P70
FEATURE I SUZUKI V-STROM 800DE PROJECT BUILD
the 800DE without the stock
weighted bar ends was a lot less
comfortable on the hands. Since
part of our goal was to retain the
superb road comfort, we found a
way to mount the stock bar ends
to the new handlebar, which also
allowed us to retain the stock
handguards, saving another step.
Two more creature comforts
were the Peak Design phone
mount with wireless charging
and a clip-on windshield ex
-
tender from Puig. Both of these
features make life
on the high-
way far more comfortable and
are easy
to stash out of the way
when the pavement ends.
All told, our build set us back
just under $3800.
G mode on the
traction-control
settings is almost
like cheating. It
allows the rear to
step out on loose
gravel roads but
won't let it get out
from under you.
THE RIDE
We stated in our first review of
the V-Strom 800DE that "with a
bit of fine-tuning of the suspen-
sion, the Suzuki V-Strom 800DE
would
be on par with some of
those other higher-cost alterna-
tives." As we suspected, the TBT
Racing
suspension and Motoz
Tractionator tires transformed
the V-Strom 800DE into a very
fun and off-road-capable ADV
bike. The mooshy feel of the
suspension is gone and it now
feels far more predictable in the
dirt, absorbing chunky dirt and
square edges with ease. The
fork modifications in particular
also improved the bike's behav
-
ior on the pavement, as it is far
more stable and doesn't
dive
under braking.
As mentioned, we were
already fans of the 776cc twin-
cylinder engine and its simple
(IMU-free) electronics suite,
which can now really shine on
the dirt as well as on the road.
The Yoshimura exhaust sounds
amazing, and looks just as
good. Yosh claims it boosts
horsepower by 1.7% and we're
not arguing. The difference we
felt was a quicker-revving re
-
sponse and a crispier power feel
at the
throttle. It will keep you
twisting, grinning and listening
to your own sweet music as you
bang through gears.
