Suzuki V-Strom 1050 Review (2020)
What Is It?
The Suzuki V-Strom 1050 is a road focused premium adventure bike and is powered by a Euro 5 compliant liquid cooled 1,037 cc V-Twin engine, producing 105.9 bhp at 8,500 rpm and maximum torque at 6,000 rpm.
Specs
- Seat Height: Average (850 mm / 33.5 inches)
- Weight: Heavy (236 kg / 520 lbs)
- Economy: Average (45 mpg / 6.3 l/100km / 15.9 km/l)
- Range: High (200 miles / 322 km)
- Power to Weight: Average (0.449 bhp/kg / 0.335 kW/kg)
- Top Speed: High (130 mph / 209 km/h)
Pros
- Good all rounder
- Value for money
- Economy
- Handling
- Brakes
Cons
- Tools needed to adjust the screen
- Limited electronics package
- Dash
- Seat
What Is It Like?
About me
I'm a 44 year old male, 5ft 9, medium build. I have 25 years experience riding bikes, have owned over 50 bikes, raced Motocross and done a few track days.
Why did you choose it?
I chose the Suzuki because I got a cracking deal on the price and Suzuki were offering £550 pounds of free luggage, centre stand, etc
I wanted to go touring and I like V-twins, so I decided to buy a new bike so I have piece of mind when travelling.
What is good about it?
Engine, brakes and handling.
What could be improved?
The lights are average and the display is a bit hard to read when on the move. A TFT would be a nice.
The seat is quite firm and frequent stops are required, so not good for touring. I personally find the wind noise is bad.
What is the economy like?
The economy is very good. After the run in service I'm averaging 53 mpg.. that's cruising with the occasional blast.
Any mods or upgrades?
The Suzuki deal gave me a 55 litre Suzuki top box, mounting plate and a centre stand.
I added the adjustable screen and I got the shop to install a set of heated grips plus engine crash bars. Givi make the official Suzuki ones.
How is the engine?
The engine is quite good, considering it produces a little over 100 bhp, however the opposition has moved on and I feel it could benefit from an extra 20 bhp.
Fueling is excellent, torque is adequate and the engine likes to rev as well.
How does it handle?
I'm very surprised how well the bike handles. The bike initially feels heavy, but once on the move it feels light and easy to manoeuvre. It's feels very good in the corners and the standard tyres are good.
What are the brakes like?
The brakes are outstanding and probably the strongest point of the bike.
Is it comfortable?
Seating position is very good however the seat is very firm and I feel I will have to invest in an aftermarket gel seat in order to cover any distance.
How reliable have you found it?
So far so good. I've done 1,000 miles done with no issues.
To sum up
For the price it's a decent bike. With a bit of suspension tweaking to stiffen it up a tad and a decent seat it is a good all rounder.
One more point I would like to add is that this bike is definitely not for off road, it's more road biased. I raced Motocross for years and wouldn't chance the bike on a loose trail.
- Nigel B, 2020
Price Guide
Related Bikes
Suzuki V-Strom 1050 XT - Adds wire-spoked wheels, handguards, engine bars, Aluminium under cowling, LED indicators, a hand adjustable screen over 50 mm, adjustable seat, centre stand and 12V socket. It also gets the electronics package with two level cornering ABS, front to back load adjustment while braking, hill hold control and cruise control.
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Do you own this bike? We would love to hear anything good, bad, unexpected or that you have changed plus anything that a prospective new owner might find interesting or useful.