Road test of SuzukiDL 650 V-STROM 2012 A foot in every path

a winding road between two passes, a few fir trees, the song of hazelnuts and many spring leaves adorned with dewdrops. The perfect setting for a test ride on a machine like the V-Strom... Not today, not here, as we get to grips with the DL 650 vé-scthroumph. The setting is more singular: combarde, cold, soaked circuit and racing atmosphere. Am I riding a track-prepared trail bike?

not at all! Here I am, completely anonymously, as part of the Suzuki test days organized during the Bol d'Or. While the race is in full swing and Méliand's team is defending the manufacturer's colors a few meters away, I enter the building next to the circuit school. A short wait won't be an ordeal: coffee, relaxation, and a plethora of drivers who have worked for S.E.R.T. It's not every day that your hosts of the moment can boast on their CVs the piloting of an official Suzuki machine. After a briefing, it's time to get dressed. And we're not kidding. All you had to do was bring your helmet, and Suz took care of the rest: leather suit, boots, gloves, all branded and brand new.

thus equipped, I was ready to grab the 2012 V-Strom. A quick tour of the interior is all it takes to be satisfied with the efforts made for this second generation: the trim is more plush, more elegant. The all-new dashboard is pleasant to look at, and the black plastic parts give it a rather cool, adventurous look. And while the finish still needs some work, perceived quality has moved up a notch compared to the previous version.
Let's climb in! The saddle requires you to lift your foot. But the little effort is quickly rewarded. Settle in, start the engine and off you go! The riding position instantly puts you at ease, the controls are well placed and the ergonomics are excellent... In short, you're immediately at ease, relaxed and at home. Lower the visor, put the clutch in, and let's discover the second episode of the DL 650 V-Strom.

there's no need to try and imitate the riders on the other circuit. Conditions and spirit don't lend themselves to it. Comfortably seated on a somewhat firm seat, the first few laps of the track reassure us of the V-Strom's simplicity. It practically takes off on its own, once the arms have mastered the noticeable inertia caused by the high weight. One ride and you're already hoping to escape: on the handlebars, the desire to ride through the Nivernais countryside quickly takes precedence over the trajectories between the vibrators. Reassuring to ride, the DL mid-size requires a certain commitment to get into the bends. Oh, I'm not saying you have to "lock in" like a Milwaukee production bike, but front-end engagement doesn't happen on its own, as a small streetfighter would enjoy.

the twin perfectly matches the spirit of the V-Strom. Derived from the Gladius and reworked, it has everything that has made it so appealing since its appearance on the SV: supple, lively yet discreet, it accompanies you as you ride. The changes from the roadster are really noticeable. Full-bodied in the mid-range and lively when revved up, it lacks the gusto to tease you at the top of the rev range. It likes to exercise its potential at the most common engine speeds, and it lets you know this delicately. The two-cylinder is more road-going than sporty!

so much the better, because on this tarmac as dry as a swimming pool, it's best to adopt a measured riding style. And in the end, it's no bad thing that the rain invited itself to this test, as it serves to further underline the V-Strom's docility. The twin-cylinder's suppleness, the smoothness of the controls and the pleasant chassis make the exercise much less tricky than with a nervous machine. The gearbox makes you forget all about it, with the gears shifting almost by themselves. We ride delicately, and so does the DL 650. Water splashes from other machines on the circuit allow a quick assessment of the protection: with the bubble in the lowered position, the chest and arms are protected, but the top of the helmet picks up wind and droplets, without really hindering the rider.

you don't change a winning team! A well-known slogan that's aptly applied here. The 650 V-Strom's mechanics have been finely tuned under the guise of a major facelift, and its ease-of-use and plasticity are more appealing. The only disappointment is the sharp rise in price, which deprives it of the remarkable price positioning it once enjoyed.

Official Suzuki photos
Given the special conditions of the test, I wasn't able to take photos of myself on the Magny-Cours training track.