"Up Front" section (by Mark Hoyer)

He starts by mentioning the Suzuki TU250 single and how it would make a good 250 Grasstracker.
Then he says:  "Consider also that the $5399 S40 (Savage) 650cc Single cruiser is being converted by Ryca Motors into a cafe-style machine.  Suzuki, somebody is building a business selling your bike to a market you clearly aren't reaching.  Oh, and by the way, Ryca is working on a scrambler version of the S40, too.  Build your own 650 Grasstracker and call it the Really Bigboy, Suzuki ?"

Sure would be nice of someone at Suzuki was listening.
I have no doubt they'd sell a lot more 650 grass trackers than they will 650 Gladius, and they'd doubtless be cheaper to manufacture!

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 07/23/12 at 22:42:37:


I don't see Suzuki going all the way to a Street tracker or bobber or scrambler, so Ryca is in no danger in that regard, but it would be good for Suzuki to offer a "standard" type version bike using the LS650 engine.  It would still be in the same price point as it is now but just with a sitting up seating position, flat seat, mid foot controls and less rake on the front end....and an upgraded front brake system  and rear shocks.  They have parts in their inventory they can use right  now so cost is negligible.  
Sales would increase and it would be a very good platform from which Ryca can make more kits.

I don't see how Suzuki got called out. The Ryca is for a niche market and a very small one at that. Suzuki would lose their ass on developing a cafe racer.

I think the two could easily work together by offering kits from Ryca through dealerships.  The options' availability could increase sales of the base bike not to mention the kits themselves (or the labor of the dealership's employees converting bikes for folks that don't want to do it themselves).

I'd love to see Zuk offer our engine with electronics, in a box for a cheap price. Let us build whatever we want with it!

Let's not forget that the Savage didn't sell all that well, either. It was brought out about 1985, and only lasted a few years before it was withdrawn (at least from the US market). It came back after the cruiser market developed, and Suzuki needed a low-cost entry-level cruiser.

A while back I was chatting with my local Suzuki dealer, and asked him how many Savage/S40s he'd sold. Bear in mind this guy has been dealing in the same building since the middle '60s. His answer - "Not all that many."

Edited to add: I don't believe Suzuki is likely to worry much about the RYCA conversions. After all, every one of them starts off with a Savage/S40 that Suzuki sold in the first place. Someone above commented that Suzuki should sell an engine and electronics separately (though there was also something about a cheap price). I believe Suzuki would be happy to sell a replacement S40 engine, and any other parts you'd like to order. You likely wouldn't get much price break unless you ordered in quantity, though.