Thirty minutes on a Suzuki V-Strom 800RE isn’t exactly going to produce a deep dive road test. Yet when you are at Suzuki Live, and everyone is road testing GSX-S1000GX, Hayabusa, and V-Strom 1050s and ignoring what is perhaps the best value all-rounder on the market, you have to show the V-Strom 800DE some love.
In a way, I’ve ridden the bike before, but in the form of the V-Strom 800DE—the off-road variant. There are differences, not least of which is the 170mm reduction in front suspension travel and the 19 rather than the 21-inch front wheel. But in so many ways, the V-Strom 800RE was a welcoming friend. A Suzuki through and through.
Refined simplicity – superbly uncomplicated switch gear, crisp and clear TFT screen, and a more resolute rumble to the engine than is found on many other P-Twins.
Suzuki V-Strom 800RE
- 776cc Parallel Twin – 84HP – 78Nm
- 223 Kg – 825mm Seat Height
- 64 MPG (Imp.) Fuel Economy (Claimed)
- Showa Big Piston Inverted Forks
- Remote Rear PreLoad Adjuster
- Bi-directional Quick Shifter
- Radially Mounted 4-Pot Caplipers
- Tubeless 110/80R19 & 150/70R17 Tyres
The Route
As this was an organised ride on Suzuki’s pre-planned test route, first came the safety briefing, suggestions on what would be considered polite behaviour during a group ride, and a stern reminder that we were always in control of the motorcycle. If you get caught speeding, then that is on you.
A few minutes into the ride, we passed a gentleman and his Nova, who had failed to spot an unmarked blue BMW RT belonging to Lincolnshire Constabulary. The driver appeared to be engaging in some “self-reflection” as the nice man in dayglow checked his details with head office. It was a timely reminder to behave, or at the very least … not get caught being naughty.
Suzuki’s route delivered a little of everything. We had the inviting sweepers leading away from Cadwell Park towards Louth. We had a section of the wide-open A157 before turning onto the delicious B1225 Caistor High Road.
The temptation to keep going on the B1225 when the signal came to turn off was immense. But if I’d done that, I wouldn’t have discovered how delightful the 800RE is when flicking through the villages.
We ambled through Stenigot and Asterby and then hooked back on to the A153 for a few miles before returning to Cadwell Park.
It was a great route that gave each of us a taste of what our chosen motorcycle would be like in the real world. It was enough to let you know if you wanted more time on the bike or to try something else.
The Ride
I could have done with turning the preload on the suspension down a click or two, but credit goes to Suzuki for building a bike with range in the suspension. At 100Kgs in all my riding gear, turning the preload up to accommodate the sag I induce can sometimes limit the spring range. Not so on the 800RE. There was room to spare.
Although the settings were a little on the firm side for me, the 800RE tracked the bends and the broken-up road surfaces without complaint.
Most of the time, I was following a Hayabusa rider who was working hard to extract every last ounce of enjoyment from the bends. Yet there I was on the 800RE, twenty meters back, exerting minimal effort, riding on rails.
Yes, he wouldn’t have noticed I was there if he’d had the opportunity to stretch the legs on the ‘Busa, but on the Lincolnshire backroads, it was a fair fight. The Suzuki 800RE was undoubtedly easier to ride out in the countryside.
Weaving my way through the villages at twenty to thirty miles an hour, avoiding the cars parked in random places, including on blind corners, was very satisfying. It was almost as satisfying as sliding past the 4×4 pulling a caravan through the narrow lanes rather than having to wait, as the more exotic machinery did, for a bigger gap.
The 800RE can change direction quickly and will sprint out of the blocks with the slightest movement of the throttle, and the 4-piston radially mount callipers that grab onto the 310mm disks will stop you with equal vigour. I wonder what the 800RE would be like filtering through city traffic?
The Thirty-Minute Summary
Given that I had 30 minutes on the 800RE and 15 minutes with it after the ride, I was impressed. I’d ridden to Cadwell Park on a Honda NT1100 that tips the scales at 240 kg. In contrast, the 800RE, which weighs 17 kg less (223 kg), feels much lighter than the scales say it does.
The bidirectional quick shifter is smooth, and the twin balancer shafts in the 776cc, 270°, four valves per cylinder, parallel twin motor eliminate unwanted vibrations from the beautifully fuelled power delivery.
The 800RE is super skinny at the waist, making the 825mm seat height “flatfootable” for someone like me with a 31-inch inseam. If you need a little more – in either direction – there are low and high-seat options to explore.
Pushing the bike on Cadwell’s less-than-perfect paddock tarmac, the 800RE did feel heavy, which confused me. In every other circumstance, the Suzuki felt light and nimble. Perhaps I was pushing it uphill.
But that was the only thing I found about riding the 800RE that I didn’t enjoy. It isn’t laden with the latest electronics or sporting cosmic levels of power. It might not even be the bike at the front of the Suzuki showroom but ignore it at your peril.
As I write this, a quick internet search led me to a brand-new Suzuki 800RE for sale at Robinsons of Rochdale for £7,995. Alternatively, I could visit Wigan Motorcycles, who are asking for just £4 more.
That is a stunningly good price for a great motorcycle that still has the factory stickers on it.
