Boulevard M 109 R (Intruder M 1800 R)

Description

The Suzuki Boulevard C109R model has been on the market since 2008 as the most voluminous and powerful classic cruiser in the Suzuki motorcycle line. The model was available in most markets - Japan, North America, Europe, Oceania. Outside the North American market, the motorcycle was sold under the name Suzuki C1800R Intruder. The factory model designation is VLR1800.

The Suzuki Boulevard C109R / Intruder C1800R was based on a 2-cylinder V-shaped (54°) liquid-cooled engine with a volume of 1783 cm³, producing up to 114 hp. power and up to 157 Nm of torque. The engine is equipped with an injector with dual throttle valves (SDTV system - Suzuki Dual Throttle Valve), a 32-bit control unit and has a semi-dry sump lubrication system (SASS technology - Suzuki Advanced Sump System). This engine in a retuned version came from the Suzuki Boulevard M109R (Intruder M1800R).

The chassis of the Suzuki Boulevard C109R / Intruder C1800R includes a classic steel frame, simple suspension in the form of a 49 mm non-adjustable telescopic fork and a monoshock absorber (adjustable by preload), a brake system with 3-piston calipers at the front, a 5-speed gearbox and a cardan drive at the rear wheel.

Specifications

Brief history of the model

2008 - start of production and sales of the Suzuki Boulevard C109R / Intruder C1800R model. Model: Suzuki Boulevard C109R / C1800R Intruder + RT (Japan, Europe, North America, Australia). Factory designation: VLR1800K8 + VLR1800TK8.

2009 - no significant changes. Model: Suzuki Boulevard C109R / C1800R Intruder + RT (Japan, Europe, North America, Australia). Factory designation: VLR1800K9 + VLR1800TK9.

2010 - Model no longer available in Japan. Model: Suzuki Boulevard C109R / C1800R Intruder + RT (Europe, North America, Australia). Factory designation: VLR1800L0 + VLR1800TL0.

2011 - no significant changes. Model: Suzuki Boulevard C109R / C1800R Intruder + RT (Europe, North America, Australia). Factory designation: VLR1800L1 + VLR1800TL1.

2012 - no significant changes. Model: Suzuki Boulevard C109R / C1800R Intruder + RT (Europe, North America, Australia). Factory designation: VLR1800L2 + VLR1800TL2.

2013 is the last year of production. Model: Suzuki Boulevard C109R / C1800R Intruder + RT (Europe, North America, Australia). Factory designation: VLR1800L3 + VLR1800TL3.

MY MOTORCYCLE

When the Suzuki team introduced the M1800R back in 2006, the motorcycle world greeted the new product with interest - after all, two years earlier, the Rocket III had entered the market with parameters that no one could even imagine. And now - a blow in the same direction from the Japanese. As usual, journalists immediately tried to attach characteristic labels to the new product. The 1800 was called a “sportbike among cruisers”, “power cruiser”, “rocket” and so on, and in the same spirit... It’s understandable: a V-twin of impressive volume with 125 “fillies” inside, a long wheelbase, The 240 mm rear roller and huge brake discs with four-piston radial calipers could not help but attract the attention of motorcyclists and inspire awe, raising the main question: How does it behave on the road?

Perhaps I’ll start with his appearance - he simply attracts the eye with his design, when I first saw this “bodybuilder” my jaw dropped. This was such a new thing for me (you won’t see this in person in the village where I lived). His appearance is either sporty or classic, but in my opinion there is nothing superfluous. This perception is greatly facilitated by the elongated and squat silhouette and the headlight with an unusually shaped fairing. If you don’t try to grasp the “whole picture” as a whole, but focus your gaze on some details, then doubts about the sporty nature of this Intruder will be completely dispelled. An upside-down fork with impressive movable pipes (46 mm) and two huge brake discs with radial four-piston calipers - that says a lot! The seating position is quite low (although, in addition to the standard seat position of 700 mm, there is an elevated one, at 805), but in general, its ergonomics are universal, and both “short people” from 160 centimeters and “big guys” up to 190 can feel comfortable in a wide saddle .

By the way, a motorcycle from a pretentious bodybuilder and an evening “weekend defilator” can quite easily be turned into a tourist. To do this, the owner will need to purchase a windshield with fasteners (like the seat, the glass has two heights), plus a pair of hard branded trunks, lined with leather - Suzuki developed their style specifically for this model. Heated steering wheel grips will significantly increase comfort on the road, and side bars on which you can also install stems to rest your feet will enhance safety. So, with a “light movement of the hand” and the loss of a small number of bills (relative to the price of a cruiser), this “bodybuilder” can be turned into a full-fledged asphalt tourer. Moreover, if the owner is not a selfish tourist, then he will be able to take a companion with him on a trip, since the size of the passenger seat does not in any way resemble the “chicken’s roost” of many other motorcycles, this will be quite realistic. In addition, by adding a backrest to it, you can turn the journey for the passenger into a pleasant walk.

Low start, acceleration and stopping

As you know, Vashkas are famous for their powerful torque - as they say, “from the very bottom.” And indeed, if you portray a “teapot” who does not yet know how to deftly control the gas handle and clutch lever, and, moreover, is decently “gasped”, but at the same time did not have time to release the brake lever in time, then you can set off with a gorgeous slip - almost two-liter thrust the engine is quite enough to perform such a trick, the main thing is to stop fooling around in time and “catch” the bike. In principle, this is not difficult to do - thanks to the fairly long wheelbase and the inverted fork angle, this Intruder is not only easy to control when the rear wheel develops a skid, but also during high-speed passes on a straight, but not entirely level, road. Although everyone has their own understanding of the phrase “not quite even”. And, if on a tourist enduro you can fly along humpbacked-wavy asphalt, simply slightly complaining about its “unsmoothness,” then the short-travel suspension of this “Japanese” with a fairly tight rear monoshock absorber makes significant adjustments to this understanding. Due to the “feet forward” type of landing (albeit not so extreme) on potholes and bumps, it is impossible to stand up on your feet - you can only lift your “fifth point” from the seat if you pull yourself up on the steering wheel, which means that in order to enjoy the ride you will have to choose directions with smooth asphalt. Unfortunately, this season they are in short supply in Ukraine! But only in this case will it be possible not to peer intensely into the asphalt ribbon, looking for defects in it, but to take turns in graceful slopes - a manner unusual for ordinary choppers and cruisers. But on this motorcycle it is quite natural.

Combined with the easy availability of traction (at any speed), this rare agility for the class on some winding smooth road winding among the hills can bring you to ecstasy, the main thing is not to get too carried away with the speed. Although exceeding within reasonable limits is not so terrible, since, unlike many of its “classmates”, the VZR1800 has a seriously designed braking system that is sufficiently effective to stop more than 300 kilograms of iron rushing at a speed of 120 km/h!

Operation According to the assurances of the owners and employees of the motorcycle service station, the M1800R is quite reliable and, apart from regular maintenance with the replacement of consumables and small parts, does not require any serious capital investments. Except for one “but”: on models produced before 2008, the clutch mechanism was too weak (11 clutches), and it could “cover itself” at any moment, since its life was highly dependent on driving style and the ability to use the lever on the left half of the steering wheel . So for “dummies” who drove with the lever half-squeezed or those who liked to blow “smoke in their eyes” (in this case, literally) from under the rear wheel at motorcycle parties, the sudden death of the clutch could occur even in the first thousand miles! But in cases where the bike can only be saved by replacing the clutch, it is still better to replace it as an assembly (with a modernized one, with 13 discs). As for other operating costs for the Intruder M1800R, they are outlined in sufficient detail in the table.