I found the ergonomics of the DL to
be outstanding. The seat is truly all-day
comfortable, and when you do stand up
on the pegs, the nice wide tank gives
plenty to grip with your knees. The screen
up front keeps a decent amount of wind
off you, although anyone over 6’ (183cm)
might benefit from a taller screen. Ben
reckoned that at 6’ it was good for him.
The electronic traction control was helpful,
keeping the bike planted. There are two levels
of control equating to dry and wet and it
works well. The ABS is good too (there’s none
on the DR) but it would have been nice to be
able to turn it off for gravel and riverbed use.
To sum up the V-Strom in a word, it would be
smooth. But one word simply isn’t enough to
do this great bike justice. It’s a very capable
bike on the tar seal – super comfortable on
motorways and a real blast in the twisties – and
it surprised me with how good it was off road
and on gravel. I don’t mean pukka WR250F-
kinda dirt biking off road, but it’s a good bike
for exploring up a gravel track to see where it
goes, that kinda thing. It even made the deathly
46 KIWI RIDER
boring, straight sections of SH2 comfortable
and tolerable. It’s calm and calculated, solid
and dependable, with the power to get up and
boogie if you ask it to. Can’t really ask for more
than that. Especially at $13,999. Great bike.
AND THE WINNER IS...
I’d gone into this expecting the V-Strom to be
the clear winner. My personal bikes are Yamaha
MT-07 and a WR250F. One I commute on, the
other I ride the trails on. Firstly, the V-Strom has
a great engine and can do pretty much anything
as long as it’s on a gravel track or easier. It’s
a really capable all-rounder that surprised
me with its ability. But once the going gets
deep and rutted it’s out of its comfort zone.
The DR on the other hand is also surprisingly
good as an all-rounder but its comfort zone
is twisty roads through to deeper dirt –
motorways aren’t the DR’s forté. I’d love to
be able to point to one corner of the ring to
decide a winner, but it’s not that clear cut.
These stablemates have their own leanings,
it all depends on which one suits yours.