All Duels – Duel Honda NC700X Vs Suzuki DL 650 V-Strom: culture shock – The city woman and the adventurer

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Duel Honda NC700X Vs Suzuki DL 650 V-Strom: culture shock

All Duels - Duel Honda NC700X Vs Suzuki DL 650 V-Strom: culture shock - The city woman and the adventurer

These are undeniably two philosophies that clash through these two road trails. Will the reasonable pragmatism of the Honda NC700X prevail over the fun versatility of the Suzuki 650 V-Strom? Bipolar duel test…

The city dweller and the adventurer

In the Suzuki catalog, the "trail" range has purely and simply disappeared: the 650 V-Strom has therefore gone to join the road! Nevertheless, it remains more trail-type than its competitor of the day, the NC700X.

For example, the Suzuki retains a 19-inch front rim and thin tires: 110 mm at the front and 150 mm at the rear, against 120 mm (in 17 inches) and 160 mm for the Honda.

The DL 650 V-Strom is also a little higher: located at 835 mm, its saddle is moreover 15 mm higher than the previous model of V-Strom. It is also 5 mm more than the Honda, whose seat rises to 830 mm. This difference is further amplified by the larger seat width on the 650 V-Strom than on the NC700X..

In addition, as in the past, the Suzuki footrests are positioned directly in line with the saddle: a slightly awkward location when setting foot on the ground, especially for riders under 1.75 m.

Thin and compact, the NC700X leaves nothing to protrude: no bulky luggage rack to carry a bag, but a 21-liter trunk located in place of the gas tank partly fills this gap. This hold (unlit) can accommodate most full-face helmets and even a larger modular.

Access to the fuel flap is made by lifting the passenger seat, under which the 14-liter tank is placed. Small practical detail: a rod deploys automatically when the saddle is lifted, to keep it in the high position.

We will not get up at night to contemplate the dashboard of the NC700X, but its small 100% digital counter displays the essentials: time, gauge and two trips (read the "Instrumentation" part of our technical sheet on the following pages).

In comparison, on the Suzuki it’s downright opulence! As elegant as it is readable, its dashboard is complete: engine and exterior temperatures, gear engaged, clock, partial trips, consumption and even frost indicator! Nothing is missing, not even the practical scrolling of functions via the left commodo … which is conspicuous by its absence on the Honda.

The little 700 and the big 650

The Honda is as small as the Suzuki seems rewarding for its cubic capacity. Once installed on the handlebars, these sensations remain. The tiny dashboard and the small screen – adjustable with tools, as on the Suz ‘- of the NC700X contrast radically with the generous fairing of the DL 650 V-Strom.

That said, they are almost as welcoming one as the other and their weight during maneuvers with the engine off is forgotten. This facility makes them accessible to the less experienced … provided they are not too small !

Among the many and varied missions of which our two road trails are capable, taking their owner to work every day in good conditions is essential..

And it is clear that they do it very well: the Honda as the Suzuki skilfully mix the efficiency of the roadster with the ease of the trail. But of course, our two competitors each have their own style to distill this driving pleasure….

The Honda is a formidable tool in the city. Thanks to immediate handling, it demonstrates a disconcerting ease of driving, a hallmark typical of the production of the world’s leading manufacturer of motorized two-wheelers..

The inline twin is not lightning war, but it is flexible. In addition, if it displays the same torque as the Suzuki, its 62 Nm in the 38 kW version (60 Nm on the engine limited to 35 kW) are available 1,650 rpm earlier than on its competitor (i.e. at 4,750 turns). But the NC700X is not without blame…

Its gearbox, for example, is not as smooth and silent as it is usual with Honda: as on the recently tested by Site, it seems that the phenomenon is more or less pronounced depending on the motorcycles and / or their mileage.

In an urban environment, the Suzuki will adapt with good grace to all uses, from the wisest to the most scoundrels … A little larger than its competitor, it will be less able to fit into a mouse hole but for the rest, she will be bluffing.

The V-twin and its gearbox shine with their flexibility and smoothness. The revised electronic injection no longer generates the jolts of the old model. Considering the playful nature of its engine and the ease of its very healthy cycle part, the V-Strom is quickly a push-to-crime! Distrust in cities where 50 km / h can quickly be exceeded…

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