RIDING IMPRESSION
P56
2013 SUZUKI V-STROM 650 ABS ADVENTURE
plus range and then some.
The V-Strom and my wallet got
along just fine. My 122-mile highway commute soaked up just 2.2
gallons of gas, which is contained
now in a slightly smaller fuel tank.
It holds about a half-gallon less
at 5.3 gallons, but the trade-off
might be worth it since the tank
is slimmer between your legs and
the new-generation V-Strom 650
gets 10 percent better fuel economy (according to Suzuki) to help
make up the difference. Still, you
can go plenty far on a tank.
The three-step adjustable
windscreen also works well.
From the middle setting, it'll raise
24mm and slant rearward 8mm,
and will lower and slant forward
18mm. I generally left it in the
middle position, mainly because
I was too lazy to break out the
wrench and remove the four
bolts every time I wanted to raise
or lower it. I'd like to see Suzuki
change that and make it adjustable without the need for tools.
The little louver on the Adventure's screen really does seem to
make a difference for the better
when it comes to turbulence, so
I didn't feel the real need to make
adjustments anyway.
I had a love/hate relationship
with the aluminum side bags.
They do hold a lot of stuff, which
I loved, but are so wide (a lot of
which has to do with the mounts)
that they aren't practical for everyday use. The bags make lane
splitting in California nearly impossible and riding up along side
fuel pumps risky business. And
you never clear them with your
