some confidence and , hopefully , a longer inseam . Once moving , it ’ s no great problem . Equally the 21- inch front wheel felt okay on the tarmac , although with an air-temp of 1 º C and snow falling , we were tiptoeing somewhat . In fact , it was so slippery it was a relief to get onto the gravel and find some grip . The DE ’ s OEM tyres were probably a boardroom choice . Chosen by the accountant and the lawyer , having outnumbered the adventure rider . The Dunlop Trailmax Mixtours , I swear , have less tread than the road race tyres we fitted to KR ’ s longterm GSX-R750 a long time ago . There are few edges to speak off , and , so , having selected G-mode it was no real surprise that the V-Strom went pretty much sideways on the first handful of throttle . There are conditions not even sophisticated TC and ABS systems can overcome , and with close to slick tyres ( I ’ m being mean , here ) you had to be careful . On the upside , I ’ ve always liked the V-Strom ’ s Kayaba suspension . It has a sense of plushness and measured damping that allows you to canter down gravel and dirt roads with some confidence . Equally , that alloy beam frame speaks of structural integrity . Add to that , the V-Strom having a fairly slim waist – your feet and calves are not spread wide – mean you can adopt a decent trail standing position . Which means off-road the V-Strom is a lot more confidence inspiring to ride than the stats might imply . The 2023 DE certainly builds on past successes . I took the 2013 ( 2nd Gen ) V-Strom to the Hafren Rally ( rallying in the UK is off-road with stage sections against the clock – kind of enduro-lite , most ride 450cc enduros ) and successfully negotiated Strata Florida ( a fearsome 5km rock and river section ) time and again . The 2020 XT I rode in a Rally Moto Tour of Wales – 500km / 10 hours , road & dirt – and that bike , too , impressed with its natural off-road capability . The 2023 feels more of the same , just a little more refined . On more aggressive tyres it ’ ll go well . From a rider comforts point of view , the cockpit and ergos are very similar to the XT , given its size there ’ s plenty of comfort , on the move all is good and there ’ s the adjustable screen too , it feels good . Just the slow stuff , as said – U-turns are a tiptoe pressure point . The new 5-inch TFT screen is good and I like the simplicity of the modes selection which operates with the minimum switches ( unlike say the Honda Africa twin ) and is all quite easy to use . Of the modes
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