2006 Suzuki S40 and S50

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Wordherder
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2006 Suzuki S40 and S50

#1 Unread post by Wordherder »

My wife and I decided to take the plunge this year. After completing the MSF course, we shopped around for used bikes. We intended to get one starter bike to hone our skills, and then buy a second one next year so we could ride together. Our riding friends (and the Total Motorcycle Website forums) assured us that this was the way to go.

After a month, a pattern emerged: this bike had a scratch, this one needed a little bit of work, that one was too big. It became apparent that my wife wanted a new bike, not a used one.

We were looking at a used Vulcan (too big, too many rust spots) at a local dealer, DGY in Downers Grove, Ill., when the salesperson suggested we sit on some of the new bikes to get a better feel for what we (OK, she) wanted. Smart guy.

My wife took a shine to the S40. She liked that she could comfortably flat-foot and reach the handlebars at the same time (she's all of five-foot-three, maybe 115 lbs. soaking wet). I was impressed by the 650-cc, one-cylinder engine: seemed like it would be relatively easy to maintain, with all the parts pretty much out in plain view. Ka-ching.

On the road, the bike is nimble, well-behaved and easy to control. The lower gears are close together, and the best torque seems to be at lower speeds, so you'll do a lot of shifting up to about 40 mph. Fifth (top) gear comes in at about 50 mph, but it has long legs. There's a sweet spot at about 62 mph at which the bike seems like it could happily run all day.
However, when you hit about 70 mph, it's starting to max out -- buzzing like an angry hornet with a lot of vibration coming through the hard, narrow seat. This is not a good bike for iron-butting from Chicago to L.A.

But anywhere else, it's a blast to ride, and seems to be the perfect ride for a biker with at least a little experience, a smaller person, or anyone else who likes cruising around on the blue roads. It's a fine-looking bike that turns heads, too. Especially when a very pretty woman is driving it.

A trip odometer would be nice, but that's a very minor quibble. Also, our bike had a tendency to backfire like a shotgun on deceleration - it was running a bit lean, a problem we'll have addressed at the 600-mile checkup. (See thread below for an update.)

We'd had that S40 about 15 minutes when Mary decided the S40 was *her* bike, and riding was too much fun to wait while we took turns. That second bike was coming sooner than we'd anticipated. While we were at DGY, I'd gotten attached to the Suzuki S50 -- the 800cc, water-cooled V-twin. It was a real looker and more hefty, without being much taller (I'm 5-8, but with stumpy basset-hound legs). Luckily, our middle-aged credit is good, and we got a frequent-buyer discount for buying a second bike in less than two weeks.

My first impression, as I pulled out onto Ogden Ave., was that I might have made a mistake.

"This bike," I thought, "is a real handful."

Compared to the S40, the bike has a much heavier feel and the acceleration feels like being shot out of a gun. I'd done some riding when I was younger, but I'd had all of two weeks' practice in 25 years. Now I was perched on an 800cc cruiser with supersonic aspirations. I didn't anticipate *that* much more oomph from an extra 10 cubic inches. I took the 10-mile drive home slowly and carefully. I arrived safely, but considerably damp around the armpits.

In the ensuing month, I've gotten a lot more comfortable. The bike loves a snappy shift and a brisk hand on the throttle. I don't know where the top end is, and probably never will. At 70 mph, the bike purrs like a contented kitten. I imagine it would be fine on the superslab. Curves and turns have to be taken with respect.

The seat, like the S40's, is narrow and fairly hard. I can understand why many people replace the seat with an aftermarket product. Personally, I like the lean look of the narrow seat, and haven't really had a comfort problem (perhaps because I have ample built-in padding).

Some minor quirks with the S50: the oil and overheating idiot lights are behind the handlebar, where you can't see them. Duh. The turn signal and neutral lamps are visible, but if I were a six-footer, they'd be hidden as well. If and when I put a windshield on the bike, I might mount a small mirror on the inside so I can see the whole lamp panel.

Also, the choke tends to pull itself in. On cold mornings, I have to simultaneously push the start button, squeeze the clutch and hold the choke knob full out. It can be done, but it's not easy.

Overall, I'm happy as a clam (Are clams really happy? Why?). The S50 is a solid bike, with a nice growl, lots of torque and a clean, chopper-style look. When I'm rolling through the sweeping turns on Rt. 126, I find myself laughing out loud -- I can't believe it's legal to have that much fun.
However, I would not recommend the S50 for a newbie. It's a lot of bike and I'm constantly aware that I'm pushing the limits of my riding ability every time I swing a leg over the seat. I have to pay *extreme* attention to what I'm doing.

Were I to do this over again, I'd probably buy a second S40 and learn my chops on that before moving up to the S50. There's a huge difference between the two bikes.

dsj 061020
Last edited by Wordherder on Mon Oct 30, 2006 10:49 am, edited 1 time in total.
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#2 Unread post by MotoF150 »

The Suzuki S40 is a great bike, its been made by Suzuki for a long time, but its limited what it can be used for, its a short trip ride around town type of bike, not made for the cross country touring trips.
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Re: 2006 Suzuki S40 and S50

#3 Unread post by jstark47 »

Wordherder wrote:Also, the choke tends to pull itself in. On cold mornings, I have to simultaneously push the start button, squeeze the clutch and hold the choke knob full out. It can be done, but it's not easy.
We have an '04 Marauder (basically same engine as the S50) and it does the same thing. I don't have to hold the choke out to start the bike, but I have to keep pulling it back out during warm-up. A minor quibble, though, with an otherwise fine machine.
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#4 Unread post by Scott58 »

The choke problem is common. All you need to do is turn (clockwise) the piece the plunger goes into. It tends to be loose from the factory for some reason. That will solve the problem. A cheap fix for your seat is a sheepskin cover ( the difference was huge). Got mine for $50. It is a great bike, just needs a few tweeks to be near perfect. I'm getting progressive shocks (412's) and fork springs by xmas. Gonna need tires also before to long. Not sure what i'm getting there yet. Got a little over 9000 miles on the S50 now and am glad that's the bike i bought. Not to many cruisers under 1200cc that can touch it in acceleration. If you start taking longer trips I recommend a vista cruiser throttle lock also very nice little gadget.
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#5 Unread post by Wordherder »

Thanks, Scott58. I'll give the choke adjustment a try, and look into the sheepskin cover. I haven't done any long-distance riding so far, so the seat hasn't been a problem -- but I have ambitious plans for next summer!
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#6 Unread post by Scott58 »

No problem. The bikes great on the interstate. I've been all over indiana and all surrounding states. I actually bought it as a 2-up tourer. I don't like heavy bikes and this one was the perfect choice for me.
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#7 Unread post by Wordherder »

Followup: tried tightening the little black collar on the choke -- worked like a charm. Thanks Scott58!

Followup 2: The S40 was still backfiring, although not as badly, when we got it back from its 600-mile checkup.

Turns out, according to the mechanic, the spot welds holding the heat shield on the muffler had been applied overenthusiastically, and actually penetrated the muffler. Long story short, it was loud because there were holes.

Although the muffler was replaced, it STILL backfires, although it's gone from sounding like a 12-gauge to a cap gun. They are tweaking the carb -- something about "raising the floats." Does this make any sense?

(On the up side, this is all being done under warranty -- darn straight -- and we don't really need the bike until next April.)
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#8 Unread post by jstark47 »

Wordherder wrote:Although the muffler was replaced, it STILL backfires, although it's gone from sounding like a 12-gauge to a cap gun. They are tweaking the carb -- something about "raising the floats." Does this make any sense?
The S40, and its predecessor the Savage seem pretty well known for backfiring. Google on "suzuki+savage+backfire" and you'll get lots of hits and lots of tuning suggestions. The consensus seems to be Suzuki sets the mixture way too lean so they can get it through EPA regs. (My Bonneville had the same leanness issue when in factory spec..... which it somehow seems to have now fallen out of.. :mrgreen: ) Just remember these engines are a basic design, pretty lo-tech, you'v got to set your expectations accordingly. It's not going to be tunable across all regimens the way a modern, I-4, fuel-injected, water-cooled engine will be. It's simplicity is part of its endearing character.
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