I am in the market for a 2005 Suzuki DF140 with a 25" shaft. The boat
I have is a one off custom that is based on a Olympic Boat Company
Evolution 17 hull. The max horsepower for a production version of this
boat is 140hp and I want the maximum power possible. I'll have the boat
at Lake Tahoe now and then and I don't want it to be grossly
underpowered at 6200'.

I live in California, so a four-stroke is the only way to go as I plan
to use the boat for many years. California is becoming very restrictive
in what type of motor can be use on fresh water.

How good are the DF140s? I can't seem to find much negative feedback
about them.

I have been quoted US$9300.00 for a 25" DF140 for the motor only.
Rigging, controls, Tachometer, and Prop are not included in this price.

From what I can find on the 'net this is not exactly a good deal.
However, this is not the time of year to be trying to get good deals on
boat stuff.

Most of my use for the boat will be freshwater lakes (resevoirs) with
occasional use in the ocean.

The DF140 is about 425lbs with a 25" shaft. It is a small package
compared to a Honda 130/135. The Hondas are very large (Huge) and would
be grossly out of proportion for my boat. Their 530lb weight is a big
factor as well. Yamaha has a 115 and a 150, but they are big and heavy
like the Hondas, from what I can tell.

Any information will be greatly appreciated.

" wrote in message
ps.com...
I am in the market for a 2005 Suzuki DF140 with a 25" shaft. The boat
I have is a one off custom that is based on a Olympic Boat Company
Evolution 17 hull. The max horsepower for a production version of this
boat is 140hp and I want the maximum power possible. I'll have the boat
at Lake Tahoe now and then and I don't want it to be grossly
underpowered at 6200'.

I live in California, so a four-stroke is the only way to go as I plan
to use the boat for many years. California is becoming very restrictive
in what type of motor can be use on fresh water.

How good are the DF140s? I can't seem to find much negative feedback
about them.

I have been quoted US$9300.00 for a 25" DF140 for the motor only.
Rigging, controls, Tachometer, and Prop are not included in this price.

You can do better on the price, but the Suzuki four-strokes are perhaps the
best motors on the market right now.

My brother has a 140 with 200 hours, and I have a 250 with 210 hours.
Neither of us has had even a small problem with our motors.

Gene Kearns has a pair of them on his Grady. I'm pretty sure he hasn't had
any trouble with his either.

Thanks for the info on reliability.

The problem with Suzuki motors and pricing is that there is one dealer
in my area.

Many people advise paying a higher price to a local dealer so as to
establish a good working relationship for warranty issues, etc. Buying
from a remote dealer may get a better price. It can come back to bite
you if you need warranty service.

I live near San Luis Obispo. The nearest dealer is Port San Luis
Marine. They are 1/2 hour from my house. The next closest are in
Fresno, Clovis, Oxnard, and Santa Cruz. All of which are 2-3 1/2 hours
away.

This part of the world is vacationland, so everything costs more than
the urban areas. For a good laugh look up the cost of real estate in
San Luis Obispo county, then the major employers. We pay higher prices
pretty much everything except the local produce at the farmer's
markets. Outboard motors are no different, it seems.



You can do better on the price, but the Suzuki four-strokes are perhaps the
best motors on the market right now.

My brother has a 140 with 200 hours, and I have a 250 with 210 hours.
Neither of us has had even a small problem with our motors.

Gene Kearns has a pair of them on his Grady. I'm pretty sure he hasn't had
any trouble with his either.

On 20 Jun 2005 15:17:59 -0700, "
wrote:

Thanks for the info on reliability.

The problem with Suzuki motors and pricing is that there is one dealer
in my area.

Many people advise paying a higher price to a local dealer so as to
establish a good working relationship for warranty issues, etc. Buying
from a remote dealer may get a better price. It can come back to bite
you if you need warranty service.

I live near San Luis Obispo. The nearest dealer is Port San Luis
Marine. They are 1/2 hour from my house. The next closest are in
Fresno, Clovis, Oxnard, and Santa Cruz. All of which are 2-3 1/2 hours
away.

This part of the world is vacationland, so everything costs more than
the urban areas. For a good laugh look up the cost of real estate in
San Luis Obispo county, then the major employers. We pay higher prices
pretty much everything except the local produce at the farmer's
markets. Outboard motors are no different, it seems.

Could be worse. You could live in Paso Robles. That would be bad!
--
John H

"All decisions are the result of binary thinking."

"John H" wrote in message
...
On 20 Jun 2005 15:17:59 -0700, "
wrote:

Thanks for the info on reliability.

The problem with Suzuki motors and pricing is that there is one dealer
in my area.

Many people advise paying a higher price to a local dealer so as to
establish a good working relationship for warranty issues, etc. Buying
from a remote dealer may get a better price. It can come back to bite
you if you need warranty service.

I live near San Luis Obispo. The nearest dealer is Port San Luis
Marine. They are 1/2 hour from my house. The next closest are in
Fresno, Clovis, Oxnard, and Santa Cruz. All of which are 2-3 1/2 hours
away.

This part of the world is vacationland, so everything costs more than
the urban areas. For a good laugh look up the cost of real estate in
San Luis Obispo county, then the major employers. We pay higher prices
pretty much everything except the local produce at the farmer's
markets. Outboard motors are no different, it seems.

Could be worse. You could live in Paso Robles. That would be bad!
--
John H

"All decisions are the result of binary thinking."

Jolon, now that was bad.

"Del Cecchi" wrote in message
...

"John H" wrote in message
...
On 20 Jun 2005 15:17:59 -0700, "
wrote:

Thanks for the info on reliability.

The problem with Suzuki motors and pricing is that there is one dealer
in my area.

Many people advise paying a higher price to a local dealer so as to
establish a good working relationship for warranty issues, etc. Buying
from a remote dealer may get a better price. It can come back to bite
you if you need warranty service.

I live near San Luis Obispo. The nearest dealer is Port San Luis
Marine. They are 1/2 hour from my house. The next closest are in
Fresno, Clovis, Oxnard, and Santa Cruz. All of which are 2-3 1/2 hours
away.

This part of the world is vacationland, so everything costs more than
the urban areas. For a good laugh look up the cost of real estate in
San Luis Obispo county, then the major employers. We pay higher prices
pretty much everything except the local produce at the farmer's
markets. Outboard motors are no different, it seems.

Could be worse. You could live in Paso Robles. That would be bad!
--
John H

"All decisions are the result of binary thinking."

Jolon, now that was bad.


But the bar had good Mexican Pizza.

When did you spend time in Paso Robles?

Paso has grown very quickly in the past ten years. The wine industry
has mostly taken over from ranching and dry farming. There has been
national press describing the Paso Robles area as the next Napa. (not
that that is a good thing) Paso is about to surpass SLO town as the
biggest city in the county.

I live in Mudhole, aka, Atascadero.

John H wrote:


Could be worse. You could live in Paso Robles. That would be bad!
--
John H

"All decisions are the result of binary thinking."

On 20 Jun 2005 19:54:08 -0700, "
wrote:

When did you spend time in Paso Robles?

Paso has grown very quickly in the past ten years. The wine industry
has mostly taken over from ranching and dry farming. There has been
national press describing the Paso Robles area as the next Napa. (not
that that is a good thing) Paso is about to surpass SLO town as the
biggest city in the county.

I live in Mudhole, aka, Atascadero.

John H wrote:


Could be worse. You could live in Paso Robles. That would be bad!
--
John H

"All decisions are the result of binary thinking."

I worked with engineer units as an advisor in the '76 to '78 time frame. Used to
spend a good part of the summer at Camp Roberts (or Hunter-Ligget). Actually, I
think Camp Roberts was across the road, but not sure of the relationship any
more. I would go with them on their summer camp and help with training planning
and conduct.
--
John H

"All decisions are the result of binary thinking."

" wrote in message
ps.com...

I am in the market for a 2005 Suzuki DF140 with a 25" shaft.


The 140 4-stroke Johnson Outboard is the same as a Suzuki 4-stroke 140 and
may be priced less and have more servicing dealers than Suzuk doesi.



I live in California, so a four-stroke is the only way to go as I plan
to use the boat for many years. California is becoming very restrictive
in what type of motor can be use on fresh water.



California regulates the output emissions from an outboard, not the type of
outboard. I understand that the Lake Tahoe patrol boats use the 2-stroke DFI
Evinrudes because they have fewer total emissions than an equivalent
4-stroke outboard.

Bill Grannis
service manager

I have read about the Suzuki/Johnson 140.

Johnson was bought by Bombardier a few years ago. They issued this
following announcement on April 27, 2005.

http://www.johnson.com/docs/320001/0_794_US.htm

The key phrase in that document is "BRP will no longer offer the
Johnson 40-225 hp four-stroke engines in the North American market". I
expect that will have an impact on service and support, even if the
motors are Suzukis.
It would be interesting to know if Bombardier was planning to take some
of their 4-stroke Rotax 912 technology and apply it to the outboard
motor market. Those motors are very popular in the aviation market and
have established an excellent reputation for reliability. If they
wanted to, they could design a very light and powerful motor with ease.

The other problem is that the nearest dealer is 130 miles away.

You are correct regarding the output emissions regulations in
California. There are two stroke engine that meet the EPA 2006 regs.
California will be moving to the EPA 2008 regs in the near future. It
remains to be seen if the existing motors will be "grandfathered". It
didn't happen before and I doubt it will this time.

I am very skeptical about the long term success of running a 2-stroke
on an extremely lean mixture. The manufacturers have done extensive
field testing on the backs of the early buyers of these designs. They
may have figured out the real world problems and resolved them. I don't
want to find out at my expense that they haven't quite resolved them
all.

One issue I have is the lack of dealers that are within a reasonable
distance of where I live. Another issue is that the outboard business
has had a lot of turnover in recent years with OMC going under, etc.
Suzuki and Honda are worldwide companies that sell a lot of things
other than outboards. Suzuki cars aren't as nice as Hondas, but they
are as reliable, by most accounts. Suzuki isn't likely to go away
anytime soon, as far as I can tell.