Bigger. Also better
Euro-4 compliant litre adventure bike Traction control and cornering ABS XT option gets off-road spoked wheels
CONTEXT IS EVERYTHING. Having spent the previous day chucking the Suzuki’s V-strom 650 around, (p62) initially the 1000 felt heavy, cumbersome, hard work… It’s not really. But it is a bit heavier, a bit more stiffly sprung and quite a bit faster than the 650, which gives it a very different feel. It’s still smooth, sure-footed and well-suited to constant bend-swinging. Just as well...
Again, our route is super-twisty so we’re rarely out of second or third – and with the 1000’s extra grunt, it’s easy to get the traction-control light flashing. But you don’t really need traction control - a big, mildly-tuned V-twin with excellent fuelling makes it easy to feel for grip.
Of more technical interest is the new Motion Track Brake System which uses yaw, roll and pitch sensors to allow a measure of ABS even while cornering. Does it work? Sorry, I wasn’t inclined to try it to find out on roads bordered by sheer drops or cliff faces.
Apart from the new ABS, the 1000 gets an adjustable screen, a power socket, the spoked-wheel XT option that we’re riding here, and a raft of engine updates for Euro 4 compliance. The rest of the bike is unchanged from 2013 and that’s no bad thing since it’s one of the most useable and versatile of the big adventure bikes, being light, compact and feeling manageably low thanks to the seat’s slimmer profile.
It certainly looks business-like, especially in XT trim. But can it live up to its off-roady looks when the tarmac runs out? Surprisingly, the answer’s yes. We did several miles of rocky, rutted trails which the V-strom gobbled up. Perfect low-speed balance and that lovely, direct connection between throttle and back tyre meant it was easy to pick a path through the rocks and tease out a bit of grip. It’s not a true off-roader but it can at least wear its motocross-inspired paint job with pride.