RIDING IMPRESSION
P54
2013 SUZUKI V-STROM 650 ABS ADVENTURE
here. The 650 was just as big a
hit as the 1000, much of which
had to do with its dollar-to-performance ratio. At well under
$10,000, the V-Strom 650 was
simply a bargain.
In 2012, the V-Strom 650
enjoyed its first major overhaul
since its 2004 debut. It got a
much-needed facelift, enginesupdates to improve torque and
fuel economy, chassis mods
to improve handling, and many
tweaks throughout to improve
ergonomics and overall riding enjoyment. Suzuki also introduced
the Adventure version, which is
exactly the same bike but fitted
with factory aluminum side cases, touring windscreen and ac-
cessory bar - the things that most
people buy for their V-Stroms
right away.
I rode the revamped 2012 VStrom for a short time when it first
came out, but more recently got
the chance to actually live with the
2013 V-Strom 650 ABS Adventure for a while and found myself
again thinking: What a cool bike.
The V-Strom 650 ABS wears
many hats. It's an entry-level
bike, an adventure/tourer, a
fun back roads weekend bike,
a commuter, an around-towner
and, to some extent, an off-road
bike. You name it, the V-Strom
pretty much does it. I used it
mostly as a commuter while it
was in my possession, and what
The factory-equipped aluminum
cargo bags, touring windscreen and
accessory bar turn the standard
V-Strom 650 into an Adventure.
a great machine it is for that.
Hung in a twin-spar aluminum
chassis, the 645cc 90-degree
V-twin liquid-cooled motor, which
was significantly massaged in
2012, has a broad spread of power and enough of it overall to keep
up with the flow of traffic. And
there is enough left in the bank to
overtake cars quite easily while
already at speed. I never felt at a
horsepower disadvantage on the
road despite its relatively small
powerplant. Sometimes vibration
can be somewhat of an issue for
any sub-750cc streetbike, even
