Suzuki V-Strom 800 DE

Suzuki has blended the modern design ethos from its latest middleweight naked roadster, the GSX-8S, and the rugged and proper adventure touring stance of other V-Strom models for the V-Strom 800 DE. This new motorcycle follows the V-Strom lineage with its aggressive bodywork, which is complemented by its tall and lean stance.

At the front, the Suzuki V-Strom 800 DE has a minimalist fascia, comprising of vertically-aligned dual LED projectors for the headlamp, which sits within a blacked-out panel that is flanked by slim LED turn indicators. Above the headlamp, the Suzuki V-Strom 800 DE also gets a large and nice-looking transparent windscreen, while the lower part of the headlamp comes affixed with a long and pointy beak, giving it a functional look of adventure tourers. However, some might find the front fascia a bit polarizing to their liking.

Moving towards the side, the Suzuki V-Strom 800 DE impresses with its well-sculpted fuel tank, which looks large and is accompanied by large and edgy-looking tank extensions that flow down towards the engine. The sharp lines of the fuel tank and these tank extensions do add some muscle and aggression to the overall personality of the Suzuki V-Strom 800 DE. The side profile also gets auxiliary panels below the fuel tank, which emerge from behind the fuel tank extensions and flow towards the tail section.

Unlike the GSX-8S on which it is based, the Suzuki V-Strom 800 DE gets spoke wheels, large tread blocks for its tyres and a huge side-mounted exhaust pipe, giving it a proper adventure tourer essence. The functionality of the design of the Suzuki V-Strom 800 DE is more evident in the way this motorcycle is designed at the back, with it getting split seats that are large and comfortable, large aluminium pannier holder, auxiliary panels over the sides of the tail section, long rear fender. An LED tail lamp is nestled here between the tail section and rear fender.

The rider’s cockpit of the Suzuki V-Strom 800 DE also looks functional with high quality switchgear, handlebar crash guards and a full-TFT instrument console with Bluetooth connectivity, which has been shared with the GSX-8S. 

To suit its adventure touring ethos, Suzuki has given the V-Strom 800 DE hardcore hardware, including long-travel suspension setup comprising of inverted telescopic forks at the front and a mono-shock at the rear, which is adjustable. The 19-inch front wheel with 90/90-21 tyre and 17-inch wheel with 150/70 R17 tyre at the rear, along with the high ground clearance, look and feel perfect for the Suzuki V-Strom 800 DE while riding. Even the dual disc brakes at the front and the single disc brake feel perfectly calibrated. 

The Suzuki V-Strom 800 DE shares its four-stroke, liquid-cooled, parallel-twin, 776cc engine with the GSX-8S, which is now Suzuki's in-focus powertrain in the middleweight category. Paired with a 6-speed transmission, this engine impresses with its refinement, power delivery and torque across the RPM range. The Suzuki V-Strom 800 DE, engine claims 84.3 PS of maximum power and 78 Nm of maximum torque.

The Suzuki V-Strom 800 DE is the most well-equipped middleweight adventure tourer from the Japanese two-wheeler brand, with the motorcycle coming equipped with dual-channel ABS, three riding modes, five-level traction control, bi-directional quick-shifter and ride-by-wire. 

The Suzuki V-Strom 800 DE is a huge step over the previous-generation V-Strom 650, with its larger dimensions, more aggressive bodywork, larger and more powerful engine, more modern features and more well-accomplished ride and handling balance, making it one of the most well-engineered middleweight motorcycles of the current times.