norfolknchance
Sheene Gold rider. Nuff said
15967 mile & climbing
Posts: 783
|
Post by norfolknchance on Sept 29, 2013 15:30:24 GMT 1
|
|
gills
Bad ass biker
Posts: 262
|
Post by gills on Sept 29, 2013 18:31:54 GMT 1
Is this a replacement for the Revile or an addition?
|
|
|
|
Post by rj2para (Bisto) on Sept 29, 2013 21:33:44 GMT 1
It would make a good RAT with a car tyre instead of the conventional front mudguard.
|
|
micawber
All Weather Rider, well hard
No longer lurking in the shrubbery.
Posts: 151
|
Post by micawber on Sept 30, 2013 16:30:54 GMT 1
VX800s? Are there any left?
I remember reading a comment that a meeting of UK VX800 owners could be held in a phone box and that was several years ago.
There weren't many imported into the UK though they had a following on the continent and even in the US. They were expensive when new but seemed to have been launched at the wrong time. There is more interest in biggish naked bikes now (post sportsbike mania) than there was then.
I had one for 5 years and I have only ever seen 5 on the road from that time to now.
As to replacing the front mudguard with a car tyre -I wouldn't, as the front end needs as much bracing as it can get, with all the weight it has to cope with.
I can give a few pros and cons:-
Pros:-
The WTF is it? factor -most riders have never seen one.
Rideability -although not a sports bike, it can be ridden at a good average speed without much effort -lazy V-twin, and all that. It was nice to ride. The only way it would crush a sports bike is if it fell on it. They are enormously heavy.
Exceptionally narrow for a big bike. The bars are wide, but can squeeze into narrow spaces in traffic (and on my drive).
It makes a very nice sound (especially on aftermarket pipes).
Tank range -Although not as economical as the NTV, the tank is deceptively large and I managed over 200 miles to reserve on several occasions. Usually around 180 miles though.
The tank has a large flat area on top, useful for a tank bag.
Seat is reasonably comfortable, and low enough for a shrimp like me. It is narrow at the front.
The original (Bandit?) headlight is very good.
The original clocks are white faced and easy to read.
The radiator fits in between the front down tubes, being tall and narrow, and is well protected.
The 5 speed gearbox is marvellous, with clutchless changes being possible quite easily. A heavy shaft drive V twin -so why can't Honda manage it?
Although Liquid cooled, the engine is quite visible and has very fine fins cast on the cylinders (the engine is similar to the Intruder Custom of the same vintage) and is quite nicely done.
Parts from the equivalent Intruder will fit the VX. I have seen an account of someone fitting a hydraulic clutch set up from an Intruder to a VX.
Although heavy and with a long wheelbase, the VX handles predictably and well, with adequate ground clearance. It does need forward planning, as it is not exactly flickable and protests if you try to change course midway through a corner.
Cons:-
The frame is enormously heavy and needs to be to stop it rusting away. The finish on the tank and side panels was really good but the paint was forever falling off the frame tubes. Perversely, I thought it was meant to be a means of transport all year round but Suzuki have other ideas. Every Summer I spent time rubbing down and rustproofing bits of the frame.
Suzuki Electrics. I dismantled the switches and connectors and packed them with vaseline when I first got it (10 years old, 45,000 miles) and found that some of the leads were made of green dust which fell apart when I pulled them. I wired round the obvious ones and everything worked but it did not fill me with confidence. It never let me down on the road though the odd instrument light failed from time to time. Compare this with my NTV which is 20 years old, has minor rust and the connectors so far are all ok. Honda quality?
The VX was fairly easy to service though was complicated for the 60 horsepower which it produced.
Two carburetters, one updraught, one downdraught, 4 valves per cylinder, two separate air filters which I did not find easy to get hold of as aftermarket parts (genuine Suzuki ones were around £25 each at that time). For anything more than routine servicing the engine has to come out -camchains, top end work, as there is no room between the frame and top of the engine to do anything else. The right side frame rail unbolts to get the engine out.
The tappets were screw and locknut -easy to adjust but both air filter boxes and tubing had to come off and space was so tight that on the rear cylinder the inlet valves had to be open (rockers depressed) before the rocker cover could be slid out between the cylinder and the frame. All do-able but fiddly.
Exhausts -each side was one piece from downpipe to end of silencer, with a clamp joining a cross pipe under the engine. All mild steel, so all rusted away & replaced by now on the remaining survivors. Some aftermarket bits from the custom Intruder of that era might fit. I fitted a BSM 2-1 stainless set up (BSM have since gone bust). Sounded nice though.
The plumbing for the radiator from the water pump used the left frame tube -a neat touch but can't help wondering about the effects of internal rust on an old bike. I used to wonder why the frame tube got hot until I came to change the coolant and found out.
Suzuki parts support. Suzuki no longer supply parts for models this age (particularly as so few UK models were imported). Secondhand parts are similarly hard to get hold of since there weren't many VXs about.
However, many Bandit bits such as switchgear look the same and should fit, and things such as levers and headlights from similar age Suzukis also. Specific items such as cables, air filters etc might be more of a problem. You can't get luggage equipment any more and would need to adapt or weld carriers or pannier frames.
Suzuki dealers. Our local long established one was (is) useless. Kept trying to tell me my UK registerd bike was an import.
The brakes are the same as the GS500E (and looked the same as those fitted to my daughter's 400 Bandit!)
Hence the need for forward planning when riding this bike, and making use of the plentiful engine braking. I never failed to stop in time in an emergency but the single disc on the VX is pretty marginal. Add to this the constant binding after a couple of winters' use and need for stripping down and cleaning and it's annoying. It should be possible to replace with the front end from another Suzuki to give a twin disc set up. The forks are reputedly very soft as standard but mine seemed to have had the springs replaced and they were fine. Some reports on the VX websites of seals going but a previous owner had fitted gaiters to mine and I had no problems.
Tyres were an odd size and didn't last very long by my standards. The front one seemed to wear out as fast as the rear - something to do with the weight and extended fork rake? The last ones I fitted were Avon Azaros and these were looking promising but I sold it before they were more than 2/3 worn.
It was noticeably heavy to wheel around being top heavy. It fell over once and it took 2 of us to pick it up again.
For myself, I am glad I got to own such an unusual bike and had a lot of pleasure from it. Just doing U-turns on it and riding in figure of eights on it around a car park gave me a feeling of accomplishment. It was really heavy at a standstill but once rolling it felt solid and stable.
If you can find a cheap one, it would be a nice project if the main things are ok. The trick is in finding one, either there will be the long term owner who values what he has got and doesn't want to sell, or the desperate owner who can't sell because nobody knows what it is, or the inflated ebay seller "RARE! Last chance! Few imported! etc".
However for all round use I think my NTV is a better built, potentially longer lasting and more versatile bike. I still have Norfolk's problem though -what on earth can I replace it with?
Micawber
|
|
norfolknchance
Sheene Gold rider. Nuff said
15967 mile & climbing
Posts: 783
|
Post by norfolknchance on Sept 30, 2013 17:19:02 GMT 1
|
|
numpty
Rides on the Motorways
Posts: 90
|
Post by numpty on Sept 30, 2013 19:44:45 GMT 1
|
|
numpty
Rides on the Motorways
Posts: 90
|
Post by numpty on Sept 30, 2013 19:48:52 GMT 1
Dunno why my text wasn`t in the above?  Micawber has covered most things but they are very much a `marmite` bike. I sold mine in January this year but I would have another one. I`d see if you can blag a test ride on one somehow before you decide either way. |
|
Micawber has covered most things but they are very much a `marmite` bike. I sold mine in January this year but I would have another one. I`d see if you can blag a test ride on one somehow before you decide either way.