- The 550E was marketed as a capable "allround" motorcycle.motorcycle image by Goran Bogicevic from Fotolia.com
The 1979 Suzuki 550E was originally marketed as an "allround" motorcycle, which means it can be driven around town, on the freeway and off-road. Although the bike's relatively heavy weight and low clearance weaken its off-road capabilities, it has a reputation as a solid performer on city streets and highways. - The 1997 Suzuki 550E has an in-line six cylinder, four stroke engine with a displacement of 33.50 cubic inches and a compression ratio of 8.6:1. It's bore and stroke is 2.2 X 2.2 inches, and the engine produces 49 horsepower at 9,000 rpm. It is air cooled, has two (shim adjusted) valves per cylinder and Dual Overhead Chain Driven cam (DOHC) fuel control. The dual overhead cam shafts are driven by a roller chain. Compression varies from 128 to 171 psi. Cast cylinder heads and HEMI style combustion chambers make this bike more powerful than previous models.
- The 1997 Suzuki 550E has a six speed constant mesh gearbox, and a chain transmission. The drive chain is a multiplate wet-clutch #530 X 110 O-ring chain. The gear ratio on the 1997 Suzuki was changed from the old 93 to 47 gearing to a new 87 to 44 gearing. The new gears are also bevel cut instead of straight cut. This not only improves performances it also make the bike run quieter. There is a whine that starts at about 6,000 RPM and this sound was left intact because it warns the rider that he is starting to approach redline (10,000 rpm). Power to the gearbox is transmitted through a 15-plate clutch with a ratio of almost 2:1.
- The 550E can be kick started or started electrically. The front shocks are center axle 35 mm tubes and the rear shocks are dual shocks with 4 damping adjustments. The front tires are 3.25 X 19 and the rear tires are 3.75 X 18. The bike weighs 480.9 pounds loaded with gas and oil. The fuel capacity is 4.49 gallons with a one gallon reserve tank. It holds 2.5 quarts of oil. It redlines at 10,500 rpm and can cover a quarter mile in 13.91 seconds from a standing start, reaching a speed of 93 mph. It takes about one half mile to reach 100 mph and the bike's top speed is 114 mph. The bike gets an estimated 60 mpg.
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