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Long-time readers will remember that I have had a long-time love-hate affair with Suzuki’s big adventure bike.
The love part of the equation has been my ownership of two of the ultra-dependable DLs, whose underlying goodness and value are unquestionable.
The hate, on the other hand, is the result of Suzuki’s somewhat lethargic — that could be read somnolent — rate of development of the venerable V-strom.
No more. Hot on the heels of the news that the 650 version is getting a complete remake — including an all-new parallel twin engine — comes the news of significant revisions to the top-of-the-line 1050 version.
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Across the board, the 1050 will benefit a new TFT instrument cluster. Call it late to the party all you want, an upgrade from the old LCD screen has been on owners’ wishlists for some time now. A USB charging point just adds to the connectivity and there’s a 12V connector under the seat to power more accessories. Throw in a revised cruise control system and a bi-directional — controlling upshifts and downshifts — quick-shifter and the DL1050 has seemingly left the dark ages behind.
More importantly, there’s an all-new model, the DE, and, unlike previous upgrades, the alterations are significant and desired. First off, the DE gets real adventure-style wheels, the front rim having been finally upgraded to a motocross-like 21-inches. For non-bikers — or motorcyclists never having ridden off-road — the upgrade may seem cosmetic. But, as anyone who’s bounded over a whoop-de-do will tell you, the large front wheel is essential in minimizing impacts to the rider when the going gets rough.
So, too, are the suspension upgrades, both front fork and rear single shock gaining about 10 millimetres of travel. Their 170 mm (front) and 169 mm (rear) may not match the specs of BMW’s R1250 GS Adventure, but should nonetheless represent a marked improvement.
More dramatically, ground clearance has been raised some 30 millimetres to 190 mm and there’s a new aluminum skid plate added for increased protection from rocks and tree stumps. Completing the chassis upgrades, the DE gets a longer swing arm to tame the fishtailing when you’re hard on the gas in the dirt.
There will be more of that, since the DE’s ABS/traction control system has been recalibrated. For one thing, there’s now an extremely welcome rear ABS-off mode — exasperated owners of previous models were removing fuses and blanking off brake lines to make their previous V-stroms more off-road-worthy — that lets riders skid the rear brake entering turns. Additionally, there’s a new Gravel mode, which allows the rear tire the same carefree approach to traction when you’re on the gas. Add it all up and the DE should be significantly more competent off-road.
In other regards, the V-strom 1050 is not much changed. It’s powered by the same modestly-powered 1,037-cc V-twin (albeit with a couple of new gear ratios and some sodium-filled exhaust valves) and the same basic electronic package that includes Hill Hold Control and a ride-by-wire throttle amongst others.
The suspension upgrades are all in the details; the construction of the KYB fork and shock remain the same. Ditto much of the bodywork and styling, other than the requisite colour changes.
The much-revised 2023 V-strom 1050DE will start at $18,999, and will be available in the spring of 2023.
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