And we talk about the engine, the twin-cylinder is the same as the more adventurous version, so we are talking about a power unit of 776 cc that delivers around 84.3 hp. An engine with parallel cylinders, although the sound, character, and behavior of this one are more similar to a V-twin, due to the 270º crankshaft offset. Other features are shared with the DE version, namely the three-level traction control with the possibility of switching off, the two-level ABS, and the three well-known Suzuki driving modes (SDMS). All of this is accompanied by the bidirectional quickshifter, although the electronic off-road specific settings are no longer available. Let’s not forget that the 20-liter fuel tank remains, as well as the 5” color TFT instrumentation. The lighting is LED and there is also a USB port next to the instrument panel.
SO WHAT HAS CHANGED
What is most visible to the eyes are the new aluminum wheels, instead of the spoked ones. The rear wheel remains 17 inches, but the front one is no longer 21’’ and has become 19’’, now with tubeless tires, the very grippy D614 from Dunlop. The suspensions are no longer fully adjustable on both axles, and now at the front, we have an adjustable Hitachi Astemo inverted fork (Showa SFF-BP) in the spring preload, while at the back, we find a mono-shock with preload adjustment (with remote adjustment) and hydraulic extension adjustment. Suspensions that also have a shorter travel, now 150 mm, and the ground clearance of the model has also decreased.
Consequently, the seat has also been lowered in height to the ground, now measuring just 825 mm, so that everyone feels comfortable riding this V-Strom. But there are more changes, such as the handlebar, which is now slightly narrower and a bit lower and farther away from the rider, while the position of the foot pegs has also changed slightly. The front windshield is taller and wider, providing greater aerodynamic protection on the highway (it is adjustable but only with a tool), and even the front “beak” is slightly different in terms of aesthetics, being wider in this model. There are also differences in the braking system, now with the installation of radial-mount Nissin calipers, the foot pegs are made of aluminum and rubber (slightly narrower), and all the protective elements (engine, radiator, and hand guards) are now optional.
IN PRACTICE
It was clear that Suzuki wanted to prioritize comfort and on-road performance in this version, especially considering that many people hardly take their trail bikes off-road. Esthetically speaking, it is known that this is always a very personal component, but it seems undeniable that the DE version is more attractive due to its imposing presence, decorations, and spoked wheels. However, the bike we tested in this Metallic Mat Steel Green decoration is quite attractive and everything shows a high level of construction quality, giving that typical Suzuki feeling that we have material to last many good years. However, despite the radical optics and modern instrumentation, in person the design of both the rims and the large windshield seems somewhat outdated. Throughout the whole set, we notice this mixture of modernity with tradition – also in the good old Japanese way – and in manual maneuvers (even though this one has a slightly shorter wheelbase and is lighter than the DE) you can feel that this is a big and heavy bike, weighing 223 kg on the scale.
While riding, we recall the good sensations obtained with the DE, but now with a more agile front end that offers a very easy and pleasant dynamics on a road full of curves. The Dunlop tires are excellent and the fork is clearly tuned for comfort, easily absorbing the bumps that seem to disappear beneath us. As a result, the front end also dives a bit under braking, which can be slightly mitigated by adjusting the pre-load, the only available adjustment. In the rear, the monoshock presents an excellent compromise between comfort and effectiveness, while in terms of braking there is also nothing negative to report, with good feel and deceleration power.
THE BEST Suspension comfort, road behavior
TO IMPROVE Riding position, somewhat stiff gearbox
PLUSES AND MINUSES
In something seemingly simple, this V-Strom has changed for the worse, at least if the rider is not extremely tall. With the handlebar 23 mm forward, it became too far away from the torso, and riding this bike always felt like having arms too stretched out… To mitigate this situation, I sat leaning against the tank, but then I didn’t enjoy the good comfort of the seat as much. In other words, personally I would have to find a different way to adjust the handlebar to feel comfortable riding this V-Strom. Dynamically, everything works well on this bike, the engine is quite strong, especially in the low and mid ranges, and we can ride quickly and fun on the road, with good protection also on the highway. And even on off-road paths, this Suzuki handles without problems, with as many or more skills than other bikes more focused on dirt roads. The only thing to improve is the vibration rate on the road around 5,000 rpm (after that point they disappear), and the clutch / gearbox / quickshifter set which is all somewhat stiff, possibly with room for improvement in this unit that still had few kilometers. In other words, everything works perfectly but requires determination in gear changes and a good pair of boots so that we don’t have to exert too much force on the gear lever. At the end of the entire journey we took over several days, we obtained an average consumption of 4.9 l/100 km, which is also quite positive because we were not thinking about saving fuel.
A good road bike – which continues to easily perform its task on simple off-road paths – but now has simpler suspensions compared to the DE, so it depends a lot on each user (their height, experience, and type of use) if it is worth saving €1000 on this bike compared to the more adventurous Dual Explorer. We tried to explain the main differences, but if you like either of them, nothing like taking a test drive and clearing your doubts yourself!
SUZUKI V-STROM 800
ENGINE 2-cylinder in-line, liquid-cooled
DISPLACEMENT 776 cc
POWER 84.3 hp (62 kw) @8,500 rpm
TORQUE 78 Nm @6,800 rpm
GEARBOX 6 speeds
FRAME tubular steel
TANK 20 liters
FRONT SUSPENSION Showa inverted fork, 150 mm travel
REAR SUSPENSION monoshock, 150 mm travel
FRONT BRAKE 2 310 mm discs, Nissin radial 4-piston calipers
REAR BRAKE 260 mm disc, 1-piston caliper
FRONT TIRE 110/80 R19
REAR TIRE 150/70 R17
WHEELBASE 1,515 mm
SEAT HEIGHT 825 mm
WEIGHT 223 KG
MSRP (from) €10,499
