Suzuki’s new V-Strom 800 DE has grabbed a lot of attention since its official EICMA launch in November of 2022, but what if you don’t need all that off-road capability? It seems Suzuki realizes there’s a big market for a street-friendly ADV, and is about to meet that need with a new, simplified version of the parallel twin Strom.
The news comes by way of Motorcycle.com, which spied documents in both California and Switzerland that confirmed the new bike. The paperwork from both jurisdictions indicates no changes to engine or electronics. However, instead of a 21-inch front wheel with jacked-up suspension, the new bike will get a 19-inch rim up front. Front and rear wheels get cast rims. The suspension is cut-down to match the new wheelset, the handlebars are more narrow, and the swingarm is shorter.
The overall effect should be a bike that handles quicker on the street, but with enough chassis performance to still fend off potholes, frost heaves and other nastiness. In other words, very much like the original V-Strom 650 and 1000 models, before everyone decided to turn them into full-on adventure bikes (yes, we did have something to do with that here at CMG).
We have received no confirmation this machine is coming to Canada, or what a potential MSRP might be. However, if it’s headed to California we would also expect to see it here. Pricing should be lower than the current 800 Strom ($13,299 for 2023). By the way, the ADV-friendly Strom is currently all over country on Suzuki’s demo tour run, so if you want to try it out, now’s your chance—ask your local dealer for deets.
