Aao thakur aao: Suzuki V-Strom 650 XT ridden

Aao thakur aao: Suzuki V-Strom 650 XT ridden

While we all wait for the mythical small-cap, big-value adventure motorcycle we’ve been promised for years, Suzuki is asking for a bit more money for a truly lovely bike

I learned many things in October. The value of frequent flyer miles and benefits, the need for accurate calendaring, and the utmost importance of being glib and relaxed, while the temptation toward bravado is strong. It helped save me ₹35,000 in an attempted extortion bid. October was also Rajasthan tourism month for most of the auto industry. Hopefully, next year, you car and bike folks can coordinate amongst yourselves so that we can get some sleep instead of JPMiles.

This was my first Suzuki ride event, and I was pleased at the organisation. Instead of a large number of riders and a short schedule, the company did the opposite, with only three publications per day and a long week of rides. This meant that we could all stick together without getting into each other’s’ way. A quick product briefing, and we were off to chase good light.

Gyaan

This is a good time to announce an adventure tourer. It’s been coming for a while — and the market is still nascent — but you can almost feel the surge in interest in this format of motorcycle. Suzuki calls the V-Strom 650 XT a “sport adventure tourer”, and I’m inclined to agree, after 300km in the saddle. The chatter on the rider WhatsApp groups also seems to bear out that this bike is going to be of interest to those who get their kicks with offbeat travel on larger motorcycles. If you’re interested in more than the occasional Sunday breakfast ride, an upright motorcycle with some wind protection, good suspension and performance should be on your wishlist. The Suzuki V-Strom 650 XT fits the bill.

What it’s not

There was a time when professional motocross did not exist, but dirt, mud and places without road did. People made the most of it, modified regular bikes to be a bit hardier, and took them into the sticks. This works, until something breaks. So you fix it and move on, or go home. In some ways, we’re still way back there in India. Most leisure riders don’t have the luxury to keep multiple bikes for special purposes, so you have wide handlebars and semi-knobby tyres on Royal Enfields bashing around in the Rajmachi slush. Suzuki will happily sell you a proper RM-Z dirt bike if you have the budget and infrastructure to use one, but the V-Strom is not a dirt bike. Adventure bikes are not dirt bikes. Your Triumph Tiger is not a dirt bike. Large, relatively powerful motorcycles like these are meant to munch miles, and get out of sticky situations if you need to. But they’re not purpose-built dune/mud bashers.

What it is

The V-Strom 650 is a flexible bike that you can use in multiple situations, even slightly off-road. On our ride, we sampled perfect inter-state highways, badly rutted state highways, under-construction rock and gravel roads, deep sand, hard-packed as well as soft clay. The 650 handled everything with varying degrees of effort. The tubeless, spoked wheels mean you won’t be stranded with a broken rim, punctures are easy to repair. The basic electronics package means there’s less weird check engine lights to deal with, and the middle-of-the-road weight, performance and ergonomics means that it’s easy to manage even if you drop it. We did. Nothing happened.

As I write this, Kawasaki has announced availability of the 2019 Versys 650 in a new colour, and no mechanical changes. The Suzuki V-strom 650 goes up directly against the Kawasaki, at a Rs 77,000 premium over it. For the extra money, you get the sweet, tubeless spoked rims (particularly nice in that gold colour), traction control and a 19” front tyre for more trail-worthy choices. What you miss is an adjustable suspension and a wee bit of torque from its parallel-twin competitor. Apart from that, the two bikes are surprisingly well-matched. Identical in most respects, in fact.

The combination of the modest 70PS/62Nm output, low seat height (835mm, 815mm with accessory seat), pliant suspension and smooth, predictable delivery, makes this an excellent entry into big, upright tourers. I have no problem recommending it to those moving up from substantially lighter bikes. At 216kg kerb, the V-Strom is light on its feet.

Performance

The V-Strom 650 XT is the package. It has all the essentials and nothing superfluous. It’s based on a tried and tested platform that has actual real-world heritage. The one they’re selling in India is the current, third-generation model. It still uses an angular twin-spar metal frame with a rear subframe made of box-section tubing. But it all comes together to create a bit of magic. You should buy this bike. It makes a great first, and a great backup. It’s easy, fun and practical, and it boils down to the great engine and suspension.

If you’ve watched or read my Kawasaki Versys 650 review, you know how impressed I was with that motorcycle. The Suzuki impresses in the same way. It belies its modest spec sheet and delivers more than one expects. Just like the lurid green competition, the V-Strom 650 delivers when you twist the throttle in a smooth, predictable way, arguably with a bit more emotion than a parallel-twin motor. The 90-degree V-twin is buttery-smooth, and the gentle thrum through the handlebars never seems to aggravate, no matter what speed you’re at. The fueling and throttle feel is supernatural, and if you can get it to jerk or misbehave, please write in and tell me how you did it. Even the two-stage traction control (set to low intrusion) was barely noticeable, keeping the motor feeling composed.

This leads to a very relaxed, smooth ride that keeps the bike level and the preload-only adjustable suspension in its zone. You aren’t unnecessarily pitching about and adjusting your seating just to compensate for an over-eager motor. It just works exactly as you expect. Standing on the pegs feels perfectly natural, and the smooth throttle is a great advantage in this position. This helped tremendously in our route outside Jaipur, where we encountered some pretty rough terrain. Even with a pillion, we were able to get through entirely rocky sections of road with no problems. However, despite the facade, this is not setup to be a dirt bike. The Battlax Adventure A40 tyres are specially designed for this model and are supposed to be trail-ready, but sand easily overwhelms them. Nevertheless, we pushed through and the relatively light weight was a boon.

Stick to the highways and you’ll be happy forever. On our first rendezvous on the way to our shoot location, my colleague Kartikeya Singhee remarked that the 1200km to Mumbai as indicated on the road signs felt like an invitation. Even with barely 30 minutes of riding done, I agreed. The silky-smooth throttle and comfortable saddle make mile-munching a breeze. I can’t be sure, but I think this is a 1000km/day motorcycle. Certainly, my 300km felt like a breeze. Speaking of: the windscreen — unfortunately — needs tools to adjust in any of its three positions, and the standard position caused buffeting for the top of my helmet. It’s not a deal-breaker, but an annoyance.

Twist the throttle with determination and you’re rewarded with creamy torque that keeps the bike feeling light and sporty. The vibration is well-controlled and never escalates, and you’re clipping along over 160 quite quickly, if you choose to. You’ll run into a strange weave at those speeds, thanks to the accessory top box we had fitted. It’s only rated to 130kmph, and also rattled quite a bit when empty. There were no twisties to attack out in the desert, but the 650 feels slower to steer than a typical 17” front wheel, as on the Versys.

Notable

It’s not all roses, but it’s pretty damn close. The V-Strom 650 likes to look like it’s 1000cc bigger brother, but some stuff could definitely use an update. The console, for instance, is perfectly functional, but looks quite dated. There’s a basic, 1980s Casio-style LCD screen and an analogue tachometer.

The brakes work fine, but lack the bite I’m used to. You need to pull on that lever a bit to make them work. And significantly, you can’t turn ABS off for those times when you go into the sticks. Suzuki is philosophically opposed to allowing this for safety reasons, but you’re likely to get into more trouble with ABS if you actually do take it off-road, so be forewarned.

Who’s it for?

At the end of our ride, it was clear to me that Suzuki has a very solid bike in the V-Strom 650 XT, and it deserves success. It has enough go and connect to appeal to most riders, while staying friendly for the novice. I would have no problem taking this bike cross-country and over long days on the road. The 20-litre tank is more than adequate, especially since this bike delivered between 24 and 30kmpl for our test route. That’s crazy-good for this sort of performance!

Suzuki is offering a combo-package of accessories, including crash bars, centre stand, chain guard and top box for an attractive price, which will make this a very capable tourer. From brief experience, I can say that pillion ability is also very good. The 650 XT will make an excellent package for those who want to ride further than Lonavla on the weekend. It feels well-built and I’d expect it to last many, many years. At ₹7,46,000 ex-showroom, it’s a good deal made better by the fact that it’s assembled in India, lowering the effective on-road cost due to lower taxes. The Suzuki V-Strom 650 XT makes you want to go places, and I’ll bet you’ll get there still feeling fresh.