SUZUKI Intruder LC 250

Suzuki's VL 250 Intruder supplying the bass line through its small twin chrome exhausts. It's not as loud (thank God) as a Hardly Driveable could perform, but still quite a pleasant attempt from one so small.

Sit back and enjoy the service………

The Intruder's black metallic paint and chrome everything else was shining in the late afternoon sun, as I arrived in the driveway at a friend's house. I was greeted with her bounding across the front lawn towards me loudly proclaiming that it was the best looking bike she had ever seen me ride. After explaining to my non-motorcycling lady friend that it's "Just a little 250", she said "So what? That means nothing to me, It looks great!" That's what this style of bike is really all about, the looks and way you feel when riding it.

If this is the style of bike you lust after, then I think that the VL250 Intruder has all the looks the bigger more expensive 1200cc bikes of this style have. It's trimmed off with plenty of easy to shine chrome around the engine and seat, although most of the purely cosmetic stuff is plated plastic and not real metal. Mind you plastic doesn't ever rust and it keeps the weight down.

As is the style for a lot of cruiser bikes, the speedo sits in a chrome cluster on top of the fuel tank with the indicator, headlight and neutral lights placed either side. I think the 250's layout looks much smarter than its great big brother, the 1500cc Intruder. Come night-time the speedo dial is backlit in a sexy looking grey hue.
It took me a while to adjust to looking down so far to check my speed. But after riding the bike for a couple of weeks I did get used to the sound & feel that the engine made at 60-70 kph and didn't need to look down as much. Sounds like a great excuse to give a policeman anyway.

On the road the Kindergarten Suzuki cruiser rides the waves (potholes) of Sydney's roads quite well. It's a nice lightweight bike to move around at slow speed. The only drawback I found from being so light came when I was riding, err…. quickly through bumpy corners, the bike will start to wander out on a slightly wider line. It's a light bike and this design style puts the front wheel a long way from the steering point of the bike (know as the 'steering head').

Make Model SUZUKI Intruder LC 250

Year 2001

Engine Air cooled four stroke, 65° V-Twin

Capacity 248
Bore x Stroke
Compression Ratio

Induction BDS28

Ignition / Starting

Max Power 24 hp 17.5 kW @ 8500 rpm

Max Torque 23 Nm @ 6000 rpm

Transmission / Drive 5 Speed / chain

Front Suspension Telescopic forks

Rear Suspension Twin shock 5 way adjustable

Front Brakes Single 275mm disc 1 piston caliper

Rear Brakes 130mm drum

Front Tyre 90/90-17

Rear Tyre 150/80-15
Seat Height 685 mm

Dry-Weight 143 kg

Fuel Capacity 12 Litres