2023 SUZUKI V-STROM 800DE DEBUT

Packing 62kW from the new parallel twin at 8500rpm (1kW more than the GSX-8S manages from the same engine) and 78Nm at 6800rpm, the new V-Strom is a much more serious off-road proposition than previous bikes to wear the name.

A 21-inch front wheel and 17-inch rear, both wire-spoked and wearing tube-filled Dunlop Trailmax Mixtour rubber, are allied to Showa inverted forks and a piggyback Showa monoshock with full adjustability for preload, compression and rebound at both ends.

Unlike the new Honda Transalp unveiled at the same time at EICMA, which borrows its frame from the CB750 Hornet, the V-Strom has a dedicated chassis that isn’t shared with the GSX-8S street bike. It’s a steel tube chassis, allied to an aluminium swingarm, and the whole package is wrapped in styling that harks back to the DR Big, including that trademark ‘beak’ on the nose. The 855mm seat height is par for the course, and unlike the Transalp the Suzuki has an adjustable screen, although you’ll need to break out the toolkit to move it between the three positions.

Like the GSX-8S, the V-Strom gets a standard quickshifter and three riding modes from the ride-by-wire throttle, plus four traction control settings and two ABS modes. There’s also the ability to switch off the rear wheel’s ABS for off-road riding. It’s all controlled via the same 5-inch TFT dash that’s used on the GSX-8S.

At 230kg wet, the V-Strom is towards the heavier end of the scale in its class. The BMW F850GS is 229kg, but the Tenere 700 is only 204kg and the new Transalp comes in at 208kg.

A question mark hangs over the pricing, which isn’t expected to be announced until nearer the bike’s on-sale date – it’s not expected to reach dealers until August 2023, so there’s still around 10 months before it will be available.