Marauder 800

[TheDickies007]

Well, I own a Suzuki Marauder 800 and I love it!!!! I love the open road, and the wind rushing over my bald head, but I think my bike can run a little smoother. The valves are making noise, so I am surrently working on adjusting those, but I also wanted to know if anyone had some tips for making it run a little smoother. It's not running bad or anything like that, but I just want it in TIP TOP shape you know what I mean? I talked to someone a little while ago who gave me an alternative for adding a new gear, he said I should swap out the sprokcet for a bigger one. He said I would loose some topend power around town, but it would greatly help my freeway, and highway milage, and ride, and it would keep the RPMs down a little better. These are the kind of tips I am looking for. It's a small bike I know, but I want to keep it around for a while, so my kids can learn, and rely on it. So any suggestions that anyone may have, I would greatly appriciate it.

[St0nkingByte]

There's a fair number of Marauder folk around here but the most serious Marauder forum on the net can be found here:

http://www.migcruisers.com/

Those guys know everything.

[Trapper]

It's the low end power that you will lose on a sprocket swap. You can go 16 or 17 tooth front sprocket without changing the chain length. It is an easy and cheap mod (heck, you may want to buy both and see what you like better.) It gives you lower rpm's on the freeway. But as I've said before, these engines were built to rev that high and is nowhere near red line cruising a little above the posted limit. Here's a link to how to change your sprocket. Just click the "project/how to" page.
http://www.migcruisers.com/

Welcome to the board. What year is your bike? Colour? Blue is fastest.
edit: You beat me to it SB

[St0nkingByte]

Originally Posted by trappercase

It's the low end power that you will lose on a sprocket swap. You can go 16 or 17 tooth front sprocket without changing the chain length. It is an easy and cheap mod (heck, you may want to buy both and see what you like better.) It gives you lower rpm's on the freeway. But as I've said before, these engines were built to rev that high and is nowhere near red line cruising a little above the posted limit. Here's a link to how to change your sprocket. Just click the "project/how to" page.
http://www.migcruisers.com/

Welcome to the board. What year is your bike? Colour? Blue is fastest.
edit: You beat me to it SB

Brevity is key Not that I'm known for that.

I seriously considered the 16 or 17tooth swap but in the end I stuck with the stock 15 because I really didn't want to lose any low end umph. My riding has been really varied though, lots of in-town, a little creeping traffic with some 5-10 mile highspeed runs thrown in. If you were going to cruise cross country I guess you might want to do it but you also get used to the 'buzz' after a while.

I think its just the nature of small->mid displacement v-twins like trapper said, they're supposed to run that way.

[TheDickies007]

Thanks guys!!! And my bike is a 2000, Maroon and an Almond color (as my wife likes to call it). It looks so good!!! I'll post a picture soon!!!!

[TheDickies007]

Scratch that last one, it is actually a 1997. I always think it's newer than it is because it looks so good!!!