Which Suzuki V-Strom is best? The 800DE and 1050DE go head-to-head on the Spine of the Dragon

[@ABRmagazine]

If you are interested in doing this route yourself, you can find the waypoints and GPX file here: www.adventurebikerider.com/get-the-waypoints-and-gpx-file-for-the-spine-of-the-dragon-route-in-wales/

[@mihaimihai9254]

Man, the 1050 looks simply fantastic! I totally dislike those small front lights on the 800 DE...Well I might be a little bit biased due to the 1050 XT that I own which I'm very happy with.. But, people, no matter what Suzuki you are thinking about to buy, once you will buy it you will have a highly reliable companion. If you don't care about fancy useless things and the reliability is what you are interested in a Suzuki is probably the best motorcycle in the world. Manty thanks for this beautiful footage!

[@konstantinostzanakis2050]

Both great bikes, nice review! Happy owner of a 1050xt (2022) and previously of a first gen V strom 650. Suzuki bikes are solid & Realiable & if you like the looks they will put a smile in your face every day!!

[@cedric7016]

Nice looking bikes but way too heavy for adventure…

[@mihaimihai9254]

You nailed it, my friend! Once Suzuki, always Suzuki!

[@Adventure_blac]

Rode the 1050DE. I’m 5’7, it has a very tall seat. But I really liked the engine and how simple the dash operates. Has feature of most middleweights. 6 axis imu, hill gold, Quickshifter. It’s just kinda heavy for the class. BUT, they can always be had a pretty massive discounts In the US. MSRP for 1050de is 16k. I seen plenty from 12500-14k new. Still looking to get on the 800

[@DigitalRodney68]

Where can I get a GPX File of the route you took?

[@ABRmagazine]

You can find the GPX file by clicking the link here: www.adventurebikerider.com/get-the-waypoints-and-gpx-file-for-the-spine-of-the-dragon-route-in-wales/

[@cpuuk]

Wales and it's raining, what are the odds of that ;-) I had the 1000XT for 30K miles, and that was a really good road touring bike. If I was planning some off-road, the 800DE looks to be a better prospect.

[@balladofbalfe8914]

2 fine bikes no doubt, I have the 2020 650XT and I love it! I have a Kove 450 Rally on the way as the offroad option, so if/when I upgrade the bigger bike I think I'll go 1050 (no DE) purely as a touring bike - even the 650 is a bit of a handfull off road, so I think a 2 bike solution is the way to go. Looks like a great trip, have done bits of it going to and from ABR festival a few years back (into Fishguard and home by Holyhead).

[@QuinnBoone]

I have the 23v800 de and off road its better but on road while it cruises at 80 mph 2 up, full gear no problem, the 1050 de would, with its more torque and power, would be slightly better on the open motorway by a slight amount. Value and reliability is 100% with both bikes! You wont go wrong with either. Thanks for the review, cheers!

[@martinhughes9769]

Great roads it’s a beautiful location 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿, I would say that being a proud Welshman 😊

[@aderiley6592]

Great route! Nicely summed up, and as expected no surprises with the verdict 😁 Both great bikes for different reasons/uses. Not ridden the 1050 myself, but Suzuki got the 800DE very right! Cheers. Ride safe 🤙

[@frankmarkham5913]

Fantastic, I absolutely love Wales and the Welsh people. I did thd route Snowden a couple years ago on my own. Now you have given me a big excuse to do the Spine of the Dragon in late 24 or early 25. I have ridden many of these rodes but this just sounds like a fantastic point to point. The Guzzi V85tt will be heading to beautiful Wales very soon. Thank You 👍

[@JochenThe1]

Great weekend trip ❤

[@ComfyDadShoes]

It’s hard not to want the 800, provided it can handle the freeway. It seems like a larger windscreen and bar risers would fix that! Love the body style of the 1050 though.

[@PisgahGravelProject]

800DE all day. Air filter access. Less weight. More than enough power. More suspension travel and more ground clearance. Ive racked up 12k miles on mine (2023 black) and its a great bike imo. Where the 1050 wins is cruise control. But im not interested in tearing the tank off the bike once a month to swap air filters, not interested in picking up a 560pound bike when i inevitably drop it, and ive never liked the oil filter position on the 1000/1050, lastly the 1050DE and the Tiger1200 Exp share a distinct title: the most top heavy production motorcycle ever produced. Ever. Not a trait i look for in a bike i take offroad. Others might, thats fine-they caj use that tool- i will pick a different tool. If Suzuki Japan were to put oem cruise on the 800DE they'd lose 70% of thier 1050 sales. There are a couple aftermarket cruises that hook directly into the factory plugs and i guess it works well. Idk if ill get one or not. Maybe when i have the tank off to adjust the valves and swap plugs i might. On thing is for certain, i can swap out pre-filter and main filter in a couple minutes. Deleted the battery tray and now indont have to removed the battery. Pop the seat off, lift battery to access the 2bottom retained screws, and 2 screws up top. Easy as pie. My friend has a 1050 and he cusses the airbox design

[@903lew]

I tried the 800 on a reasonably warm summers day and to say my left thigh was roasted would be an understatement. How are you handling the heat?

[@mihaimihai9254]

@@903lew You will feel you right leg heated on the 1050. Not roasted but heated.

[@903lew]

@@mihaimihai9254 I’ll have to give it a proper test-drive. It could be that I’m sensitive or that my legs bend in a strange fashion but I tend to feel engine heat a lot on many bikes (apart from Yamahas for some reason). At this time of year I don’t think I’d mind much on the commute but on long summer tours I think it’d get old fairly quick. As I only have place for one bike it’s a bit of a big deal for me, thanks for the heads-up.

[@mihaimihai9254]

@@903lew I wish you to make the perfect choice for you. I'm a 1050 XT (the ex DE) owner. It's a great bike if you don't look for fancy things. I use it almost daily in the city traffic and I ride it occasionally in medium one day trips (around 350 miles). It's a really good compromise. If you don't do to much of road you may try the simple version for saving some money. Stay safe!

[@903lew]

@@mihaimihai9254 Thanks mate. I quite fancy the XT for the crash bars and cruise control. Where I it’s almost all XT and DE regardless and I don’t do tubes anymore. There’s a decent 2023 ‘regular’ for sale locally but for what he’s asking (and the cost of handguards/crash bars) I’d get an XT with money to spare for panniers etc (and those nice spokes). Hopefully the leg doesn’t get blasted ^^

[@lozt6032]

Roughly its Chepstow, Monmouth, Grosmont, Llanfihangel Crucorney, Gospel Pass, Hay on Wye, Brecon, Upper Chapel, Builth, Rhayader, Elan Valley, Devil's Bridge, Llanidloes, Staylittle, Machynlleth, Dollgellau, Beddgelert, Llanberis

[@MMKJ]

800de ❤✌🏻

[@OswaldoLafee]

Thanks for the awesome video

[@Joelontwowheels]

Love my 800DE

[@tomstc]

I love my V-STROM 1050DE it's a great alrounder, looks better in black IMHO. The seat is an absolute backside killer though, I've recently Upgraded it to the higher seat, which is 30mm higher and much more plush! You don't really go into the details of the bikes much, also would have been better if you both had the raid tyres on. Still great video....

[@BikerSatoshi]

Great video. More videos with adventure routes like this please! I’ve a soft spot for vstroms, great bikes, but I went for the africa twin AS 2024 in the end. Very pleased with it.

[@lorenc8010]

New to the channel, as an American I love how your accents aren't too thick to understand.

[@HippoDrones]

I love my 800RE such a good value allrounder motorcycle. Am lucky enough to have an Aprilia Tuareg 660 as well, so that comes out for the trail rides, the 800RE is just a road bike for me.

[@coenbasson3440]

Well done chaps. Please share a route GPX file so we can also have the route you did? Thanks

[@ABRmagazine]

Cheers, course please find the GPX file here: www.adventurebikerider.com/get-the-waypoints-and-gpx-file-for-the-spine-of-the-dragon-route-in-wales/

[@DaddyBiker_Reviews]

Those aren't the standard fit tyres on the 800 are they... how much extra are they and what exactly are they please?

[@Screamifyoumeanit]

I read the piece in ABR mag this morning 14.10.24... I have now, already planned (and booked hotels... I was planning an IOW trip) ready for a similar tour at the end of October, I know mid Wales quite well so have picked out some top little back roads to Tregaron & nant Y Moch reservoir, rather than going to the Elan Valley again!

[@UncleWally3]

By far, isn’t the best V-Strom “for the money” a used DL650? Amongst many other bikes, I’ve bought three new DL 650’s and, cumulatively, used them for over 250 000 trouble free kilometers. Thing is, the fully farkled ‘Stroms I’ve then sold for peanuts are still running fine . . .

[@richardhretczak536]

Well. I’ve had 11 650 (5xWee, 5xWee2 and the last one Wee3) in 10 years. All of them used (2-3 years old) with very low mileage. Broke my personal record on the 2017 back in 2019-2020 with 42 000km in one year. All of them great bikes. Great video, great scenery, roads and riding!

[@UncleWally3]

@@richardhretczak536 That has to be considered for a record! The Wee has almost become a cult-bike. I only have one now with a measly 79 000 kilometers; I’m looking forward to breaking it in . . .

[@edhyteken]

Motor yang sangat menyenangkan di buat perjalanan jauh

[@richardhretczak536]

Perhaps 800 for me since I avoid highways as much as possible. 800 lighter and more suitable for off road. But 800 road version would be my choice.

[@RLD_WAY]

would you mind share the route?

[@ABRmagazine]

Of course, you can find the route and GPX file here: www.adventurebikerider.com/get-the-waypoints-and-gpx-file-for-the-spine-of-the-dragon-route-in-wales/

[@darylneal989]

Which V-Strom is best? The one not featured the 650XT/A

[@volt8684]

The 650

[@Iryna-lc5fp]

650 v-strom absolutely the best.

[@stephenbarrett6014]

Always stay at the George barrow great place

[@shaunhickman]

Do you have a TomTom file for this route

[@ABRmagazine]

Of course, you can find the GPX by clicking the link here: www.adventurebikerider.com/get-the-waypoints-and-gpx-file-for-the-spine-of-the-dragon-route-in-wales/

[@shaunhickman]

Thanks

[@DarksideGT7]

Is the Spine of the Dragon on Calimoto or app anywhere????

[@ABRmagazine]

Hi there, you can find the waypoints and GPX file for the route here: www.adventurebikerider.com/get-the-waypoints-and-gpx-file-for-the-spine-of-the-dragon-route-in-wales/

[@Doncan0823]

The only way to have a based opinion is by both of you riding both motorcycles

[@barkinsahin]

DL650xt

[@piesang500botha2]

I will stick with my 2009 KTM 990 ADVENTURE

[@livesgas]

The big 1050 has a severely squared off rear tyre. Needs replacing asap

[@rafaelmolina123]

650 looked like a bird. 800 looks like a duck

[@paulyflyer8154]

I'm a 5'9 short arse so neither are any good for me!

[@neilwells68]

On what planet is the 1050de good value against its rivals ?