Fire roads along Highway 33. Photo by Sean MacDonald.
Testing the V-Strom 1000
In an attempt to put the V-Strom 1000 through the paces, I’ve had our loaner for a few months now. The first two weeks I had it included a 1,070-mile, 36-hour trip to San Francisco and back to preview the Skully AR-1 and a five-day trip to my family’s cabin on a small lake near Yosemite. Both trips involved as little freeway and as much rural highway as I could manage, which made for about a 50-50 split. Since those trips, I’ve ridden it a great deal around the greater Los Angeles area, ridden two-up on it, and taken it on 10-hour ride to play on the twisties in Big Bear and do what I was told were some “super-easy dirt roads.”
The 2014 Suzuki V-Strom 1000 makes a versatile touring platform. Photo by Sean MacDonald.
The V-Strom 1000 is pretty much perfect for my normal touring needs. It is both completely stable at speeds up into the triple digits (I’ve heard), and still capable when the route decides to give you something to do. The adjustable windscreen takes the bulk of the wind off your shoulders without trading it for mass amounts of buffeting, and the seat and riding position were about as all-day comfortable as I’ve ever experienced. If I were going to be riding across the country and sticking to the flat stuff, I could see wanting something bigger that chugged along at slightly lower revs and that felt a little more planted at high speeds, but short of that, this thing is just right.
Around town, the Strom doesn’t actually feel like a massive adventure-touring bike. Clutch pull is light and easy and gear engagement is seamless. Paired with a low-ish center of gravity, that makes slow-speed maneuvering confidence-inspiring, which is not the case with many adventure-tourers. The new torque curve makes moving through traffic incredibly easy, as it provides plenty of power across the entire rev range so you can get up and out of the way. I’ve been a long-time supporter of the V-Strom 650 as the ultimate commuter, but after riding its big brother, I believe the only reason to choose the 650 over the 1000 is price. Both are equally suited for urban duty.
REVIEW: 2014 SUZUKI V-STROM 1000 ABS
With KTM announcing a 1290 Super Adventure to top its already best-in-class 1190 Adventure, it’s safe to say this whole adventure-touring craze is in full swing. Despite being on the lower end of the totem pole, and not being the sexiest of all packages, Suzuki’s all-new V-Strom 1000 makes a strong case for being the best of the bunch. Hear me out.
The Bike
The 2014 Suzuki V-Strom 1000 is all-new from the ground up — for the most part. The engine is actually based on the same 996 cc V-twin as the previous version, but gets a 2 mm bore increase to reach its 1,037 cc displacement. It also gets dual-plug heads, a slipper clutch, new pistons, a new alternator, and a heavier flywheel.
Suzuki V-Strom 1000
The 2014 Suzuki V-Strom 1000 somewhere off Highway 41 in central California. Photo by Sean MacDonald.
Suzuki claims research showed people were mostly satisfied with the power the bike made, but wanted improvements in torque. Consequently, the revised engine makes just 4 horsepower more (99.2, compared to 95.5), while moving the torque curve down and making it fatter. Maximum torque is now 76 foot-pounds, instead of 74.5, and reaches its peak at 4,000 rpm instead of 6,400 rpm.
Everything else on the V-Strom 1000 is genuinely new. The aluminum frame is 13 percent lighter and has 33 percent more torsional rigidity. The swingarm pivot has been moved slightly forward (957 mm, versus 963 mm, from the front axle) and the swingarm made 20 mm longer, resulting in slightly faster steering, while improving stability. Rake and trail are slightly more aggressive, which increases the steering angle from 36 degrees to 40 degrees, further speeding up steering.
Front suspension is provided by a new 43 mm inverted Kayaba fork, adjustable for damping and preload, which provides 6.3 inches of travel. The rear shock is adjustable for preload only.
The 2014 Suzuki V-Strom 1000 is the first V-Strom to come with electronic rider aids. In addition to the anti-lock brakes, the Strom has a three-position traction control system (off, TC1 for light intervention, TC2 for heavy).
Fire roads along Highway 33. Photo by Sean MacDonald.
Testing the V-Strom 1000
In an attempt to put the V-Strom 1000 through the paces, I’ve had our loaner for a few months now. The first two weeks I had it included a 1,070-mile, 36-hour trip to San Francisco and back to preview the Skully AR-1 and a five-day trip to my family’s cabin on a small lake near Yosemite. Both trips involved as little freeway and as much rural highway as I could manage, which made for about a 50-50 split. Since those trips, I’ve ridden it a great deal around the greater Los Angeles area, ridden two-up on it, and taken it on 10-hour ride to play on the twisties in Big Bear and do what I was told were some “super-easy dirt roads.”
The 2014 Suzuki V-Strom 1000 makes a versatile touring platform. Photo by Sean MacDonald.
The V-Strom 1000 is pretty much perfect for my normal touring needs. It is both completely stable at speeds up into the triple digits (I’ve heard), and still capable when the route decides to give you something to do. The adjustable windscreen takes the bulk of the wind off your shoulders without trading it for mass amounts of buffeting, and the seat and riding position were about as all-day comfortable as I’ve ever experienced. If I were going to be riding across the country and sticking to the flat stuff, I could see wanting something bigger that chugged along at slightly lower revs and that felt a little more planted at high speeds, but short of that, this thing is just right.
Around town, the Strom doesn’t actually feel like a massive adventure-touring bike. Clutch pull is light and easy and gear engagement is seamless. Paired with a low-ish center of gravity, that makes slow-speed maneuvering confidence-inspiring, which is not the case with many adventure-tourers. The new torque curve makes moving through traffic incredibly easy, as it provides plenty of power across the entire rev range so you can get up and out of the way. I’ve been a long-time supporter of the V-Strom 650 as the ultimate commuter, but after riding its big brother, I believe the only reason to choose the 650 over the 1000 is price. Both are equally suited for urban duty.
Fire roads along Highway 33. Photo by Sean MacDonald.
Testing the V-Strom 1000
In an attempt to put the V-Strom 1000 through the paces, I’ve had our loaner for a few months now. The first two weeks I had it included a 1,070-mile, 36-hour trip to San Francisco and back to preview the Skully AR-1 and a five-day trip to my family’s cabin on a small lake near Yosemite. Both trips involved as little freeway and as much rural highway as I could manage, which made for about a 50-50 split. Since those trips, I’ve ridden it a great deal around the greater Los Angeles area, ridden two-up on it, and taken it on 10-hour ride to play on the twisties in Big Bear and do what I was told were some “super-easy dirt roads.”
The 2014 Suzuki V-Strom 1000 makes a versatile touring platform. Photo by Sean MacDonald.
The V-Strom 1000 is pretty much perfect for my normal touring needs. It is both completely stable at speeds up into the triple digits (I’ve heard), and still capable when the route decides to give you something to do. The adjustable windscreen takes the bulk of the wind off your shoulders without trading it for mass amounts of buffeting, and the seat and riding position were about as all-day comfortable as I’ve ever experienced. If I were going to be riding across the country and sticking to the flat stuff, I could see wanting something bigger that chugged along at slightly lower revs and that felt a little more planted at high speeds, but short of that, this thing is just right.
Around town, the Strom doesn’t actually feel like a massive adventure-touring bike. Clutch pull is light and easy and gear engagement is seamless. Paired with a low-ish center of gravity, that makes slow-speed maneuvering confidence-inspiring, which is not the case with many adventure-tourers. The new torque curve makes moving through traffic incredibly easy, as it provides plenty of power across the entire rev range so you can get up and out of the way. I’ve been a long-time supporter of the V-Strom 650 as the ultimate commuter, but after riding its big brother, I believe the only reason to choose the 650 over the 1000 is price. Both are equally suited for urban duty.
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