F
or a motorcycle that is approaching its 20th
birthday, the Suzuki V-Strom 1000 hasn't
seen much in the way of growth spurts, until
lately. Since its birth in 2002, the V-Strom 1000 is
entering just its third generation of significant up-
dates with the release of the V-Strom 1050. Some
might take this as neglect on Suzuki's part, but
we look at it as a great design from the start that
required little tweaking along the way.
When Suzuki introduced the DL1000 V-Strom in
2002, it did so in grand style in South Africa (which
included a ride from Cape Town to the Cape
of Good Hope), where the bike made its world
launch. I remember it well because I was there.
Why South Africa? To emphasize the V-Strom's
purpose in life—to take you on an adventure and
what better place to do that than South Africa?
Not too many.
VOLUME 57 ISSUE 21 MAY 27, 2020 P41
WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIT PALMER
THE ADVENTURE
CONTINUES
Since its 2002 debut, the Suzuki V-Strom
continues to evolve, slowly but surely
