3rd Jan 2010, 12:11

OK boys and gals, what's the beef with the Marauder, I've had a Marauder for just over a year and have done about 8,000 miles on it, cruising around.

My wife goes on the back, and both of us have ridden happily for 4 hours on the stock seats, it handles well, in the dry as do all bikes, and on a corner, I've been known to clip the foot rests whilst banking, the rear brake is a drum and gives drum performance, but this is not a 200mph sports bike and doesn't need discs.

As for aftermarket parts, I can't fit anymore to mine, there's loads if you look for them.

Overall the bike is a beauty, that gets comments every time I take it out, and the chrome is as good as new after 10 years of British weather...

Stop running the Marauder down... I love mine.

22nd Feb 2010, 08:17

Although I'd say that the Marauder is Suzuki engineering at its best, it's still strange to see how they've just continued to make a virtually unchanged bike for 12-13 years or so now. But as they say; never change a winning team.

I'm replacing my 98' Marauder with a new one for this season, and besides some design details and fuel injection, this bike seem unchanged over the years, for good and bad. It does its job, and considering the new price for these bikes are marginally higher than what I paid 12 years ago, these bikes are fantastic value.

I can live with somewhat poor handling and brakes, and tractor like operations; this is a rugged everyday workhorse capable of mileages similar to your car. Mine is past the 100.000 km mark, and the engine/trans doesn't even seem to be especially worn. No oil consumption and no leaks.

Only reason I'm replacing it is because it's starting to look really scruffy, with worn paint and bad chrome, mechanically it is 'as new', probably thanks to the 2-3 oil changes per season.

24th Mar 2010, 02:47

I have owned a Marauder for 2 years now. I live in England and ride almost every day, yes, ice, snow, rain etc. The bike takes a bit of looking after, cleaned nearly every day when wet, but my real comment relates to the handling. When I first got it, I thought it handled like a pig, however, changing the tyres from stock Dunlops to Avon Venoms did the trick. Now rain or shine, the bike takes each corner easily, is solid and no fear of the tyres losing grip.

Agree with some of the comments on the seat. I can manage about 100 miles without a break, but once I've stopped, then it's every hour after that.

Would like to hear more comments on gel seat pads and whether they really work. Cheers.

By the way, I've been riding for 35 years :-)

27th May 2010, 06:52

I have a Suzuki Marauder 125cc 2002, and it's a great little bike. The only problem is that the rear brake around corners can cause some slipping.

16th Jul 2010, 22:57

I have a Marauder 1997 VZ800. I found it took some time, and still takes some time getting used to; not a bad bike, but the only problems I find are you have to remove the seat & fuel tank to replace or clean plugs.

Also had a rattle, which I found to be the radiator hitting against the fan body. Thought it was my left hand header pipe, & after buying the new pipe, found it to be the radiator problem. The joys of motorcycles; anyway, overall not a bad bike. Plenty of power; you just need to have valve clearances done and carbs tuned, and it should run perfect.

3rd Aug 2010, 13:09

Just purchased a 2004 Marauder, which has had some custom work done on it. The rake has been changed with Harley front forks, some engine work and custom paint. The seat is the cobra-style. The pan is all I've got for a seat, and it requires recovering. Any ideas on kits, etc. to do this?

In addition, I had to replace the gas tank. I've bought one, but it requires a lockable cap. Any ideas on where I can find an aftermarket one, or will another Suzuki one fit?

I thought of chopping the rear fender to show some more tire, without sacrificing the rear seat. Does anyone have any experience doing that?

Cheers,

Sean.

5th Jan 2011, 22:01

I've got a 97 VZ800 Marauder. It is a decent cruiser, but not the best handling bike that is for sure.

Horrible with the stock 15 tooth front sprocket; after 80kph the engine is screaming... changed it out for a 16 or 17 tooth; it's much better... now with the 17, I didn't lose a lot off the line, but I can cruise at highway speeds comfortably.

The clutch needs stiffer springs, but that is easy to DIY, but from a stop it is a touchy clutch.. I really don't like the clutch from a dead stop.. once you get moving, it is perfectly fine though.

Suspension could be upgraded some, but this is a Suzuki... they don't put great suspension on the more budget oriented bikes... but it works OK for me.

Rear brake is crap.. yeah.. but it is good enough, and the fronts work well enough.. and who really needs a super awesome rear brake when 90% of your stopping comes from the front anyway?

They should have re-jetted the bike and put a better air intake system on it... K&N drop in filters and a stage II jet kit (from "Spacer Jim") really wakes up the bike.

I don't know why people hate the stock seat so much... I have no issue with it... I've been on much worse... and if you stop for gas every 180km (gets better mileage, but I tend to fill up every 150-180km or so) and stretch your legs, if you do this as well, you will not have too much issue with the seat either.

Overall, it is a nice looking bike, and rides OK.. it is really more of a slower highway and around town cruiser... and as such, it performs the job well, and there are plenty of parts, so you can gradually upgrade the bits that don't suit you.

If you want cheap, sporty, decent handling and bullet proof v-twin... get a SV650... if you want a casual laid back cruiser, get the Marauder...

Me... I have both, so I can ride what suits me on the day.