RIDE REVIEW I 2023 SUZUKI V-STROM 1050DE
P120
exhaust valves. This technology
is said to help reduce combus-
tion chamber temperature
and
"improve flow efficiency
and durability." A bi-directional
quickshifter is now standard,
and Suzuki says it made tweaks
to the transmission internals
to improve gear changes. The
six-speed transmission also has
higher ratios in both first and
sixth gears. The drive chain is
also beefed up.
Styling has mostly stayed
the same, but it gets a new,
seemingly tougher, three-piece
front fender with integrated fork
guards. With the DE, you have
three color options: all yellow,
blue with white, and all black.
Suzuki offers the DE in Adven
-
ture trim. The V-Strom 1050DE
Adventure has aluminum
pan-
niers, a top case, and LED fog
lamps. Heated grips are
not
standard on either model. What
a pity.
At $15,999, the 2023 Suzuki
V-Strom 1050DE is $1200 more
than the previous XT. Expect
to pay an additional $1600
($17,599) for the Adventure
model. The standard V-Strom
1050 retails for $15,199. Some
of the V-Strom 1050DE's clos-
est competitors include Honda's
Africa
Twin ($14,499 starting
price) and Triumph's Tiger 900
($16,495 starting price). Ducati's
DesertX retails for $17,695.
Tour Away
A few things jump to my atten-
tion as soon as I climb aboard
the new
DE. The first is its size.
The DE is a lot of motorcycle. At
least it feels that way when you
swing a leg over it for the first
time. It's also tall, noticeably
more than the XT, and it feels a
bit top-heavy, especially when
its 5.3-gallon fuel tank is filled to
the brim. It's a heavy motorcy
-
cle. Suzuki says the DE weighs
554
pounds full of fuel (10
pounds more than the XT), and
it feels every bit of that when
you lift it off its side stand or
onto its center stand. However,
your attention quickly shifts to
the cool-looking TFT screen as
you settle into its comfy cockpit
and start fiddling with the many
electronic gadgets.
Despite all the off-road atten
-
tion the DE got, it is still a superb
street
bike. On the pavement,
you won't care if the DE is a
