Suzuki Boulevard S40/LS650

[jimmy016]

Hey guys, currently im a learner rider and have a honda xr150. Ive always been keen to get into riding cruisers and i have been looking at the Suzuki Boulevard S40/LS650 for my first cruiser.
Has anyone with or without experience of riding this bike got any opinions? Reviews?

Cheers.

[jimmy016]

is a 2008 model

[Flip]

I had one about 25 years ago. Ask nicely and I am sure I could dig up a service manual.

Good we bike, quite harley like to ride. I think I did about 75k on the one I had. I did a belt drive and a cam chain and that was the extent of the maintanance, other than the original exhaust corroded out quite quickly. Traded is in on a GS750ESD.

[jimmy016]

Thanks heaps, what do you think of it for a first bike? Good power? How does it go for touring?

[Flip]

Thanks heaps, what do you think of it for a first bike? Good power? How does it go for touring?

Great first bike. Good torque and easy to ride. I went from Auckland to invercargill on mine no probs at all. Average range on a tank of fuel, still did the NI east cape and the SI west coast.

[The Lone Rider]

Yeap, not a bad bike. Only problems I've seen is they sometimes have a problem with the belt slipping on the pulley, and if you're tall you're going to hate sitting on it for long periods of time. Also there are a fair few options for customizing with bolt on stuff, and some easy stuff to change if you have access to a welder and a drill press.

[AllanB]

Year is irrelevant on the 650 as sweet F all has changed in decades on them. Which in itself tells you they are as reliable as a iron anvil if suitable maintained at regular intervals. Mate purchased one recently and it's a cracker - he plans to customise it.


Good simple single cylinder bikes that will go forever provided you feed them clean oil at regular intervals.

[Ulsterkiwi]

wife had one to start her off. Solid as wee bike. My main gripe was the 10l tank but then it wasn't me riding it.
Was great to get her going, if only to let her figure out what she wanted in a bike. I can see how they are still being sold new, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[Gabbs]

Hey Jimmy, I'm looking at getting one of these as well, let me know if you got one and how it's going for you?

[Sable]

Slow, feculent and boring, similar to a Harley in that regard but with half the cylinders

[anebv8]

http://www.suzukisavage.com/home/

can download a manual there..someone took hundreds of photos too as they stipped a bike down...step by step instructions for everything you need to know (and some you wish you didn't)

I have a Suzuki Savage handy man guide on a hard drive,can see if I can upload it

[OddDuck]

A workmate has one, swears by it. He says though that there is one design flaw - the cam chain tensioner is a spring and hydraulic pressured piston, with no end stop. If the cam chain gets too worn then it's possible for this piston to pop out and fall into the workings of the motor. Mucho not good then follows.

Suzuki might have sorted it before yours (his one's much older than '08) but he told me that there's a small outfit in the States making and selling pin-stopped cam chain tensioners.

I had a quick tootle around the carpark on his bike, it struck me as a great little lightweight cruiser, perfect to learn on. Easy to handle, very forgiving. It's also very simple and would be an easy bike to learn mechanics on, if you're that way inclined.