2011 Suzuki V-Strom Review & 2012 Preview

[Administrator]

Original Article:
2011 Suzuki V-Strom Review & 2012 Preview

Please discuss the Motorcycle.com article 2011 Suzuki V-Strom Review & 2012 Preview in our Motorcycle Forums below. Use the reply button to let others know your comments or feedback on the article. Constructive criticism is always appreciated, along with your thoughts and personal opinions on the bikes and products we have tested.

[bbtowns]

The original luggage available for the Strom for it's first couple of years was both larger and more waterproof, but for some reason they switched to the new smaller design with more color matched plastic and the shortcomings pointed out in the article.

[The Spaceman]

Thanks for the VStrom update, Tom. Its great to hear that another rider finds the bike as engaging as I find my DL1000 to be.

The new 650 looks NICE; and what I hear about the new features for almost no price increase is pretty impressive. If I'm reading the article right, the 2012 DL will be unchanged. That's a shame; with just a little tweaking, Suzuki could have a contender in a hot "Large ADV" market with this bike. With a serious update (adding shaft drive, upgrading the suspension, ABS) they could easily compete with the Tiger 1200, the MultiStrada, etc. IMO, a V-Twin is the right engine layout for this type of bike.

Maybe if they sell enough updated 650's, Suzuki will reconsider updating the 1000.

[Duken4evr]

Agreed Spaceman. The DL1000 engine is a gem. For me, I would love to see some inverted forks and 17" wheels on it.

[sarnali2]

I've always like the Vstrom as well, I think it's a lot of motorcycle for the money. It's a shame about the bags though but for $200. I could certainly live with the dissapointment. The bike I test rode when they came out had GIVI bags and trunk on it, looked nice and integrated. I think that would be the way to go if you had to have more room, or you could just atom bomb your Visa card and buy a set of Zega aluminum boxes and trunk from Touratech.

Being able to carry a ton of crap is a prerequesit for me, otherwise the bike is a toy and my pragmatic nature just won't allow that.

[The Spaceman]

Originally Posted by sarnali2

I've always like the Vstrom as well, I think it's a lot of motorcycle for the money. It's a shame about the bags though but for $200. I could certainly live with the dissapointment. The bike I test rode when they came out had GIVI bags and trunk on it, looked nice and integrated. I think that would be the way to go if you had to have more room, or you could just atom bomb your Visa card and buy a set of Zega aluminum boxes and trunk from Touratech.

Being able to carry a ton of crap is a prerequesit for me, otherwise the bike is a toy and my pragmatic nature just won't allow that.

I've got the Givi side and top cases. I added the AdMore Lighting LED Light Kits to both, and painted the side-case panels to match the bike. They look pretty damn good; although they make the bike almost as wide as my Mini. One side case goes for bike stuff like the cover, oil, toolbag, and bungees; the other two are for me!