The windshield is 3 position adjustable, about 20mm for each, and this was in the high position, so this is a true test of what it feels like on the highway. AND to adjust it to a lower position, you need a wrench, take out 4 Allen head screws, move it, then put the 4 screws back in. So every time you go off-road and every time you go on the highway, you have to do this, not very user friendly. Bottom line, if you tour, you are buying the Suzuki "Touring" screen or better yet, get an after market.
Suzuki,overlooked quite a bit imo.They're excellent bikes and this 800 is no exception.Not big on the color offerings,but a minor point.Thanks Scott.👍👍
Good job Scott. I'm surprised Suzuki missed the mark on the screen. I'm sure they will get " wind" of your review and make up dates 😊. Stay safe brother.
I agree Suzuki has been overlooked. I bought a Suzuki GSX-S 1000 GT in May 2022 and have been blown away by how much bike I’ve got for the money. I did also look at the Kawasaki Ninja 1000 SX but didn’t like the look or the feel of it when sitting on it, so I went with the Suzuki. As for the colours, I like the yellow because it’s a classic look. I’m not too keen on the primer coloured finish (grey). BigRockMoto did a good video on the Suzuki Vstrom 800 and was impressed by the fully adjustable suspension and said with the right tyres the Vstrom 800 should be comparable to a KTM 890 off road.
It’s a great looking bike imo too. I’m a Suzuki tragic tbh, and love the classic yellow , and that drbig vibe it’s got going on. I’d like to have one in the garage 😎
Got to ride one while my 650XT was being serviced. It feels different, but similar. Officially it weights 14KG more than my current V-Strom 650XT, but it feels a bit lighter. It has 84.3HP compared to the 71HP of my 650XT. And it has more torque. It feels snappier than the 650, a little more responsive and accelerates quite a bit faster. I tried all three drive modes, and you can definitely feel a difference. - Mode C is the softest, where the torque seems to be tuned down, and acceleration is more gradual. Nice when just cruising through traffic or long stretches of highway. - Mode B is a little bit snappier, similar to my 650. - Mode A is really snappy. In 1st-4th gear you turn the throttle a bit and really feel the pull. It feels a bit more stable on high speeds too. The 21" front wheel feels nice, but requires a bit more effort to lean in corners (most likely because I'm not used to a 21"). It seems to prefer to stay upright. I had a similar feeling when I initially started on the 650XT. Things I didn't like: - Vibrations at the footrests. The motors vibrations are really strong there and its something that did annoy me, so I imagine it would be even more annoying on longer rides... - Motor heat. On my 650 I don't feel any heat from the motor when riding or when stopping while on the bike. On this one yes. When riding slow, I can feel the heat on my legs, and it becomes really obvious when stopped. - The plastic fairing around the tank and the beak feels cheaper and less sturdy than the 650...
I do love that it has a bolt on subframe, look wise for me is better than the Transalp, but yet again its subjective and I don't like the seat height options, even the lower one, For me I would preferred a lower seat, I have the same inseam and although I can manage it you have to consider that there are about 30kg more than the Transalp. personally the V-Strom 650 will remain my all time favorite.
Lets cross our fingers for a non-DE V-Strom 800, with 19 inch front wheel an 1 inch less ground clearance and suspension travel. Until then I'm also sticking to my 650
I really like the way the spike looks and when compared to the Aprilia Tuareg, it's power to weight ratio is like within half a pound per horsepower or per foot pound with the Aprilia being only slightly better. I actually like the look of this better than my Aprilia. I feel like Suzuki really missed an opportunity for a big selling feature of this motorcycle by not giving a cruise control. If it had that one feature then I would actually consider trading in my Aprilia for that Japanese reliability. However so far my Aprilia has been just fine in about 7,000 miles.
I've had a bmw for 9 years and had an aprilia for 7 years never had a problem with either of them. Only lost £85 on the aprilia perfect when I sold it. If I listened to what people say I wouldn't have bought either of them.
Thanks for a thorough review. I really got a lot out of it. I’m leaning hard toward the BMW F850GSA as my my next bike. Expensive, but justifiably so. Happy Trails
Scott, if you were going to choose one bike for single and for two up. That clicked all the boxes or as close to all, which one in the category would it be?
I think you forgot one plus it has over a lot of the others, reliability. As a 650 owner I was looking forward to this bike and even though in real life it looks better, I still don't like it visually. Maybe with a smoked high touring screen it will look better? Still have to ride it at some point though.
The Transalp is beautiful. The Suzuki has a beautiful muffler. But the rest of the bike is very strange. The Tuareg and the Suzuki might be in competition for the ugliest ADV bike, and the Transalp and Tiger are the best looking.
@@NothingToProve that would be 3 bikes from the list you've shown (+ the other suzuki) so ... I think I was correct when I said "over a lot of the others".
This bike is perfect for me, I need a bike mainly for street but I want to be able to ride the beach if I want to ride up tracks or just up kerbs and over a bit of land to a beach ... but I don't want a trail bike
I have a V85tt that's heavy, but also handles very well , excellent Brembos, 62mpg, with the huge tank plus shaft drive, mile muncher extraordinaire, stop the munching jokes! 61 years riding, over 30 bikes and not stopping yet. 🎉
Could you suggest other bikes that are better at what the 800DE is meant for? Seems like this bike is penned to be a decent off road suspension travel and clearance. More tour oriented Ergos, seats, and luggage mounts. Good and smooth midrange power delivery. And finally Suzuki has a great reputation for reliability and cost of repair. Thoughts on comparable bikes?
As always, a real pleasure to watch your vlogs, Scott! I may even say, so much better and more pleasant to listen (!) to than the competition! (i.e. BigRock, Missender, etc.) Still I don't feel the urge to change my F850gs to the Transalp or the V-Strom, even not to the Tiger. The only other option would be the KTM 890 Adv. Question: I recently was in Höxter with a group of friends, 3 weeks ago. On a sundaymorning I saw a blue 1250 RT behind a KTM near Paderborn...could that have been you? So then we waved! Regards, Larry
Oh, 3 weeks ago, hmm...trying to remember...the older I get the harder it is to...well you get the point 😢. I don't think I was out and about then. There are a lot of blue 1250 RT's in this area, it's a popular bike, well not compared to the GS but still for it's size, it's popular. The BMW dealer here in Paderborn sells about 10-15 of them each year but then they also sell around 40 GS/A too....so everything is relative. Keep your 850GS, it's a great bike, it does everything and does it very well. Thanks for the compliment, my wife says the same thing, when I watch the other guys and she is sitting on the couch next to me after about 5mins she says "he's boring and all the words just blend together. LOL! take care, Scott
Yea, Honda did a great job with wind management and Suzuki really dropped the ball there, I mean it feels like they didn't do any aerodynamic testing at all. This was a "no go" for me on the Suzuki 😢
@@MrEricmopar off road oriented bikes with spoke wheels have tubed ones usually, because the wheels tend to flex when jumping over obstacles and all so a tubeless tire would have a potential of losing air preasure when the wheel slightly deforms under stress, a tubed one doesn't.
@@fs5866 Yeah I know, but even here in the Mojave desert, the local shop guys tell me they usually convert their own bikes to tubeless, if the rims aren't already tubeless. Suzuki already uses tubeless spoked wheels on their other V Stroms
Great review and much appreciated BUT, when I hop down to my local dealer to see if and when the bike will be available, I get a blank look or if I do get an answer, I get "well, we're only getting one this year" crap, I appreciate these videos of new bikes coming but in reality, they're just not viable options unless you want to pay through the nose for a new bike and go thru brain damage getting one... I'm doing okay though, I got my 2020 AT1100 for a grand off with no add ons other than taxes and actual price of the tag, I'll stay put for a while.
@@NothingToProve Yeah, that's the elephant in the room, but, I'm pretty short and mainly take short rides, if the V-strom was available at a decent price, I'd trade down but you are right, I'm better off with the AT, I appreciate it!!
I just wish the vstrom 800 didnt have all the electronic ride aids. With out them the bike would be substantially cheaper and arguably just as good as it is with them. Also who needs a quick shifter on an adventure bike?
@blackskunk54 I did ride it. No, need for the electronics. I've rode and owned sport bikes with quick shifters. They are fun but just not needed on an adventure bike.
Thanks for the review. I guess, with so many bikes in the group to choose from where the heart leads plays a greater part in the final choice. Personally, at the moment The Transalp is at the top of my list due in no small part to the fact that I am drawn to it by the iconic white blue and red colour scheme. Although I hasten to add I haven't test ridden any bikes yet and who knows I may end up with something totally left field like the Husqvana but then that is one of the great joys of biking. We are so lucky to have such a great selection from which to choose and debate over those long winter evenings.
I am a V-Strom 650 ,2nd gen, owner. This has more weight , more seat height, less wind protection and tubed tires. I think Suzuki really missed with this model.
Maybe. It comes at a higher price. I think Suzuki invested more in the suspension setup. Wind protection is always subjective and can be an easy fix. Tubed tires are also on the transalp I thought? If suspension is important for you I would go with the Suzuki. If not, go with the Honda.
I would pick the transalp just because it's more nimble, i mean its 20 kilo lighter and almost 10 hp more powerful. This bike is not punchy enough for the weight it has, way too heavy. Suzuky you can't just make a bike this heavy in this class, this bike should have been 200 kg not 230.
August 1st I am test riding this bike. I own a 650 v-strom 2019 model year and would like a little more top end for hwy riding/touring. The wind you discovered with stock windshield is my main concern and the seat hight. I have short stocky legs and had to turn down the dampen on the rear to get one leg flat foot at stops. My question is the 8e maybe better with a bolt on sheild. What do you think?
It seems that Suzuki put the Gravel mode on the Traction control in the V-Strom while Honda put it on the Riding modes, can you explain why they put it that way?
Finally a real proper analysis of this bike...quite disappointing from Suzuki to be honest. Way too heavy with poorish specs just will not compete with the niche group. Basically a street orientated bike with no cruise control? Seriously??? wtf Suzuki? Too heavy, poor specs for this price point. Unfortunate.
Yep, this bike should have been cheaper than the transalp, and ditch the adjustable suspension, it's no use anyway on a bike this heavy and underpowered,at least make it competitive in price if nothing else.
@@sercio994 hah, no I haven't. A new bike in this field is not cheap...they are expensive. When a manufacturer is making a low spec bike with the same price point it's dissapointing. What bike today built for adventure riding doesn't come with either cruise as standard or as an option...none other than T7...which is much lower price point. It's just dissapointing and underwhelming.
Suzuli really missed the mark with the weight of this bike though, i mean come on now Suzuki, you're offering a bike heavier than an Africa Twin(standard) and with 20 less hp, this bike should have been max 210,not 230 kg, this sort of weight is high! I don't see this being better than a transalp unless you prefer the looks.
@@dubravkojanusic6996 Nobody asked for a "Sci-Fi" movie version of a 1980's motorcycle. It looks like a prototype from the 1980's that someone designed for a Back to The Future movie. It's just too weird looking to be taken seriously, although seems like an excellent motorcycle. But I am not happy with the designs of any of the new ADV bikes, and I'm going to throw a fit until they change. Stop with these UGLY square, triangular things. Please.
I have the Transalp and the 800DE is way more fun to ride, has more torque, simpler controls, larger fuel tank & more range, better quickshifter (bi-directional), slightly better seat and ergos for me (6' 1"). The looks grow on you...sort of (like the DL650). The weight is not at all noticeable when riding, perhaps you should try it, it looks good from the cockpit 😉
KTM has had huge success in North America with 'real' Adventure bikes rather than merely Adventure style bikes like the classic V-Strom's. It looks to me that Suzuki was aiming at a less expensive more reliable KTM style bike rather than same old, same old.
I dislike the complaining about tubes. Tubeless can only help if you have a little hole in the tread. They can't help with rim damage, big holes, or holes in the sidewall. And you can't put a tube on a tubeless rim. So, in all those 3 cases, tubeless will leave you stranded.
A hole in the thread is the most common type of puncture. If your sidewall tears, putting a new tube in won’t help. And yes, you can put a tube in a tubeless rim. You just have to remove the tubeless valve stem.
Yes, the 270° crank pin off set, changes the firing order to sound like a v-twin. Thus the the common phrase used today, "slang" is "firing order". Sorry that you were not aware of that, hopefully you are now 😁👍
They figured out about 125 years ago that having 2 headlights on each side of the vehicle provides the best lighting. It's not clear why Suzuki hasn't fired their lead designer back in 1998 when they started doing a single headlight for a bike with a large fairing. If a motorcycle has a plastic fairing, it needs to have two headlights, like a car, to provide maximum peripheral illumination, like a car. Having a vertically stacked headlight arrangement makes absolutely zero sense. At night, in the woods, you need the widest field of view possible, to see critters running towards you. Maybe Suzuki figured out some type of supernatural magic with those tiny headlights, they probably did.
You know why.. because about 50 years ago they realised that two lights side by side on a bike, looks like a car in the distance at night (especially in bad conditions like fog and rain). What happens is people think you are much further away then you really are because they recognise the headlights as a car in the distance, and they pull out on to the road in front of you. Very dangerous
Headlights side by side is a safety issue. That’s why. And that’s also why Yamaha for example is asymmetrically lit with their twin lights as on the Tracer. Car drivers at night misjudge closing distance due to the natural judgement of oncoming car headlight separation.
I have the Transalp, and the first dealbreaker on the Suzuki for me is the look. It looks not good.... you can see that in the dealershops also. Transalp = waiting list. "All" Suzuki models = discounts/included extra. No problem to buy Suzuki models quick. In my opinion Suzuki failing bigtime on design/look. The tech seems pretty much up to par.
Correct. They need to FIRE all the Suzuki designers RIGHT NOW, no exceptions. They are building 1980's Sci-Fi motorcycles. They didn't improve the Hayabusa, they added so many weird little trim pieces that the whole bike is basically a trim piece. Their motorcycles aren't bad looking, but they don't look like a motorcycle, they seem to be a strange movie prop or something for a sci-fi movie. Nobody asked for a "Sci-Fi" motorcycle. We want classic, simple, sweeping body lines. Not hard angles, bright colors, and weird tiny headlights. The Transalp is the only bike that has a simple look, and it's stunningly beautiful, although still somewhat ugly in the front. None of the Japanese or Italian or German companies have any idea how to make a beautiful motorcycle anymore. Triumph, Harley, and Royal Enfield are the only companies that know how to make a truly good looking ADV bike, but none of these offerings are any good, they have terrible motors, or no reliability in the case of Harley. If Triumph switched back to their original 3 cylinder crankshaft, they would be the greatest ADV bike on the market, based on looks and performance.
Hi! Thanks for your videos! I also experienced a vibration, at ca 5000 rpm, when testing the bike. It was a tingling in my feet from the foot pegs and it was actually so much vibration that it’s a showstopper for me. It was very noticeable vibrations. Very unfortunate, because IMO the bike was otherwise great and also great looking bike, to boot.
Shame innit, the DL650 was the same. The difference I noticed on the DE was the mirrors vibrating as well, didn't happen on the DL650. Might be a deal breaker for me.
I appreciate the specs comparison, but as you mention the specs don't tell the whole story. My bike doesn't look to competitive in this group, but I love it's build quality, comfort, style, shaft drive and cruise control. It's a cinch to adjust your own valves and do routine maintenance so I am happy with my v85tt. The most beautiful woman doesn't always make the best wife.
Got a v85tt too,2019 model and honestly it does what I need. It's fairly quick, cc and comfortable. It's only the only one in this middle weight that has a shaft, which is a dream for maintenance. Just did my 20000km maintenantce and it cost me 90 euros for parts and did it myself in 2 hours.
Worse bike I ever had for buffeting was Tiger 1050 Sport it was like being in a boxing ring, truly shocking. V=Strom 650 was great for me with a Givi Airflow screen but I'm not tall. They all should do a much better job with their stock screens...
Yes Scott, thanks for the review. Not sure you will understand but: I thought the bike would make you smile more and get more emotions out. Which bike would you pick out of this group as a road bike for two up within this price point?
First of all Scott Thank you for listening to viewers comments & bringing us this excellent review,I was hoping to make up my mind on which bike to buy between the Suzuki & Honda. But Sadly I’m even more confused now as the road focused Alp is missing a number of key features as standard - ie no cruise control & extra money for the quick shifter. The Vstom costs more money and is better equipped,but is more off road capable. My riding is mostly tarmac & odd fire trails so for me it’s the Transalp, I’m looking at adding the optional quick shifter & live without the cruise as it’s not a deal breaker. Cheers Scott.
If you ride more streets and occasional gravel roads the Honda. If more dirt Suzuki. You can get a better windscreen and go with Suzuki because of included fully adjustable suspension and included quick shifter. We all know the price of an upgraded suspension is high.
You should sit on the bikes and, ideally, test ride them. Specs are deceiving and none of these is exactly "road focused". "More off road capable" doesn't necessarily mean less on road capable, particularly when you can adjust pretty much everything on the suspension.
The lack of a cruise control isn't a deal breaker, but it's a huge disappointment, because on a long drive, beyond 50 miles, it's brutal not having it. I've never been able to drive on a long drive, beyond 50 miles, because it's so exhausting holding a throttle open. All new street motorcycles should just come with a cruise control, since it would require absolutely no additional parts whatsoever, only some computer software and a button. The actual manufacturing cost is basically zero, because modern bikes are all drive by wire with a servo motor controlling the throttle butterflies on the engine. When you think about it this way, there's no excuse for not having cruise control, other than they intentionally don't want to give it to people.
@@Ritalie OMG, my first trip was on a 250cc dual sport thumper with no windshield nothing. 180 US. miles stopped twice for gas 45 miles on gravel road with nothing but a t-shirt, shorts, and flip flops. And you are worried about cruise control, my goodness how soft and weak people have become. Oh, I did have sunglasses I think but this was in 1975 so hard to remember.
@@Ritalie A mate of mine from Suzuki is seeing if the cruise control can be transfered from the Vstrom 1050 to the 800. Would require the whole switch gear assembly though. Will wait and see if it comes about.
Keep dreaming...and in that dream...Tenere gets a 889cc twin motor with WP suspension & even more power than the 890 ADV. Then you wake up next to a beautiful Italian super model that knows how to cook and take care of you & and loves you with all her heart, soul & mind. 🤣🤣🤣
This is not a 650cc vstrom it's a more expensive 800cc parallel twin with TV screen instead of rev counter and speedo. The parallel twin is cheaper to produce than the V Twin, don't get me wrong it's a great motor but many of us prefer the V Twin. Terrible colour yellow imo. Led lights are a financial rip off, changing a brake light bulb costs a few pounds but leds can cost a fortune to replace. This new Jetski, insect, plastic Transformer look makes it impossible to identify what make a bike is anymore. The new VSTROM isn't a VSTROM Bring back the 650cc vstrom which was extremely popular and affordable.
I called Suzuki about them advertising as an adventure bike with that windscreen. They said they would get back to me but never did or haven't yet. Bought 3 months ago and put 1000 miles on it out here in California. Don't know about the modes much. I just started it and rode. I put a wrist rest to make up for lack of cruise. Works for me so far. They put mostly off road tires on it and call it also an off road bike. I'm trying to get used to the weight. I can pick up my dl650a but not this one yet, anyway.
I just purchased a mid-weight ADV motorcycle about a month ago. When I was shopping, the Suzuki, BMW F 850GS and Tiger 900 GT were on my short list. The Suzuki is nice--for the money--but I don't think it's quite where the BMW and Triumph are. I really liked the BMW, but in the end the triple in the Tiger won me over. I bought a 900 GT Pro. Also, it was nearly impossible to find an 800 DE that wasn't yellow. Nice job on the review.
@@Adventure_blac the Tiger was not 6K more. Mine was $17K out the door. By the time I added a center stand, heated grips, windshield, etc. to the Suzuki, it was $13,900 all in. The GT Pro has everything included and a few things that aren't available on the 800 DE. My only concern is reliability. I've owned Suzukis and they are reliable and low maintenance. This is my first Triumph, so we'll see.
@@robertstone6874 don’t worry about reliability with Triumph triple engines. The they are rock solid. Owned two street triples that I rode hard and never had any mechanical problems. Both had around 50,000km when I sold them and got them both services before sale and mechanic said engines were in very good condition internally
I think that this Suzuki is a very good bike. Good motor, good suspension, good brakes , good frame, except wind protection what ever windscreen you add (the front is like enduro bike and the is not ferring). But I think that something is going wrong with the design, I wonder if you are under 35 you could look for something more aggressive and cool, like KTM, Tuareg, Tenere, if your are over 35 like me (almost fifty), I prefer something more serious like BMW, Tiger or Transalp. At the end I choosed Transalp because of price, brand and for overall performance. I like Suzuki a lot but for a ride, I can't imagine my self on this yellow enduro bike, going to work or for a ride with my wife.
The more street version is the 800 or 1050 RE. Have not ridden nor seen it. I don't know if they will release a US model. Said to have 19" front and going back to the older V-Strom ride capabilities, like only 6.5" ground clearance, but you get to keep the forks and rear shock and the parallel twin. I was told it rides exactly like the 650 or 1050 except they have a bit more punch (the 800 is obvious, but the 1050 is better because of the parallel twin and the 270-degree offset. Was the windscreen that bad for you? When I rode it, the windscreen was at its lowest setting, which would keep the rain off your crotch, but not much else, and I found at 160kph (100MPH) the bike was solidly planted, and I wasn't getting any buffeting. It was as if I wasn't riding with a windscreen, as far as noise. Maybe New England air is softer (But I rode in Europe for 25 years, on a KZ1000A1, both with a vetter windjammer and naked. I get wind pressure, not noisy buffeting.
Im a bit baffled by some of these comments. Whats the point in Suzuki offering the same as all the other manufacturers in the class? Adjustable suspension can make all the difference to a bike. These machines have to be usable mainly on road with the odd trip on the loose stuff. Buy a CRF if you want that. 😊
Hey hey! You did it! Nice review! You still didn't really say if you liked this better or worse than the Transalp or which you would rather. So, it seems like the biggest draw back that I caught was the wind noise, turbulence and the 21 inch front wheel. The latter holding it back on the street? For some odd reason the looks and lines of this back has grown on me exponentially more than the Transalp. Also, thanks for putting up the different seat heights in inches and your inseam as a reference. I'm just 2 inches shorter than you in inseam but am an inch taller. I'm curious if I sat on a low seat option if the height would decrease enough so that I didn't have to tippy toe with my weight. All in all I'm getting the strong feeling that this is the better overall bike when compared to the Transalp. Great review and would love to see you do a comparison ;) Prost!
Just a suggestion after watching and loving many of your videos: before wrapping things up, tell the viewer who the product is aimed at and where it falls short. With your experience it would be an immense value. However now, as a road biased rider, you are walking a very thin line when testing bikes outside of your point of interest. Sometimes it is you who is falling short of the task (32 seconds of "off road" riding consisting mostly of sighs - in a test of an adventure bike??).
Thank you for your suggestion. There are 2 reasons that I do not take bikes off road: 1. Access: I simply do not have places to freely take bikes off road. Where I filmed this walkaround and riding off road (which was a tiny little area that I found in the woods), which was illegal and if a cop came around I would have gotten a nice expensive ticket and it really was NOT off-road imho. I've done track days and off-road days and I'd say I'm about equal with both, (in fact I'm in the advanced group in off-road and just middle group on track days (if we want to try to actually measure my off-road ability...LOL) so I'm probably better at off-road parks vs on-road tracks). 2. Percentage: the ratio is about 90/10%, sure guys like to say "oh I ride 70/30 on my ADV" but reality is if they really added up the time spent, it would be 95/5 and that 5% is gravel road - so still not off-road. I know a lot of adventure guys and I take my heavy 1250RT to places they don't go and I go faster on my RT than they do on their ADV bikes. That is the sad truth about most adventure riders. This IS the main reason that I got an RT, cause I don't need an adventure bike to ride 5% of the time they claim is off-road. Sorry that you feel that I'm "falling short of the task" just because I don't show or have video of me doing actual off-road. I wanted to take this bike off-road but didn't have time nor the place on the day that I filmed this review. Which is the case most of the time with any bike I get for a day. (The part you are talking about is me thinking "do I use this in the video or not" cause it was just gravel and not off-road, you can take a Harley cruiser there too) take care, Scott
Yes! The 650 XT and it has a real V-Twin motor to fit the name V-Strom (so why is this still called the same name? LOL!). But sadly it's days are numbered 😢 Hopefully Suzuki will do a version of that with this too, soon! This is exactly what I was referring to in the video. If they do, then that is a bike I'd actually want buy! take care, Scott
I've never heard that before...hmm. Well, you can always pull in the clutch before you shift with your foot, as I do all the time between 1st & 2nd on my 1250RT (because the QS is very clunky). The rest of the gears it's smooth, then I use the QS. take care, Scott
