RIDE REVIEW I 2023 SUZUKI V-STROM 1050DE
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me, at night. The V-Strom remained
planted and drove straight as an
arrow, allowing me to concentrate
on more important things, like seeing where I
was going in the solid dust and darkness. I was
grateful for the 'Strom's excellent headlight.
The only time I feel uneasy on the DE is roll
-
ing up to complete stops at intersections. Even
with
my semi-long legs and 6'1" frame, I never
take stop signs for granted on the big DE.
The DE performs so well on the pavement
that it doesn't tempt you to take it off-road. It
just doesn't feel like a "dirt bike" in general. But
when I did venture off-road, I was surprised
at how well it worked. The bike is remarkably
stable on the dirt—as long as the whoops and
bumps aren't too big and you're not going too
fast. Most of the time, I could simply
sit in the seat and let the suspension
do all the work. I discovered that if I
had to stand up for rapidly approaching bumps,
I was probably over-cooking it a bit and about
to override the DE's semi-soft suspension.
Having to stand up was my cue to back it down
a bit. Still, the DE's suspension is quite good,
especially for long-distance riding and simple
cruising. Leave your aggressions at home if you
plan to do much off-roading on the DE.
Overall off-road handling is good. Even in
soft sand—with the throttle continually driving
the rear wheel forward—the bike isn't too much
of a handful.
Being able to deactivate the rear ABS for the
dirt is a welcome change. The ability to deac
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Seat height and weight
have both increased.
