Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128309
The 650 V-Strom uses the same 90degree V-twin found in the 5V650, but with different cams and more flywheel weight to produce more low-end grunt. The 650 has just enough low-end thrust to r.ack the front wheel ,f you're w illing to get snappy w ith the clutch. The engine makes fun power, and the handling is superb at all speeds. The 650 V-Stram's seat height is 20mm lower than the DL1000 V-Strom's. The ride is extremely comfortable. The large, analog gauges are very easy to read, as are the LCD readouts in the center of the instrument cluster. Part!!i l!!i Part!!i Of course. there was more than simply raiding existing parts stockpiles to make the little Suzuki DL650 V-Strom happen. starting with t he heart of the beast . The DL650 uses the same liquid-cooled , 645cc . 90-degree. DOHC eight -valve engine that powers the SV650. but with a few tweaks to make it fit the task at hand. Changes were made to the camshaft profiles. airbo x and muffler to make an already versatile engine even more versatile. The most important of these is the cams. w hich feature less ove rlap on the DL than on the Sv. for increased low- to midrange power. The Dt' s crankshaft mass has also been beefed up with the addition of a weight on the starter clutch. Suzuki officials say that this gives the DL a smoother power delivery due to more "flywheel effect." we would like to have fe lt a little more "Whoa!" powe r from the dual 3 10mm rotors with two-piston calipers up front . The singlepucked , 260m m rear brake was smooth. progressive and able to lock up t he rear wheel if necessary. Now. one of the big myths of the so-called adventure bikes is that there is a high-displacement . heavyweight dual-sport bike lurking wit hin t heir frame tu be s. Potential buyers see a Richard Sainet or a Fabio Meoni streaking across the African desert on a factory-built rally racer and think that they can imitate the ir heroes. only to find out that the bike has st ree t-bre d tires. is to o softly sprung or is too heavy to tackle even t he tamest dirt roads . While Suzuki makes no such claims. you'd be surprised to find out that the DL650's dirt potential is mostly held back by its Bridgest one radial tires. See. the bike was so nimble-feeling that we went so far as to disobey Suzuki's polite req uest not to try a few off-road riding sorties on the various dirt camp roads inside Joshua Tree Natio nal Park. Sure. to receive a full trail rat ing. we 'd like to see the clutch www.cyclenews.com offer more feel at the lever. and we would ditch the heavy three- spoke wheels in favor of som e lighter. spoked hoops to re duce unsprung weight. but really we 'd just start with mo re aggressive. dual-sportstyle tires to reduce the bike's te ndency to push the front end. Really The little DL felt . competent in the dirt . Of course. it's not a real dirt bike. but w hen you ride the DL650. you want to take it into the dirt. That' s the real beauty of the thing. and t hat's why it fits t he adventure-bike category to a tee. It's the kind of bike that makes you feel like you co uld go anywhere. and it could damed near take you the re . CN SPECIFICATIONS Suzuki DL650 V-Strom LIST PRICE $6599 DISPLACEMENT 645cc ENGINE TYPE Liquid-cooled. fourstroke. twin-cylinder BORE x STROKE 81 x 62.6mm COMPRESS ION RATIO 11.5:1 CARBURETION........MikunVDenso fuel inject ion IGNITION Digitai transistorized TRANSMISSION Six-speed. constant-mesh STARTING SYSTEM Eleetric FUEL CAPACITY 5.8 gal. WHEELBASE 60.6 in. RAKE[TRAIL 26°/ II Omm SEAT HEIGHT 32.3 in. FRONTTIRE 11 0/80-19 REARTIRE 150/70-17 S.9 in. FRONT-WHEELTRAVEL.. REAR-WHEELTRAVEL 5.9 in. FRONT BRAKE Disc REAR BRAKE Disc FINAL DRIVE Chain CLAIMED DRY WEIGHT .418 Ibs. CYCLE NEWS • FEBRUARY 4,2004 23