Motorcycle specifications Suzuki1000 V-STROM 2016 The road to the horizon

suzuki has a special love affair with the big trail bike. The most emblematic model is certainly the DR 750, and its apogee reached with the 800 version. At the time, the Paris-Dakar spirit was at its peak, trails were getting bigger and cylinders were multiplying. Suzuki continued with its single-cylinder models until 1994. Then, it wasn't until 2002 that the big trail bike was reborn in Hamamatsu, but it became a trail-GT, and that changed everything. The 1000 V-Strom is a serious V-twin with all-round looks and handling. Its career came to an end in France in 2009, but the model was still sold in other countries. The situation changed in 2014, when Suzuki launched a new V-Strom, more aesthetically pleasing, chunkier and more technologically advanced. It arrives in a market where the competition is as formidable as it is crowded. Does the latter have what it takes to tackle the former? Suzuki has clearly been working on this question during a copious development period. What about it?

Why did I tell you about the "Big DR"? Because the new-generation V-Strom takes its design inspiration from them. It's subtle, and it's the only thing the ancestor and rookie will share. The headlights and air intakes smell a little like the GSX-R, and technically, the trail bike is clearly based on its predecessor... with a major optimization.

engine: the TLR still going strong.

the V-Strom is powered by an engine well known to Suzukis. A twin-cylinder with a sporting past (the TLR had to compete in Superbikes) whose career continued with the 1st V-Strom and the SV 1000. It's still there, but the engine-makers haven't left it as it was. The aim is to give it the confidence to take on the big twin rivals. First of all, the re-cuber! In 1200 like all the others? No, just a little. 2 mm more bore and our 996 cm3 becomes a 1037 cm3. Power is up, by a mere 2 kw. More interesting is the torque. Not that it's really stronger, but its maximum - 10.5 mkg - is available much earlier: 4,000 rpm instead of 6,400. A big peach distributed at the most frequently used rpm, that's just great. Will it be enough to distract from the 12.7 mkg that a Bavarian boxer can spit out? The technical side is working hard, with a new injection box, iridium-style dual ignition, injectors with 10 holes instead of 4, and a host of new parts: pistons, connecting rods, cylinders, power-assisted clutch (13% less effort), eliminated oil cooler thanks to increased water cooler, redesigned alternator and redesigned airbox. Not to mention weight savings. The new radiator is 1.5 kg lighter, and the exhaust, almost as sexy as the pan on the first Yamaha FZ8s, is 4.7 kg lighter.

a tried-and-tested chassis, reinforced with electronic assistance

the frame remains classic, with the same profile as before for the double-beam perimeter aluminium frame.the bonus is a 13% reduction in weight and 33% greater rigidity. A little work on the geometry means the wheelbase has been extended from 1,535 to 1,555 mm, the column angle has been reduced by 1°, and there's something new on the suspension side. From a conventional Showa, the fork becomes a 43 mm inverted Kayaba, now fully adjustable. The shock absorber features a 20-step dial for preload adjustment.
Braking is on a par with the segment's rivals... and sports bikes. Bye bye double pistons - welcome to 4-piston monobloc radial calipers ready to gniaker 310 mm tracks. ABS is standard, a lightweight Bosch weighing just 1050g.

one might have thought that Suzuki would have done without electronic assistants; its sports bikes are not equipped with them and can only rely on the choice of injection maps and the rider's right hand to calm the boiler. But surprise, surprise, the V-strom will be (almost) on a par with the competition. It features traction control - Suz' first for a production model. It takes into account wheel speed, throttle position, vilo and gear ratio. The system checks conditions every 4 milliseconds and adapts ignition and air supply to restore balance in the event of loss of traction. Three positions can be selected from the handlebars: deactivated for total freedom / 1 - low sensitivity to allow slight drifts / 2 - high sensitivity for total control.

the road is this way

the subjective face hides a new dashboard. Compact, complete and packed with information. The place of honour goes to the rev counter - the digital window informs you of speed, gear engaged, fuel level, Traction Control mode, and then there's the time, engine and outside temperatures, voltage, trip, range, fuel consumption, a frost indicator... there's plenty to read.
A selection of equipment is already on board. The bubble can be manually adjusted by 30 mm, there's a 12V socket under the instrument panel, the rear of the V-Schtroumf has a pack holder extending over the passenger grips, and of course there's a list of options for equipping the V-Schtroumf for long-distance travel.

into the deep end

the 1000 V-Strom has undergone a complete overhaul and is back on the market with some definite arguments, but without really standing out. Like most of its competitors, it smells of adventure and the open road, without offering any off-road skills. Its engine doesn't offer the "standard" cubic capacity of the category, but the punch provided by the TLS / TLR lights could surprise many. Suzuki will be playing its trump card - an aggressive price - to distinguish itself from the plethora of models in the segment, and it will certainly suffer from the comparison with a certain R 1200 GS, but the 3,000 euros that separate them will give you a few thousand kilometers, or a used 500 to complete your garage.

M.B - Manufacturer's photos