There must have been some extra-strong Kool Aid getting mixed into the water fountains in the corridors of power at Suzuki HQ, because the adventure bike design team at Hamamatsu, Japan, has clearly been cranking things up in recent times.
Sure, the V-Strom production lines have been churning along nicely for over two decades now, pumping out literally thousands upon thousands of 650 and 1000/1050 Stroms that have all been snapped up by loyal owners around the globe.
But look what’s happened in the V-Strom world of late: there’s a V-Strom 250 that’s recently gone on sale in Australia that is made in India and is cheap as chips, priced at just $6490 ride-away … for a brand-new bike! There are two new 1050 V-Stroms that have hit Aussie showroom floors in recent weeks, which include a standard 1050 with 19/17-inch cast alloy wheels, alongside the bike featured here, the 1050 DE. This bike is a little special as it’s the most ‘dirt-ready’ V-Strom ever, thanks to a 21/17-inch wheel combo, longer-travel suspension and additional Gravel riding mode.
And then, coming real soon is another brand-new V-Strom, the 800 DE, which is aimed at the super-popular middleweight ADV ranks and has no greater a target than Honda’s new Transalp 750 in its sights.
Oh, and of course the long-serving V-Strom 650 XT continues, which means Suzuki has no less than five V-Strom adventure bikes in its stable: 250, 650,
