Photo: Oliepeil
It appears Suzuki is finally following CMG’s advice and building an off-road-worthy V-Strom 650.
The CMG faithful should remember our long-term V-Strom 650 project, when Editor ‘Arris got ‘is paws on a 2012 Strom, added wire wheels, new suspension, aftermarket exhaust, crash bars, and more. You can read all about it here.
Results of the project were mixed, but when all was said and done, we were surprised Suzuki has never offered wire wheels as an option on any of the Stroms. Now, that seems like it’s about to change, if diagrams unearthed by Dutch mag Oliepeil are correct.
According to Oliepeil, Suzuki is about to unveil the DL650X V-Strom, a more off-road-oriented version of their mid-sized adventure bike, complete with spoked rims and the now-obligatory “adventure beak.”
The basis for their claims is a parts diagram they’ve unearthed, showing the wheels and the beak. The former is important for riders who want their bike to have real off-road capability. The latter is important for riders who want to pose at Starbucks and look like they’re headed out to Alaska, once they finish this latte.
There’s no mention as to wheel sizes; when we did our project, we kept a 19-inch rim in front and 17-inch rim in back, so Editor ‘Arris wouldn’t spend weeks in the garage trying to tweak his suspension setup. It also let the V-Strom retain ABS.
If Suzuki does the same, we’re guessing the upgraded Strom will be pricy, but not as pricy as if they went with a more dirt-worthy 21/18 front-rear combination, as that would most likely involve reworking the suspension and ABS systems, which would in turn raise the cost more.
Hmmm, would you mind shoehorning a KTM 690 single into a KLR so the fine folks at Kawasaki can see how an extra 20 or so hp would really bring the KLR to life?
I think an extra 20 ponies on a KLR’s stock suspension would completely overwhelm the bike. Upgrade the suspension to go along with the power and it could be some huge fun! Roost!