Suzuki V-Strom 1000XT Review

[@nev357]

I own a 2018 V-Strom 1000, buttery smooth and absolute joy to ride. Very underrated for the ride you get. I have owned a few dozen motorbikes, this is by far the most enjoyable ride.

[@Springbok1969]

@@kulaak-krii I am 6' 6" and 97kg, no worries, comfortable 😉

[@1001CP]

I know this is an older post and see the 2017 models they are riding. I purchased the 2014 1000 Adventure and with the savings on the price I was able to do a lot to get it set for ME. I put on different off road pegs, skid pan, more body/engine protection, higer adjustable windshield, better on/off road tires, and even more padding on the seat for my old bones. I have taken this more places than it was designed for and had very few issues. I have ridden over 50 years, raced motox, rode a LOT of enduro and just love riding in general. These bikes were made to let you set them up for what you like to do, and they will do it quite well. All the ADV bikes are amazing and it just has to be what YOU want. I like the Vstrom for the way it handles in all weather (I ride all year in the Mid Atlantic), its versatility and its bullet proof low maintenance. Ride a few before you decide and I think you will be surprised that the Vstrom will be a very strong contender for all around. I was really loving the Versys 1000 (always rode mainly Kawasaki) but like to get off the beaten path too so chose the Vstrom. I love this bike! l

[@allwheeldrive]

Really glad this review is still active! I just sold my 04 V1K and got an 18V1K. I don't offroad ride, but hit a few unpaved roads and well-traveled trails. What I'm getting from this review is in the right hands - and with the right tires - this will easily take you just about anywhere. And that's the bullseye in Suzuki's product brief. I have to concur that this has to be one of the most underrated bikes on the market. I almost bought a very well sorted BMW 1300GT but - hearing directly from owners they are wonderful machines ...when they work - woke up in time to find another V-Strom. Time to pile on the miles!

[@UPSHIFT_ONLINE]

Yes! Pile on the miles... the V-Strom is really hard to beat in terms of value, cost of ownership and capability. It's not a hard enduro bike but it will take you down any dirt road that is decent condition and it will goggle up tarmac.

[@pinslayer4579]

Life long rider over 55 years on two wheels currently own 08 V Strom and 15 Triumph Scrambler. 10,000 miles last year combined on the bikes. Admittedly 90/ 10 street bias have owned 36 different bikes over the years and my v strom will be at my estate sale its not great at anything but its good at everything love the character of the L twin.......

[@UPSHIFT_ONLINE]

We feel they are highly underrated.

[@1990-t1j]

These two obviously know what they're talking about. Handsome, underrated bike, too. I have subscribed.

[@azdesertdog]

I had the Gen 1 V Strom. After nearly 30,000 miles mainly off road it is overall a great bike as you convey here. I think the 99HP/75 or so FtLbs of torque are perfect for off road riding. However, the ground clearance is still a big issue. At 6.5 inches of clearance in stock form adding a real skid plate drops it to less than 6" of clearance. If they could have come up with 2 more inches and a 21" tire option on the XT the V Strom could have been a contender with the KTM ADV range and the Africa Twin.

[@exothermal.sprocket]

I think it's designed to cater to pavement riders a little more than the 18/21" wheeled versions of other ADV bikes. It's a niche between purely paved ADV bikes (like a Multistrada 1200 or Tracer 900, etc) and a more heavily off-pavement bike like a KTM 1190/1090 Adventure R. I think if Suzuki wanted a more dirt-worthy machine, it would have to reconfigure the V-Stroms more for such things. But I've taken demo on both the 650 and 1000 and I feel like they shine the best on pavement and light off-paved.

[@zzxx33mh]

Lifted_Above as owner of f1 1k7;True said..

[@falchiherve2024]

i own the little 650 2018;;;;;; one year and 24000 km..... this is by far the best bike i had..... a true joy to ride

[@UPSHIFT_ONLINE]

The v-strom is highly underrated.

[@yb2112]

great review and I'm happy to hear from those expert on that particular bike.👍

[@UPSHIFT_ONLINE]

Thank you for the kind words.

[@OperationFoxley19441]

Lovely bike, Lovely straight to the point review, liked and subscribed!

[@UPSHIFT_ONLINE]

Thank you! Appreciate your kind words.

[@keyboarddancers7751]

Couple of things spring to mind watching this review. i) How on earth did we ever survive in the past without a full electronics package? ii) These bikes are comically inexpensive on the secondhand market leaving huge leeway for top quality modifications, accessories and travel expenses.

[@UPSHIFT_ONLINE]

The V-Strom is a wildly underrated machine. Yes, it could use more ground clearance and a little more offroad capability in general. But the motor is incredible and the durability top notch.

[@vinjofin1972]

Thnx for the review. I am looking for a replacement of my 2005 BMW r1200gs and are very interested in the Vstrom 1000, however the 1050 is on the market these days, I really like the 1000 more. Taste is in the eye of the beholder I quess. Nice to see you guys take the vstrom on offroad tracks. 75 percent of the time I will use the bike for commuting to work every day (110 miles vv). And offroad the rest of the time. And with offroad I mean gravelroads and dirttracks like in your video. I do not intend to use it like a cross or enduro/trailbike. Nice to see the Strom is up to the job. Good work.

[@UPSHIFT_ONLINE]

The v-Strom is highly under rated. Sounds like it will be an excellent machine for your needs. Thank you for watching.

[@marekjanovsky]

great motorbikes and great video, thanks! one of these motorbikes is on the list of my next one..! ;) @Scot Harden, you have a nice vest, may I ask you where to get one or what type/brand is that please?

[@Me-yh4uc]

Greg Alberton. Yeah I remember you. You were fast!

[@UPSHIFT_ONLINE]

Still pretty fast.

[@vcgomez68]

Excelente prueba amigos , espero que este modelo llegue pronto a mi pais , Chile. Saludos.

[@exothermal.sprocket]

Got one myself this year. Got some goodies on order for it.

[@derrickmurphy9988]

Lifted_Above lucky you I'm on a super ten after riding mainly Suzuki most of my 30 years of riding.I miss Suzuki and I love the v strom.I think I will go back to Suzuki soon.good luck with your new machine.

[@exothermal.sprocket]

Ah thanks man. I know the STen is a great reliable machine, but from what I've been able to find, for a 1200cc mill it's not a powerhouse by any means and the bike is on the heavy side. My other choice besides the DLXT would have been the 1090 Adv R from KTM, but I was planning on sticking to more pavement than dirt, so the DL made more sense even though not as much a powerhouse. The 650 was even a consideration of mine but I just couldn't deny the better forks and brakes of the bigger DL right out of the box.

[@juliovillagran2012]

I have the 2016 model and I think this bike is perfect for any person who wants to use his bike in all terrain. But I don´t like the height between the ground and the motor base is too low.

[@zzxx33mh]

Julio Villagran I bought used one but the first gen with over 35kmile,good bike,the price of Vstrom1000 are attractive..for I need to paractice more to balance it since it heavy..Julio..beautifed it with some accessories and keep the mix of on & lite off-road,that where strom shines..

[@gordonsmithsa115]

Nice review, thanks gents...

[@sweetcostarica]

*Nice* is the word for the new 2017 Suzuki V-Strom. It really is the same old V-Strom with new paint, spoke wheels, and cornering ABS. A better word for the 2017 Suzuki V-Strom 1000 & 650 is *"OK".* It does most things OK, not excellent in anything. *Note:* (IMO) The better looking, better sounding, & slightly more powerful Honda Africa Twin and the well known, really good Yamaha Super Tenere are more exciting bikes if you look at the numbers.

[@sweetcostarica]

Actually, it is a 2017 called a 2018. I totally dislike how car & motorcycle companies do this confusing practice. I won't get into that pet peeve. Since you have actually rode the bike & I have not I'll take your word on the V-Strom. From the note section I also took others word on these motorcycles: - "more powerful Honda Africa Twin" - This was said by a motorcycle group using V-Stroms & Africa Twins in Anchorage, Alaska. They liked the Honda better. Btw, I live in Alaska. - Yamaha's Super Tenere although heavier is documented as a great bike so there is no contest. Anyway, I'll test ride all three (3) bikes (& the brand new BMW F900 GS) in March or April 2018 as I have saved up for a motorcycle to buy. That is why I commented from my notes.

[@1990-t1j]

Great retort, Scot.

[@mctourer5549]

I am about to buy my buddies 2004 VStrom DL 1000 it's got 58000k on it and he only wants 2500.00. He's been the only owner of the bike and has taken good care of it, all the maintenance has been kept up on it. I hear that in higher mileage bikes that they can have stator problems but that's supposed to be at around 80,000k. If I can get that out of it I'll be happy.

[@UPSHIFT_ONLINE]

If it's been maintained properly and not over-revved, those engines are known for putting on a lot of miles. At the price with maybe a couple of maintenance items, you should get a lot of enjoyment for the $$.

[@vinjofin1972]

I had a 2004 vstrom 1000 in the past. Bought it with 36000 km on it. Tuned it with double MIVV exhausts a k&n airfilter and a PC5 and finetuned it on the dyno. It drove like a dream. I didnt use it and treated it like my girlfriend. Put fast miles on the german autobahn etc etc. I did put another 85000 km on it and traded it for a z1000. Only maintenance and othing else. Engine is bulletproof.

[@robertpolkamp]

Cruise, 6 gallon tank?

[@exothermal.sprocket]

5.3 gallon (20 liter). No cruise control.

[@LookattheBiggerPic]

Nice presentation but would have liked to have seen more riding on mixed terrain with more expert commentary...

[@dougiequick1]

Be honest now ....DID YOU GET PAID for this??

[@Mikenewman11]

I asked myself the same question. Greg has raced his whole life for Suzuki, but Scott manly for Huskvarna and ktm (scource:Internet ...;-). Hard to tell if they are biased but I think they did a great job reviewing this bike.

[@brandonglanville2991]

No we didn't get paid for this video and neither did Greg or Scot. Suzuki does advertise with us but besides providing us with a couple of bikes, this trip was something we all did on our own dimes and for the fun of it. It was an opportunity to create some content for our audience.

[@31acruz]

Dude... you forgot to compare it to the standard, the BMW GS, this bike is half the price, is it 80% as good as the GS, is it 60% as good? what? if you don't compare we don't have a point of reference. Would have given a thumb up and subscribe because the rest of the review was good, but without comparing it to the obvious GS, its a thumbs down for me (you made only one or two comparisons to the GS)

[@andrejporedos1513]

Hi, I am GS rider, previous V-Strom. V-strom unbeatible in price/performance ratio. It does 95% whht GS can do for half the price and maintenance. My next bike V-strome again.

[@adamrichards2072]

@@andrejporedos1513 everyone needs to own a beemer at some point. Thanks for not being a fan boy😀😎

[@vinjofin1972]

My beemer is very reliable at the moment. But if something is wrong it will cost you dearly. Only for that, the cost, the Vstrom is a better bike to own. Engine is bulletproof (okay old boxer is also bulletproof but the issues on a boxer beemer isnt the engine but everything else). Low maintenance cost, low insurance (its cheaper) and a good bike on the road. GS is good on and offroad. And mainly offroad if you are a good amd experienced rider. For commuting the vstrom is more then adequate. Like already said. Very underrated bike.

[@an-shunlin2473]

great bike but goddam ugly

[@UPSHIFT_ONLINE]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder... as they say.

[@allwheeldrive]

It's the beak. Not a deal killer, but not pretty. on a photo put your thumb over the beak and see how it changes everything.