The adventure touring market is one that has evolved in leaps and bounds over the past decade. Gone are the days of choice being solely between BMW and KTM if you want a serious adventure tourer: most manufacturers have a big capacity machine in their range for this market segment.

Suzuki’s V-Strom was launched in 2002 and wasn’t the refined product that the other machines were in this class at the time. Based on the TL1000S sportsbike, the SV proved the perfect engine donor for the V-Strom however.

Strong in mid-range performance, good on fuel, and with great reliability, the original V-Strom was great on the road but off-road lacked the bottom-end power delivery and chassis to be a complete package.

The V-Strom was subtly tweaked in the 11 years since its launch, but it was never enough to keep pace with this class. Sales of it were stopped in Europe a few years back, and as a result development of the machine wasn’t a priority.

But as a reflection of the global market, an adventure tourer was needed in Suzuki’s line-up. Needless to say, the new V-Strom 1000 has been a long time coming. And it’s certainly been worth the wait as not only has Suzuki improved the shortfalls of the previous model off-road, but also improved every other aspect of the machine.

Image: Jeff Crow.

The strongest attribute of the V-Strom has always been the engine’s mid-range performance, something even more significant in this redesigned 1037cc 90-degree V-twin. With a 2mm bigger bore, just about every unit in the engine has been redesigned within the engine cases in search of a more powerful, more controllable engine with better low to midrange performance.

For all the engine’s improvements, the total power output is up by 2kW to 74kW at a 400rpm higher peak of 8000rpm. Nothing to write home about really: the big change is to the torque. Again, while it is only 2Nm more, it is all available byt 4000rpm – 2400rpm lower than the previous engine.

The torque is not only delivered lower in the rev range, but the control of it is improved with a lot more linear throttle response. This improvement comes from the top-end to improve combustion (new pistons, exhaust, airbox, twin plug heads, finer atomising EFI) and give a finer delivery of power. The electronics (ECU, magneto, rectifier, traction control) help in creating those characteristics too, and in the case of traction control, govern it when you need it to.

Strong, progressive and predictable sums up the engine characteristics. It doesn’t have loads of power and doesn’t need to rev high. It pulls strong down low and requires very little in terms of clutch work to keep it moving at slow speed. There’s plenty of punch in the midrange and never a need to keep the engine spinning high in the rev range as all the usefulness of this engine is at low rpm.

The Bosch ABS/traction control system on the V-Strom is Suzuki’s first for a production bike. Using the same wheel sensors as the ABS system, the traction system has two modes and ‘off’ function.

Image: Jeff Crow.

Switchable from the handlebar switchgear, you can change the mode on the fly. The system is excellent on the road and even better off it. Not even an ankle deep mud hillclimb could stop the V-Strom from tractoring up a hill that could have 450 enduro riders paddling their way up.

Light weight and sharp handling has always been a strong point of the V-Strom. On any tarmac road the V-Strom was the sportiest and most aggressive ride. Now while the ergonomics are less sporty, wheelbase slightly longer and rake slightly larger, the package is much more refined on the road, and off it.

Suspension actuation is the primary focus of the chassis: Suzuki didn’t touch things like wheel sizes and ground clearance and subtly revamped the geometry but made much stronger wheels and better suspension. The Kayaba front end particularly, and the full adjustability at each end, has given the V-Strom a much more refined level of suspension control.

On the road, the base setting starts to feel a bit soft when you start to push the bike hard. There’s enough adjustability to get things tightened up and have a bike much better suited to good Australian riding roads than any sportsbike would be. It’s just that the V-Strom feels a bit bigger!

Off-road the V-Strom goes further than before. Everything is built tougher, it’s more forgiving to ride, and more capable of going further. It’s not intimidating in its power delivery and not intimidating in its size – something these big, off-road bikes can so easily be.

Image: Jeff Crow.

The brakes too are new; radial-mounted Tokico four-spots and with ABS control are an excellent package. The ABS system weighs in at just over 1kg and is fitted to every V-Strom 1000. It’s not switchable and is probably the only niggle of an otherwise excellent package for the fact that it is something so simple to provide and something off-road riders will want.

There’s lots of neat little touches on the new Strom, something the old model didn’t have. Accessory power socket, decent size luggage rack, comprehensive instrumentation, fully adjustable suspension, adjustable windscreen: just to name a few.

The riding position is quite neutral and placed at a decent height, but the seat isn’t adjustable. There’s a low seat available that sits you on the shock if you need it.

The V-Strom has gained a lot of ground on the leading lights of the adventure tourer class. Sure, the V-Strom misses out on a bit of the bling you get with the other Euro adventure tourers, but you are spending a lot more money to get it.

With a big improvement in handling, adoption of electronic controls, better ergonomics, engine characteristics, fuel economy and range, there is a lot of value in the V-Strom. It’s not only a worthy competitor of the class, but at under $16k a machine that is hard to go past as the best value motorcycle for exploring the majority of Australia.

Image: Jeff Crow.

Specifications

Capacity: 1037cc
Power: 74kW @ 8000rpm
Torque: 103Nm @ 4000rpm
Wet weight: 228kg
Seat height: 850mm
Price: $15,490
Further information: www.suzukimotorcycles.com.au/bikes/dual-purpose/dual-purpose/2014/v-strom-1000.html