BEST mid-weight adventure bike? Suzuki V-Strom 800DE ride-along review

Рет қаралды 15,526

7 ай бұрын

An adventure bike should inspire adventure, and that's exactly what the new Suzuki V-Strom 800DE does. In fact, is the V-Strom 800DE the best mid-weight adventure bike for the price?
It has tough competition: it's up against the likes of the Yamaha Tenere 700, the Honda Transalp, and the new KTM 790 Adventure. Is the V-Strom 800DE really a better bike than these?
We sent Bill out on the Suzuki V-Strom 800DE to enlighten us on why he thinks this is the best adventure bike on the market right now for its money.
A huge thank you to the team at Halvarssons for sponsoring this ride-along video. Check out the gear we've been wearing using the links below this video.
#vstrom #suzuki #review
Halvarssons gear
Gruven Jkt: bikerheadz.co.uk/product/gruv...
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Пікірлер: 52

@georgemikodesigns 7 ай бұрын

the closed captioning is spot on mate! LOL Great review of my new bike! DE Adventure that is...cheers

@ABRmagazine 7 ай бұрын

Tends to struggle with the accent a bit 🤣 Cheers mate, glad you're enjoying your new DE too!

@ownyourworld 7 ай бұрын

Test rode the tenere,transalp and this vstrom . I found the vstrom more nimble off road and more fun on it.

@ABRmagazine 7 ай бұрын

Agreed, between the three I've personally found the Strom the most enjoyable for most off road riding. I'd say the Tenere has the higher ceiling off-road, but for most adventure riding the Strom is more than up for it, especially when combined with its road performance.

@beaucst 19 күн бұрын

I don't get that testers always complain about the tires, just change them, they have nothing to do with the build quality...how's the bike, that's what I want to know.

@virendradr 2 ай бұрын

Excellent review. Details plenty, comparison to the superior Machine.. better than others..I desire to have the sooner the better 💞

@ganzmontejo4176 6 ай бұрын

are you planning to convert your rims into tubeless? you can have them sealed or taped.

@sheafrank4816 6 ай бұрын

Annnddddd its a damn good looking bike, im taking mine adventing to the rockies in spring. I got touring windshield and its a game changer. Im alao excited to try out my new mitas e07 + trail tires

@iangriffiths9930 7 ай бұрын

Probably the best ABR review I’ve seen 👍. Would love to get a follow up when you have better tyres and maybe take it back over to wales to see what it can do off road 👍

@ABRmagazine 7 ай бұрын

Cheers Ian! I've just put Bridgestone AX41s on it now and took it out greenlaning last weekend, it's really opened up where it can go, especially with all the mud about.

@iangriffiths9930 7 ай бұрын

Could I ask if it’s comparable with the T7 albeit at a slower pace off road?

@roybailey4529 7 ай бұрын

Really enjoyed that, great work! I am in the market for a bike that can do ACT style terrain (not hard core TET / Enduro) and also do the big highway miles to get me to the start and back home at the end - without it feeling like an SAS selection process. I am of intermediate level at best, favouring being confident I can handle the worst 1% of the conditions at the expense of a small amount of touring comfort (dont wanna be out of depth on the ACT panicked I am on something too heavy, tippy or whatever). I also fancy the odd road trip down to the Alps on it as well, so ideally be good bike for that as well (and reliable). The two bikes I have been looking at to fulfil that brief are the 800DE and also the Aprilia Tuareg 660. Appreciate it is all a compromise, but wondered in your experience of those two bikes which of the two would be better suited to that usage brief (I am a fit early 50s in terms of age)?

@iangriffiths9930 6 ай бұрын

Few people are reporting niggles on the Aprillia, also getting the valves checked every 12 thousands miles is a right pain? Aprillia would be much better off road thought👍

@F3udF1st 6 ай бұрын

You should review the Gruven jacket.

@I_am_Thursday Ай бұрын

Bear with me here... I'm looking for a bike to live alongside my crf250l on the Powys borders. Not for travel more for everyday use and being able to pop to the coast or over to Shrewsbury etc. Even the new T7 explore is tall for me (but I could lower it) and the 701 seems even taller despite its lightness. If you know those mountain roads then yes they're doable on a sports tourer but a lot of them are little more than farm tracks now. So I'm torn between going for something like a Cabellero or 1200XC or this. I've even considered an older XT660. What do you reckon?

@MrGoat61 7 ай бұрын

I agree, it's a great bike, I've had four V Stroms in a good mix of sizes /models and this tops all of them. The new RE model will suit most people even more.

@mr.omninpotent6358 7 ай бұрын

I am waiting for that RE to come to our country. Will be a great upgrade from my 500x

@ABRmagazine 7 ай бұрын

I've had the chance to ride the RE now and I agree, it's a bit more approachable and even easier to live with if you're not planning on doing any major off-road riding.

@ReferenceFidelityComponents 6 ай бұрын

Tubed tyres is absolutely a deal breaker for me otherwise I’d already have one in the garage. Why didn’t they fit tubeless spoked rims? Penny pinching decision as was lack of cruise and the appalling screen. Take care of those and its close to the perfect do it all bike available.

@chriskneifl3290 5 ай бұрын

@@ReferenceFidelityComponents I wish it was tubeless too, but It's actually not penny pinching on the part of Suzuki, as many other V-Stroms (for example, the 650XT and the 800RE) come with tubeless tires. Rather, it's because many serious off-road riders prefer tubes, due to the ability to keep riding even if you bend a rim while riding.

@ReferenceFidelityComponents 5 ай бұрын

@@chriskneifl3290 I understand that Chris but few actually will take them off road other than mild green laning or gravel tracks. At least tubeless rims as an option would have been good (other makes offer tubeless spoked rims).

@user-wr5lg8nr2b 6 ай бұрын

Haven't riden the bike off road yet, but on road it is simply amazing. You can chuck it into corners,power it out of corners,it is comfortable,it is soooooo smooth,it has great brakes and excellent fuel economy. The fun factor of the bike is right up there.What's not to like?

@user-fx5nd8br9w 17 күн бұрын

My only complaint, piss poor headlight for Australian conditions. Added stedi square spotlights. Spot on now.

@marktaylor4277 7 ай бұрын

V is for versatile and it certainly is just that. Great review in which I particularly liked your honest opinions, likes and dislikes, told like it is. If only Suzuki had made the Tuareg 660 with it's tubed & better off-road tyres, lower centre of gravity, cruise control and more intelligent electronics... admittedly that would render their 1050's obsolete overnight as the new bike would sell like hot cakes, but I'm OK with that 🙂 A few days ago I test rode the 800 RE, really nice bike in all respects but the vibrations started to come in at 4k and mostly die out by 6k, no way I could live with that. Seems unusual for that engine, only 200 miles on the clock & maybe improve with use?.

@ABRmagazine 7 ай бұрын

Thanks Mark. I've definitely noticed the vibrations mostly between 5-5k, but I think I've learnt to live with them because I hardly notice it anymore.

@UncleWally3 7 ай бұрын

Are we at the point where choosing and purchasing an adventure bike is more about the dealership and the cost of ownership than the quality of the bike? They’re all good.

@marcoluoma3770 7 ай бұрын

Too right, mate. The bikes that are the one-day-test darlings on many websites and magazines are the least reliable and the most expensive to maintain.

@ABRmagazine 7 ай бұрын

I would say that certainly most bikes nowadays are quality, however the choice comes down to how you connect with the bike, and how it makes you feel. And of course some adventure bikes are more suited to different terrain and conditions than others, but I think it's a great state to be in that there's so much choice.

@marcoluoma3770 7 ай бұрын

@@ABRmagazine Agree that if you have your bikes given to you for a one-day magazine test they’re all “quality.” Here in the real world where we pay for our bikes and keep them for many years and pay to fix and maintain them, we see significant differences in reliability, maintenance costs, and dealer experiences.

@UncleWally3 7 ай бұрын

@@marcoluoma3770 It would be very helpful to have a relatively standard assessment template that could be used to project the cost of ownership over five years. Of course they’ll always be location specific variables, but the maintenance schedule, fuel consumption, replacement parts (tires,chain, plugs, etc), depreciation, could be reasonably calculated over five years and 80 000ish kilometers. After over fifty years of riding and owning many bikes I’ve come to realize the purchase price is often just the tip of the iceberg.

@ioandragulescu6063 3 ай бұрын

I think for most people, the RE is the better option. Lighter, better front brakes, lower, taller windscreen, tubeless tires and cheaper. For the price difference, throw an MCCruise cruise control and it will be a really good road bike, capable of the occasional gravel road.

@john0270 3 ай бұрын

I have a deposit on a 2024 here in canada. My hope is it's as great on the street as my 2017 dl650xt vstrom, and as great on gravel roads as my klr is.

@ashwinoashwin 5 ай бұрын

Does this has spoked tubeless like the v strom 650 or is it tubed?

@LakayForce Ай бұрын

tubed

@ne-adv 6 ай бұрын

Someday I will ride a motorcycle with cruise control and get hooked on a "why bother modulating my speed, let a computer do it" crutch. My 2000 Drifter has auto-cancelling turn signals, I see that as a safety thing, but being able to lock my speed so I can fall asleep at 130kph, not so much a safety thing to have? 45 yrs without cruise control. I guess I don't know what I am missing. Like self-driving cars, I guess the joy of actually driving a car myself is over-rated. The windshield thing is interesting. I've ridden motorcycles with great wind protection. My old 1979 KZ1000A1 had a Vetter Windjammer on it. You could smoke a cigarette on the autobahn. And I've ridden ones where the damned thing caused so much turbulence, you got a headache. The 800DE seems to keep the wind off your chest without causing any more buffeting than riding without a windshield. I'd be interested in a with/without comparison. I've a 1978 GS750, no windscreen and the wind just goes by. And a 2018 GSX-S750 that doesn't buffet, no screen, at 200KPH. Maybe I just have nice helmets that are aerodynamic? I agree, tubeless would be better. Airing down a middle or heavy weight ADV just doesn't make sense. Too easy to pinch flat and rim wreck. Maybe for a special part of a trail, but if its all the time, maybe an ADV isn't the right motorcycle. Instead of a DR800 (800DE) you might want a DR650 or a XR650. Without the extra 90KG, airing down makes more sense. As do tubed tires. Traction control and ABS are new as well. Having ridden 40+yrs without, I prefer turning them off. Nice that the settings are persistent. Not like the other bikes that have to be reset every time you turn off the motorcycle. FYI the sun is behind you when you asked why everyone was trying to pull out in front of you. If your shadow points at them, they are looking into the sun. No excuse for them, just a heads-up for you to realize they cannot see you well.

@scottloftin1730 5 ай бұрын

Tires are disposable. I would not factor that into a review.

@john0270 3 ай бұрын

The adventure sports Africa twin 😂 my god

@I_am_Thursday Ай бұрын

Yes but it's still a £300+ job that one shouldn't need to do on a new bike. My biggest expenditure on my bikes is tyres.

@user-fx5nd8br9w 17 күн бұрын

The mixtours work well at 18psi front and rear on all roads including rocks. Hopeless in sand though. My rear tyre lasted 7700kms. Gone for motoz raillz front and rear now. Awesome now . In Queensland Australia!!

@williamrae9954 7 ай бұрын

Poor planning... it's only £130/rim to get them sealed,and you have a spare tube for emergency...going remote,seal your rims!

@jan180 5 ай бұрын

I have one 800de and let HRT customize IT too Dessert Express Rallye Bike. ITS best Money can buy😊👍

@johnshropshire3399 7 ай бұрын

You're speeding and you call the van a jerk🤔 33:50 🤯

@defylifeadventure 7 ай бұрын

"This for the money is currently the best mid-sized adventure bike on the markets" bold statement to start the video and one many will disagree with. Especially when it's more expensive than some and a good 15-25kg heavier than others. The stand out feature for me seems to be torque given the longer stroke.

@iangriffiths9930 7 ай бұрын

I agree that the weight is an issue, especially when taking the bike off road. The videos I’ve seen of the bike on dirt tracks look pretty good though 👍

@sercio994 7 ай бұрын

If you start consider all the aspects, it's not a bold statement at all.

@blackvicekings8632 6 ай бұрын

It is not just important how much a bike weighs, its more about where all the weight ist and in the vstrom it is so low in the bike that it actually feels pretty light

@motomitchuk4384 2 ай бұрын

I wouldnt worry, in a months time they will say its another bike. Gotta keep the hype train rollling all year round

@defylifeadventure 2 ай бұрын

@@motomitchuk4384 True. IMO reviewers need to be much more critical.