Suzuki Van Van | GTAMotorcycle.com

Suzuki Van Van

Skyway6

Skyway6

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Saw this bike in the local Yamaha/Suzuki dealer. Funky looking bike, very large seat and balloon tires.
Later on at home watched a few you tubes on it and it seemed to be fun. Next time at the dealer (Apr13) they let me take it out for a test drive.

The bike is a 5 speed 200cc bike. Figured it might be an alternate bike to a grom or z125 especially for larger riders.
Was a fun bike but unless you are in a downtown area in slow traffic i would stay away. Are Groms slow too?
I guess it would not be too bad as long as you get used to shifting to 3rd REALLY fast ( like in 10 feet ). 1st and 2nd are pretty much useless.

Ride was comfy tho, the large seat and tires soaked up the bumps, would be fun bike in cottage country / camping / motorhome bike.

Being a 200cc i did not expect a speed demon but it should have been at least as fast as my 155cc Smax. Made my Smax feel like a Hayabusa. Took the bike around the block, well a circuit being
approx 8km. It was a fairly cool evening at 12c but by the end i really noticed the air cooled engine. This thing was putting out a lot of heat. Would hate to be on it in the summer stuck in traffic.

Positives is it is old tech that has been around forever, would be really easy to work on and maintain.
 
I like the retro look and small is fun for short distances. I wouldn't have a lot of use for it under my present circumstances but it would make a good pet.
 
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Looks like a fun to ride bike around town. Brand new is $4600 according to suzuki.ca. That's quite a lot for a 200cc.

Perhaps, some used options would pop up in a couple years ? None on kijiji right now.
 
VanVan is Suzuki's version or the Yamaha Trail Way (TW200). It's exactly as mentioned above -- ride is comfy, the large seat and tires soak up the bumps, fun bike for cottage country / camping / motorhome bike. They are excellent for learners.

I like to think of the VanVan and TW as having a small cruiser as a mother (ride and performance) and a dirt bike for a father (plays on rough roads).
 
The vanvan uses the dr200 se engine. Vanvan is 11.8hp 258lbs, Dr is 13.6 hp and 242lbs, and it looks way better. Vanvan is for hipsters lol.
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Iceman said:
The vanvan uses the dr200 se engine. Vanvan is 11.8hp 258lbs, Dr is 13.6 hp and 242lbs, and it looks way better. Vanvan is for hipsters lol.

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The VanVan 125cc has 11.8hp - that's not sold here. Canadian's get the more savage VanVan 200cc, it's fuel injected and puts out 16.1HP/11lbs torque @ 282lbs wet. The DR200s is carbed, and puts out 13.3HP /9.5 torque @ 283kg wet.

Both are putt-putt dualsport motorcycles, you're gonna pick one over the other simply on your sense of style.
 
Mad Mike said:
The VanVan 125cc has 11.8hp - that's not sold here. Canadian's get the more savage VanVan 200cc, it's fuel injected and puts out 16.1HP/11lbs torque @ 282lbs wet. The DR200s is carbed, and puts out 13.3HP /9.5 torque @ 283kg wet.

Both are putt-putt dualsport motorcycles, you're gonna pick one over the other simply on your sense of style.
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I wasn't aware of the 125, I stand corrected. One of them is a putt putt dual sport with longer travel suspension, offroad ergos etc. The other is a fad for hipsters and city dwellers.
The vanvan is not a dual sport, at most it's a scrambler type bike. Although imo scramblers make awesome city bikes.
That's the beauty of it all, everyone can buy whatever floats their boat!

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Skyway6 said:
...
I guess it would not be too bad as long as you get used to shifting to 3rd REALLY fast ( like in 10 feet ). 1st and 2nd are pretty much useless.
...
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Just to clarify, 1st and 2nd are not useless, they are granny gears for the nasty stuff off road. I'm willing to bet you could climb a wall in 1st gear
 
came here thinking suzuki made a cool van.
disappointed.
 
Loved my TW200. It was a tank and loads of fun in trails. Like a two wheeled ATV.

Light, low, big tires, easy to maintain.

Not much joy on asphalt but, loads of fun in the woods.


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nakkers said:
Loved my TW200. It was a tank and loads of fun in trails. Like a two wheeled ATV.

Light, low, big tires, easy to maintain.

Not much joy on asphalt but, loads of fun in the woods.


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I took the riders choice course ,and that bike was a blast to ride.
 
Learned to ride on a TW200, best 90 days ever. Was everything I needed to start my two wheeled life on. Topped out at about 90km/h going down a hill though.
 
bigpoppa said:
For some reason that car gives me a "about to get kidnapped in Afghanistan" vibe
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Lmao! Completely true.

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The Van Van has been around in foreign markets for years. Very comfy seat. It's purpose is definitely not to blitz the backroads!
I think it makes sense as a cottage bike or to carry around on the bumper of your RV. Anywhere you need basic transportation where there are unpaved roads.
 
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