Suzuki V-Strom 800DE

Based on the same platform as that of the GSX-8S, the Suzuki V-Strom 800DE gets a proper adventure tourer design, which makes it look focused and functional. This motorcycle has true adventure motorcycle ethos with a tall stance, lean and sharp design and bits like knobby tyres and spoke wheels. However, some elements of the motorcycle might not go well with all people, despite them giving it a unique look.

Take, for instance, the front fascia of the Suzuki V-Strom 800DE. In an attempt to make it look distinctive, Suzuki gave it a vertical look with LED projectors arranged one over the other. While it might look brilliant and futuristic to some, others might find it a bit quirky and overdone for their tastes. These projectors, along with the LED position lamp at the top, are incorporated within a blacked-out cowl, which looks busily styled. Adding more substance to the front look of the Suzuki V-Strom 800DE is the large transparent windscreen, the height of which is adjustable.

The rest of the design of the Suzuki V-Strom 800DE also looks quite sharp, with the motorcycle having edgy designs for the front beak, the large tank and the semi-fairing which joins the fuel tank and front fairing, while incorporating the tank extensions. All these panels do give the Suzuki V-Strom 800DE the required visual mass of a middleweight adventure tourer. Elements like a high ground clearance of 220mm, aluminium sump guard, spoke wheels and knobby tyres further make the motorcycle look focused on its purpose of going over rougher surfaces with ease.

To make it look like a proper adventure tourer, Suzuki has even given the V-Strom 800DE bits like a large and well-padded single seat and huge pannier holders at the back, which also double up as the pillion grab handles. At the rear, the Suzuki V-Strom 800DE gets a long rear fender with an LED tail lamp and LED turn indicators at the top, though the wide gap between the rear fender and the rear tyre looks slightly out of place.

The Suzuki V-Strom 800DE impresses new-generation riders with its tall-placed full-TFT 5-inch instrument console, which shows all the possible information a rider requires while going over all types of terrains. There is also a nifty USB charging slot placed beside the instrument console.

To tackle the worst of terrains, the Suzuki V-Strom 800DE has been armed with a capable long-travel suspension setup, comprising inverted telescopic forks at the front and a link-type mono-shock at the rear. To complement its off-road riding capabilities, the Suzuki V-Strom 800DE comes with 90/90-21 front and 150/70 R17 rear tube-type tyres over 21-inch front and 17-inch rear spoke wheels. A pair of disc brakes at the front and a single disc brake at the rear are fine-tuned for a responsive braking experience.

Sharing its four-stroke, liquid-cooled, parallel-twin, 776cc engine with the GSX-8S, the new Suzuki V-Strom 800DE claims to deliver a maximum power output of 84.3 PS and a peak torque output of 78 Nm. These figures make the V-Strom 800DE much more powerful than the V-Strom 650XT, giving it one of the most powerful and usable mid-range among all adventure tourers. Like a traditional Suzuki engine, the refinement and smoothness levels of this engine are unquestionable.

The best-equipped middleweight adventure tourer motorcycle from Suzuki to date, the V-Strom 800DE gets features like dual-channel ABS, traction control, Suzuki Drive Mode Selector with three modes (Active, Basic and Comfort), rear ABS cancel mode, Gravel Mode, bi-directional quick-shifter, low RPM assist and ride-by-wire.

If the polarising design of the Suzuki V-Strom 800DE looks fine to you, it is one of the finest all-rounder adventure tourers with a capable parallel-twin engine and fine mechanical hardware ready to take on whatever you throw at it.