2017 Suzuki V-Strom 1000GT review

Motorcycle road tests are usually shorter than most bike journalists would like, but not this one. No, after more than 3500 kilometres of day-to-day use, including a week-long tour of Tasmania and plenty of Melbourne-based commuting, I can safely say I know Suzuki's V-Strom 1000GT inside out.

The V-Strom 1000GT first hit the scene in 2016 and it's actually only available here in Australia. You see, Suzuki Australia takes delivery of a certain number of standard V-Strom 1000 models and then treats a portion of them to the GT (or 'Grand Tourer') treatment. To see how the harder-edged V-Strom 1000XT fared in our latest Big-Bore Adventure Bike comparison, click here).

GT extras
That means the GT scores hard panniers and a topbox (key-matched factory Suzuki stuff, not aftermarket gear, I might add), crash bars, a larger screen, a centrestand, LED indicators, a belly pan, tank protector and GT decals. It all adds up to a ready-to-roll touring package that goes for $19,990 ride away, versus $15,990 ride away for the stocker. So, it is worth the extra expense?

Before I answer that question, let's get one thing out in the open: this is not a hardcore off-road adventure bike. If you really want to go bush, there are better bikes out there (in many cases with a heftier price tag to match).

The V-Strom 1000GT offers some tell-tale clues in this respect. It comes with alloy rims (which dent relatively easily and often can't be repaired) and tubeless tyres, the ABS system can't be switched off (no good for drifting the rear through bends), the lower engine cowl (a more realistic description than 'bash plate') is largely cosmetic and the leading header pipe and oil filter are very exposed.

So, what we have here is a decent dirt road and blacktop tourer – view the V-Strom 1000GT within that framework and it's a superb mount, ideal for lazily lapping up the country miles or even getting amongst it on a set of twisties. Want to head across our red centre? Maybe look at a modified Suzuki DR650E instead.

I'll write more about the experience of exploring Tasmania by bike soon – my mind is still processing the magnificence of the week-long blast in all its splendour – but for the purposes of this review let's run over a few pertinent points.

Touring potential
First, packing for the trip was a breeze. We actually had a support van along for the journey so I didn't really need to carry my own gear, but the panniers and topbox were there so I made full use of them – at least I'd never be left waiting for the van to arrive to get my gear.

At first I thought the pannier locking mechanisms were a little flimsy but after extensive use they've held up perfectly well. The right-hand case loses some capacity because of the muffler cut-out, but the three cases together swallowed everything I required for a week away.

The first day, which saw us roll off the ferry at Devonport and head via Cradle Mountain to the remote outpost of Corinna on the northwest coast, hammered home two points for me.

Number one, the V-Strom gets a big tick for comfort, especially if you're a bigger bloke. At 188cm (6ft 2in) I normally suffer in the legroom department, but not on the 'Strom. It's a short reach to those broad handlebars and you sit pretty much upright – in general the ride position promotes complete control and all-day comfort.

It's a pretty lofty seat height though at 850mm, and one with which shorter folk may struggle. Likewise when it's time to shove the bike off its centrestand – it's easy to get it up, requiring only a modest amount of pressure on the plate, but it requires a fair amount of heft to get it down.

Number two, and I have to admit I already knew this courtesy of attending the model's Australasian media launch in New Zealand a couple of years back, the V-Strom 1000GT really can hold its own in tighter going.

You don't have to go far in any direction in Tasmania to find awesome bends – throw in minimal traffic and it's a motorcycling paradise, right on the mainland's back doorstep.

While the majority of our group were on sportsbikes – a Ducati 1299, two Honda Fireblades, a KTM RC8R and Honda VTR1000SP1, among others – the V-Strom was never too far off the pace, thanks to a well-sorted chassis, excellent ground clearance, competent suspension and an impressively powerful set of front Tokico stoppers.

V-twin performance
Of course, the 1037cc V-twin plays the leading role. Its output is relatively modest, but its torque is delivered in a fat band through its midrange, to the extent that there's little point using more than two or at the most three gears on winding roads.

The gearing is definitely tall though; at 100km/h in sixth gear the engine is pulling just 3500rpm and rarely did I find myself in sixth, even on the motorway – fifth usually sufficed. Still, give it a handful in sixth while at a steady 100km/h and the bike still surges forward; open-road overtakes are never a problem.

If I was pushed to find fault with this donk I'd have to mention its gearbox. It works well enough, but it is a little clunky in its operation and on a few occasions I copped a false neutral when I was winding it on. It's not bad, it's just not great – and that's not something I readily associate with the likes of Suzuki.

Oh, and it requires a minimum of 95 RON petrol, so factor an extra few bucks for each tank if you're used to using 91 RON.

Motorcycle paradise
There's no shortage of top roads on which you can really test a bike's abilities in Tassie, Elephant Pass, the Lake Leake Road, Hellyer Gorge and the road from Queenstown to Strahan to name a handful. We did them all – some of them twice – and soon found we had to keep a close eye on our rapidly sinking fuel gauges.

Suzuki says this latest generation of V-Strom is 16 per cent more fuel efficient than the old one. I don't doubt that, but at one point the bike's range-to-empty display dropped to as low as 230 kilometres after some particularly spirited progress. A more restrained right hand sees that figure increase to around 350 kilometres, but given the bike's overall comfort and design brief, I think a 400-kilometre real-world range would be more fitting.

That range was prominent in my mind when, on a day when most of the group was kicking back at our accommodation at Strahan, I decided to tackle the dirt road that runs north along the northwest coast through the Arthur Pieman Conservation Area. After heading north from Strahan to Zeehan and then taking the barge over the Pieman River to revisit Corinna, this time I kept on past the signs ominously proclaiming things like, 'Next services: 129 kilometres'.

Dishing the dirt
The mid traction control setting was gold in this environment, allowing the rear tyre to spin up just enough to make you feel like Toby Price/Stephane Peterhansel/insert your preferred off-road hero here, but without the rear stepping out and catapulting you into the Southern Ocean. That was a reassuring safety net on a road where I could count the passing cars on one hand, over the entire 129 kilometre run to Smithton.

After Smithton, and then a superb seafood platter for lunch in Stanley, it was back to Strahan via Hellyer Gorge, Roseberry, and Zeehan.

On returning to Strahan it struck me that I'd just completed the perfect loop for the V-Strom 1000GT. I'd taken on some pretty remote areas, albeit on reasonable dirt roads, and had carved up a scratcher's road that pushed the 'Strom's Bridgestone Battle Wings to their limit. Between those two extremes, I'd simply enjoyed wafting along Tasmania's highways, checking out some attractions along the way, in complete comfort.

Yep, if I had to apply one adjective to the V-Strom 1000GT, it would simply be 'versatile'. Eating country miles, exploring our endless network of dirt roads, and scything through the bends – the 'Strom does the lot, and what's more it will happily do it two-up and with luggage, too.

It might not have the off-road ability of bikes like BMW's R 1200 GS, nor the fancy features, but for $19,990 ride away Suzuki's V-Strom 1000GT is value personified, and a whole lot of fun into the bargain.

SPECS: SUZUKI V-STROM 1000GT
ENGINE
Type: Liquid-cooled, DOHC, eight-valve, 90-degree V-twin
Capacity: 1037cc
Bore x stroke: 100mm x 66mm
Compression ratio: 11.3:1
Fuel system: Electronic fuel injection

PERFORMANCE
Claimed maximum power: 100hp (73.9kW) at 8000rpm
Claimed maximum torque: 103Nm at 4000rpm

TRANSMISSION
Type: Six-speed
Clutch: Wet, multi-plate
Final drive: Chain

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame: Twin-spar aluminium
Front suspension: Inverted KYB 43mm fork, fully adjustable
Rear suspension: Monoshock, adjustable for rebound and preload
Front brakes: Dual 310mm discs with radial-mount, four-piston Tokico calipers
Rear brake: Single 260mm disc with twin-piston Nissin caliper
Tyres: Bridgestone Battle Wing – 110/80 R19 front, 150/70 R17 rear

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Claimed wet weight: 228kg
Seat height: 850mm
Wheelbase: 1555mm
Fuel capacity: 20 litres

OTHER STUFF
Price: $19,990 (ride away)
Colours: Metallic Mystic Silver, Candy Red or Metallic Mat Grey
Warranty: Two-year/unlimited kilometres
Bike supplied by: Suzuki Motorcycle Australia