Suzuki V-Strom 800DE long-term review | 6468 miles (and one year) later

[@larsl3694]

I've been riding one for a year and really enjoying it. It's very capable offroad too it has the right ergonomics.. i ride it on TKC80 s.. very good suspension. Very comfortable great seat.. dislike : the headlight is not good at all at night and the exhaust muffler sticks out so when Tipping over it will bend..

[@TheSwellrider]

Excellent review. I bought one Sept23 and I concur with your observations. It was great to hear an experienced reviewer and rider of similar age talk about their experience with this bike.

[@stoatsngroatsuk5012]

I bought a used 1 year old one yesterday, and love it! 🙏👍

[@thodoris3790]

engine heat?

[@stoatsngroatsuk5012]

@@thodoris3790 it’s fine, no problems with this.

[@luisbraz-ruivo]

Every bike throws heat….this one is acceptable unlike my Tiger 900 that becomes unbearable here in Texas any day above 85F.

[@PhilPower-uo5ev]

Love it aswell! Got it Saturday. Engine heat is okay. And the torque is awesome!

[@stoatsngroatsuk5012]

@@PhilPower-uo5ev It’s a great bike Phil, glad you’re enjoying it! What colour is yours? I have the glass sparkle black 😀

[@Tomfum-j9m]

Great to see a real long term test ..not these that have them for a couple of hundred miles .

[@luisbraz-ruivo]

Your comment about the headlights surprise me. I feel that my 800DE has terrible lights. The high beam extremely narrow and when going into corners can’t see anything. Just got new auxiliary lights which I need to install.

[@oldmanhobbies9554]

I've had mine just over a year and agree with you @luisbraz-ruivo, the stock lights are absolutely horrible. I've seen better lights on a bicycle.

[@MotoFishy]

It definitely isn't ideal. I have some aftermarket lights I'm installing on my crash bars next month when my Veridian Cruise comes in. Figured if I'm taking the tank off for the cruise install that is the best time to do the lights.

[@JayBee-cr8jm]

Agreed 100%. The bike isn't safe to ride at night.

[@MotoFishy]

@@JayBee-cr8jm I ride mine at night and it's fine on the roads. Even without street lighting. I do plan to add additional lighting for off-road in limited light but it's not that bad

[@cpbremote]

Yes the headlights are terrible

[@Mr.M1STER]

I thought the DE stood for Dakar Edition. I am a little bit disappointed to discover that it doesn't tbh.

[@Nulrom]

Hi guys, 13000 km on this beast. 2 things: tires are crap. Vibration is annoying for the first 6000km, then gets better. Has a very good grunt (if you change the exhaust :) Sc-project is sweet). Big windshield from Suzuki is crap. Get a puig. Get some risers. The more i ride it, the more it seems a bike that last decades.

[@BlueberryFennec]

So you are happy with the SC Project? I found seemingly contradictory videos. In one of them, the SC Project sounds amazing (channel "On the back wheel"). In another ("Average Biker"), it sounds barely more than stock. What's your view? Is it significantly more grunty than stock?

[@Nulrom]

@@BlueberryFennec on the back wheel removed the muffler. He made a video about the removing process. Without the muffler it sounds amazing. I left it on and the volume is about the same but the grunt is better. And it's awesome looking. For pure sound I think the best is mivv, or SC with a custom muffler (that I will make myself in the future).

[@Nulrom]

@@BlueberryFennec Cheers mate.

[@BlueberryFennec]

Thanks mate, appreciate it 👍

[@exothermal.sprocket]

The 17/19-inch wheel version is below 500 pounds wet weight compared to the heavier DE. If you plan to ride pavement 90% of the time this is probably the more sensible version of the bike to have, and for the few times you want to run in the dirt, some knobby tires in 17/19 would solve that, although not as stable overall than 21-inch. Cast wheels are tougher than people think.

[@Andreas_Cologne]

I had to change my back tyre after 4.300 km (2.700 miles).

[@Andreas_Cologne]

Why a thumb up? I was quite shocked that I had to change it that early.

[@JayBee-cr8jm]

@@Andreas_Cologne That's how long mine lasted too. It was down to the wear bars at 2,400 miles.

[@Andreas_Cologne]

The second one didn't last any longer.😢 I ordered another type of tires now.

[@JAF41972]

Tubed tyre's are not a show stopper to be honest I would just use Goop 👍

[@exothermal.sprocket]

Or the RE (or standard V-Strom, whichever country you live in) with the 17/19 cast tubeless wheels works.

[@jonwoodworker]

The 800DE is sooooo overlooked. People have been brainwashed into thinking the Talp is better.

[@exothermal.sprocket]

They read "it's too heavy" and instantly shut off their brains and walk the other way. Meanwhile folks like Austin Teyler are absolutely sending this thing off road up gnarly steeps and it's doing just fine.

[@jonwoodworker]

@@exothermal.sprocket Check out OnTheBackWheel use his 800DE like a dirt bike. Can't do anything close to that on the Talp.

[@bobterrwillinger4502]

I'm seriously tempted to pick up an RE.. Where I live, I don't like riding in the summer as inexperienced psychos patrol the road on their bikes.. I *love* riding in the rain and adverse conditions.. How was it in the rain?

[@sportsbikeshop]

I enjoyed it in the rain, and have now ridden an RE and that's possibly even better in the wet (wheel sizes suit more rain-focused tyres as well, like Michelin Pilot Road 5/6). Hope that helps. Cheers, Tony

[@bobterrwillinger4502]

@@sportsbikeshop Thank you for responding! I've got a Versys 650 (previous a vstrom 650 and I absolutely loved riding it in the rain) The verysys makes awful noises in the rain and just kills the enjoyment of riding. I'm in the planning stages of an 800 RE, so I really appreciate the words.

[@motonomad4900]

Which screen did you put on it and how was the wind buffeting? Thanks

[@sportsbikeshop]

It's the Suzuki touring screen and it did improve the noise and buffeting I found. Turns out this screen is fitted as standard on the new 800 RE. Cheers, Tony

[@iangriffiths9930]

I’d like to know more about how it was on the dirt please?

[@sportsbikeshop]

That episode is here... kzbin.info/www/bejne/hJLao6Opi6pgj9E Cheers, Tony

[@martyn_g]

Corrosion is my only concern on an ADV bike. It gets dropped, hammered and worn. If you fawn over bikes, don’t go off road;)

[@sportsbikeshop]

Agreed. It's one of the things I like about adventure bikes - I feel less pressure to keep them looking showroom all the time. Cheers, Tony

[@paulmurray5525]

Do you think putting a smaller sprocket on the back would help with the vibration, like a 47 tooth?

[@PhillipBear-w1w]

I've done 10 thousand kilometres on mine in Australia and honestly it is amazingly smooth at any revs,there may be the faintest tingling at some speeds but really I do not even notice them.

[@exothermal.sprocket]

Getting an ECU flash to tune out the LEAN factory conditions will reduce vibration significantly. Lean combustion properties induces vibration, even if it's not "too lean" to damage engine life, it still creates buzz.

[@flexywing]

Side you notice any vibration at motorway speeds . I test rode a RE800 and found d it very buzzy at 75 Will good to see how you get on with that model

[@sportsbikeshop]

I didn't do a whole heap of motorway or dual carriageways on the V-Strom, but any vibrations didn't trouble me on the occasions I did ride them. I've got an inline-four for a bit now (GSX-S1000 GX) and that is much smoother, but I expected that. I'll look out for the buzzing on the RE when I switch to that in a week or so. Cheers, Tony

[@roadwarrior8560]

@@sportsbikeshop Looking forward to your thoughts on the RE Tony.

[@podunkman2709]

This not speed issue but engine vibrations starting at 5000. If you go with very high speed they are less evident because... all vibrates 😅

[@exothermal.sprocket]

Getting an ECU flash to tune out the LEAN factory conditions will reduce vibration significantly. Lean combustion properties induces vibration, even if it's not "too lean" to damage engine life, it still creates buzz. This is why some factory bikes have buzz and others do not. Each engine will have minor differences in tuning and break-in, and that will show up in combustion conditions (and vibration as a result). Some motojournalists have said it buzzes. Others have said it's butter smooth. While there's differences in perception by one journalist and another, this is not entirely perception. There's nothing inherently mechanically designed to buzz with this engine. It's running dual counterbalance shafts. That's 1 more shaft than the Yamaha Tenere T7 runs and people don't cry about vibration with that engine. It's combustion issues, not mechanical issues.

[@Ron-j3t]

​@@exothermal.sprocketok combustion so primary vibration unless it's a miss fire. When you advance timing and increase cylinder pressure nothing changes that I've ever seen(idle a bit) so combustion shouldn't be an issue. I think if it was pounding on the crankshaft so abnormally that it vibrated you soon discover a secondary problem, unless it's a miss. Maybe it's just not an electric motor and you have to live with the fact that a parallel twin does not have neutral primary balance. Just my two cents I'm an old shovelhead guy so I see vibration a bit differently perhaps lol. Loctite sends me christmas cards

[@kademmuratdemir8273]

May I ask something ? Heated grip is optinal or is it a different brand ?

[@sportsbikeshop]

It's an official Suzuki accessory. Cheers, Tony

[@kademmuratdemir8273]

@@sportsbikeshop wouw didnt know that thank you so much ^^😇

[@得八哈切]

Can the 800DE be fitted with tubeless tyres?

[@sportsbikeshop]

Not without some modification. Here's a guide to converting from tubed to tubeless-compatible wheels... adventure-motorcycling.com/converting-spoke-wheels-to-tubeless/

[@得八哈切]

@@sportsbikeshop thank you😀

[@horizontal120]

is 95 gas ok for this compression ratio or do you need to fill it whit 98??

[@sportsbikeshop]

The only time I filled with 98-octane was after the bike had been sat unused for a few weeks. The rest of the time it was 95 all the way and the bike was fine. Cheers, Tony

[@williamrae9954]

It's a Suzuki... it'll run on 88 RON Bolivian crap

[@horizontal120]

@@williamrae9954 it has 13:1 compression ratio !!! you can't jut put any shit in that kind of compression ratio !! it will ignite prematurely and blow up your piston !!!

[@egorspiridonov3413]

I got 3000 miles, and I have something around 30mpg 😅

[@sportsbikeshop]

Good effort. You're clearly giving it more than I did! Cheers, Tony

[@Andreas_Cologne]

OMG! You are driving at the wrong side of the road all the time.😮

[@sportsbikeshop]

I know. We all do that here in Britain, but because everyone does it we usually get away with it. Cheers, Tony

[@Andreas_Cologne]

​@@sportsbikeshop That might work 😂

[@podunkman2709]

And even not a word about the annoying high-frequency vibrations of the engine. They're so f*** annoying. They start from 5,000. And because this engine has higher operational revs than e.g. Transalp, they appear already at low speed. Tube tires also is ... great idea

[@sportsbikeshop]

I'm getting quite a few comments about that vibration and I didn't notice it. I'm not saying it wasn't there - I'd have referred to it if I had noticed. Cheers, Tony

[@F3udF1st]

DE = Desert Express

[@trevorphillips3055]

Dual Express?

[@sercio994]

​@flippy66Nope, Desert Express (as Suzukis always have been in the past)

[@Andreas_Cologne]

Nope. That's how Hessler Racing Team calls their bikes.

[@trevorphillips3055]

@@sercio994 Nope @flippy66 is correct. Google it. 🙂

[@hughp7608]

You can't just say the center stands requires a special trick and not mention it! I find it a B!#$( to set it up on the stand and then it comes down forcefully too.

[@sportsbikeshop]

Apologies. I was trying to keep it concise. It's not a trick so much as a technique. I found it best to get both of the stand's feet on the floor then push the bike backwards using the pillion peg hanger. This was more effective than pulling upwards. As for bringing it back down, I agree that it's very sudden and I just had to prepare myself for that as I couldn't develop a technique for it. I hope this helps explain what I meant. Cheers, Tony

[@hughp7608]

@@sportsbikeshop Thanks so much Tony and thank you for making the video! I'll give that technique a try next time!

[@JayBee-cr8jm]

This bike has the worst headlight I've ever experienced. The low beam is especially worthless and the high beam doesn't help it. The rear shock spring isn't up to snuff for anyone over 200lbs. By 2,400 miles my rear spokes also tarnished to a nasty mottled grey/black. They feel like tree bark. OEM rear tire was shot at 2,500 miles.

[@sled9263]

Oh no! Tarnished spokes! Wow! That’s truly a massive reason to take this bike off my list! Thanks so much for the info!

[@JayBee-cr8jm]

@@sled9263 My new bike looks 20 years old.

[@Andreas_Cologne]

I just believe the part with the tire - that was really far away from the quality you usually get at Dunlop's.

[@JAF41972]

Tubed tyre's are not a show stopper to be honest I would just use Goop 👍

[@trailrider1980]

I agree. Also just take tools with you. I am at 8,000 miles and not a flat yet. A lot of people make it seem like you will get a flat everyday and it would be unbearable.

[@podunkman2709]

​​@flippy66This is not dirt bike. They made tubed tires to save money. If u plan your trip to Boliwia u just take tubes (can be installed in tubless without any problem if u have such situation).

[@williamrae9954]

Here we go....Cruise Control is available, 2 x companies, same with rim sealing,3 x companies at least...go spend double on a BMW/Ducati if you have the inability to use Google!