five reasons the suzuki v strom 1050 xt may be the best value big adventure bike around
despite writing and writing about bikes week in week out
the excitement of a new bike arriving at the abr offices never wears off
as soon as we hear the unmistakable growl of an exhaust approaching
we always jump up from our desks and outside to discuss said bike in detail
some keep us occupied for longer than we'd care to admit while others aren't quite as beguiling
but there was one bike in particular that caused quite a stir the other week
i'll kick off the five reasons with the most obvious of them all the price suzuki has long held
a reputation for producing competitively priced bikes and the v strom 1050 xt is no different
it's available for less than pounds 12k a relative bargain for what is the premium offering in the v
strom range particularly when you look sideways at some of its competitors in the market
think the honda africa twin adventure sports starting at thousand six hundred forty nine
pounds for the r 1250 g s adventure starting at fourteen thousand nine hundred five pounds
for your money you get spoked wheels a complete range of electronic rider aids we'll touch on
those in a second crash bars hand guards an adjustable screen and seat and a center stand
all as standard on top of that the v strom 1050 xt
and 1050 xt tour are both available as part suzuki's summer savings offer
with deals on finance and the chance to bag 500 pounds towards suzuki genuine accessories
to kit out your bike ready for your next tour so what else do you get for your hard-earned cash
on road performance a competitive price would be nothing without the performance to back it up
and happily the v strom 1050 xt delivers thrills and excitement
from the saddle the 1037 ccv twin produces 105 bhp
more than enough to cruise and overtake effortlessly at motorway speeds and it's a ball
when you come to twisty mountain passes where the v strom is nippy and exciting through the bends
it's also torquey across the rev range capable of pulling you your luggage and a pillion up steep
mountain passes with ease in whatever gear you find yourself in power isn't everything
though and one of the standout qualities of the v-strum is just how well it handles
it feels nimble and agile on mountain passes and the general consensus at abr hq from all of us who
have written it is that the 1050 xt feels lighter than the 247 kilograms wet weight would suggest
v-strom 1050xt tour ready there are a few things we enjoy more than traveling on two wheels
and the v-strom 1050 xt is a more than capable partner during a weekend in wales
a fortnight in the alps or even a rtw trip life in the saddle is comfortable over big
distances the well padded seat and adjustable windscreen make it a pleasure to ride all day
the 20 liters fuel tank will keep you going for over 200 miles between fill ups and cruise control
which comes as standard means those long stints on french toll roads are a little easier on the wrist
there's also ample space for a passenger with wide grab rails and a soft perch for your pillion
should you two or two up while some may argue that technology on adventure bikes and good
value don't go hand in hand i'd beg to differ good rider aids can improve life in the saddle
and provide a safety net if things go wrong on the road and the v strom 1050 xt offers an
impressive amount of tech without breaking the bank there's cruise control hill hold
control downhill slope control to stop rear wheel lift adjustable traction control rider modes to
temper throttle response lean sensitive abs and more all powered by an inertial measurement unit
that is constantly feeding back information to each aid about the pitch roll and yaw of the
bike many of these are expensive optional extras on competitors bikes or even missing completely
so hats off to suzuki for delivering a full complement of rider aids for a reasonable price
last but by no means least are those looks of course beauty is in the eye of the beholder and
opinions can vary but there's something about those retro looks consciously designed to hark
back to suzuki's famous dr big that gets my pulse going while i haven't been lucky enough to ride
the v strom to senegal yet i'm still holding out hope adventures around the uk did more than enough
to convince me that the spirit of the dr big lives aren't in the 1050 xt is the v strom 1050 xt the
best value big adventure bike around so there we have it 5 reasons why we reckon the suzuki v strom
1050 xt could be the best value big adventure bike on the market at the moment dl-1050 explorer
includes aluminium top case aluminium side case set suzuki heated grips led fog lamps aluminium
skid plate accessory bar design heavily influenced by suzuki's iconic drz desert tracer and dr big
with a new vertically stack-tracked angular led headlight and distinctive beak new euro5 version
of the flexible and characterful 90 degrees v-twin engine producing 107.4 ps 79 kilowatts a seven
percent increase over the previous generation new ride by wire throttle with three selectable
engine modes and a three mode traction control system the flagship v strom 1050 xt gets new
suzuki intelligent ride system sirs which features a full suite of electronics including an inertial
measurement unit emu lean angle sensitive abs with two settings linked brakes that can detect and
adapt to load and inclines plus hill hold control and cruise control the new v-strum 1050 xt was
designed and built to allow any rider to maximize their own adventure wherever it may take them v
strom 1050 xt electronics the v strom 1050 xt is equipped with a comprehensive electronics package
and uses the new suzuki intelligent ride system sirs which is aimed at enhancing everything from
writer comfort to performance and practicality a new ride by wire throttle delivers a natural
and linear feeling while slow speed riding is aided with a more stable idle the ride by
wire throttle is part of a wider controller area network can an interconnected information network
that replaces standard wiring with the benefit being fewer wires and faster data transmission