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FEATURE I SUZUKI V-STROM 800DE PROJECT BUILD
The goal of the project was to show-
case what a "real world" build could do
to improve off-road performance—no
dramatic transformations to the chas-
sis or engine. No swapping out any
major components, nothing that would
double the cost of the bike, and most
importantly, nothing that would sacrifice
its already stellar road performance.
But a build of this nature is easier than
it sounds. The fact that the platform
(shared with the GSX-8S) is still very
young, and let's be honest, the fact that
it's a Suzuki, means that there is
limited aftermarket support. You won't
find nearly the selection of ADV whiz-
bangs for the 800DE that you'll find for
KTMs, BMWs, Triumphs and Hondas.
We had to seek far and wide for parts,
we got creative with suspension tuning
methods, and overcame a few curve
-
balls along the way, but in the end, we
came out with our real-world V-Strom
800DE project build that just might
throw the Suzuki name into the mid-
sized ADV conversation.
We began in the obvious area—suspen
-
sion. The ultra-plush stock settings
give the V-Strom a very comfortable
ride on the road, but even there it can be divey on
the front end when riding gets sporty. In the dirt, the
cushy suspension delivers a marshmallowy glide
through small bumps, and hugs the
ground in a way some might enjoy, but
for anything approaching aggressive
off-road riding, it needed a lot more
hold-up, particularly from the fork. The
800DE's 43mm Showa forks have ad
-
justable spring preload, rebound and
compression damping, but the limited range of ad-
justability meant we'd need to get in there for
a re-valve. While it is possible to swap out the
fork internals, or completely swap out the
front end for a new fork, we were curious to
see how much performance improvement
we could find within the stock components.
Without a lot of
work or a ton of
money, you can
turn the V-Strom
800DE into a
formidable
off-roader.
