DL650 V-STROM
O
k, so if the Suzuki DR650 is the
early 90s Hilux, then Suzuki’s DL650
V-Strom is the 2010 model, in that it
has a few mod-cons, and will pretty much
do everything, excelling in areas where
the DR starts to be out of its comfort
zone, such as fast, wide, open roads.
We took the DL on the same trip, a pair
of stablemate 650s, from Wellington to
Castlepoint, and over to Eketahuna. It
tackled the river bed trail near Masterton,
cruised effortlessly at 110km/h into
a headwind and tried its hand at the
Wellington rush hour commute. It
managed to gain ticks in all the boxes.
On the motorway and open roads the
DL excelled. Simple as that. With plenty
of power on call, it made overtaking
a breeze. The three-stage traction
control ensuring the rear wheel stayed
connected to the road in the wet twisties
as well as over wet manhole covers.
Hitting the twistier roads out towards
Castlepoint, the DL made for effortless
riding, with power all over the rev range
allowing me to keep it in 3rd or 4th
KIWI RIDER 43