Suzuki’s 776cc parallel twin engine introduced a couple of years ago is, by all accounts, a gem. MD had never sampled a bike with this engine until we picked up our V-Strom 800 test unit a couple of months ago. It turns out that the engine is a gem, and so is the rest of this bike.
MD has more than its share of experience riding adventure bikes modified to serve primarily as a street machine. You may recall that editor Edge modified his personal KTM 790 Adventure by, among several other things, installing a 19″ front wheel and 17″ rear in place of the 21/18 stock units. This allowed the use of sport touring rubber. The goal was to create a pure street machine with the comfortable upright ergonomics and wind protection of an adventure bike. This was somewhat successful with some shortcomings.
Getting the 790 Adventure to work properly as a street bike involved more work than anticipated. In addition to needing new tone rings to get the speedometer and ABS to work properly with the change in wheel sizes, the width of the wheels and tires installed on the 19/17 rims needed to be reduced to dial-in the handling. The front brake also needed some work (specifically, more aggressive pads.
So I rode and tested the V-Strom 800 with much more than mild curiosity. This was a direct competitor to what I had been trying to build with the KTM. Not surprisingly perhaps, the Suzuki worked far better on the street than my modified adventure bike ever did.
Let’s start by talking about some technical specifications. The V-Strom 800 is not the lightest middleweight adventure bike with a claimed wet weight of 492 pounds. This isn’t as bad as it seems, however, because this weight figure includes the large 5.3 gallon fuel tank topped off. Designed primarily for street use, the V-Strom 800 comes with relatively narrow cast aluminum wheels sized 19″ front and 17″ rear. Tire sizes are 110/80 x 19 front and 150/70 x 17 rear.
Suspension includes a 43 mm Showa fork with 5.9″ of travel and a Showa shock with the same 5.9″. The front fork is adjustable for spring preload, and is a well respected Showa SFF-BP (Separate Function Fork – Big Piston). The shock has a very convenient remote knob for tool-less spring preload adjustment, as well as rebound damping adjustment. The shorter suspension travel – roughly half way between a traditional adventure model and a typical street bike – contributes to a much more manageable seat height of 32.5 inches that should allow even shorter riders to easily touch down.
The front brakes are very high quality radial-mount Nissin four-piston calipers operating on two 310 mm discs. The rear brake is another Nissin caliper operating on a single 260 mm disc. The front brake is a higher quality, more powerful brake than Suzuki puts on the more dirt-focused V-Strom 800 DE models.
Modern electronics and rider aids are present. Three different throttle maps range from Mode A with the sportiest response to Mode C, the softest. Traction control has three different settings allowing three different levels of intervention and wheel spin. Finally, this bike has Suzuki’s low rpm assist to help avoid stalling when pulling away from a stop.
The V-Strom 800 has a comfortable seat and an upright rider triangle with a tiny bit of a forward lean compared to most adventure bikes. The wind screen is adjustable for three different heights, but must be done with tools in the garage. The screen sits rather far from the rider, and reminds one of a rally-style screen.
Within two blocks of riding the V-Strom 800, we fell in love with the motor. It has a very smooth, almost electric feel at low rpm and is very responsive without being snatchy. The bike pulls strongly through the mid-range before flattening out at higher rpms. On the freeway, as well as on the street, the bike seems to always sit in that sweet spot of mid-range power. The stock bike dynos with horsepower in the mid-to-upper 70s, comfortably more powerful than Kawasaki’s 650 models and even Yamaha’s MT07 and related adventure model.
The engine characteristics couple with excellent handling, suspension and brake performance. The 19″ wheel doesn’t seem to impact handling much compared to sportier 17″ wheels found on some other bikes. The bike turns without a heavy gyro feel, and offers good traction and feedback through the stock Dunlop tires.
The slightly longer suspension (compared to other street bikes) is very welcome on most public roads that are less than perfect. The bike soaks up bumps well, but the suspension travel is short enough that the rider doesn’t feel much pitch when braking or accelerating. In short, this is a very fun bike on a twisty road that, in the hands of an experienced rider can keep up with most sport-focused road bikes.
Like most Suzukis we have tested, the transition was excellent. Gear changes, with an excellent quick shifter, were both positive and effortless. Gearing is relatively low, but sixth gear on the highway did not produce unpleasant vibration (although you know you are riding a parallel twin).
The 5.3 gallon fuel tank promises excellent range, and it is easy to exceed 50 mpg on this bike. We did find the fuel gauge on our test unit quite inaccurate, however, when it moved from an indicated 1/2 full to a flashing low fuel indicator too quickly.
Apart from the fuel gauge, our only complaint would be the windscreen. Our 5’11” test rider found the protection adequate, but too much wind buffeting at helmet level. Moving the windscreen to its highest position helped, but did not eliminate the problem. This certainly isn’t a deal breaker, and riders with different physical proportions might not have an issue. In any event, almost every adventure bike we have ridden has benefitted from an aftermarket windscreen,
The Suzuki V-Strom 800 turns out to be a very fun motorcycle to ride, which being comfortable and practical. Most riders purchasing adventure bikes never take them off-road, or do so rarely. The V-Strom 800 should be on their short list when they look for a new bike.
The U.S. MSRP of the 2024 Suzuki V-Strom 800 is $9,899. It is only available in the pictured Metallic Matte Steel Green. Take a look at Suzuki’s web site for additional details and specifications.
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