Description
Our Suzuki V-strom 1050DE long term review! There's been a huge $4700 price drop in Australia. We got to ride it for three weeks and looked at its pros, cons and how it shapes up to the opposition. First? A quick bit of history. It's been around for ages. Welcome to Cross Training Adventure, we are into all things dual sport and adventure on the east coast of Australia. The original 1000 began in 2002. In 2014 the engine capacity increased to 1037cc and traction control was introduced. In 2023 the Suzuki V-strom 1050DE came out with a 21 inch front wheel, longer suspension, bi-directional quickshifter, frame changes, switchable rear ABS, stronger rear sub-frame. Keen on adventure riding in Australia? Check out our vids. Let's start with what we like in this Suzuki V-strom 1050DE long term review. But for trouble-free riding and long service intervals it's hard to go past Japanese models like this. The Suzuki V-strom 1050DE engine. We loved it. None of the snatchy throttle response that some earlier V-strom owners reported. Even in the aggressive 'A' power mode it's smooth around the city and easy to stick to the speed limit. But hit the throttle and it reaches its 106hp at only 8500RPM. It's bulletproof. We always search all the forums to discover known issues and it's slim pickings with the V-strom 1050. Sure, there are little design quirks which we will cover later. If you like dual sport riding in Australia then you might like our adventure riding vids. It's good to have the milder B and C settings for slippery conditions but we didn't bother using them. It's good to see there's no need for ECU reflashes to get the engine running properly. Good fuel economy too. Overall handling for this Suzuki V-strom 1050DE review? Great. Tokico 4-piston front calipers. Nissin rear caliper. Very progressive. The bi-directional quickshifter works very smoothly and it's one of the best in the industry. It could be a bit clunky just changing down in the lower gears occasionally but otherwise it works great. It's a slick gearbox too with a good spread of ratios. It purrs long at just 3800 RPM at 100kmh. The Suzuki V-strom 1050DE price. As mentioned, the big price drop in Australia makes this one of the cheapest adventure motorbikes over 1000cc. The 21 inch front wheel is a big improvement over the 19 inch wheel especially once you get off-road. But it still handles twisty roads like a dream. The only time it feels cumbersome is at very slow speed or trying to do a U-turn in the dirt. The brakes? Check out our reviews of various adventure bikes and dual sport bikes. All brakes should be this good. Only the CFMoto 1000MT-X is cheaper but of course it's too early to say what the reliability of this Chinese model will be. The next cheapest is the Africa Twin which is $3000 more. In the USA and other countries? So subscribe to our Cross Training Adventure riding channel. The main thing is get out and ride while you can with dual sport riding or Adventure riding in Australia, Canada, Vietnam, Romania and beyond! The V-strom is priced roughly in the middle of comparable motorbikes. ABS and traction control. A rear rack. Alloy skidplate. And plastic handguards. Surprisingly the Suzuki comes with a heavy AGM battery that weighs 4kg. The windscreen is adjustable but you need to undo four screws. Also it can't go low or high enough for tall riders. We all found the wind buffeting annoying regardless of position. A clip-on extension might be all that's needed for tall riders. Otherwise taller windscreens are cheap like this Givi. The handguards will probably snap in a crash but they provide light protection. Potential Suzuki V-strom 1050DE issues. This partly due to some extras you don't usually get with the others - the centre stand, crash bars, rear rack and handguards which probably add 10kg. Personally I've never been a fan. BUT I do think it makes sense on big motorbikes like this. We found 'Gravel' mode was ideal for all the terrain we encountered. And finally it's nice to get some extras fitted as standard on the Suzuki V-strom 1050DE . A centre stand. Crash bars. Even Suzuki's own 8cm higher screen is reasonably priced at AUD 295. The seat. Some owners say it's fine. Quite a few say it's uncomfortable after an hour. Given how cheap the V-strom is in Australia you could direct some of the savings into a much lighter lithium battery and aftermarket exhaust. This would bring it much closer to its competitor's weights. We felt it could be softer. Thankfully there are plenty of aftermarket options starting from just $250 for replacement foam and cover kits. The V-strom 1050DE weight. The V-strom is definitely heavy in its class at 252kg with a full tank. So check out Cross Training Adventure.
INDEX
0:00 Introduction
0:22 A quick history
1:21 What we liked
4:50 Potential issues
7:37 Will it suit you?
#crosstrainingadventure #adventureriding #adventurebikes #dualsportriding
#dualsportbikes