Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Suzuki ts700 apache

Not here yet but supposedly shooting for a 2025 release.
If they stick with the prototype it’s a good looking machine. I could see it doing well in the market for a retro duals sport bike. Honda has already gone that route with their CT series bikes.
The only thing I might change is to re-lace a 21" rim for the front ent.

I had a 1973 ts185 when growing up, it was the same blue with the rear over the tank stripping as one of the prototype images. I have always liked the Rear fender style on the 73’ ts too. The ts700 mimics that.

Call it the samurai or ashigaru or kamikaze or something Japanese, don't go ripping off native American names!

When I was in Junior High a High School female teacher rode a TC-185 to school every nice weather day. TC-185 had the dual range transmission.
She was the most beautiful woman ever- people would constantly stare at her.
I was in Morrow Suzuki the small town where I went to school- she pulled up out front and all the guys started > oh wow it's her- it's that hot chick- looking out the window.
She quit teaching because people wouldn't leave her alone.


Nice Boomer bike altho too big and pollutes too much for the Gen.X Millennials.

I think most of these retro reintroductions are gear towards the nostalgic minded/boomers.
I’m guessing they went with 700cc to one up the popular dual sports like the klr 650.
Without the capacity to load up with hard bags it’s gonna be hard to displace much of the KLR and BMW market imo.

Agree.

It's neat and I get the intent but the Ducati Scrambler (modern) been here since 2015, the Yamaha SCR was out in 16/17 etc.

They just seem to be late to the "retro-scrambles style motorcycle" genre.

Scramblers are an emerging market and seem to be gaining traction. Honda launched one last year or the year before. Ducati and Triumph have been in the game for a while. Yamaha dabbled in the game, but it was off the mark as it wasn't a clean sheet design. It was a reconfiguration. Of all of the modern Scramblers, that Suzuki is most pleasing to my eye. I'd have a hard time not buying it.

Triumph too - been there for a while.

That said - I've yet to see anyone in the wild in my area actually riding a Scrambler style bike on the road. It's all sport or heavy cruiser here.

I haven't seen too many scramblers on the road. When I have been able to tell the age of riders, they seem to be the younger generation. Too few observations to make that anything but an anecdote.

It's hard to tell, but it looks like that muffler configuration would allow fitment of side cases. Tail cases are generally easy to fit. IF this has decent range, doesn't have any serious bugs and is priced reasonably. The aftermarket will provide side case and top case racks. Windscreens as well. I'd really like to see cruise control on it. At the manufacturing level it is cheap and easy to add on. It has ABS, off roaders will want the ability to switch it off. It looks like the wheels are tubeless design. I can't be certain, but that would be smart.

The out swept rear fender was only offered in 1973. As was this paint scheme. If I was to consider buying one of these it would depend on that.
Just about any 70s’ enduros are staring to bring a premium price. I’m afraid to think what the msrp would be on this thing.
If this particular bike speaks to any particular market, it’s Me!! LOL

I have a 72 TS125, you can definitely see the bloodlines. The images in the video looks like it already has a 21" wheel up front. Why wouldn't it? The change out to a 21" wheel would upset the geometry and steering. It's a big jump for Suzuki bit the motocross guys have been waiting and wishing for the RMZ line to get E-start on their bikes. Suzuki was the first to put fuel injection on their motocross bike and the only major player without E-start today. I'm not a street guy but the concept of the bike is really cooler. Definitely hits the boomer in me.

The swept out rear fender started in 71.

Back in the day, I bought a brand new Yamaha 175 Enduro. It was in the early 70's. I can still feel the scar on my chin when I wrecked doing a jump! Very cool bike.

Back in the late 70s-early 80s we spent a lot of time with Honda XLs. About 2000, my buddy got back in the game with a Honda XR 650 R, but it was not roady enough. He replaced it with a BMW R1100GS

A couple other guys at work also had the GS and tried to ride with him. Everything was copacetic as long as they were on the pavement, or even gravel. But my buddy said a dual sport was meant to be ridden in the dirt. When he took off through the pucker brush and cheat grass dodging sage brush and badger mounds, he separated the men from the boys.

We see a few Kawasaki KLRs around here. But we see many more BMW GS, usually cruising down I 84 at 80 mph, equipped with a trunk and full set of aluminum side boxes.

It sure as hell speaks to me too.

Dual-Sports rock.






GR

You had better check again.

http://suzukicycles.org/TS-TC-series/TS185.shtml#gsc.tab=0

'LIKE'

It would be a nice update to my present putz around bike

Yes they do!

I did. 72 TS400
https://www.ebay.com/itm/3829450941...RH0HTa1-EqdSYYYAuQ_iWZXGmbRoCPMQQAvD_BwE
1971 TS125, my 72 is the same in orange.

https://www.bing.com/images/search?...2A250EC7F6D279FFB0479E2F&FORM=IQFRBA
You could google some too.

Nice to see another scrambler bike for our market. But with that said, I'll stick with my DR650.

Looks top heavy.

Looking back on all of the bikes I have had, the DR650 was one of my favorites. Liked it quite a bit better than the XR650L.

I had a 72 185 and it had a chrome downswept rear fender.
Removed all the lights, put on knobby tires, expansion chamber and adjusted the sprocket sizes and I had one heck of a trail/hill climbing bike.

You’re looking good in those tights Paul.

No mention of engine configuration, is it a twin or a thumper?

I’m thinking it will replace the DR650 which I believe is about the only carbureted old-school original left on the market.

I’ve been considering finally fulfilling my religious obligation to own a Harley but damn all that extra weight and steel even on the Sportster to no particular purpose compared to my last bike - a KLR that I put 55,000 miles on.

Cross-country that KLR 650 could comfortably pull 80 on the interstate all day long, was too much fun chasing sport bikes on twisty backroads and blasting down forest roads. With that single 650cc cylinder talking to you the whole time a tach was superfluous.

The only thing I didn’t like were the tube-type wheels, I hope that new Suzuki had tubeless rims, I’d like to see the industry move in that direction.

The ts185 were said to have had the highest hp to weight ratios of most of the other offerings.
I put a 21" aluminum front rim on mine which help in the woods a lot and seemed to make the steering a lot more responsive in general.
Opening up the rear swing arm for a wider knobby and 13/54 sprockets it would out climb most any bike that I ever rode with.. It cut the top speed down to about 55, but it would pull a wheelie in 5th gear all day long!
The oil injection was a nice feature for its day.

My guess is it will be watered cooled, fuel injection four stroke. If it comes to production I’m thinking the looks will be the only thing retro’ about it. bummer.

Birdy You ought to break down and get you a Harley, everybody needs to date a whore once in their life!

The XT250 is really a great bike.

At ~ 290 lb. wet, with a low and rear CG, it will even handle an MX track.

Coupla bucks up-rating the springs, as OEM was a baby-buggy.

DOT rated dirt tires (+ riser plates for the front fender) and some handlebar risers finished it.

Also added a tooth to the countershaft sprocket, to stretch the gears a little. (better both in the dirt and on the road.)






GR

Nice putz and tent too!

I did the same to my 125. I sold that bike for $100. I later bought one to restore but it didn't have the tail or headlights. Naturally they were NLA and used parts were insanely priced. A year after that I found a complete TS125 for $500. I could now sell the head and tail lights for at least $1000. I use mine for a pit bike.

I think without any modes a 4” back tire was max and yes a 21” front was much needed.

Yes sir mine was a heckuva wheelie bike too. I tried to learn how to wheelie on a Honda SL 100 but was pretty much unsuccessful until my mom bought me the TS185J Sierra, it was extremely easy you just had to get over the fear of falling backwards. I still have dreams of doing wheelies on that bike.

We had a Suzuki dealership in the 70s and sold it in the 90s. The TS185 was nearly indestructible.

Gotta say, I had a 04 Gen 1 KLR650 before that I put 26k on then I moved to my '06 DR650, just rolled 23k on her and for my usage I 100% prefer the Zuk over the KLR. Does everything my ole KLR did but goes where it couldn't go offroad. I have had periods where I only had one bike in my stable. I have gone without my sportbike or a cruiser. Until I am old and can no longer ride I will never go without a dual sport.