2023 Suzuki V-Strom 800 DE Review - The Best One Yet?

[@PisgahGravelProject]

One of the better 800DE vodeos out there. Well done. Ive got about 5k on mine, and love almost everything about it. Is ot perfect? Nope. If there were a perfect motorcycle, we wouldn't have 200 to pick from. For me the windscreen adjustability isnt a big deal at all. Every adv bike ive owned, whether it had on the fly adjustability or not, it goes like this.....i find a best place for it to provide a bit of 70mph protection, and leave it alone. I brought the 800DE home, moved it all the way up, left it there for the first 3000miles, and then decided to get a taller screen. I put the taller screen in the lowest position, and it has stayed there for 3000miles. My point is, i dknt fond myself changing the height of the windscreen. At all. I come from the mx and gncc sector, and i am used to my head getting tossed aroumd a bit anyway so a bit off buffeting doesn't bother me much. That said, i do like a bit of protection at interstate speeds, especially for 2or3 hour long sections. The bike is massively underrated by some moto journalists, and that is a shame. I've ridden T7s and an Africa Twin and both of those bikes were more top heavy and had terrible low speed technical handling compared to the DE. The T7 was even more top heavy with the camel adv aux fuel tank. The T7 is the most top heavy mid sized adv bike under 900cc ever produced. Period. Thats not what im looking for in an off road bike. It was a unicorn when it first came out, and part of its allure was its 10k price point, well there are better options in the category now, and seeing $12,000 used T7s for sale that are clapped out and have 7500miles makes my head hurt. The DE has way better suspension, the best quickshifter on the market, more suspension travel and ground clearance than both, 'on the fly tech changes'- meaning you can cycle through all the settings and abs stuff amd change it while moving, as lomg as you chop the throttle. The start up procedure is also class leading-turn the key, hit the start button once and you're good to go, and it remembers youre TC and power setting, but like all bikes-you have to turn abs off once the key is cycled. That process is super simple, and after doing it many many times, i can now do it with muscle memory. Push mode 3×,hold the up toggle for 1second and its off-the whole process takes 2-3seconds. None of this turning the key, waiting 30seconds for a computer to load, and having to reset the TC and power settings like the africa twin. Spec sheets only tell half the story. On paper, the 800DE lots like a heavy pig. I fell like it handles lighter than the T7 did. And about the same can be said for the ATAS. My biggest gripe with the 800DE is the lack of aftermarket support. Its getting better, but it is absolutely terrible. There is absolutely no reason it took barkbusters over a year to develop handguards for the thing. Same goes for luggage racks. Only a few less than ideal options.

[@ADVMoto]

Thanks so much for your thoughts on this! Those are some great comments and even better from someone who has experience on all the bikes (not just spec sheet surfing). Moto-journalism isn't what it used to be. While the temptation to create click-bait titles and content has gotten worse due to social media, there has always been a certain amount of elitism in main-stream powersports journalism which often isn't healthy for the motorcycle community or industry as a whole. USA manufacturers themselves are asked to sell bikes which are not understood internally which means they often lack representation or appropriate messaging for the model's target audience. I expect it will take a few years for aftermarket to catch up to the bike. The best way to speed this up is simply tell your favorite aftermarket brands to make stuff for the bike. If enough people do it, most of them will eventually take notice!

[@sherwoodispower]

A great review with good specifics ie: what you really like (or not) about the bike. I feel better about making this bike my choice for an ADV bike after the ADV Moto test and your comments- thanks !

[@jeanturner6812]

Wow that's a great review, and some excellent points. Like you said, so much is down to personal preference. If the windscreen height doesn't matter to you, then you can disregard my notes. I like to have it down when I'm off-road so I'm not getting smacked in the face when I'm going up hill and getting over the front. I like it up as high as possible on the freeway because I'm usually trying to rock out to Janet Jackson. But anyhoo, to each their own. Thanks for the feedback-perhaps even more valuable than my review as you have more miles under your belt and have actually lived with this bike for a while. But I do have to disagree with you about the quickshifter. Definitely not the best on the market. Not even close. Ride a Triumph Tiger to experience the best quickshifter on the market. Regarding the aftermarket support, this is the problem with owning any Suzuki. I loved my RM-Z but yeah, couldn't find even simple things like sprockets, or skid plates, etc. It's simple numbers for aftermarket companies. I get it, but yeah, it sucks. Hoping the support for the DE will grow in a few seasons because the off-road crowd will pick up on this model soon. I feel it in my bones!

[@gabrielkopp2036]

Well for those who complain about engine heat its no different than any adventure bike.. and as for tubes i prefer tubes because if you blow a bead on the trail you have to put a tube in it anyway.. and as for the t7 comparison the suzuki is just as good off road and much more comfortable.. the seat on the t7 is like a 2×4.. and the t7 suspension bottoms out just as much.. lets just say i sold my t7 to buy the suzuki because its that much better..the exact weight is not even noticeable..and what vibration are people talking about??

[@ADVMoto]

Never can be sure if comments are from personal experience or a YT echo chamber. We commonly state that factors like heat, vibration and wind buffeting are highly subjective. What really bothers someone won't be a bother at all to another rider. We slapped a widened Sargent Saddle on our T7 and have no problems touring with it. In the end though, it's important for the market to offer a variety of bikes so everyone can find what works for them.

[@gabrielkopp2036]

@@ADVMoto well I've owned the t7 and it's a great bike and you are correct with a different seat it's more comfortable..I like the vsrom 800de much better though..especially after installing the taller windscreen.. I will probably upgrade the springs and valving in the suspension as soon as I can find a reputable suspension expert in my area..

[@ADVMoto]

@@gabrielkopp2036 Thanks for the fast reply. What do you feel are the limits of the stock adjustable suspension?

[@gabrielkopp2036]

@@ADVMoto so far none but I have not loaded it down for a long several day trip either..but so for its ok for me.. I don't ride aggressively off road

[@JayBee-cr8jm]

@@ADVMoto The heat isn't the issue. The total lack of a headlight is. I own one and this bike has the absolute worst headlight ever installed on a production motorcycle.

[@pigmeal2224]

You've definitely nailed the stability aspect. Ours has just had first service and it was one of the things we noticed most very early on. Previously the heaviest bike we'd owned was DR. At nearly 50% heavier we'd expected to be a little unnerved by the 800, but the outcome was the opposite. It's soooo confidence inspiring at low speed. When we first had to do tight a 180 it was hard to not flail our legs out, anticipating the instability, but you just hold your position and it tracks and stays upright. Deliciously balanced 😌. It's actually become fun seeing how long we can renain stopped at traffic lights before we need to put a leg down!! Smooth as butter, and very much appreciated by us with limited ADV experience ... 👌👏👏

[@CrossRutted]

Deliciously balanced is the perfect description! So glad you're enjoying your DE. 👍

[@Joelontwowheels]

Have had my 800DE going on two months. I am very impressed with it. I don't get what folks are saying when it comes to vibration. Have a little hardly notice it. The one complaint I have is with the rear passenger foot pegs. I don't ride two up. They tend to get in the way sometimes. Maybe i need to do some fabrication. lol, anyway, other than that, it's a damn good bike indeed. Have riden several bikes in my time at 55 years. Outside of the rear foot pegs, I really enjoy the 800DE.

[@ADVMoto]

The 800DE may be the best iteration of the V-STrom yet. We hope to see and hear more about it from bother riders and the factory.

[@cranedaddy678]

Good review! I'm so happy with my 800de!

[@ADVMoto]

Thanks! Glad to hear you picked one up! What kind of riding do you do with it?

[@cranedaddy678]

@@ADVMoto On road touring, back roads, and gravel roads so far. I would do some single track but I don't know of any here that aren't just about full blown advanced lvl enduro trails lol

[@jeanturner6812]

Yeah, best to draw the line at the advanced enduro trails. That would be an abuse of the 800DE as well as the trail. lol Glad you're having fun with it! This is one I might have to buy, too. 🤔

[@arthurcayer6630]

Again, another excellent review. 👍

[@keithdowdle7405]

Great review Jean. 👍

[@jeanturner6812]

Thanks, Keith!

[@bitterlifes]

Definitely one of the best midweight adv bike ! Generally speaking even I don't like it to mutch from the outside geometry, if have to choose midweight adv bike for long trip, and without to mutch headache, definitely would be a this bike! Excellent on road, very good of road, versatile and reliable! That's it.

[@ADVMoto]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. Do you own one or just really like the package?

[@bitterlifes]

@@ADVMoto Unfortunately i am still not, but definitely next year i will be the owner of one of the Japanese beauties!

[@iangriffiths9930]

Eagerly awaiting a follow up to this please, would love to know more about this bike and also how it compares to other bikes within this sector 🙏

[@orangelion03]

Love the Palomar area 😊 The design of that windscreen mount allows for some clever aftermarket solutions for adjustable adapters. Im on a T900RP….fabulous motorcycle in every aspect, but extremely loud mechanicaly. Double earplugs so cant hear wind or exhaust but that valve train is a screamer. How’s the 800s noise?

[@jeanturner6812]

I thought it was easy on the ears, but considering I come from a motocross background, you can take that with a grain of salt. And yes, there are a couple opportunities for aftermarket to swoop in with some clever gadgets, including a replacement bracket for the remote preload adjust knob for the shock. It currently attaches to the passenger footpeg mount, but I'd prefer to remove the passenger pegs all together. If there was something else for that knob to mount to, I could have removed them.

[@JayBee-cr8jm]

The heat isn't the issue. The total lack of a headlight is. I own one and this bike has the absolute worst headlight ever installed on a production motorcycle.

[@jeanturner6812]

Again, no idea how this is your complaint with the 800DE. There might be something wrong with yours? This doesn't sound right to me at all. Perhaps check back with your dealer to make sure it's working properly.

[@JayBee-cr8jm]

@@jeanturner6812 I did. In fact, I contacted Suzuki North America about the headlight before the bike had even reached the 600 mile service. They instructed me to have the dealer tech contact them while the bike was in so that they could work though it together. Video was sent to Suzuki. The headlight was raised a hair. Even after adjustment, everyone at the dealership was horrified at the poor performance of the headlights. This included the owner, most of the sale-staff, several customers as well as many of the mechanics. This headlight is truly awful. I have since filled a formal complaint with the National Traffic Highway Safety Administration.

[@JayBee-cr8jm]

@@jeanturner6812 Take a 90* corner at night. When the bike leans over, you lose almost all light from the headlight. When I am turning off the highway onto my road, by the time my front tires crosses the center line of the highway, I am unable to see past the fog line. I'm literally heading into a wall of blackness until the bike returns to vertical. The headlight cut-off is so sharp I could shave with it. Outside the headlights razor thin beam, there is absolutely no light. The high beam does not fill-in, replace or fix the low beam. Its pattern is just as extreme as the low beam. And yes, my eyes are fine. I do not drive commercially but currently do hold a Class A drivers license. Other than this, it's a great bike.

[@jeanturner6812]

Wow, sorry to hear it. Our bike absolutely had none of these problems. Headlight is one of the best I've seen, and could rival a Baja Designs trophy truck. No idea where that kind of discrepancy could have come from. I hope you get this addressed and can continue to enjoy your DE.@@JayBee-cr8jm

[@JayBee-cr8jm]

@@jeanturner6812 I appreciate the sentiment but there is absolutely nothing wrong with the bike. My '23 V=Strom 800DE is the same as all the rest of them. Suzuki looked at the video, spoke with the dealer tech and judged my bike to be perfectly fine. I cannot ride the bike at night, but that's not Suzuki's problem. There is nothing wrong with the bike. In their words, "The headlight is functioning correctly". Try this: Position your bike facing a large wall/building. Do this at dusk or later. Put the bike about 20' from this wall. Turn on key. Notice how the beam pattern is 12" tall and 40" wide? Notice how there not one single Lumen escapes this pattern? Notice how this beam looks like a horizontal light saber? Now put the bike on the side stand to simulate a corner. Notice how how 30% of the light is now gone and how there is absolutely no light in the direction of travel? Suzuki says this is OK. Now take the bike off the side stand and flip on the high beam. With the bike about 20' from the same wall you'll have a pattern that is about 3" x 3" square. Again, not one single lumen of light can escape this square. Lean the bike over. Notice how there is no light, not one single lumen, in the direction of travel? This is what happens when manufacturers drop high power consumption halogens in favor of cheap, energy efficient LEDS. LEDS have their place (blinkers, brake lights, instruments) but due to their terrible, razor sharp patterns and total lack of flood/fill, should never, ever be used as headlights. The headlight on this bike only works in a strait line. Take a corner and it's the worst headlight I've ever encountered. I will continue to badger the government until they take action against these lights. It is a matter of safety.

[@truckacabrarex9831]

Think this ticks all the boxes for me. Wonder if the t7 has a contender now with this one.

[@iangriffiths9930]

Hi, did you find ground clearance an issue and also how does it compare to the Yamaha T7??

[@jeanturner6812]

Bottoming the suspension was an issue, but not specifically ground clearance. Better holdup would help optimize ground clearance. We haven't done any head-to-head comparisons yet, and don't want to call any shots until we can ride them side by side, but comparisons are coming!

[@iangriffiths9930]

Fair enough👍, am looking to buy the Yamaha soon, I ride a lot off road, mainly rocky with some gravel type of terrain but like the look of the Suzuki so would be keen to see the off road comparison.

[@XVENDETTA100]

Does it need lowering kit for people with 167 cm height ?

[@elreydelimproveeimproveesr7669]

Hello good evening I might buy one 😅 it look like it it is a fun bike😊

[@podunkman2709]

Good bike with many things to like but heavy (230kg), engine heat emission and vibration, tube tires.

[@ADVMoto]

Thanks for watching! Have you ridden one? Also tubeless spoked rims were probably not seen as standard for this price category when the bike was being developed years ago. We're only seeing them on less expensive bikes now (even some 450). Before that you'd have to be pushing $20k before they appeared as standard equipment. For some reason there's a real lag in updating equipment from manufacturers. One head scratcher for decades was rubber brake lines. Stainless lines cost a tiny amount more but it took years for that to change. No increase in install time, just maybe 2 or 3 dollars more for a longer lasting, stronger, better performing line.

[@jmsmikey]

@@ADVMoto How was heat management? I keep hearing that the VStrom 800 runs hot & the Honda Transalp 750 does not~ I'm in Las Vegas & a hot bike is a deal killer for me

[@jeanturner6812]

Honestly it's a little hard for me to judge heat output as I was riding it in pretty mild temps. But I can't say I noticed anything excessive coming from the 800DE.@@jmsmikey

[@jeanturner6812]

I did notice it was a little vibey at low speeds, especially up through the footpegs. But considering that I took the rubber inserts out of the pegs, I didn't feel it was quite fair to call it out. At higher rpm, however, vibes were much smoother. As for the number on the scale, I always say there is the trail weight and the scale weight, and only one truly matters. The 800DE is very light on its feet, and makes excellent traction, what I consider a pretty great overall balance. So I have a hard time faulting it for any excess lbs. Whenever you hear these critiques, ask if they are coming from a spec sheet or from actual seat time. There's a difference.

[@moorepower13]

​@@jmsmikeytransalp is the Honda Ridgeline of adv bikes. There is nothing wrong with that.

[@vittesergiu]

Cool👍🏻

[@jamesmcneilage5158]

If only it had cruise, even as an option.

[@johnshropshire3399]

👍👍

[@TraveladvRajanSRai]

big gastank to

[@passionandcommonsense]

Why the tubed tyres? What is wrong with these motorcycle companies? Who in 2023-24 prefers to be mucking around with tubes? Their argument will be that tubes are better off road. Again, who in their right mind would buy a 230kg motorcycle if their primary riding pattern is off-road? Some real geniuses advising the product teams for many motorcycle companies. If you find a bike that has one thing it won’t have another and so it goes. This bike is perfectly speced. (and so is the Transalp for that matter). And they had to ruin it with those tubed tyres. 🤦🏻‍♂️ Not having CC is an issue. But most of us can live with that. But tubes are rubbish. People want tubeless spoked wheels. Just give it already!!

[@ADVMoto]

Although there are many benefits to tubeless setups, tubes have merits in off-road applications. If most of your riding is on pavement, then tubeless is generally better. That said, it's likely for cost saving or to offer it as an update later.

[@passionandcommonsense]

@@ADVMoto you think that those who buy this excellent and very heavy and not inexpensive motorcycle will be shooting for dirt most of the time? I highly doubt that. People who buy this motorcycle (and the AT and the GS and the Tiger..) are those who want to tour. They want the suspension travel and ground clearance for when they either encounter no-roads or for those small excursions off the pavement when they are out and about. Tube tyres in this day and age on motorcycles like this is like saying that CD players still have a role to play in cars.

[@ADVMoto]

@@passionandcommonsense Well you can still dangle them from rearview mirrors as decoration! LOL

[@passionandcommonsense]

@@ADVMoto here are two incidents from my experience. I went on a 3000 km tour including some off-road. Came home and found out a week later that I had had a puncture. If I had had tubes I would've been up the creek during the tour. Tubeless tyres just deflated slowly and saved me. Finished another tour recently. 4500 kms including some rough roads. Guy in the group on a GS saw that he had a nice long nail embedded in his tyre at the START of the tour. Kept meaning to get it fixed. Never did. Tour over two weeks later. Nail still in tyre. No plans were disrupted. That's tubeless for you. We need the long travel suspension and the ground clearance. But we also need tubeless. Tubeless just saves us regular folks lots of headaches. Arguably we don't need cruise control. It's a convenience to have. Not a major pain if absent. That's the difference.

[@CrossRutted]

@@passionandcommonsense The Suzuki V-Strom 800 (non DE) has mag wheels and tubeless tires. That's a much better setup for riders taking "small excursions off the pavement." Still has plenty of ground clearance and wheel travel without the up-spec suspension. And yes, there are people that want to have their primary fun in the dirt on a big ADV bike. They want to be comfortable riding from the garage to the trails, but want the trail capability (and tube tires) when they get there. I think Suzuki delivers exactly what many ADV riders want on the DE.

[@Jungleland33]

How is it possible to make such a pig ugly bike today? The colour choices are absolutely brutal. R+D in Suzuki are obviously on serious drugs ATM.

[@PhillipBear-w1w]

I think you're the one on drugs mate,bike looks awesome