suzuki 4 stroke vs yamaha 4 stroke

I am in the process of upgrading to a four stroke motor and I am having a dilemna choosing between a Suzuki DF115 and the Yamaha 115 comparable. I know a lot of people love their yamaha's but I haven't heard of a large following behind the Suzuki's. If it is because of reliability or Suzuki is just new to the 4 stroke market please give me any feed back. Gas mileage, power, torque or maintenance comparisons would be great. Thanks

Re: suzuki 4 stroke vs yamaha 4 stroke

The Suzuki/Johnson DF115s are great engines, Swagg. So are the Yammy F115s.<br /><br />I personally prefer the Suzis, but that is because i have a DF70 that is pure magic.<br /><br />If you want to find any important difference, check prices and warrantys. Also check where you can get service in the unlikely event you needed it.<br /><br />Good luck.

Re: suzuki 4 stroke vs yamaha 4 stroke

Swagg,<br />I have a Suzuki on by boat. It is an '85 model and it runs great. Would I put a new Suzuki on it? No!! You ask why. It is because of the dealer network in my area. No-one here will touch a Suzuki except for the two Suzuki Dealers. One it too far away, and the other I think is over his head and is not all that knowledgable. If the engine says Johnson, everybody will work on it. Go figure!!!.<br /><br />If it were me, I would go Yammie if you have the service network there. If you have a good Suzuki network, go for it. Like JB said, great engines. Just not good service here and no ready parts. <br /><br />Knightgang

Re: suzuki 4 stroke vs yamaha 4 stroke

If you buy the Johnson 4-stroke, which is made by Suzuki, then you can have service done by either a Suzuki or a Johnson dealer. Warranty of course can only be done by a Johnson dealer.

Re: suzuki 4 stroke vs yamaha 4 stroke

Not sure about how soon you plan on writing out a check but Yamaha affords an extra 2 year warranty on 4 strokes purchased through March 31. The way I look at it is a company willing to support their product with a good warranty has confidence in their product.<br /><br />Kevin

Re: suzuki 4 stroke vs yamaha 4 stroke

Hi,<br />It does not matter really regarding force, fuelconsumption etc if You select a Yamaha F115 or Suzuki DF115/Johnson 115 4-stroke. They are very similar. I have a Yamaha F115 (2003) and when I bought it I read comparisons between Yamaha F115 and Suzuki DF115. I have one of the tests still in my folder where I have all my boat/outboard documents. It is in swedish so... but I might give You a short review in english later if You want (speed, fuelconsumption, soundlevel etc with the boat they tested them on).<br /><br />Personally I would select the outboard in Your area where You get best service and rely on. Warranty is also important. As mentioned Yamaha have now a total of 5 year warranty if You buy before March 31.<br /> http://www.yamaha-motor.com/products/otb/promo_yes20103.html <br />Suzuki has now 6 Year warranty offering in US for "participating dealer" to March 31.<br /> http://www.suzukimarine.com/showsanddeals/gimme/gimme_six.php <br /><br />I do not know if any price difference between the two outboards in your country, but probably not much.<br /><br />Yamaha customers have been pleased with their outboards according to J.D. Power and Associates 2003 Marine Engine Competitive Information Study. Worth something I guess. You can read about it on Yamaha US outboard site.<br /><br />Both Yamaha F115 (2004) and Suzuki DF 115 are CARB 3-star rated by the way as You probably know.<br /><br />Personally I could have bought a Suzuki DF115 as well as a Yamaha F115 - why I bought a Yamaha F115 was because it was preinstalled on my boat when it was new and You get a lower price if You buy the boat with the outboard the boat manufacturer has a cooperation with. Guages, cables, control etc for Yamaha outboard is already done in the boat from factory in this case for a Yamaha outboard to make sure there will be a Yamaha outboard installed by the dealer/buyer. Not good for competion but that is the way some boat manufacturer prefer to have it done.

Re: suzuki 4 stroke vs yamaha 4 stroke

I have a 2000 DF70 Suzuki and it's run like a clock since I bought it. I would buy a Suzuki again any time. I wouldn't hesitate purchasing either engine however since both are EFI 4 strokes and well built engines. It will come down to price, warranty and dealer support. If you buy the Johnson you're buying a repainted Suzuki so if you can get a better price on it go for it.