live in MD where the weather varies; stock I was getting 56-58 mpg no matter how I rode, and even after some awesome cruiser magic, drag pipes and a jetting, I still get 50-55 mpg.

I was also concerned about the engine being a bit noisy, but I've heard others, and I'd say it's common with Suzuki in general.

I'm 6'1" and 185lbs, I regularly ride to the mountains in WV, and I'd say that I'm borderline. I definitely need some FWD controls, but they're SO darn expensive especially for the Jardines that look awesome, but they're like 650!!! I'm 26, and even being young, the seat position leaves me a bit sore after about an hour of straight highway riding, so I'll be looking into the gel seats too.

5th Mar 2010, 06:52

I bought a 2007 S50 2 years ago. Have 4600 miles on it, love the bike.

I ride 100-150 miles a day on weekends. The seat is OK for me; my butt must be tough.

Had the valves adjusted at 4200; made a big difference.

Mileage is about 50mpg city and highway, front brake does squeal doesn't bother me.

Overall great bike, lots of fun to ride.

Have fun with yours, ride safe, watch out for the idiots out there.

21st Mar 2010, 17:59

Regarding the comments above, I too sprung for the Suzuki Gel seat and was disappointed. I returned to the stock seat, and after riding the gel for a thousand miles or so, decided it's not that bad after all.

I don't know why your mileage is so low. Mine averages about 55, and if I don't bend the speed limits, it's closer to 60.

My bike is 100% stock, resisting the temptation to replace the stock pipes with something with a little more "soul". I couldn't ask for better performance, and I am afraid that modification would only make it slower, and get worse mileage.