If a motorcycle has good looks, a reliable engine, versatile performance and excellent reliability, it should sell, right? Especially if it taps into a groovy, fun zeitgeist that’s sweeping through the whole moto-market. It should be a slam-dunk in dealership showrooms.
The Suzuki VanVan 200 is proof that sometimes, things don’t work out the way they should, and customers won’t get excited about the stereotypical “right bike at the right time,” even though all the signs are pointing to sales success.
为什么这些机器没有击中？仔细观察Vanvan的背景故事可能会使它有意义，或者它可能会使我们更加困惑……
The original RV125. These machines ended production in the early 1980s.
A jumbled history
The VanVan’s story kinda begins in 1972 with the Suzuki RV125. Technically speaking, the Suzuki VanVan 200 is officially known as the RV200, which is an attempt to tie in with history.
The RV125 was a two-stroke scrambler with oversized tires, roughly equivalent to Honda’s CT series. It had weird bodywork and frame, appearing halfway between a step-through Honda and a proper full-sized dirt bike. There was a massive, sofa-like seat, and lots of chrome trim (including a very flashy guard on the high-rise exhaust pipe).
1982年，铃木取消了RV线（也有50cc和90cc自行车）。它从来没有像本田的CT系列那样真正吸引公众的注意力，但是偶尔您确实在二手市场上看到了这些奇怪的机器之一。发生这种情况时，您永远不会看到它像一条古老的本田步道一样热情地广告（或追捕）。
然后，大约在2003年，铃木带回了RV线，引入了Vanvan 125。这辆自行车从未到达北美。它与DR125双运动相同的基本四冲程引擎具有相同的基本四冲程发动机，该运动在北美也没有出售。2007年，铃木通过燃油喷射系统更新了新的RV125；2017年，铃木将该发动机更新为与DR200双运动的基本引擎，并将其引入北美。
如果您想整理巨大的后端，则可以购买时尚的售后排气装置，消除挡泥板的挡泥板和装饰LED照明。嘿，孩子们，这是后鼓刹车！…2017年？什么？照片：现在骑行Powersports
Vanvan 200出现
Vanvan 200在首次亮相时具有独特的外观，人们无法决定它是乱七八糟的，复古的还是双重运动。起初，大多数人将其与Yamaha TW200进行了比较。铃木具有类似于T-Dub的超大轮胎（18英寸前轮，4英寸后轮），但它们易于街头，而不是许多Yamaha车手更改为侵略性的橡胶。那是一般主题；Vanvan似乎不如雅马哈的邪教经典自行车值得肮脏。Vanvan的发动机没有框架部分，并且间隙较小。
The Tee-Dub has a serious case of ’80s styling, but the VanVan’s styling cues went even further back, with a huge seat, a tiny gas tank and trim that screamed “The Bike That Came In From The ’70s.” The initial 2017 production run also came available in an attractive blue paint, unlike the industrial gray and black hues that Suzuki usually sprays its dual sports with.
It might have shared the same basic engine as the DR200 (199 cc single-cylinder, SOHC), but the VanVan had fuel injection, and an oil cooler. You’d think that would drive the price up, right? Wrong—in some markets, the VanVan came in cheaper than the DR200. US customers paid roughly the same for both bikes.
Vanvan的一个主要奖励：它的马鞍超级低，座椅高约30英寸。几乎任何人都可以在每一侧跳上这辆自行车和平整的脚。
Vanvan轮胎带有文明的，街头友好的轮胎，但是如果您愿意，您可以买到更肉的橡胶。照片：现在骑行Powersports
它卖了吗？
So, the price was decent, and the VanVan had funky looks, sort of a scrambler vibe when that market was taking off. It was non-intimidating to climb aboard, and power delivery was certainly manageable. Surely, in a world where retro motorcycles sell like mad this would be a sales success?
Suzuki’s in-house record books might say it’s a success, but I can tell you I’ve绝不seen a VanVan 200 on the street anywhere, and it was discontinued in North America sometime around the end of 2019. Marked-down VanVans seemed to hang around in dealerships for a long time—a couple of local Suzuki shops had VanVans they just couldn’t get rid of. In a world where people will buy something cheap and silly like a Honda Grom, or spend major money on a retro from Ducati or Triumph, why didn’t Suzuki sell boatloads of VanVans?
I really couldn’t tell you, as it seemed to hit on a sweet spot where just about anyone with a paycheck, from minimum-wagin’ teens to frugal commuters to nostalgia-soaked mature riders would all have some interest. I can only make three suggestions.
- 我相信铃木很多卖给骑原理图ools, and maybe learners didn’t want to start out on the same “beginner bike” they used for their riding course?
- After 2017, Suzuki started using the same mostly-ugly paint for the VanVan it used on the rest of its lineup. Yuck. Way to kill showroom floor appeal, Suzuki!
- Or maybe, this was just another case of picky-pants North American consumers turning up their nose at a very cool bike that was a success in the Japanese domestic market, but scorned here due to its engine size.
Honestly, I suspect the last two suggestions were probably why it never flooded the market here in North America.
This 2017 model shows the attractive blue paint scheme that many VanVans sported in their first 2017 entry into the US. Unfortunately, Suzuki’s subsequent paint jobs often left something to be desired. Photo: Suzuki
If you buy a VanVan 200 …
即使在用过的市场上，大多数范万都在里程表上的里程低。自1980年代后期以来基本上没有变化的发动机设计以及铃木的一般机械卓越，很难想象，如果在其设计参数中骑行，这些自行车将不会持续很长时间。
一些北美售后公司销售附加组件。尽管Vanvan的沙发般的座位，但一些车手仍然抱怨，所以Corbin提供替换马鞍. CycleRacks sells afront rack，arear rack/grab bar combothat looks highly functional (and might offer some protection in a tipover, too). Of course, you can easily graft on a set of handguards, a small handlebar-mount windshield, heated grips, a tankbag or tank panniers, and other universal-fit bits.
对于真正好的东西，您必须在日本看。Webikehas subframe assemblies that bolt underneath the engine, and you can find oversized fuel tanks and other functional farkles if you search Japanese custom bike websites. That’s the thing with buying a bike that was a JDM hit: If it’s big in Japan, you can bet their customisers will have offer a wide variety of parts that are good-looking and useful.
鉴于Vanvan的短腿性质，您永远不会将其变成野兽的自行车。但是，如果您正在寻找一台易于骑车，看起来好看的机器，可以整天巡游道路，以低廉的价格以坚韧的铃木质量进出，这可能值得一看。只是不要指望在州际公路上玩。
那里isan ADVrider threaddedicated to the VanVan 200, but it’s pretty short …
好的，也许不是完全超轻的设置，但是这张Cycleracks的照片显示了Vanvan的可能性。嘿，看起来非常实用！照片：Cycleracks
This bike here?
The machine in the title photo is advertised atRide Now Powersports在北卡罗来纳州，价格为3,772美元。该广告有些令人困惑，声称这台机器是全新的，然后也说它已被使用。无论哪种方式，这是这辆自行车的合理价格，只要他们坚持下去，有人就可以在这款范旺（Vanvan）上玩得开心。
