Suzuki S40 CAFE RACER reviews

This bike is a great beginner bike. I bought it a couple years ago as my first bike and I still love it. There is not much leg room, but I don't mind it. I have ridden hundreds of miles with my 5 foot 2 inch girlfriend, and it has enough power to get up the hills in 5th. Not going to beat anybody in a race, but it'll get you around a hell of a lot better than one of those rebel things. It is small and nimble, gets great gas mileage, turns a few heads, is very reliable, and easily modified. Cons: Cramped riding position, not as comfortable as some, comes with a very limited stock carb setup. Show less

Immensely powerful, single-cylinder, classic bike with reasonable fuel economy (after break-in period an honest 58 mpg). Very elastic gears with quickly available power even from the lower rpm's. Design is basically maintenance-free with a smooth operating trans belt (no more chain!). The wet-sump oil reservoir is humungous (appr. 1.8 l), it is close to impossible to run out of oil at any time. A total weight of 381 lbs. with lower seat height makes it a very versatile, easy to maneuver bike ideal for people who are not into elephant-riding but don't compromise safety, performance and comfort. My wish list would include: 1. a tripmeter 2. a larger tank (total 2.8 G with 0.8 reserve) and a higher-quality chrome material for the exhaust. Overall, I can warmly recommend this mid-size cruiser and plan to keep it for a long time. Show less

The Suzuki S40 is a terrific all around ride. The relatively light weight provides a lot of confidence and maneuverability. Plenty of power to operate at highway speeds, and pulls strongly off the line. Large single cylinder and belt drive means low, low maintenance cost. Great fuel economy. Perfect commuter bike for someone who wants real classic cruiser styling. This bike is trouble free, easy to maintain on your own and loads of fun. I would recommend this bike highly to anyone. Show less

I bought this to ride with my wife, who has a scooter. I got the red and white one. I get all kinds of positive comments from strangers in parking lots about how good it looks. I had a 2007 500 of another brand and the 85 lbs. less this weighs and the way you can maneuver in tight turns is unbelievably better than that previous 500. It has plenty of power and although I don't ever plan on riding on the Interstate it rides very smooth at 70 mph. It is very fast coming up through the gears and the balance is very good through curves. It has the little occasional backfire that you hear about but I have grown to like it as it's distinctive to the big thumper single banger. I like the quiet stock exhausts but you can get some loud exhausts if you want. The seat is very comfortable so I don't really see going to the gel seat right now. I installed the Boulevard windshield available from the dealer and have ordered saddle bags. Show less

I bought my S40 last July. I use it for a commuter and for pleasure riding. I really enjoy it. Show less

I bought the bike new in April 2008 and drove it for 5600 miles over the summer. It is my first bike and has been excellent. It gets 50-60 MPG and easily keeps up with traffic up to about 80 MPH. A small dealer issue with the petcock valve was fixed in a couple of hours under warranty by the dealer. On long rides the seat gets a little uncomfortable and I plan on installing a gel seat by next summer. The bike has been a blast and the perfect choice for me. Show less

This is my first bike, and I was a little nervous about anything over 500cc. That all changed the second I put it into 1st and took off. Three weeks later and 600 miles, I am glad that this was my choice. The bike is very easy to operate, handles great, and has enough get-up-and-go for this first-timer. As a matter of fact, my wife wants to start riding also and keeps eyeballing it... Show less

I had not ridden for 10 years plus. Immediately I felt comfortable and drove 1150 miles July - September in one season. Great bike! Pearl white - lots of compliments. Fun, responsive, easy to ride. I will never sell my S40. Look for me at shows - it's going to become a custom bobber. Show less

I bought my bike brand new in 2005 on a spur of the moment deal. It looked great in the showroom and sitting in the driveway. I do feel kind of big on it, but that just adds confidence. I too had the backfire issues. I fixed that by removing the muffler, piping the rest, and putting exhaust wrap around the whole deal. Now it's loud! Look, for those of you who don't like the bike, fine, I've been riding for ten years and I still bought this bike that you all call a beginners bike. This bike has a great platform, looks great in person and has some really nice lines to it. There are aftermarket products that will fit this bike perfectly. Ebay offers a lot of custom built products for this platform, but I haven't tried any yet. All I'm saying is this bike isn't just for beginners. I love the single cylinder shake you get with straight piped exhaust. It really brings this engine to life. I'm glad I bought it. Show less

I've had my Boulevard S40 since March, and have put 3000 miles on it. The bike has been inexpensive to operate and very reliable so far. It corners well and has decent power for a thumper. The bike keeps up with traffic easily and will hold 70 mph on the highway all day long. I bought it mainly for a work commuter, but have ended up joyriding on it quite a bit. It is a fun bike to ride. My complaints are the seat is quite hard, 5th gear slips on it sometimes, and of course the backfiring problem. I gave the bike 4 stars, but I would still recommend it to people looking for an affordable bike that looks good, and has decent power and handling. The bike sounds pretty good under hard acceleration with the stock pipe too. Show less