SUZUKI DL1000 V-STROM (2002 - 2008) Review

Version: K2

Year: 2002

Annual servicing cost: £300

I ride for 10 years now, in which 7 of them the Suzuki V Strom 2002 is my daily. I use it from -5 C to 40 C here in Romania to go everywhere: coffee shops, supermarket, weddings, funerals, track days and so on... Even tough, more heavier than the more popular 650 version, I like it more for the surefooted-ness, snappy acceleration, double exhaust and timing gear whine. If you’re taller than 185 cm and heavier than 90 kg the bike is more than manageable, I would say. Very easy, intuitive bike to ride and doesn’t need a lot of imput to steer it. Shorter people would say that is top heavy. Pretentious people would say the brakes lack power and feel. The lack of ground clearance makes it more of a pavemenet machine but can be used on dirt roads.

Buying experience: Bought it in 2017 with equivalent of @2800 pounds back then, from a private seller with @40.000 kms after he purchased it half a year earlier from a renown multi brand dealership here in Romania. Planning to keep it 2~3 years more then get a 2016+ Honda VFR1200X CrossTourer or 2012+ Kawasaki GTR 1400.

Year: 2006

I think that the people that hype this bike in 2024 have never ridden a proper motorcycle. As an adventure bike it is awful. Extremely top heavy. This is a touring bike and nothing close to adventure bike.

Version: K8

Year: 2008

Annual servicing cost: £200

Decent power, quick acceleration, very comfortable, great V Twin sound, low center of gravity makes it flickable in the twisties. Light and easy to handle for such a big bike. Keep an eye on the speedo - you can find yourself running a lot faster than what it feels like. Great tourer on tar and gravel. It's a bit sluggish around 2000rpm or less, does not like to putter along, mine has had engine cut out a few times after a cold start (in warm weather). I highly recommend this bike to all riders, especially long distance multi day tourers, and folks over the age of 50 :).

Buying experience: Bought this 2009 model with 40 000 miles on. It had been treated well by previous owner, and stored indoors. Replaced chain and sprockets and rear brake disc shortly after my purchase, but nothing unusual or unexpected to be spent. Price for bike was ZAR 52 000 and another ZAR 10 000 on necessary replacements and tyres.

Version: Canadian VStrom

Year: 2008

Annual servicing cost: £120

The VStrom 1000 is outdated when compared to modern bikes in this class but, if you can get one well maintained and sorted out it still makes a very good and reliable tourer. There are still quite a few in the market with low mileage and very affordable pricing. Take care of your clutch basket shudder, keep an eye on your voltage and upgrade your suspension (correct springs & valving) and you have a keeper.

Version: K8 GT

Year: 2008

Annual servicing cost: £500

Best all round Bike I ever had. So far! Yes would recommend to anyone.

Buying experience: I paid £6k for Bike 2nd hand in2010.

Year: 2004

Annual servicing cost: £300

Found a nicely-kept 2004 with 31K miles. Was not initially impressed with the power, specially the power delivery, but found it was basically ignored for years. With some known fixes (clutch basket, new screen (Moose shorty), Power Commander, fork brace, etc.), it's surprisingly capable - smoother, faster, easier to ride. Plenty of stretch-out room, and good places for a pillion and luggage. A keeper, but support from dealers is getting thin.

Buying experience: Bought it used from an individual who was NOT on his game. Luckily he only had it for a couple years, and didn't ride it much. Find one with documentation, specially evidence of regular maintenance. And, make sure you have someone who can work on it locally *before* you buy it.

Year: 2004

Amazing to ride, breaks smoothly and it gives you more than you would expect from a low budget motorbike.

Buying experience: I bought it from a dealer with 48000km for 3500€. Excellent condition.

Year: 2007

Annual servicing cost: £200

So far, so good... Over 70k miles covered. It's a reliable bike, I bought it used but I don't regret it. It's quite thirsty. I think the twin exhausts are a cool feature.

Year: 2003

Annual servicing cost: £300

The upright riding position is very comfortable but the stock seat has to go. It's hard to tell that you're not on a sport bike when you hit the twisters. Great bike overall.

Year: 2005

very impress except to ride slow, have to play the clutch in trails so engine does not go below 3000 I will change the sprockets to 16-43.

Stock it's an ok bike - suspension average at best, decent motor, excellent ergos and weather protection. With a PC & dyno Tune, opened up airbox, Remus cans it barks & runs much better (97 HP). Racetech fork springs, and revalved fork, Penske shock, lowered front by 1.5", raised rear 1 1/4", it's no GSXR but handles extremely well. The long seat to peg distance makes it very comfortale, but a bit top heavy. Great value if you know how to make the right mods. It is but ugly, but I bought it to ride, not look at. Mine will hang with any other adventure bike until the road turns turns to goat trail.

Beautiful from some angles,and as ugly as big Hilda from the chippy from other angles, very few people know what to make of the big DL, unless they've owned one. It lacks glamour and focus but once you've had one, they'll always hold a place in your heart. It looks massive but is infact light and agile, weighing less than a Honda 800 Vfr. A big tank, comfy seat, bullet proof punchy engine,and good weather protection are a few of its good points. Aftermarket is easy and I recommend: progressive front springs, hyperpro rear suspension, Renthall fatbars, Oxford heated grips, Leo Vince/two Bros exhausts, Givi crash bars, Givi panniers and backbox. Poor bouncy suspension and poor brakes are its main faults but curable. So if you want a bike that is almost as good as a GS but at a fraction of the price and you can ignore some questionable styling and a few budget parts, this is a fantastic buy. Suzuki describe it as a dual purpose sports tourer and it is. Gravel, highway, commute, tour, racetrack, one up, two up, it does it all and pretty well indeed. If you think that you might get one, then get one, you won't regret it.

Why is the ugly BMW GS the benchmark for big trailies? Don't get me wrong its great to ride, solid, powerful, great handling and mature; but with the boxer that gets in the way or demaged with serious greenlaning, horried looks, stupid switchgear.... what is it about it? And why does nobody even mentions the V-Strom as a competitor? I can only guess - because it worries the competition. It is simply the best of all: Tiger, to heavy unreliable and useless for even gravel, Varadero an expensive softy with no soul, Aprillia not really a serious contender, KTM ugly as pig (which is why most are orange...), less reliable and more expensive than the V-strom. After a few month of Immobilizer related problems that proved a challenge to get right, I finally enjoyed hundreds of miles of mixed british roads: A,B and M. Even some green laning. In the sun, rain and frost. The V-Strom is so easy to live with. It easily keeps up with 'hard working, sport bikers on smoot A-roads, copes brilliantly with the poorer roads of the yorkshire dales and is almost as comfy as a tourer on the motorways. so why does it get so little recognition? shame it's discontinued too. Let's hope a new version, just as good, comes out again. I'll cercainly buy one.

I bought mine new in July '07. I began taking trips the following week, it was broken in within a week and ready for first service. I put a Suzuki gel seat on when I bought it, never have sat on the original. Also bought bar risers to come up and back a couple inches both ways. It's fairly comfortable for 2-3 hours, need to stretch a bit after that. I often ride to Central Oregon, a 4 hour(less at times) trip to where I go. Stop about half way for gas and bathroom, I'm good the rest of the way. Not a pro at all, but love to corner, it does quite well except if it's wet and you corner on cross walk paint or railroad tracks, hops a bit sideways if you don't slow way down. Only real issue I've had, when it was about 10 months or so old, about 8,000 miles, it started running badly at steady speeds unless I revved it quite a bit. Barely got it too the dealer, they changed plugs but couldn't duplicate the problem. Ran good for a while, then did same thing a couple of times, though not as bad as first time. Again, really couldn't find it, though they suspect factory lean settings at lower revs, supposed to be a fix for that, new chip or something. Other than that, really nothing wrong, been a mostly very good bike and a good buy I thought. Love the torque available, and if you kick down a gear to pass on a 2 lane road, pulls very hard to 90-100mph very fast. The test says top speed of 130, I've had mine to 130-135 several times and still more to go, dealer says 150 and I bet it's close. All in all, avery good bike and I've met many people that have 650's and 1000's and they are generall y very pleased with them.

two years now ...total reliability ...strong engine from the start ..the handling has improved no end ..raising links [ebay..up inch at the rear ] hagon rear shock ohlins springs sae 15 oil [fork brace ..murphs 020s fitted instead of swapping the bike i have improved it ..its cost around 1500 pounds but what i have now is a real compliant and competant bike one or two up the engine has a tourque curve betwwen 3500 and 7500 revs that you could play bowls on it dynod at 94.7bhp at rear wheel 97 nm torque at 4800 revs i get miffed when people say ugly bland japanise ect ect this bike has loads of chariter ..as a ex 1150 1200gsand varadero pilot ..in its present form its the best road bike of them all ....for not a lot of money the screen is the best of any bike ive sver ridden google madstat brackets [clever ajustable up down 4inches also the forward/ rear pitch ..and add a givi tall screen absalutly superb protection buffet free all day at a ton no dealers feed it halfors oil and the odd filter air filter gets very dirty when its abroad i paid 4900 quid four months old 900 miles ill get half me money back on improvments on ebay a lot of bike for no money at all

I have an 03 with 80,000 km. During the past five years the only problem has been a leaking slave cylinder --however routine cleaning keeps this under control. The Strom is a great bike, among the very best purchases I have made in my life. The engine has great torque, the clutch on 03 is flawless. I am 5'8" so I do find the bike a bit top heavy, especially when stationary --getting it upright off the kick stand, or in the garage. Over time you get used to it, but with a full tank of gas, you need to be careful at very low speeds.

after 5 years of riding a bandit600, when it came to upgrade, this was the only bike that fit the budget, me (6'4"), my requirements. the engine is stunning, and pulls effortlessly. the looks - although not to everyones taste, are suitable "rugged" i think, its not a panzer wagon, and its 'off road' ability is definately a second priority. if you are looking for an excellant all round fun to use, eurotourer, commuter, workhorse, this is the bike that gets constantly over looked, its like the new tiger, but less, its like the varadero, but less (and less ugly), its way less than the sports tourers, less than the panzer......allround excellant.

My last bike was a Kawasaki kh250 in 1978 so not fair to compare - Bought the V Strom as Im 6'5" and it seemed to be the biggest bike on the market - Its turned out made to measure - love it - Doing high mileage and everything other than the alarm is brilliant

best bike i ever bought

I rode the BMW R1200GS - good, but pricey. I thrashed the KTM990 - great fun, but the riding position wasn't comfortable, and it didn't like pottering through villages at 30mph. I rode the V-Strom and it became welded to my backside. It does the lot for 3k less than the BMW. The dog's....

Having hired BMW enduro bikes I was looking for a cheaper alternative. I tried the Honda Valadero, looked at the Triumph Tiger but once I had once seen the V-strom for the first time I went for it. It only needed a very short test ride to confirm my initial good feeling about it. The V-strom has phantastic, honest, non discript (some may say boring) looks. It's symmetrical, (dials, headlamps, exhausts), non aggressive down to earth and supptle. Mine was fitted with the paniers which I ended up using much more than I thought I would. since bying it in June I covered 2.500 miles, with and without my girl, traveling, urban fun, mountain roads and even a little off road. The latter is the only area it can not match the BMW! Else it is much more comfy, easy to control, powerful enough and great fun. And the sound is again fitting the caracter: relaxed, understated yet powerful, underlining the great character of this bike. Let's hope durabilty on my 2 year old bike will never be an issue (until now I had zero troubles) Highly recommended bike!!

Back to biking after several years i bought a GS500 to see if its still there, i then got the want's, I tried a few tourers from the showroom including the Honda Varadero?, but the V strom kept winking at me! One good ride and I was hooked I've had her 5 months and just got back from a 1100 mile trip around scotland, two up with her in doors and all the bags and boxes. Avr 44mpg, no problem with the bike, the front screen did the job but when dirty and raining, visibility was hard work, blow 60mph I had to drop out of overdrive (6th) to pull away quickly but as you know its not a problem, all round great bike. Lean forward for fun or arms stretched for crusing.

Went to this from a GSXF750 - not the most extreme seating position, but still not comfy for 6' me! Test rode a Bandit 1250 at Crescent and didn't like it, they threw me the keys of a V-Strom and the test ride was a revalation! The handling was execellent - wide bars mean you can flick it around, seating postion just right, screen good etc. Love the v-twin, can't wait to get through the running in now I've bought one!

Swapped by Tiger for a VStrom last year. Love it! Better handling,especially high-speed cruising on m-ways! Engine bit lumpy at first but now much smoother with plenty of torque. Great for 2-up touring and fantastic value for money.

When the other half decided that WE needed a new bike she chose the Strom over all the others. because she said it was comfy. Almost a year later she still says that even after a trip of several hundred miles in one go. I cant fault the bike really other in that she does have a tendancy to cut out when braking with the clutch in (apparently Cagiva Raptors do this as well - same engine). Have done over 7000 miles since getting the bike a lot of it abroad and usually get around 185 miles before panicing. Although I have got over 202 miles to a tank. However this drops to around 130 when commuting. I put the touring screen on the bike and think that the wind buffeting is now worse. Added full Givi luggage and a centre stand. The brakes are more than good enough to haul such a lump to a halt even from Autobahn speeds. Lovely strong motor that loves motorways and some twisties. Comfy position with a great view over most London cages, even the black cabs. Strengths: Both Pilot and Pillion comfort, sound of the Engine, all round view. Weaknesses: Wind buffeting. Tendancy to cut out when slowing down.

Just done my 1st ride on it.(150kms)What a bike! Far exceeds my bikes I had in the UK (Triumph Sprint & Blackbird) in terms of comfort. Riding position is 100%. Bit wary at first taking sharp bends (plenty here) not a worry, went through with ease with not a hint of trouble. Having no trouble with wind buffering head on or side. Adjustable screen on 06 models here. Same in UK? Strengths: Comfort is suberb. Handling is brilliant.bullet proof engine. Mid range power. 6th gear (overdrive). Handy here where most roads are straight. Weaknesses: Brand new bike. Not run in yet so not found any. Watch this space though!

Tired of the buffeting from the windshield on my bike I decided to swap the higher flip up touring screen which came with the bike to a standard lower screen. Result; A definite reduction in buffeting but more wind noise (as you would expect), I think it's a worthwhile trade off as I use ear plugs anyway. I can now actually read roadsigns at higher motorway speeds! I've also stuck a Scottoiler on it which seems to work very well. Overall I'm still very satisfied with the Strom and have had no other problems with it. Strengths: Comfort, strong engine, real world ability. Weaknesses: Bad wind buffeting at high speed. Poor rear brake.

Bought this in early 03 to get off sportier machinery and it fit the bill beautifully. Last summer I took it off to Italy, spending 10 days all over the Alps with Givi 52l. Top box, bedding roll, tent and Streetpilot 3 to show me the way. It handled everything from 650 mile autoroute days (London to the far side of Lake Geneva) to the twistiest hairpin roads with amazing composure. Strengths: Flexibility, midrange grunt, view. Weaknesses: Saggy back end needs raising and firming.