My/our thoughts on the V-Strom 800RE. (& a bit of a comparison to the 650)
Obviously you can read & view lots on information about the 800 but these are just our personal thoughts & observations after owning it for 3 weeks & 1000 miles.
After almost 11 years riding the V-Strom 650 (with Deb as pillion) & over 57000 miles we both thought it would be good to have a look at the 800.
The DE was quickly eliminated, not just the spoked, tubed wheels but also the height.
After much deliberation, questions asked, articles read & a few visits to the local dealer it was time for a test ride. Thanks to Powerslide in Derby it was a very easy operation. On return we put our order in. Agreed the PX of the 650, confirmed all the accessories we wanted fitting, deposit paid & were told 2 weeks max. We got the call on the 13th day to say it was ready.
We were always happy with the 650, it was as much as we wanted, to do what we wanted to do. It was good enough for our 2 up riding & had plenty of room & comfort for us both. We did have to make a few modifications, of course, but it was pretty good from the off. We were pretty sad to see it go.
The short ride home on the 800RE was soon to tell us a few things that might/will need changing for us, well, Deb in the main. The bike we took out on the test ride didn’t have a back box or panniers. Although we did sit on & ‘try for size’ a DE that did, for some reason it’s different. We knew that the Suzuki panniers sit a fair bit higher than the Givi we had on the 650 & had been concerned they would be interfering with Deb’s legs. Although they didn’t seem to on the DE they do on the RE. Also the back box is a problem. Never needing a back rest with the GIvi on the 650, the Suzuki box is higher & the hinges stick out more catching Deb in the ‘wrong part’ of her back. Also the pillion foot rests are also an inch or so higher causing more bend in Deb’s bad knee. We are in the process of sorting these out, mainly hoping that getting the seat resculpted & raised on the pillion part by an inch or so plus some form of backrest will sort it.
Of course, this may not occur with anyone else’s pillion nor will it matter if you ride solo, but I thought it worth noting. (Plus I believe Givi will be doing panniers & they sit lower but the off side one is contoured to fit around the exhaust & is smaller than the nearside too)
For me, the main problem is the usual buffeting & wind noise from the stock (touring) screen. Working on that too & it’s better than it was after lowering the screen & pushing the bottom out with 15mm nylon spacers but I’m sure I will get it even better. The bars are a bit lower than I liked, so risers have been fitted. The footrests are also a bit higher than I’d like but unlike the 650 I can’t see how a lowering kit could be fitted, might have to live with that.
Initially, when we took the test bike out I thought I thought it felt lighter when pushing it around. Once I had all the hardware fitted I think it’s about the same as the 650, maybe a bit heavier to push around. However, once on the move that all goes & it rides & steers great, you don’t feel its weight at all. The seat height is also lower than the 650 & I can get both feet flat so that helps when coming to a standstill. (The Nitron shock I fitted added a little bit onto the 650’s height)
The suspension is great, well, compared to the 650. Obviously the upside down forks work better & the rear is better than the original 650’s. Together they make the bike a very nice ride, even our potholed roads.
The brakes are also far better. I was never that unsatisfied with how the 650 brakes worked but there’s no comparison really. Front & rear are both excellent.
The engine is something else. It pulls well in all gears from pretty low RPM, & it’s far quicker than I think I would ever need. It’s as smooth as silk too, I can feel no vibrations at any revs. I don’t need to say too much about it as you can read plenty of articles telling you about it.
The quickshifter? I’ve never had a bike with one fitted so I doubt I’d have missed it if it wasn’t fitted to the 800, nor would I have it fitted as an extra …. but…..
Is it necessary on this bike? No, I don’t think so.
Is it good fun? Yes, definitely.
Even Deb likes it because she doesn’t get that ‘changing gear feeling’.
Personally I liked the look of the 650 but I think the 800 looks better, well it does until you go round & look from the front. I don’t like the look of the headlight or the beak but I can’t see them when I’m sitting on it.
I’ve not ridden the bike at night yet so I can’t say what the headlight is like. There are reports it’s not great, but we’ll see (or maybe not, if those reports are true).
Are we missing the 650 now? No, not one bit! If you’re thinking of changing then go & test ride the 800, it is a great bike.
