S
uzuki’s V-Strom 1000 has always been a very
solid performer and has undoubtedly been
the option for excellent bang for your hardearned
buck. Blessed with a very durable, flexible
engine and a competent chassis, the big V-Strom
offers for comfortable and effortless operation.
Roll it all together in a generally idiot-proof
design that suffers no real issues and you have
one of the great all-rounders. However, it’s fair to
say the Suzuki hasn’t been the most glamorous
adventure/touring option on the market, but its
excellent functionality and reliability has won it
legions of fans, quite justifiably.
For 2020 the V-Strom has had a major facelift.
We’re testing the XT version, which is the one
with all the bells and whistles. I have to say, it
looks really rather cool. Our test machine was
painted in brilliant pearl white with glass blaze
orange contrast and it is bright – it’s certainly
no Shrinking Violet. The retro styling, by Ichiro
Miyata who penned many Suzuki designs back
in the 80s, is bold and distinctive. Taking its cues
from Suzuki’s Dakar racer and the DR750, I liked
the looks from the get-go. For others who are
not quite so enamoured by the 1050’s looks, give
it time as they’re sure to grow on you.
The updated 1050 engine is actually the same
1037cc V-Twin donk from the previous model,
but it has been seriously fettled to be Euro 5
compliant. The main differences are bigger
throttle bodies and new cam profiles with less
duration and overlap (to promote better burn)
but with more lift (to give it some power back
at the top-end) – with ignition and fuelling
tweaked to suit.
KIWI RIDER 45