Australasian Dirt Bike — January 2018

96 | JANUARY 2018 http://www.adbmag.com.au

it’s ready to rack up the miles, and
plenty of them. The new dash offers a
different view and a feast of
information, while the 12-volt power
plug is a sensible and practical feature.
First time out and the V-twin motor
feels very familiar, much like the last
version I rode six years ago, which is
not a bad thing at all.
The donk is torquey, for sure, with a
light clutch action and slick shifting
gearbox that makes it an easy mount
in stop/go city traffic. But it likes to
rev, too, with the juiciest part of the
power firing up from around 5500rpm.
But all the way through the power is
smooth and vibration-free, just as
V-Strom 650s have long been
renowned for.
Out on the open road, the motor
purrs along at just 4750rpm at
100km/h with so much more in
reserve. For touring, it’s a great
package, with the V-twin motor
certainly capable of handling the
added load of the missus and luggage
if that’s the way you roll. And it will
handle that chore more comfortably
than a similar-capacity, single-
cylinder machine.
Where the V-Strom 650 has some
hidden skills is on winding bitumen,
where the motor’s free-revving nature
and smooth power delivery, combined

ADV TEST I SUZUKI V-STROM 650XT

withachassisandhandlingpackage

thatjustplainworks,makeitabarrel

offuntoride.Itgoes,itturnsandit

stops,allwithminimumaggravation.

Thefactthatitcomesatabargain

priceisthecherryontop.It’sagreat

road bike, but one that’s not limited

purelytothetar,asV-Strom650shave

beenventuringintothedirtsinceday

onewhenthebikewaslaunchedback

in 2004.

VBOOST

Asanall-roader,the650XTkeeps

tickingboxes,solongasyouhitthe

dirt with your eyes wide open. Gravel

roadsandcruisyfire-trailsaregristfor

themill,butthelimitingfactorsinthe

V-Strompackageforoff-roaddutyare

the road-biased standard tyres and

19-inchfrontwheel,thelowground

clearanceandtotallackofany

V-Strom 650XT is fi ne for this sort of thing

This is the last time we saw our test rider

under-carriage protection, softly

sprung suspension and the non-

switchable ABS that kicks in at the

dropofahatonrocky/loosedown

hillsandactuallyhelpsyougofaster

justwhenyouwanttogoslower.

Thinkofthisadventurepackageas

soft-roader, not off-roader.

Keepitrealandkeepthe650XTin

the soft-core adventure playground for

whichitwasbredandyou’llkeep

grinninglikeafoolwitheverymile

you cover, with the added happy

feelingofallthosedollarbillsstill

tucked safely away in your wallet.

AweekaboardtheV-Strom650XT is

waymoretimethanittakesto

understandwhySuzukihassold

hundreds of thousands of these bikes.

Itcomesloadedwithfeatures,itdoes

precisely the job it was designed for,

albeit in a very understated fashion

andithitstheshowroomfloorwith a

razor-sharp price.

It’s a comfortable, sensible and

practicalchoiceandforthepast

decade and a half, soft-roader ADV

riders have been making it their bike

of choice and that’s not likely to stop

any time soon.

Got something to say about this yarn?

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More images and info at adbmag.com.au

Gravel

roads and

cruisy f ire-

trails are grist

for the mill