It’s been 21 years since the first V-Strom rolled onto Aussie shores and in that time, it has earned a reputation as a comfortable and dependable adventure tourer. But up until now the V-Strom has carried itself with a definite road-riding bias, and a lack of ground clearance, suspension travel and a bulging waistline have resigned it to soft-roading duties.
Enter the 2023 V-Strom 1050DE, a V-Strom that now sports a bunch of changes aimed at giving Suzuki’s mighty V-twin all-roader greater off-road chops.
Although it’s considered the fourth generation V-Strom, it’s more of an evolution of the V-Strom 1050XT of 2020-2022 than it is an all-new model. The Euro 5-compliant 1037cc, 90° V-twin engine remains unchanged except for a set of sodium-filled exhaust valves which are used to reduce temperatures in the combustion chamber, which means the DE is pushing out the same 79kW (106hp) of power at 8500rpm and 100Nm of torque at 6000rpm.
Not that I’m complaining, because its ancestor, the 1997 TL1000S twin, is one of the best engines ever made. And after so many years it’s totally sorted and delivers the goods in a refined, yet character-filled manner. Suzuki has made internal and external gearing changes so although there’s no extra power on tap the DE now bangs harder than it ever has, especially thanks to the change from a 41-tooth rear sprocket to a 45 tooth.
There’s now a two-way quickshifter rather than the up-only unit found
