New owner from North London!

Hi Guys/Gals!

I am a very excited new owner of a new 2015 Suzuki 800 Intruder! I have had a number of bikes over the years and my last was a Suzuki GSX1250 FA and to be honest there was absolutely nothing wrong with it! It had plenty of low end grunt but in the 4 years I owned it I never managed to more than 4800 miles on it. As I say, nothing wrong with the bike but I just couldn't figure out why I was so indifferent about riding it. Had the advancing years taken away the zest for life? Had I fallen out of love with motorcycles? I now understand that the answer is an emphatic no and that what I really wanted all along was a cruiser! Something just came to me when recently  I carried out an oil and filter change on my last bike and was irritated by the need to remove the fairing panel and then fiddle about with a bracket and then remove it just so I could move the radiator hose just to get to the oil filter. Thank God I wasn't changing spark plugs because I would have then had to remove the fuel tank to get at them! 
At that moment I just yearned to get back to the simple pleasures of motorcycling and then it clicked. A Suzuki M800 was the answer, no fairing panels, looks absolutely gorgeous and at the end of the day is what a  real motorcycle should look like. Real world bike for real world riding! Can't wait to start enjoying my biking again in comfort! It's still only done 40 miles but I intend to change that very soon!

hello Charlie boy new to the cruisers my self because of problem with an elbow had a bandit last. could not ride it with out being in pain so got a 2008 vl800 miss a lot about the bandit .had a vfr before that and can honestly say best bike ive ever had my leg over in 35 years or so  of biking.the vl800 is a diff beast and I am slowly but surely warming to its charm .this is the site for you these guys are so helpful it makes you feel very humble nothing is to much trouble for them and their knowledge is astounding.enjoy the site and

  Charlie Boy and to suzuki800.com

The M800 is definitely the way to whet your appetite for biking again!

Charlie and enjoy the new life style choice

Thanks for the welcome guys!
Feeling quite a warm glow right now...and learning lots of new stuff just by mooching about here on this forum which unbelievably I only just discovered today! I know there are other bike forums out there but this one one really does have a special feel to it!

Hi Charlie Boy 

Hi Charlie Boy and

Great intro Charlie, well pleased you found us. Enjoy your new baby. 

   Charley Boy!

Hi Charley Boy . 
Sit back and enjoy the ride. (see how long you can curb the urge to buy it toys)

Charley Boy

hell yeh another member that's in my area where a bout's in north London are you from Charlie there was  three of us till you joined now 4

  Charlie, &   

Hope you enjoy that nice new M800 ..... a nice change from your 1250

Also hope you enjoy using the forum.

Cheers              Yam

Hello mate and 
A new m800.... Fabulous. Enjoy every minute!

  Charlie and welcome to the site...enjoy the cruiser experience !

Thanks again guys for the really warm welcome!

To be exact I live in Enfield, Middlesex. Ever since I got the bike (three days!) I've been keeping my eyes peeled for other cruiser riders out there. Only saw just the one other today in Oakwood but it whizzed by so quickly I couldn't even make it what was! I gather the Ace Cafe holds the odd cruiser night and I'll be up for that whenever the next one is but only if the weather's nice! Right now I just cannot bear the thought of getting my new baby wet and dirty by riding her down the north circular in the rain!

I think I'll hold off getting any toys for the bike just yet. I'm trying to hold on to that nice shiny perfection for as long as possible! I must be honest though I'm getting that very slight nagging feeling about whether I should have gone the whole hog and gone for the M1500 Intruder but then I tell myself what the heck! It looks just as good and although it's way down on power compared to the GSX1250 FA I know I really won't miss it. I'm a cruiser rider now... the real world means you savour the ride and your surroundings more and worry less about speed and how far over you can lean over in a corner! I'll be honest and say that it's far more fun being sensible than feeling the need to constantly put annoying scooter and moped riders back in their place anytime they have the temerity pull away ahead of me at the traffic lights...

While I'm in the mood for honesty I have to confess that  I ( like all of us) have a little bit of the exhibitionist in me. With that in mind, and when time and money permits I may get round to fitting some nice pipes. In it's standard form the exhaust note is a tiny bit too civilised but I think I can live with that for now!

Welcome on board Charlie Boy.  That's exactly the reason I ended up with cruiser - twenty eight years riding a Katana 1100 & I found I was looking for reason NOT to get out & ride.  Bought an '01 VL 800 & fell in love with biking again.  I now find I'm looking for any excuse just to get out - even if it's just popping down the Post Office.

I'd thought of going for a 1500, but realised that all I needed was a mid-range engine - you'll find that you don't need all that extra power & you'll be more than happy with what you have.  Although it may be worth considering doing the VS 1400 shaft/diff mod

All the best - ride safe

Hi again Charlie Boy.
I too once had a 1250 Bandit but it was too tall for my weakening legs. Also I once lived near Oakwood and I was a tube train driver working out of Oakwood depot.

Beautiful new bike and a new member, of the best site in the world. 

Hi Charlie Boy

Charlie, wed night you have a choice between Blackheath tea hut or borough market, both full of ok lads and some cruisers but not many mostly possers on sports bikes! you will just have to book up and come to france!

Watch him Charlie! Justin's Well Gay! if you meet up with him? Be sure to take a friend!  He tries it on with all the new members! (fresh meat an all that) 

Thanks for the warning Simbo! Lol!
I'm sure I'll be safe with Justin...question is; will he be safe with me?

Charlie Boy wrote:

Thanks for the warning Simbo! Lol!
I'm sure I'll be safe with Justin...question is; will he be safe with me?

  I didn't know you was that way inclined    You'll get along just fine then 

You Fuckwit!!!! Don't listen to him Charlie sims just jealous cos he is getting old and grey where as I am still young and .........ooooh chase me chase me, oops sorry got side tracked there

LOL!!!!!!!!

Just to put the record straight Simbo mate...I'm not that way inclined, but you, Justin or anyone else is perfectly safe with me...Just thought I'd make that clear in case I end up spending the night in a tent with any of you lot!!!!

This site rocks when it comes to advice, sarcasm, wit, and general pisstaking if you enjoy all that then this will become your no1 stopping point for a virtual coffee

I've noticed! I've been surfing about the site and seen situations where people have taken things the wrong way when they were clearly meant as a joke! That's a pity because I know there is no malice intended....bottom line is that it is a site for lovers of a certain kind of motorcycle. The whole ethos of riding a cruiser seems to be about being chilled and laid back. In a funny way I'm finding that this attitude can help you in your everyday approach to life. It's really weird but over the past few days when I've felt anger and resentment building up about something, (anything) I just think about the bike and try to bring in those feelings and thoughts to deflect whatever was winding me up! So strange but it really seems to work!!

Seem's like you're settling in nicely already Charley! As the others have said  we take the mickey, laugh at things we do, have an ear to listen & a hand to help those who seem to need it. We even have members who as you say don't twig on that we're doing all the above but mean no harm to anyone.
If we offend anyone then we're sorry & say so but if you don't stay here to listen to that then, well we tried...

Wasn't joking about the new life style choice! NO SIM LEAVE IT THIS IS A BIKER FORUM NOT YOUR OWN PERSONAL "COMING OUT" FORUM
Myself and a few others here have gone through the "sports" bike crippling years and made the change to cruising, and your right I find myself far more relaxed day to day after being on the intruder, it filters only so far, doesn't have mental top end but is comfortable at 50mph and gives you a great foot massage if you play with the revs!
On a serious note have a look at the france trip, if you have the time available book it, relatively cheap and some of us have never even met before so kind of like blind date on 2 wheels....NO NO NO SIM

hawktheslayer wrote:

some of us have never even met before so kind of like blind date on 2 wheels....NO NO NO SIM

F****! I hope not!!!    Lets just try     instead eh?