Suzuki’s V-Strom 1000 XT

Suzuki’s V-Strom 1000 XT is taking the much-loved machine deeper into the dirt than ever before. WORDS AND PICS ASHENHURST

Suzuki’s V-Strom is in an odd place. It’s not an easily definable motorcycle. It attracts more than its fair share of criticism but the bulk seems to be from folks who have never thrown a leg over which, in this era of emotionally exhaustive online bitching based on zero facts or experience, is really no great surprise. For those that do know the bike, the opinions range from damn-near universal praise to a deep and sometimes uncomfortable-to-be-around love. So how does one bike come to polarise people so much? In this case there are two reasons. One is that in 2018, if something isn’t to your liking then it must be utter shite and done away with. There is no consideration that it may be very much to someone else’s liking so carry on and enjoy — it’s shit and it must be ridiculed. Another reason is that for most of the V-Strom’s existence it’s been marketed as, referred to and ridden as a road bike. Sure, there were examples of riders taking it ofroad, but that wasn’t the o cial vision that Suzuki portrayed of the bike. And besides, some crazy munters put knobbys on R1s and take them ofroad — doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.

Now, I’m not saying that I can point the V-Strom 1000 XT at anything and just pull the trigger. The V-Strom has one single flaw that will bring you to a stop and that’s in the ground clearance/suspension travel. Nothing else on the bike will cause you to pause with any regularity. The engine is a brilliant, versatile unit with plenty of smooth low-down torque as you’d expect from a twin, which allows you to pick through tricky slower terrain aided by the Low RPM Assist, and a clutch with plenty of feel that won’t give you arm-pump in three pulls. The power output of around 100 horsepower is, in my opinion, the sweet spot and much more than that just gets wasted or straight-up switched of through ride mode changes. In fact, the engine feels very similar to that in the Africa Twin with perhaps a little more up top, but I haven’t ridden them back to back to nail down that comparo.

The ergos allow you to grip the bike when standing with a nice contour that feels thin at the seat/tank juncture and flows forward so your legs can move easily and not snag on anything. In the sitting position, there aren’t many bikes as comfortable and far fewer that are more comfortable. The V-Strom is a brilliant bike for long, long days in the saddle and while I’d love to try a seat without the pillion bump, the riding position is spot on. The footpegs are too small for dirt riding but Suzuki recently released a genuine replacement set that are not only a great improvement and something we’d throw on straight away, but damn-fine looking too. Electronics inhabit the adventure world in one of three ways — advanced level, clever but limited and finally nothing at all. The V-Strom is clever but limited. There are no tyre pressure monitors, no Bluetooth connectivity, no inbuilt GPS and no ride modes. There is traction control which in ‘mode one’ is excellent, and that’s pretty much the only thing you can adjust that afects the performance.

It has ABS which is non-switchable from the factory, but that Bosch system is excellent. The bike also has a Combination Brake system which is similar to a linked brake setup whereby the rear brake is automatically applied to a degree whenever the front brake is used to a specific point. The front brake is basically the same as that on the GSX-R 1000 and believe me, it takes some getting used to the power of that thing. That said, we’d ask our dealer to install an ABS bypass which is super easy and gives you back the ability to lock the rear and make your own decisions in the dirt. The dash is a neat and easy-to-read setup that doesn’t fall short anywhere. There’s a 12-volt socket just under the tacho, which is a welcome touch, as is the now slightly larger adjustable screen. I greatly appreciated that screen when I rode into one of the biggest storms of the year on my ride from Victoria to Newcastle — timed that run perfectly!

FINAL TOUCHES

There are a few things we’d do and have done to the V-Strom to prep it for a dirty life. Touratech crashbars are a must (Suzuki do ofer genuine as well) and we’d fit larger footpegs with either the genuine Suzuki kit or Pivot Pegz as our pick. Grip heaters are something you can live without until you try them — we love ‘em. A centre stand can be your friend in many situations and we’d add one on as well as a solid bashplate, which is an absolute must. Suzuki of er low and high seat variations which will help get the perfect fi t and if you’re riding with mates then it doesn’t hurt to have a headlight protector. As for tyres, we recommend the Pirelli Scorpion Rally for mainly of road but it holds its own on the black top as well.

The V-Strom 1000 XT is a bike that’s hard not to love. It’s not a stand-out performer in any single category (except comfort) but just does everything well. It’s proven to be reliable and parts are readily available around the world due to the fact that Suzuki has sold an insane number of Stroms over the years. It might be a little unassuming and in some ways it would be tough to market as it can be so many things to so many people. But as an adventure bike, we can attest that it has the goods. It eats up freeway transits, it’s super fun on open dirt roads but it will venture well beyond. There are better options for hardcore of road but should things turn to absolute shit, if you manage the pace so you aren’t smashing the cases then you’ll get through. It doesn’t give up much to something like Yamaha’s Super Ténéré 1200, for example, and for the majority of the riding that isn’t classed as extreme the V-Strom 1000 XT will ace with fl ying colours. Believe me, I started as a sceptic but every time I get on the Strom it feels like I can go pretty much wherever I want. And that’s the golden ticket right there.

sources: Ultimate Adventure Bike Australia, June 2018