Suzuki V Strom 800 DE Review
This is the Suzuki V Strom 800 DE, they’re brand new middleweight adventure bike for 2023 and I think they did a great job with the Stalin on this bike, especially in gray and yellow finish.
ENGINE
So let’s start with the engine and you’ve got the same 776 CC parallel twin that you’ll also find in the GSX-8S naked,
Now it doesn’t have a great amount of top end rush this engine and if you compare it on the spec sheet to the closest competitor, which has to be the Honda Trans alp, then it is quite a few horsepower down at the top, but in my opinion, it more than makes up for it with this really smooth and pleasing character that really does make it very pleasant to use.
The throttle delivery is absolutely spot on and you’ve got a few different throttle maps as well to get it dialed to the specific scenario that you’re riding in, but then also the way that they’ve balanced it means it’s remarkably smooth in the lower revs.
Now there are some vibes though that creep in higher up the rev, so it might be a bit tingly at cruising and motorway speeds, but everywhere else it’s buttery smooth.
On top of that, you’ve got loads of usable torque made right in the middle of the rev range, and so this bike feels like it’s got plenty of GR at road speeds and actually it’s surprisingly quick and then combine that with a light slipper assist clutch,
a crisp gear box with a really nice standard fit quick shift there and it really is a very nice engine indeed, and I think probably the standout point of this bike,
I should also say it’s got a 20 liter fuel tank and decent fuel economy and so the total range is pretty much up there with the best in the class.
HANDLING
As for the handling, while there are always gonna be some limitations on a fairly tall bike with a big 21 inch front that’s weighted slightly more towards off-road riding than some of the other middleweight adventure bikes on the market.
But within these boundaries of what’s possible with this sort of chassis setup, the Strom 800 does feel pretty nice through turns.
You’ve got good quality suspension from Showa, which feels quite controlled and it’s especially impressive given the 220 mm of travel at both ends.
As for breaking while the hardware isn’t exactly the most snazzy in this market segment with a pair of two piston ni and calipers up front on 310mm discs, but they do cope surprisingly well, especially considering the 230 kilogram curb weight, which is a good 20 ish kilograms above average.
So look clearly if you’re doing 99% of your riding on the road, then the more recently announced RE version of this bike will be a better choice.
With cast wheels, a smaller 19 inch front and a lower slung stance that will hug the road a little better. Suzuki V Strom 800 DE Review
But if you’re doing a mix of on and off road, then this DE makes a decent choice and it’s still plenty engaging on tarmac.
COMFORT
This might be pretty much the perfect adventure bike riding position with that sort of commanding seat height of 855 MM and the big wide bars with loads of leverage.
I’m 175 centimeters or five foot nine, and so around this like 850 millimeter mark is right in the sweet spot of still feeling like a big tall adventure bike but without struggling too much to get a foot down When I come to a stop quickly,
it is worth pointing out though that there’s no adjustability as standard with this seat like you get with some other adventure bikes where you’ve got two seat positions, although there is the option to go 20 MM down with the low seat accessory and also 30 millimeters up for anyone who’s on the taller side.
And I think it’s also worth pointing out that they’re just over a hundred quid each, which doesn’t seem too bad for something that could really massively affect the comfort levels for different sizes of rider, but generally the standard seat feels pretty comfy to me over distance and given the smoothness that I just mentioned,
I’ve really enjoyed some of the longer stints in the saddle, but there are I think a few things to look out for if you’re considering this bike for doing longer sort of adventure tours, Suzuki V Strom 800 DE Review
one would be I’d definitely recommend specking up the taller, wider windscreen that does come as standard on the RE version and thankfully that’s an easy fix. The other two are a little bit more tricky though.
I mean one is the fact that you don’t get cruise control, which feels like a real shame, especially given that this bike is a little more expensive than the competition and so you would perhaps expect a few extra touches and features.
On top of that, we’ve also got tube type rims and I got a stark reminder of how annoying it can be on the road.
But like I say, if you’re riding 99% on the road, then this is another strong case for the cast wheels of the Strom 800 RE Suzuki V Strom 800 DE Review
TECH
onto the tech and with this bike you get a very nice TFT display which is simply laid out and easy to use and not particularly complicated, but also at the same time I think they’ve done a nice job with the graphics so that it still has a bit of dynamism.
You see, you couldn’t say the same for the Honda Trans out for example, which has a bit of the look of a clinical readout you’d see on a hospital machine.
On top of that, you’ve got a nice feel to the switchgear and again, it feels super intuitive, although there isn’t particularly a great deal of features and so you would hope it wouldn’t become over complicated or confusing.
The big one perhaps is that there’s no phone connectivity, so you don’t have the ability to control music and calls and messages through the switchgear and dash and there’s no navigation features built in either.
And to be fair, these are features that we’re starting to see on more and more bikes at lower price points. Suzuki V Strom 800 DE Review
But look, I think it’s the sort of thing that only matters to some riders, and so if you like to ride your bike to get away from your phone, then it’s realistically gonna be a non-issue.
One thing that’s a little bit unusual about this bike is the way that they’ve implemented the rider aids, which don’t use precept modes that have the typical naming convention like Road Rain and Off Road.
Actually what you’ve got here is three different levels of power, three levels of traction control plus a gravel mode and the ability to fully switch it off and then also two levels of a BS plus an off-road mode that cuts it off to the rear for the ability to slide it around.
Each of these settings has to be configured manually, and so while it is a little bit more legwork for the thumbs to get it into the right combination for a given scenario, in a way it’s sort of reassuring to know exactly how the bike is set up because it’s not obscured at all by the precept modes.
Again, some people might like this, some people maybe not, but for me it’s one in a plus column. Suzuki V Strom 800 DE Review
STYLING
Now, another strength of this bike I would say, and I think it’s taken a little while to settle in, but it’s the looks and the styling you see when it was launched back at Imer in 2022, I believe.
I don’t think I immediately sort of loved it and I think it’s just because it was such a bold change from the V Strom 650 that effectively preceded it with this new stacked headlight design and a much more angular look to the body work.
But actually now having been around it in the flesh for a while, I do think it looks really good and the fact that it’s quite tall and it’s got the big front wheel does make it look quite aggressive and purposeful. Suzuki V Strom 800 DE Review
I also really appreciate that they went quite bold with the front end as opposed to the trans out for example, where they played it a bit too safe I think.
Then you’ve also got some really good color choices with the signature yellow and blue, which I think makes it immediately recognizable as one of the more recent Vstrom and also this gray and yellow version, which is distinctive and different to the other adventure bikes on the market.
And I think it would be my pick of the bunch. There is also a version in black and sort of purpley blue, but still with a pop of gold on the fork and on the rims for that Slightly more stealthy but also still a bit jazzy kind of vibe I will say as well, the level of finish also feels really good, like it’s a well-made machine and so all round for the styling and the details.
I think it’s a big tick for me and it also looks especially good if you spec it up with the aluminum side cases in the top box, which I think is pretty much always the best looking configuration for an adventure bike like this.
PRICE
Price wise, you’re looking at 10,699 pounds starting for this bike and I think that contributes to what looks like quite a difficult sell on paper,
it’s about a grand more than the trans out, for example, and a few hundred quid more than the KTM 790 adventure, and yet at the same time this bike is quite a bit down on peak power and also quite a bit up on weight.
So look, I really think it’s one of those bikes that you have to go and ride to find out if it’s right for you because some of the things I really liked about it, like the throttle response, the smoothness of the engine, the riding position, the level of finish, the way it looks in the flesh, you know they just can’t be quantified on the Suzuki website in the spec section. Suzuki V Strom 800 DE Review
The other bikes in this part of the market do offer stiff competition though, and you’ve also got to include the Tenere 700 and maybe even the Aprilia RS 660.
And so really you’re spoiled for choice with good bikes, but there is still plenty to like about the V-Strom and it does perhaps feel like the biggest and most planted of the bunch because of that extra way.