2024 Suzuki V-Strom 800 Review – Motorcycle Test

2024 Suzuki V-Strom 800 Review

Motorcycle Test by Wayne Vickers – Images RbMotoLens

Suzuki V-Strom 800! But haven’t you already reviewed the V-Strom 800, Wayno? Well, yes. But, no. I did ride the V-Strom 800 DE a while back, which, while largely the same in terms of driveline, is the more off-road oriented model. This one is simply ‘V-strom’, sans ‘DE’.

This one is your ‘all roads’ entry level Adventure bike variant. I quite like that term actually. ‘All roads’. It gives a clear indication of the type of riding the bike is aimed at. Tarmac and gravel, but nothing so off-road, rough, and gnarly that you’d need a tyre more than about a 70-30. Think Pirelli STR-type stuff at most. It comes with a Dunlop D614, which is essentially a road tyre, and that alone should give you an indication of where Suzuki thinks most buyers are likely to spend their time.

The differences between the two variants are basically:

• This model has shorter travel suspension
• Smaller cast-alloy wheels (19-inch front, 17 rear)
• Reduced seat height to a nice and low 825mm (down 30 mm on the DE)
• A taller front screen for a more comfortable touring bubble
• Different bars, narrower between the hands as well as being positioned slightly lower and further forward for better road manners
• Pegs are positioned slightly higher and further back
• Slighty firmer seat foam
• Absence of hand-guards or bash-plate from the DE
• Which all up gives a weight reduction of 7kg, bringing it down to 223 kg

That all makes sense – fairly standard tweaks from an off-road to an all-road model. And arguably, most people will indeed spend most of their time on the road and would probably be better off getting the all-road variant…

While I rated the DE pretty highly on the road, I was a little critical of it in the really gnarly stuff. It was too soft for any real charging, and I found myself bouncing off things instead of soaking them up.

So, the first thing I was going to scrutinise here was the changed suspension, especially considering it’s fitted with a simpler Showa big-piston fork only adjustable for pre-load. I’m happy to say I found no real gripes here. In fact, I didn’t need to touch the clickers at all. I’m just on 180cm and 85kgs for reference, and I thought both ends did a pretty decent job of coping with everyday riding, commuting, long stretches, and the odd weekend twisty sesh.

I’ve no doubt loading it up with luggage, or a pillion would be fine with a few more clicks of pre-load on the rear. This is possible via the remote adjuster. So that’s a win, too.

The change in ergos was noticeable for me. I did feel the difference before I looked at the specs. The combination of ever-so-slightly-further-forward body weight, combined with the change in geometry and wheel-size, definitely makes for a sharper road tool.

But it is a slight increase in knee-bend to make that happen. No additional weight on the wrists, though. I may only have noticed it because I’d managed to give my knee a whack on the mountain bike. Nothing majorly damaged though – Captain Klutz continues.

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It’s no sportsbike obviously, but it takes little effort to initiate a turn or change of direction and it’s plenty rewarding enough in the twisties. Corner entry is nicely progressive and there is ample feedback coming at you from that front-end to find your groove.

As with any longish-travel all-road bike, the beauty of these things shines through when you’re throwing the bike into a bumpy, chopped-up, rubbish section of road. Whereas a stiffer more focused bike would be bouncing off things and tying itself in knots, this just gets on with it in relative comfort.

Those bar-end weights do seem wide and I was conscious of them while filtering in amongst lines of cars (I needn’t have been, but they stuck out in my head). I suspect they’re there for a reason. I don’t regularly notice engine vibes, but I could feel a little in my hands and feet after long highway stretches. I need to point out it didn’t bother me and was nowhere near the point of numbness I know some people have, but I normally don’t notice it at all, so figured it was worth a mention.

I found the larger front-screen also gives decent protection. It’s an obvious step up from the DE, but I do wonder if it’s not noisier as a side effect. It offers an adjustment span of 30mm which could improve that further, but that requires unbolting and repositioning. I saw no need to do that, which tells you that it wasn’t really an issue.

The engine and box remain the same as the DE so I won’t dwell too long on that other than to say it’s super-smooth, well-fuelled, with a lovely bottom and mid-range hump, and it doesn’t run out of puff up top either. But just keep it in the fat mid-range and it’s a ripper. And with Suzuki’s reputation it should be fairly bulletproof.

I preferred the throttle setting at B, which took the urgency off the A map. A-mode isn’t overly abrupt; I just preferred the slightly more relaxed feel that (to me, anyway) suited the bike more.

The quick-shifter on this particular bike didn’t seem as smooth as I remember it being on the DE. It felt more like a slick gearbox than a quick-shifter. I even dived into the settings to see if it was turned on. Nothing wrong with the box at all, but I’m not convinced the QS was doing its thing properly on this one.

It also lifts the front wheel easier than you’d expect it to. Part of that is due to what I thought felt like shorter gearing than necessary in this guise. I assume it’s the same as the DE and it might come in handy in really tricky stuff off-road, but on the road, I’d certainly be looking to add a tooth on the front sprocket.

I will talk about the lovely aftermarket Akra slip-on as supplied on this test bike. Plug and play, and designed to not need a tune. Beautiful quality, as always, from Akrapovic, though it didn’t seem all that much louder than the stock muffler to my memory (but it did have a nicer note). Saves two-kilos as well, apparently, which is nice. Not cheap though. A couple of grand for that, I think…

Speaking of money, I’ll jump to the bike’s price here because it’s a full grand cheaper than the DE and comes in at an attractive $17,500 ride-away. A nice price point, for sure. And Suzuki’s 36-month warranty is a year more generous than most. However, there are a few notable omissions that have me scratching my head.

The first is there’s no cruise control. I could begrudgingly accept that for the off-road model, but I think Suzuki missed the mark by not having it on the road model. Not even as an option? That’s hard to understand. Likewise, even though I’m personally not a fan of centre-stands, I’m surprised there isn’t one here. Luckily, heated grips are available as an option.

So, where does that leave us? Well in the end,  The non-DE 800 positions itself as an economic, reliable, fun, capable all-roader without what Suzuki deems as unnecessary bells and whistles. It also has no obvious mechanical flaws. Kind of like the old 650, now that I think about it. Time will tell if the ‘Sans DE’ Strom will pick up a following like the old 650, but they sold a metric shit-tonne of those. And probably will with these too.

We like it because

• Great value, solid build quality
• No real mechanical weaknesses
• Notably lighter, sharper handler than the DE

I’d like it more if

• No cruise control? Eh?
• Did I read that the plastic rear rack is really only rated to 10kg?
• Interested to see what rack options they could bundle

2024 Suzuki V-Strom 800 Specifications

2024 Suzuki V-Strom 800 Gallery