Japanese joy

Unlike the car industry, motorcycle manufacturers tend to stick to type and segments. Sure, they develop new models (retro bikes being a firm favourite in recent years) and the technology on offer may improve every year, but overall the market segments tend to remain the same. Often, these basic bikes have succeeded for a few generations, are relatively affordable and offer proven capability. Suzuki’s V-Strom model was added but from the very beginning, the 650 has been the range’s backbone.