GAINING GROUND

We can all agree that Suzuki’s flagship adventure bike has been in need of a bit of an update for a while now. What’s unlikely to be agreed quite so universally is whether the new V-Strom 1050XT now has all the bells and whistles it needs to take on the stiff competition of the beaky category. I think it does, but if that makes you want to scream about how it’s still lugging that same old engine and chassis around, let me explain why I say that…

IF LOOKS COULD SELL

The retro-wave has been washing our shores for a good while now, but for big adventure touring bikes it is a new thing. Suzuki is the first to the party with the V-Strom 1050, although we can expect plenty of other brands to follow suit, judging by the recent concept bikes from the likes of Ducati and Husqvarna.

With the new V-Strom, Suzuki has taken inspiration from the DR-Z Paris-Dakar race bike and the DR Big production machine from the