VOL. 50 ISSUE 37 SEPTEMBER 17, 2013
P53
STRUMMING
IT ON
THE
Strom
'
VERSATILE, FUN AND AFFORDABLE, NO WONDER THE
V-STROM 650 IS ONE OF SUZUKI'S BEST-SELLING MODELS.
BY KIT PALMER
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIT PALMER
A
fter touring the back
roads of South Africa,
which included a memorable rest stop at Cape of Good
Hope, I had a feeling that Suzuki just might have a hit on its
hands. This bike is pretty damn
cool, I remember thinking.
That was a little over 10 years
ago when Suzuki introduced
the very first V-Strom, the
DL1000 - a fun, versatile and
practical adventure bike that,
unfortunately, had the looks
only a plastic surgeon could
love. As it turned out, though,
that really wouldn't be an issue
for most riders who were looking for a practical and affordable all-around motorcycle.
The V-Strom turned out to be
that bike and is now one of the
company's best-selling streetbikes, as is the V-Strom 650,
which came two years later.
The 'Strom has been a hit for
many good reasons, but probably none more so than for its
great all-around performance.
After all, no one buys a VStrom for its handsome looks.
And when you think about it,
that says a lot about the machine.
Yes, the V-Strom might not
be a beauty queen but that
hasn't kept people from asking it out on dates. The bike
has so many other great qualities that many long-term relationships have been formed
between bike and rider, including the V-Strom 650
and V-Strom 650 Adventure,
the model we're focusing on
