Suzuki V-Strom 800DE - My experience after 6 months of ownership. My motorcycling journey
I’ve been riding motorcycles since 2006 but the “touring bug” bit me around late 2016. Until then I was mostly commuting & doing small rides on my first generation TVS Apache.
Fast forward to 2017, I upgraded to RE Classic 500. True to its name, a typical slow & torquey classic machine. I found it to be a fun to ride on highways, on twisties and even in the city! Most people may disagree with me about Classic 500 being fun to ride, but I think it all depends on individual’s definition of “fun”. It certainly had its shortcomings, but I thoroughly enjoyed my road trips for the next 3 years.
With time, the desire for a bigger & more powerful motorcycle started growing inside me. I was always fascinated about the Triumph Tiger lineup but back then I knew I can’t afford one. Then I started hearing a lot about RE Interceptor and how ‘owning a twin-cylinder motorcycle’ has become a reality for the Indian consumers without breaking their bank. I did a test ride, and my first reaction was “it can’t be a RE!”. A super refined engine, almost non-existent vibrations, linear power delivery, low end torque - everything felt like perfect for me. So, in September 2019 Orange Crush comes home and the next 4.5 years were even better. I rode more, I rode far, I rode fast, and I became a better rider.
In search of comfort
Interceptor offered me everything that I was looking for, except comfort. The suspension setup was poor, seat was narrow and extremely discomfort. For the first 3+ years, it didn’t bother me much until my better half started pointing it out. She was insisting that I get something more comfortable. So, my hunt for a comfortable motorcycle begun in late 2022. Back then my first choice was V-Strom 650 XT, but the experience was rather disappointing when I reached out to the dealership. The next in the list was Kawasaki Versys 650. I had ridden it extensively in the past. It’s a great machine but somehow, I could not connect with it. Later I started reading articles about RE, Honda and Suzuki developing mid-weight adventure tourers. So, I decided to wait for some more time.
Fast forward to 2024. The new Himalayan 450 was making waves all over. Honda had just launched Transalp XL750 and NX500. Suzuki had launched V-Strom 800DE. I rode all of them before finally choosing the Vee.
Why Suzuki V-Strom 800DE?
Well, honestly speaking I completely ruled Suzuki out of my list after another poor dealership experience when I started enquiring about 800DE. I rode the new Himalayan multiple times both in the city and on highways, but didn’t like it. Something about the Himalayan seemed off to me. Honda Big Wing experience was good. I did an immediate booking of NX500 after a long test ride. It ticked all the boxes for me, including comfort. Then I took a test ride of Transalp for about 45 minutes before leaving the showroom and after coming home, I couldn’t stop talking about how good and superior Transalp was! My wife said, “if you really like it that much, just buy it”. I called up Honda Big Wing and asked about the delivery timelines for Transalp. I was told it would take 3 months for black color, but they can’t commit timeline for the white. Later that week, I stumbled upon a YouTube channel “Open Adventures” where they did this real-world comparison video of Transalp and V-Strom 800 and shared the dealership details for both. Until then, I was under the impression that there is only one Suzuki dealer in Bangalore dealing with big bikes. So, I called this new dealership, and the experience was totally opposite to what I had in the past. They were happy to give me the motorcycle for a full day test ride. I rode it in the morning, at night and with pillion. It didn’t take much time for me to get convinced that it’s better than Transalp in most areas. Next day, I made the booking.
Short summary
After six months and 6165 km of riding, there is only one word to describe the experience –
Fantabulous! It’s a solid, reliable motorcycle for touring and once you get a hang of it, even the daily commutes are sweet.
Things that I liked 1. Engine Characteristics – The engine provides enough power to make the long rides fun & engaging without being too intimidating. I feel even a relatively new rider will be able to enjoy this motorcycle from day. It has plenty of low & mid-range torque too making it versatile for both off-road trails and city rides.
2. Practical Driving Modes – I felt the drive modes offered by Suzuki is well-tuned, practical & useful. It offers 3 driving modes, A (Active) being the most powerful followed by B (Basic) and C (Casual). Each mode is tuned differently for throttle response and power delivery, which I can feel while riding in different conditions. Combining these modes with traction control & ABS gives a lot of confidence when handling the motorcycle in wet or bad roads.
3. Suspension Setup – Both the front and rear suspensions are adjustable. I believe the front is fully adjustable preload, compression, and rebound but I have not meddled with the front suspension. I played with the rear preload few times though. I felt the default setup is slightly on the softer side (nowhere near Transalp which is too soft) but for most people it should be alright. I must admit the Himalayan 450 suspension is in a different league altogether.
4. Comfort and Space – Plenty of it! The seating position is upright, which is great for long rides. The single seat is long & wide, well cushioned and offers good space for both the rider and pillion. I feel the seat and suspension setup complement each other making it one of the comfortable tourers available to us.
5. Build Quality – It looks big and well-built. The plastic quality, the paint scheme are good, and the wirings are tucked in nicely. Overall, the fit & finish is excellent. Especially when I compare it with the Transalp 750, V-Strom feels solid and better put together.
6. Mileage – We normally don’t talk about fuel economy when discussing big bikes. But I’m highly impressed with the mileage that I’m getting from the motorcycle of this size and power. I have done 9 long rides in the last 6 months covering close to 3800 km and got a mileage around 22-26 kmpl. It drops to 15-16 kmpl in the city, understandably as I commute during peak traffic hours. Overall, till now I've got an average of 19.8 kmpl which is very impressive.
The dislikes 1. Tubed Tyres and Punctures – This is by far my biggest gripe with the motorcycle. While I knew that tubed tyres are going to cause inconvenience, I never expected to have half a dozen punctures in 6 months.

One particularly bad incident nearly ruined my day, and I had to tow the bike to the showroom to fix it. Interestingly all six punctures are on the rear tyre and apparently there is some issue with the rear Dunlop tyres. Suzuki has issued a recall of rear tyres, and they will be replaced with new batch of rear tyres. But we don't know when we will get it. Thankfully, there are aftermarket solutions, and I eventually got Way2Speed tubeless conversion, which is working great.
2. Weight – It’s a big, bulky motorcycle weighing 230+ kilos. Although the weight distribution is fantastic and you don’t find it heavy at all while riding, it’s a pain to move in the parking space. Especially if I am sitting on the bike and trying to move it backwards in a tight spot or on a slightly elevated road, I can't do it without a helping hand.
3. Aesthetics – I would call it ‘designed to function’ or ‘decent looking’ at best. It’s far away being a head turner but for a 13-lakh motorcycle, it clearly lacks the premium look. Personally, I liked the overall styling in comparison to the Transalp (My wife thinks otherwise – looks are subjective, right?) but neither can match the European styling. I wish the engineers could have used a bit more styling flair to match its capabilities.
4. Headlight – As it is with most of the modern-day motorcycles, V-Strom’s stock headlights too leave something to be desired. At slow speeds and in the city, stock headlights do a decent job, but they are pretty much useless on highways or if you are riding fast. I have added Baja Designs Squadron Pro aux lights as a solution.
5. Vibrations – While generally smooth, there’s a noticeable vibration around the 5000 RPM range. I did not experience these vibrations on the test ride bike. I thought it was something to do with my bike but then I heard it from a few other members in our group too. But this vibration doesn’t stay long and once I rev higher, they are gone. I would like to see if it improves after the second service.
6. Exhaust Note and Horn – The stock exhaust note is too quiet for my liking. I’m not someone who likes to have loud exhausts, but a little more bass would have complemented bike’s presence and given it a real character. Transalp, on the other hand, sounds beautiful. Same goes with the horn too. It sounds more like a scooter than an adventure motorcycle.
Final Thoughts
Despite having a few niggles, it’s an excellent motorcycle. In fact, none of the dislikes that I mentioned are deal breakers, for most people. It may not have the flamboyant look, or the other bells & whistles offered by its European counterparts, but it’s very much capable of delivering a blend of performance, comfort, and practicality that makes it truly a versatile motorcycle. I’m certainly looking forward to having many more thousand kilometers of ecstasy with my Rumble Bee! It’s a keeper for sure..
