I’ve long had a soft spot for the Suzuki V-Strom 1000, ever since the phase 2 model came out in 2014. It wasn’t the fastest, the most technologically advanced or even the most capable of bikes in its class, but it was a good, hard-working, do-everything bike. I ran one for around 8000 miles and did everything from touring to commuting to green-laning on it. It’s a shame that a lot of people overlook them in favour of bikes more exotic, not to mention more expensive, as fundamentally they’re a solid, capable and good value adventure machine.
They just lack a bit of attitude and dirt road ability, which is something I hoped to remedy with this loan bike from Suzuki, addressing a few of the bike’s shortcomings and highlighting some of the areas you might want to look at when equipping your own bike for adventure. To help with the job I headed over to the Adventure Bike Shop in Sudbury, ran by global travellers Cliff and Jenny who a few years back went around the world on their own two-wheeled trip and so have the knowledge and stock to help kit out your own bike. We began with the footpegs…
FOOTPEGS
Denne historien er fra December 2019-utgaven av Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
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Denne historien er fra December 2019-utgaven av Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Honda CRF1100L ES Africa Twin
Without panniers he was adventuring nowhere - so at least Bertie's got something sorted now
BMW R 12 nineT
Chad gets a track day surprise when BMW's R 12 nineT turns out to be surprisingly fun on track
Test fleet: VOGE 525 DSX
After testing the Voge's abilities on a long ride, it was time to take it to the Cotswolds and see how it would manage on the rougher stuff
Portuguese Perambulations
Nearly over before it had begun, a brief workshop stint allows Spain and Portugal to be explored
Highway to Heaven
Three friends take on the challenge of riding the length of Canada, from Vancouver in the southwest to Inuvik in the north. The road is long, the conditions merciless, and wildfires are tearing through the country. To top it all off, the final leg of the journey is the ultimate test of gravel riding skills, nerves, and courage - it's the legendary Dempster Highway...
Battlaxes at the ready!
We tend to take tyres for granted, never really looking at them in any detail, or at how they work, just hoping that they keep us shiny side up at all times. Even in the wet
Ducati Riding Experience
When I rode the Ducati DesertX to France last year, I did have a bit of an explore on some easy fire roads and gentle green lanes in the wilds of the Médoc area, but was left with the feeling that, had I the experience, the DesertX would have been capable of taking me along some more extreme trails to some even more exciting places. If only there was a way of finding out just how well the Italian adventure bike could cope with some more extreme terrain...
Four pot flyer
Many said that sports bikes, and particularly bikes in the traditional Supersports class that was populated by 600cc inline fours, were dead. Maybe they spoke too soon?...
Eastern adventurer
With an increasing interest in smaller capacity adventure bikes, the market expands with a new entry
First Time Lucky?
It's ironic that the first all-new MV Agusta model to hit the marketplace right after Italy's No.1 trophy brand was acquired by Austrian giant Pierer Mobility, owner of off-road titans KTM, should be the company's first dual-purpose model of the modern era, powered by MV's all-new 931cc three-cylinder engine that's destined to form the basis of a whole series of new models in coming months and years.
