I owned a 2001 Suzuki Volusia 800 for less than a year. It was reliable, looked great, and was comfortable, but it is NOT a freeway friendly bike. Acceleration was acceptable up to 55-60 mph, but it strained to go much faster. Top speed was 75-80 mph riding downhill with a strong breeze blowing...
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I owned a 2001 Suzuki Volusia 800 for less than a year. It was reliable, looked great, and was comfortable, but it is NOT a freeway friendly bike. Acceleration was acceptable up to 55-60 mph, but it strained to go much faster. Top speed was 75-80 mph riding downhill with a strong breeze blowing behind me! The shaft drive on the bike is very smooth but the gearing is absolutely horrible. The only way to remedy this is to find a donor VL1500 and swap out the drivetrain. This is an expensive solution to a problem that shouldn’t have existed in the first place.
Overall, the only people that I’d recommend this to are ones that want a highway cruiser. Around town or on 55mph highways, the bike is great - I have no complaints. For any significant jaunts that include freeway riding above 55-60 mph, I strongly advise against the 800 and would look for a 1500 instead.
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