2020 Suzuki V-Strom 1050XT Review – First Ride

ADV for Everyman, now with more power and cruise control

How can any red-blooded American not love Suzuki, the blue-collar working motorcycle so many of us thrashed as youths, left parked in alleys with no loss of sleep, covered in fur for a brief period there in the (I think) ’90s… In spite of all the abuse we dished out, Suzuki’s loyalty was never in question.

2020 Suzuki V-Strom 1050XT

2020 Suzuki V-Strom 1050 First Look

Of all the GSX-Rs, GSX-Fs, SVs, RMs and TLs that have graced the editorial garage, I think the big V-Strom has emerged as my favorite, even if it wasn’t clear what role the first DL1000 was supposed to play in 2002? Back then, it was all about the GSX-R. As the bolus of baby boomers passes further through the snake of life’s alimentary canal, though, the size Large V-Strom makes more and more sense.

This latest 2020 iteration, which harkens back to its DR BIG beginnings and even its designer, retains all the simple charms that endear it to anyone who’s ever driven a tractor or replaced a toilet flapper valve. But the new bike bristles with all the electronic gew-gaws modern riders require, including, that’s right, cruise control. And now that Ride-by-wire is finally here to replace those old cables, Suzuki just went whole hog and added a bunch of other features that enhance the bike’s safety and performance without diluting its purity.

Bigger intake tracts begat more horsepower up top, which is always nice, especially if there’s no trade-off at low rpm. Well, there is, but it’s worth the trade-off. Suzuki says the previous engine made maximum torque of 74.5 pound-feet at 4000 rpm; the new one produces 73.8 at 6000 rpm, so call it a wash.

The new bike spins up so freely, you never mind waiting the extra rpm. Furthermore, where the old engine made 99 horsepower at 8000 rpm, the new claim is 106 hp at 8500 rpm. In use, the new motor feels just as torquey down low as the old one, and more revvable up top too.

Anyway, the V-Strom’s never been about all-out horsepower even though 100 or so is plenty. The real beauty of the ’Strom has always been its balance of power and weight. We could make it more powerful, says Chief Engineer Satoru Terada, but then we’d also have to make it bigger and heavier. Here’s what Brent J. said in our 2018 Big-Bore Adventure Shootout Part 2 The Dirt:

At 554 lbs., the Suzuki is the lightest bike here, with a 25-pound advantage over its next heaviest competitor, the Yamaha Super Ténéré. A few pounds here or there usually makes little discernible difference, but 25, 30, or even 88 pounds (the difference between the ’Strom and the BMW GS) is more of a night-and-day affair. After all, riding and muscling these rigs around off-road requires substantially more effort than on the street. Aside from the Honda Africa Twin and KTM Super Adventure R, the Suzuki was by far the easiest to acclimate to and ride aggressively.

The old ’Strom was equally impressive in the street portion of that big shootout, and nicely summed up as, “Bang-for-the-buck winner. Hands down.”

The bucks for 2020 are up a tad with all the upgrades, but the base XT remains below $15k – $14,799 to be exact – and for that money you get more bang than before, now including the aforementioned cruise control. Heated grips aren’t included, but the XT does get the tubeless spoked wheels, an aluminum semi-skid plate on the sides, an accessory/crash bar, handguards and a center stand. The rider’s seat can be easily adjusted 20mm higher than the standard 33.5 inches. The windscreen height can be adjusted up and down two inches without any tools, but it’s not easy to do from the saddle since they put the clamp down low and on the front. There’s a 12V DC socket under the back seat, in addition to the USB plug up front, LED lighting…

There’s also, for the US market only, the XT Adventure, which adds aluminum panniers, heated grips and driving lights, for $16,999. (Those things are available separately as accessories everywhere.)

Even with the XT’s wire wheels, Suzuki admits the ’Stroms are road-biased machines, which is fine by me as I’m a road-biased guy, though who doesn’t like to head down the occasional dirt road?

On its new bespoke Bridgestone Battlax Adventure A41 tires and billiard table-smooth Spanish pavement, it’s difficult to conceive of a more rapid way to get from Marbella to Ronda on two wheels. That low- and midrange intensive V-twin spreads the power thickest right where you need it most, from 30 to 100 mph, and the sit-up ergos of the thing and wide aluminum handlebar place you in complete, comfortable control.

At lean angles where you think things should begin to drag in all those second and third-gear corners, nothing at all does, and where you think you should be worried about using too much throttle, you remember you don’t have to worry because of the bike’s new improved traction control: Feel free to roll it all the way open leaned way over, and the rear tire helps you finish the corner by sliding just enough to make you feel like a hero as the TC light blinks at you conspiratorially. Why didn’t they invent this years ago? (I left my bike’s throttle map in A mode and felt no abruptness; other people more sensitive than I switched to B and were happier. There’s an even less aggressive C.) On the road, more horsepower than the ’Strom’s got would just be wasted – unless blasting down the straights is your thing.

It’s still hard to trust the lean-sensing anti-lock brakes that much, but for 2020 they’re another thing Suzuki has upgraded and fine-tuned. Now there’s a 3-axis Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) measuring in six directions, the new “motion track” brake system combines information on “the posture of the vehicle” with front and rear wheel speeds to activate not only in a straight line but also when leaning. It’s a combined system now, too, which automatically applies pressure to the rear brake to stabilize the bike when front brake pressure approaches lock-up. There are two levels of ABS intervention, and if you want to turn it off, you’ll need to yank the fuse under the seat.

There’s also this: Load Dependent braking control. The ABS unit constantly learns changes in deceleration by monitoring hydraulic pressure and rate of decel. If you’re riding with a passenger or heavy load, it senses that as you ride and adjusts the ABS intervention point accordingly. Smart.

Also don’t forget the new Hill Hold system, and even the Slope Dependent function, which keeps you from doing accidental stoppies when riding down hill.

For an ADV bike, the V-Strom’s also narrow, and the new seat makes it easy to slide around and forward to weight the front tire, just like on a real motorcycle. For 5’8” me, the ergonomics are close to perfect. Even so, the tank holds 5.3 gallons. Riding semi-maniacally, the computer kept reading around 35 mpg.

Meanwhile on the motorway, I did hear a few complaints about the seat from known complainers, but my own (over-seasoned) butt seemed fine after four or five hours in the saddle. Suspension that’s almost too compliant for aggressive curve-slaying soaks up what few bumps have somehow escaped the Spanish graders. The 43mm inverted KYB fork is all-way adjustable; the rear shock has a convenient knob to set spring preload, and also offers rebound adjustment. If you take the bike onto dirt roads, which we did just enough of to get a taste, the slightly softer damping should be just right. Sorry, there’s no electronic suspension or Off-road mode on this bike. There’s no quickshifter either, but the slip/assist clutch and gearbox are so refined, I don’t miss it a bit on the ’Strom.

Cruising along, I feel no vibes except a comforting V-Twin throb. Above 6500 or 7000 rpm, when you’re flogging it, a bit of vibration finds its way into the grips.

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