The Madura was a cruiser

Cruiser (motorcycle)

Cruiser is the term for motorcycles that mimic the design style of American machines from the 1930s to the early 1960s, including those made by Harley-Davidson, Indian, Excelsior and Henderson. The market for models evocative of the early cruisers has grown to embrace 60 percent of the U.S...

 motorcycle

Motorcycle

A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...

 sold by Suzuki

Suzuki

is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...

 in 1985 and 1986. It was available with either 1200 cc or 700 cc V4 engine

V4 engine

A V4 engine is a V form engine with four cylinders and three main bearings.-Automobile use:Lancia produced several narrow-angle V4 engines from the 1920s through 1960s for cars like the Lambda, Augusta, Artena, Aprilia, Ardea, Appia, and Fulvia....

s. It was created as a response to Honda

Honda

is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...

's Magna

Honda Magna

The first generation 1982 V45 Magna had chrome headlight and fenders. The front disc brakes have straight grooves, dual piston calipers, and TRAC anti-dive. The speedometer reads 80 mph. The redline is 10,000 rpm. The engine is a 748 cc DOHC 16-valve liquid-cooled 90 degree V-4...

 V4 muscle cruiser and was a direct competitor with Yamaha's

Yamaha

Yamaha may refer to:* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services** Yamaha Motor Company, a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company...

 V-Max

Yamaha V-Max

The V-Max, called the VMAX since 2008, is a cruiser motorcycle made by Yamaha since 1985, known for its powerful V4 engine, shaft drive, and distinctive styling.-History:...

 power cruiser, also released in 1985.

Model designations:

• GV1200GL
• GV700GL

History

In response to the Honda Magna

Honda Magna

The first generation 1982 V45 Magna had chrome headlight and fenders. The front disc brakes have straight grooves, dual piston calipers, and TRAC anti-dive. The speedometer reads 80 mph. The redline is 10,000 rpm. The engine is a 748 cc DOHC 16-valve liquid-cooled 90 degree V-4...

, Suzuki made the Madura model. Like the Magna, it was a V-four powered cruiser. Like the Magna, the Madura was offered with two different engine sizes. Both bikes' smaller engines displaced

Engine displacement

Engine displacement is the volume swept by all the pistons inside the cylinders of an internal combustion engine in a single movement from top dead centre to bottom dead centre . It is commonly specified in cubic centimeters , litres , or cubic inches...

700 cc, but while the big Magna displaced 1100 cc, (actual 1098 cc) the big Madura displaced 1200 cc (actual 1165 cc).

Production of the Madura was halted after just two years. According to Peter Seifert of Vernon, B.C., Canada, 5099 Maduras were produced.

Features

The Madura had a V-four engine with hydraulic-lifters. The lifters reduced maintenance, and avoided the kind of cam-wear problems that plagued the Magna. Despite displacing 100 cc more, the Madura didn't have more power or torque than the Magna. The Madura was factory rated at 117 hp, while the Magna was rated at 116 hp. Actual power in a road-tested bike was found to be about 89 hp. For comparison, a same year V65 put down 93 hp.

In addition to the maintenance-free lifters, the Madura had a self-adjusting hydraulically actuated clutch, and a low-maintenance, shaft final drive. The rear suspension was a sophisticated monoshock arrangement that used a single rear swingarm tube to carry the driveshaft as well.

Ergonomically, the Madura featured a low, scooped seat, swept-back handle-bars, and foot-controls that wouldn't be considered "forward" by later standards, but at the time were noted for being 14" ahead of the center of the seat.

Speed

According to Cycle magazine, the 1200 cc Madura completed the 1/4-mile in 11.753 seconds at 115.08 mph. For comparison, on the same day the V65 Magna ran 11.86 at 115.86 mph

Cycle Guide recorded an 11.36 at 117.18 mile. while their Magna clocked 11.44 at 118.42

Motorcyclist clocked a corrected 11.47 at 117.6 with the GV1200 Madura.

Cycle World magazine reported the 700 cc Madura doing the 1/4-mile in 12.89 seconds at 102.68 mph.