4 Sale / Suzuki VanVan 200: The Bike You Should Have Bought?

Nov 24, 2023

A cool little bike for back roads, especially if you're short of inseam! Photo: Murf2

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Consumer caprice is a weird thing. Honda brings out the Navi, a weedy, ugly mini-motorcycle whose only redeeming characteristic is a low price—which is completely negated, as dealers soak it to their customers with mark-ups—and the people behind the decision are lauded as geniuses, exactly what the industry needs, blah blah blah. And then you get the Suzuki VanVan 200, a machine that should have sold extremely well, as it appeared to be the right bike at the right time—and almost nobody bought them?

When the VanVan 200 (aka the RV200) hit North America as a 2017 model, it was a mash-up of Suzuki history. First off, it was a throwback to Suzuki history, recalling the fat-tired RV series of dual sports from the 1970s. More recently, Suzuki had revived the RV line with the RV125 model in 2003. This looked a lot like the old bikes, but with a four-stroke motor from the DR125. These were never sold in North America, but in markets where they didn't care so much about horsepower, the VanVan 125 had a 13-year production run.

If you know much about Suzuki's small-bore DR models, you know the DR125 and DR200 engines are pretty similar. So why not install a DR200 engine in the VanVan instead of the weedy 125? That's exactly what Suzuki did, canning the 125 model in 2016 and bringing the 200 model to market in 2017.

Careful there, Bruce! The Suzuki Trojan is basically a DR200 with ag bike paraphernalia bolted on, and an oil cooler. The VanVan 200 also used a DR200 engine with oil cooler, but the VanVan also had EFI. Photo: Suzuki Australia

This was more than a simple big-bore job. Suzuki also grafted an electronic fuel injection system to the VanVan 200. The idea of retro-fitting EFI to a long-existing air-cooled Suzuki single-cylinder should have got people pretty excited, as it showed potential for the DR650 platform—but nobody seemed to notice or care.

Suzuki also gave the VanVan 200 an oil cooler, same as the Trojan 200 farm bike, which was also based on the DR200. Of course, it was all still very basic and low-powered, making a claimed 16 hp at 8,000 rpm and 11.1 lb-ft of torque at 6,500 rpm.

The powertrain was interesting, even if it wasn't particularly thrilling. But stepping away from the basic single-cylinder engine and the simple, non-adjustable shock (not even preload-adjustable!) and telescopic fork, the VanVan 200 was a very distinctive-looking machine. The first-year models came in a very attractive blue paint scheme, with shiny chrome fenders, a wide tuck-and-roll seat and fat dual sport tires. The sidecover logos were retro and funky, and the indicators looked like leftover stock from the 1970s.

That wide seat attracted a lot of interest from riders looking for a comfortable saddle. The low seat height was also attractive for many owners. Photo: Murf2

The VanVan 200 looked like a Yamaha TW200's bohemian sidekick.

However, it lacked the all-terrain capability of its counterpart. Those tires were less offroad-capable than the Tee-Dub's stock rubber, but that wasn't hard to fix. With an 18-inch front and 14-inch rear wheel, the VanVan could run beefier tires made for the TW200 line. Ground clearance was the real difference between the bikes. The TW200 came with 10.4 in of ground clearance, while the VanVan 200 only had 8.7 in of ground clearance.

Still, the VanVan 200 was capable of slow-speed excursions off-pavement, and most of the contemporary reviews of the bike had a bit of gravel involved… and a lot of back roads. Once you got past 55 mph, the VanVan 200 was significantly less fun to ride, which meant users had to figure out how to get from A to B without going on the highway, if at all possible.

As experienced small-bike riders will tell you, this isn't always a bad thing—taking the slow road can actually be a lot more fun. And, although it looks like a funky retro scrambler, some reviewers pointed out the VanVan 200 actually made for a pretty fun hooligan bike in the same vein as machines like the Honda Grom. If you wanted to ride like an idiot in an urban setting, the VanVan was a fun way to do so without attracting too much heat from The Man. #gallery-1 { margin: auto; } #gallery-1 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-1 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-1 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

So why didn't the VanVan 200 sell well? Maybe Suzuki never brought that many into North America in the first place, but that wasn't the only issue. I well remember my local dealership had one in stock for two or three years at a bargain price ($4,599 in Canuckistan dollars, with five-year warranty). They just couldn't move it. In the years since, I don't think I’ve ever seen one on public roads.

I think the problem came down to marketing. Suzuki had an excellent, desirable machine on its hands, which should have appealed to three markets: dual sport riders, mini moto riders and retro riders. But without proper appeal to any of those segments, a lot of people didn't even know about the VanVan.

Or maybe not—lots of magazines reviewed the bike, and most journos had a positive opinion. Maybe it just came down to timing. Now, five years later, I suspect Suzuki would sell these as quick as they could assemble and paint them. But this model is now discontinued in North America, and I doubt Suzuki will ever build such a cool hybrid of bike styles ever again.

Low, low mileage, barely broken in! Photo: Murf2

Inmate @Murf2, located in Kansas, is selling this VanVan 200 above, which appears to be a 2017 model, based on the paint. He originally had two identical bikes, each set up with a National Cycle windscreen and a Webike tailbag. The idea was to take them on camping trips with his partner, but the plan has changed. One of the bikes has already sold; the other is up for grabs at $3,600 OBO. Contact him through the Flea Market section here.