SUZUKI DL1000 V-STROM (2017 - 2019) Review

Bike is terrific when mile munching on the motorway but we all know how boring this gets. When I am out for a ride I always go the "long way round" purely to avoid motorways and stick to the A and even B roads where its probably at its best. It handles beautifully for a big bike, safe with great grip from the Bridgestone tyres, and oozes of torque making a really relaxed ride. Brakes are fantastic and have plenty of bite. I don't agree with some testers who state the brakes could be improved by changing the pads. The stock brakes have plenty of feel and I have the ABS setting to 2 which is mild interference but so far they have never activated. Over longer distances, I have ridden for 2 tanks of fuel before feeling the need to get off and have a rest. That's around 400 miles (full day out) and in the past I could never have done this on any other bike I've owned.

I nearly knocked a star off because of the way the the engine delivers its power but then realised that actually, it doesn't matter. Put it this way, if you are looking for that "top end rush" that the old SV1000 and the TL1000 had before that then you will be disappointed. But wait ..... go hard on the throttle in first, snick second, snick into third and after some 5 or 6 seconds you are approaching illegal 3 figure speeds. The thing is, the engine hasn't revved past 5500rpm to do that. Top end rush ..... naah .... thing of the past and totally not needed. The bike shifts along on torque and feels completely relaxed. The only gripe I have is that the throttle response is a little snatchy at low speed but once you get used to it you don't notice it after a while.

I have been a Suzuki fan for many years, ever since I was 16 and had my first moped. Build quality has improved massively and so far I have had no issues whatsoever. No failed parts, no rust or furring of fasteners and total reliability so nothing to report. 3 and a bit years old now, 6000 miles and all is tickety boo.

No high running costs or obscene servicing charges. Dealer prices near me are very fair. I average about 50 to 54 mpg but on a rather gentile week I have genuinely stretched that to about 68mpg by riding gently just to see what I could achieve and it did impress me.

I have recently changed tyres and gone from the stock Bridgestone Battlewings to Metzeler Tourance due to recommendations from a few friends and they were on offer at £90 cheaper per pair fitted. I have to be honest, the Metzelers don't work so well on this bike. The Bridgestones are totally stable at higher motorway speeds but the Metzelers have a slight weave at high speed. I don't often ride that high a speed (honest officer) so won't be a major issue for me but thought I would point it out. Grip on the Metzelers though are at least equal to the Bridgestones on Tarmac and better then them on the loose stuff but I will definitely be going back to Bridgestones once these have worn because 95% of my rides are on Tarmac. Favourite feature of the standard bike is its looks. I adore the beaky styling and think Suzuki have got the styling spot on for this incarnation and look forward to when my deal ends so I can go try the brand new 1050. Accessories that I recommend and have personally fitted to my bike are Givi engine bars, Givi aux lights, Puig touring screen, Puig splash guard, Oxford heated grips, Givi rear Mono-key 50 litre top box, R&G paddock bobbins, R&G extended chain guard and and one highly recommended upgrade is to remove the standard slab square mirrors and replace with some Oxford diamond shaped after market mirrors. They are far more aero dynamic and massively reduce buffeting around the side of your helmet. Im 6'1 tall and my head was in the wrong place at speed. The change of mirrors was a god send and recommended by several guys on the V-Strom groups. Cheap upgrade too. I never bothered with the adventure luggage ... why? Well what's the point when they are there for the most part for show and can cost over a £1000. The big top box does me fine plus I have the smaller genuine Suzuki expandable tank bag for wallet, phone etc. Its also one less thing to worry about when filtering through traffic because after all, whilst they look nice and chunky and even impressive to a point, these things add width and weight. Friends of mine have them fitted and never use them. Even they admit it was just for the looks and are a pain in traffic. Well my bike looks equally as nice and is more practical in the real world. My European touring days are long done but I have fitted a Touratech satnav mount for my Garmin Zumo XT. There's plenty to explore on my doorstep in Wales and numerous places I've never been to yet so this will help me find them. I also have dash cam front and rear fitted but not sure whether I like it or not. I have slightly mixed feelings on it but I have had a couple of near misses on roundabouts where to some idiot drivers, giving way to the right is not in their vocabulary and the attitude seems to be "oh its a biker, he ain't gonna argue with my car (van)" so I decided to at least try and protect myself somewhat. As a personal thing, I noticed that on the rear panels under each side of the pillion seat of the new 1050, Suzuki have added a splash of colour so I hunted down some coloured sticky back plastic and cut and shaped really close colour matching decals. My bike is Candy Daring Red and the subtle rear flash of colour really sets the rear end off and breaks up the all black monotony

Brakes are superb both in efficiency and feel , not yet felt the abs but nice to know it’s there, seat is comfortable between fill ups and my long suffering wife and pillion says it is the best bike she has been on the back of by far, gearbox is so silky smooth

All the power is low down in the rev range, has no top end to it all, which I nearly marked it down on, but for virtually all the time out on it the power or rather torque is exactly where you want it. Gearbox is perfect

Superb , 8000 miles now, apart for a bit of trouser grub on the yellow seat ( which I could probably get off , still looks brand new

Only had minor services so far and nothing has gone wrong, cheap to insure and averaging 56 mpg, ridden briskly

My bike has full givi luggage which just clips and locks on and off in seconds, the dash is not all singing and dancing colour screen but everything you need is there and very easy to read

Really All day comfortable in all conditions. Suzuki heated grips and handcuffs brilliant. Brakes are excellent backed up by cornering abs.

Suzuki pushed the torque down into the midrange which makes for a relaxed ride. It is not a sportsbike but due to its excellent handling and relaxed manner covers ground extremely rapidly. The benefit is easy overtaking and 50 mpg. It will cruise at an indicated 125 mph sitting upright if that is your need on autobahns. Surprisingly stable at high speeds with full metal luggage. One of the best v twin engines made. The media are often a bit snide about and Suzuki but if it had Ducati as the badge would rave about it.

Nothing has failed or corroded despite it being the bike I use in winter and wet weather. I do keep it clean and do not put it away with road salt on it.

The price is main dealer cost. However it is easy to service yourself for much less. Running costs low. Adventure tyres last ages, uses no oil and averages 50 mph unless really ragging it. Test rode lots of the competition but this just hit the right spot. Enough power, excellent torque, no excess complexity but did have the safety kit I wanted, excellent finish and over reviews were excellent.

Heated grips with handguards; fantastic engine bars from Heed that are really well made. Cornering abs.

Lovely buckets full of torque

Can ride for 2 to 3 hours before getting off pillion about 2 hours she's says it's comfy enough.brakes and suspension spot on really surprised at this price point.

It's like driving a diesel car not much point reving it much above 4000 revs but in real world riding on back roads it's perfect just using all that low down torque.

Heel guards. and ignition switch can be a bit of a fiddle

£190 for a service good on fuel

All you need no gimmicks could maybe do with cruise control.