New V Strom

Here are the highlight.

- Uses the updated Gladius engine.
- No oil cooler. Uses internal heat exchanger for cooling oil.
- Compression ratio down to 11.2:1 from 11.5:1
- Fuel tank at 20 liters, down 2 liters.
- Taller seat at 835 mm, up from 820 mm.
- Curb weight at 214 kg, down from 220 kg.

Still a lot of unknowns. Don't know the horsepower or the fuel consumption. If it uses less fuel, the smaller tank might not matter.

Kev made a nice writeup on the Gladius engine here:

http://www.ashonbikes.com/suzuki_gladius_technical

I expect the engine for the new V-Strom will be retuned for less HP and more torque lower down, to fit an adventure bike better.

- Crankshaft around five per cent heavier.
- Single valve springs instead of the old twin-spring set-up.
- New camshaft with increased valve lift.
- Engine management improve economy by around 10 per cent.

And regarding the tall seat, Suzuki will have both a low and tall seat available as accessories.

Good write up - no doubt the biking mags will be running features next issue.

It looks like Suzuki fixed just about everything that I need on a bike - I like the details such as non-slip seat / luggage rack. As you say - many small upgrades add up to a big overall improvement (it would look good with wire wheels though).

Definitely top of my short-list for next spring.

Sounds like you were impressed, first impressions are that when my current DL1000 needs replacing this would be near the top of the list.

Meantime, do you think the new seat would fit the old DL1000? The seat is fine but does feel a bit hard after an hour or so and is the only weaker point IMO.

Incidently the "adjustable blade that fits across the top of the screen" makes a real differnce on mine, I am 6'1 and in it's highest position life is a lot quieter and less buffety.

lol !

What is the price difference, out of interest? It's a quality bike the V Strom and very noticeable in Italy.

Good question, and one I'm in a good position to answer as I have both bikes (the 800XC version) on long term loan at the moment. But I haven't had to pay for them and the prices are different enough to matter, with the stock Tiger 800 costing £7,899 with ABS and V-Strom £7,023 on the road. (The 1200GS with ABS btw (which costs almost £1,000) is £11,540). You're likely to get a bigger discount from a Suzuki dealer though.

The Suzuki's more comfortable, quite a bit more economical with a significantly bigger range, and it's also more agile and rewarding in terms of handling. The optional panniers on the Triumph are great, I'm really impressed with these, although with them removed the brackets are ugly and get in the way. The Suzuki's aren't bad but they're set too wide apart.

The Triumph does have some off-road ability, which the Suzuki doesn't - that will matter to a few people though not so many. The Triumph engine is stronger too of course, more torque and power and it sounds better, and as you say, a lot of details are impressive - that easy headlight adjustment is important when you're carrying loads, and the Suzuki is a right pain to adjust. But it does have an accurate economy readout (the Triumph's is desperately pessimistic) and you toggle the dash by a switch on the left bar, with the Triumph you need to lean forward to the buttons on the dash.

Even so, the Suzuki engine is still sufficient much of the time and it does have some character too, I really enjoy riding it. The head alone says the Suzuki, as it offers almost as much for less money and the running costs are lower. The heart's wavering as the Suzuki is just as much fun as the Triumph, sometimes more so, but it also says irrational stuff like, the Triumph looks more imposing, or I want a Triumph for no reason except I do.

Petrust,

this affliction seems quite common. american prices bare no logical relation to australian prices, for instance. It costs me australian $15k to put a thruxton on the road. In america, it's under US$10k. yet the aussie dollar is currently worth MORE than the greenback!? we're a smaller volume market, but taking dollar values into account we're paying almost 60% more than americans for the same bike? that's rubbish, right there. maybe the UK and OZ have much higher import duties?

Not yet, I'm getting a few more miles on the originals first, but they should be going on in the next couple of weeks. I do keep hearing wonderful things about those tyres so my expectations are high...

I'm currently eyeing up trading my 6 month old SV650 in for a v-strom. I love the SV, but its not 100% right fit for the 100 mile a day round trip I have to do, riding position is a bit too sporty and the 160m tank range is a pain as I have to stop everyday lol.

Currently debating between the V-Strom and the New Honda NC 700x... would like to hear Mr Ash's take on which one of these would be most suited to the 40 miles of motorway and 10 miles of inner London Traffic mix in my 500 mile a week commute.

I'm obviously gonna take both for a test ride in the forthcoming weeks, but as many opinions and views as possible would be appreciated.

Cheers :-)

Cheers for the info.... All knowledge and experience is much appreciated :-)

Yeah I love the engine in my SV, it's my first v-twin coming from fours so the spread of power of the v makes commuting quite effortless. I just need to take the weight off my wrists and shoulders a bit for the 90min ride into work and the DL sounds like just the trick.

Does it feel heavy at all in traffic? Although most of my journey is motorway I still have 20 mins of inner London gridlock to deal with. It's hard to find a bike that's roomy and comfy on the motorway and nimble in town lol

Cheers

Thanks for your comments

I have found two bike shops near me that will do me a good deal on both the DL and Honda and are happy to let me go for a test ride. Comfort is the primary reason for my desire to change bikes so I think I could be onto a winner :-)

I will let ya know how my test rides go when the weather gets a bit better

Cheers all