Rider Magazine 2012 Suzuki DL650A V-Strom "Review"

[Garandman]

The February 2012 edition has a "review" of the 2012 DL650A. Rider has been rather positive towards the DL650: several staff members own one, and most notably, after the comparison with the 2011 DL650A [same since 2007] Tiger 800 a few months back, the Senior Managing Editor bought the test bike. It was kind of curious that they tested a four year old product when the replacement had already been announced.

I use review parenthetically because this article could have been written from the spec sheet and the first ride reports. There's no performance data other than a dyno graph, which shows a 2.7hp hp increase and 1.8 ft lbs more torque.
They give a wet weight of 471 lbs and say it's 18 lbs lighter but don't say if this was tested or provided by the manufacturer. Guess we'll have to wait for Motorcycle Consumer News to get a more thorough review.

Hell For Leather already gave their "review." It's not red, Italian or over 100 hp so it sucks, even though they don't cook your legs, break, or use a lot of gas.

he minimal mechanical changes to the 2012 Suzuki V-Strom 650 make it almost too boring to write about. Luckily, you can look at these pictures instead. Unlike the ones that accompanied the original leak, the ones in this leak are very large, so you can see all that plastic in great detail.

Naults Suzuki said they will have them mid-January.

[Chippertheripper]

One question: can I ride it like a big dirtbike?

[Garandman]

471 lbs, 6.3" suspension travel, cast alloy wheels.

[markbvt]

I'm sure the updated Wee-Strom is a good bike. The original certainly was. I happily put 40,000 miles on mine.

But that did not stop the Wee-Strom from having no personality. It was a riding appliance. It just didn't have that greater-than-the-sum-of-its-parts quality that we tend to call "soul."

My Triumph Tiger 800 XC, though, which replaced my Wee-Strom, has that quality in spades. It's an objectively excellent bike, PLUS it has lots of personality, and is just plain wicked fun to ride.

I'm not trying to downplay the new Strom -- I'm sure it's a terrific bike for what it is, an entry-level ADV tourer that's designed to draw in the rider on a budget. But I also understand HfL's viewpoint, because I've owned both a Wee-Strom and the Tiger (which HfL loved, by the way, despite not being red, Italian, or over 100hp).

--mark

[Garandman]

Lol, first post of the new year and Mark is bagging his V-Strom and waxing poetic on the Triumph. Happy New Year!

They say people buy with their hearts and justify the purchase with their heads. I'm curious why you ever bought the DL650 in the first place? The attributes you mention (and their result - anvil-like reliability/durability) were well known.

2011 DL650 versus 2011 Tiger 800 comparison test.

[markbvt]

Lol, first post of the new year and Mark is bagging his V-Strom and waxing poetic on the Triumph. Happy New Year!

Well... the Tiger's a better bike, pure and simple. That's not to say that the Strom isn't a good bike, just that the Tiger's an outstanding bike.

They say people buy with their hearts and justify the purchase with their heads. I'm curious why you ever bought the DL650 in the first place? The attributes you mention (and their result - anvil-like reliability/durability) were well known.

I bought the Strom because it was what was available at the time, in the US at least. I'd ridden one belonging to a friend and was impressed by its handling and comfort. There were no other options in the middleweight class aside from the F800GS, which had been announced but I don't think it had actually appeared at US dealers yet, and while I was hoping Triumph would put out a midsized Tiger, there was no way of knowing. The Wee-Strom was a great bike for getting me into touring, and it was a great bike for long rides on shitty Vermont roads (and yes, I upgraded the suspension -- just tweaked the rear settings, but the forks got new springs and different oil). It was what I needed at the time, and I enjoyed it a lot.

But now there are more options in that market. The Tiger is a lot more bike for not a whole lot more money. The F650GS and F800GS are there for those who want a Beemer. Rumor has it KTM is coming out with a mid-sized twin. Aprilia has the Dorsoduro, more street-oriented but still a similar bike, and they may still come out with their Tuareg ADV bike.

None of this takes away from the Strom -- it's still a great bike, and its price is compelling -- but I do think Suzuki made a mistake with the 2012 update. I really think they should have taken the opportunity to give the Strom greater focus, not just update the bodywork and slot in the Gladius engine. Since the DL1000 is going away, they could have made the frame more compact, centralized mass better, offered two versions like Triumph and BMW do, one pretty much as is, the other with simplified bodywork and suspension components and wheels from the DR-Z400, and stolen away a lot of F800GS and Tiger 800 XC sales.

And yes, if they had come out with something like that, it might have diverted my attention away from the Triumph during the long wait between its announcement and delivery.

--mark

[highsider]

I had a V-Strom 650 for three years. I loved the damn thing, and I'm still kicking myself for selling it. It was not thrilling, but did everything asked of it well.

[sandman]

It's not over 100 hp so it sucks.

i agree, dirt bikes or road bikes under 100 hp suck (unless they weight under 250lbs then 50-60hp isn't bad)

[Chippertheripper]

Find me one of these things I can thrash like a dirtbike across the country and I'll show you some $.
The trumpet xc, to me, was soulless. It was too silky, no vibrations, and really lacked personality. I felt like I was riding in a jetsons car. Maybe I just need a big single or something. Someday soon I will buy a new, keep forever, type bike. I'd really like to KNOW what I want to drop that kind of coin on going in. I haven't found it yet.

[markbvt]

Find me one of these things I can thrash like a dirtbike across the country and I'll show you some $.
The trumpet xc, to me, was soulless. It was too silky, no vibrations, and really lacked personality.

I never equated vibration with personality. Yes, the XC does have a very smooth engine, so if you need to feel vibration to feel the bike has character, then the XC obviously isn't the bike for you.

Have you tried a KTM 950 Super Enduro? They don't make them anymore, but it's not too hard to find low-mileage used ones.

--mark

[Garandman]

Find me one of these things I can thrash like a dirtbike across the country and I'll show you some $. //

[Chippertheripper]

My old boss has a 950adv. I really only have a spin around the block on it, so it's still on the table.

Maybe vibes don't equal personality, but I wanted to love that thing...it didnt exactly blow my skirt off. The search goes on.

[Garandman]

Rider mag tested an F800GS against a Triumph 800XC and preferred the BMW off-road. That should vibrate enough for you.....

[TheIglu]

Klr chip. Cheap enough to buy it, fall in like with it and never regret your decision.

You are welcome to try mine out anytime.

[TheIglu]

That being said, an R version of the Wee with good suspension and maybe some electronic brickabrack would give me tingles.

[nhbubba]

I love my '11 'strom. SV engine, upright ergos, perfect sized windscreen, cheap to own, cheap to buy. Tons of fun to ride.

The refresh seems exactly as expected to me. Take the lastest hash of the engine, leverage the existing design. I don't see anything to get existing owners to book it to their dealers. But then I don't think that was the intent.

The V-Strom 1000 is back on the Suzuki website, btw. Expecting them to redesign the frame now that the DL1000 "is gone" seems a little premature now.

I do like the new plastics better though. Prettier. That's saying something for a V-Strom!

Do hate the digital speedo though. The old analog gauges are better.

[nhbubba]

That being said, an R version of the Wee with good suspension and maybe some electronic brickabrack would give me tingles.

Not sure what 'brickabrack' is, but I agree about the suspension. Although ultimately I wonder how much I would be willing to spend on it.

The price of the wee really is a lot of its appeal. [Comparitively] Cheap fun.

[nhbubba]

Okay, one more thought:

WTF is 'character' or 'personality' in a motorcycle anyway? It's a motorcycle, not a mini-van.

I've never owned anything but Suzukis and Hondas. Maybe I just don't get it.

[Chippertheripper]

Character and personality=general feel of a bike. They're all different.

[markbvt]

The V-Strom 1000 is back on the Suzuki website, btw. Expecting them to redesign the frame now that the DL1000 "is gone" seems a little premature now.

They're just milking it as long as they're able to. The 1000 engine already can't be sold in Europe because it won't meet new emissions regs, and soon they won't be able to sell it in the US anymore either.

The 650's been a much better seller anyway. I would be surprised if Suzuki put sufficient effort into reworking the 1000 to keep it around.

What would not surprise me, though, is if they developed a V-Strom 1200 to compete with the R1200GS, Super Ténéré, Tiger Explorer, etc.

WTF is 'character' or 'personality' in a motorcycle anyway? It's a motorcycle, not a mini-van.

I've never owned anything but Suzukis and Hondas. Maybe I just don't get it.

I define "character" or "personality" in a motorcycle loosely as the feeling that the bike is more than the sum of its parts. Frankly, I've never ridden a Suzuki or Honda that had that quality -- they're eminently capable, well-built machines, but that's it. There's nothing about them that really draws me to them, or would make me feel a real sense of loss if they got destroyed and had to be replaced with another. My Triumph Bonneville is not like that at all. The bike has character in spades, it's MY bike, and I would be really, really upset if something happened to it. It feels more like a partner in the ride than just an appliance I'm riding. The Ducatis I've ridden also have that "more than the sum of its parts" quality.

It's a subjective thing, obviously, and some people may think it's bullshit. But I've felt it with some bikes and not with others.

--mark

[nhbubba]

Meh. I just don't get it.

Say the Tiger is faster, more powerful, better looking, whatever. (Then I'll say it's more expensive!)

Ultimately, I couldn't justify an $11000 motorcycle if I wanted to. So it could be pure sex to ride, but you won't catch me on one. Not until they hit the used market en-masse anyway.


None of this changes the fact that the 2012 DL650 looks to be one helluva bike for the money.. very much like the 2011 was, and the 2010 before it, and the..

[markbvt]

Ultimately, I couldn't justify an $11000 motorcycle if I wanted to. So it could be pure sex to ride, but you won't catch me on one.

I guess it's all a matter of what you're interested in and what you like. Some people don't feel they can justify spending more than $3000 (or whatever) on a motorcycle because it's a "toy." Other people have no trouble at all justifying spending $20k+ on a motorcycle because they love the bike.

Another analogy: watches. A $10 quartz Timex will keep time just fine, but there are plenty of people out there who are completely willing to shell out $1000 or more (a lot more, in some cases) for a beautifully crafted mechanical watch that doesn't keep time as accurately as the quartz Timex does.

And another analogy: coffee. You can go to the grocery store and buy a can of Folgers, or you can spend many times as much money on any number of different gourmet beans. And you can brew your coffee in a $20 automatic drip machine, or any number of coffeemaking contraptions costing hundreds or thousands of dollars.

It's all about personal taste and what you enjoy. It's easy to say that the cheap version is "good enough." But some of us want a little more out of the things we enjoy. I have no trouble spending that $11000 on a motorcycle because I love the bike I'm getting -- it's substantially more fun to ride and excites me a lot more than the bike it replaced. If I could afford it, I'd gladly spend $20k or more on a motorcycle that really excites me. I wouldn't spend that kind of money on a car though -- for the basic reason that I don't really give a shit about cars.

--mark

[SRTie4k]

Okay, one more thought:

WTF is 'character' or 'personality' in a motorcycle anyway? It's a motorcycle, not a mini-van.

I've never owned anything but Suzukis and Hondas. Maybe I just don't get it.

I've always equated character in a motorcycle to quirks, or just little things that are out of the ordinary about a bike that you come to enjoy.

For instance, my 97 GSX-R 600 was a plain-jane boring old sportbike with nothing much to offer above and beyond it's race inspired nature.

My 08 Z1000 was quite a bit different, though. It wasn't the best in corners, it wasn't the fastest, and it looked nuts...but it was a real brute of a bike, an awesome mix of muscle, handling, ride and show. It had shortcomings in every department, but despite those, all of those together made it interesting and super fun to ride.

I consider my TLS very similar to my Z1000, despite it having 2 less cylinders. It still has a lot of shortcomings; the throttle is horribly fussy at slow city speeds, the instant torque makes it a wheelie machine and sometimes unpredictable, the rear shock is horrid, its loud and brash...but it's one hell of a muscle bike with a real attitude, and a lot of fun to ride.

[nhbubba]

I drink pre-ground folgers.
I don't wear a watch; my cell phone tells me the time.

I think Suzuki has my number. My last was a Bandit.

[markbvt]

I drink pre-ground folgers.
I don't wear a watch; my cell phone tells me the time.

Since you don't seem to be willing to look at it from a perspective other than yours, those were obviously bad examples. So is there anything that you do spend a little extra on because you like what you get for a little more money?

If not... maybe you should try it.

--mark