Suzuki V-Strom range test: on the right track in 2015 ?

With the return of the V-Strom 1000 in 2014, followed by the V-Strom 650 XT 2015, Suzuki is firing on all cylinders in the trail bike market, which has been growing since 2008. To date, the range has nine more variations. or less accessorized. Testing.

A little history…

Inspired by the 1987 rally-raid DR-Z (driven at the time by a certain Gaston Rahier, triple 125 motocross world champion and double winner of the Paris-Dakar), heir to the first production DR750S marketed in 1988, the DL 1000 V-Strom officially made its appearance in, followed two years later by a 650 cc version (read our and your … 1363 comments!)

Praised by many motorcyclists around the world (read in particular our and our), these motorcycles occupy a large part of the history of the trail, accumulating more than 200,000 sales since 2002. However, in 2008, the DL 1000 V-Strom disappears from the European motorcycle catalog due to Euro 3 anti-pollution standards, considered too restrictive.

Fortunately, the DL650 V-Strom – which represents nearly 70% of the volume sold – has for its part endured and continued to carry high the banner of the range (read in particular our).

However, this was not enough: V-Strom’s sales volume eroded from 20,600 units in 2008 to 11,400 in 2012, largely due to the rise of "maxi trails", boosted by the phenomenal success of the BMW R1200 GS, undisputed queen of the category (read in particular our).

Suzuki therefore decided to in 2014, as well as to add a more attractive and modern to its range in 2015. This being the case, despite a relatively favorable reception from the market and a second place in the list of registrations 2014 (761 units), behind the BMW R1200 GS (3418 units), the V-Strom 1000 struggles to regain its rank (read our)…

Guillaume Vuillardot, Motorcycle and Quad Sales Director for Suzuki France, remains confident: "it finished second in the market, but with volumes below our expectations. The model will settle over time. We are in the process of winning back and we are going to improve our positions. We will work more on the notoriety of our V-Strom range which deserves to be better known".

Of which act, since we are here invited to a new presentation of these V-Strom and their various variations, in Isère (38), with as guide and local accompanist the friendly French stuntman Jean-Pierre Goy, lining of James Bond in Tomorrow never dies, of Batman in The dark knight and many others…

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