Trail – V-Strom 1050 XT test: Suzuki reconfigures its maxitrail – V-Strom 1050 XT test page 1: update 2.0.20

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V-Strom 1050 XT test: Suzuki reconfigures its maxitrail

Trail - V-Strom 1050 XT test: Suzuki reconfigures its maxitrail - V-Strom 1050 XT test page 1: update 2.0.20

The Suzuki maxi trail, relaunched in 2013 and revised in 2017, takes advantage of the Euro5 standard to evolve again in 2020. Engine, electronics, aesthetics and practical aspects: Site tested the novelties of the V-Strom 1050 XT. Test.

V-Strom 1050 XT test page 1: update 2.0.20

Currently in the Suzuki range, a single large displacement allows to clear the terminals without tiring: the V-Strom! Relaunched in 2013 when the Bandit 1250 S was just taking its bow, the maxi trail maxi road then released a new cycle part, a new displacement (1037 cc), new electronics and a new look.

This return had been crowned with success in France since the Japanese "trail-road-GT-sportsman-commuter" was mounted on the second step of the podium of the maxitrails in 2014 (761 registrations, against 3418 for the R1200GS). But in 2015, he was already relegated to fourth position (499 immats).

  • MNC special file :
  • Video test :
  • MNC test :
  • MNC duel :

Removed from the Top 5 sales in 2016, the V-Strom 1000 did not reappear in 2017 despite its update: the very – too much facelift? – light, the ABS on the angle which has become common on motorcycles and the swiveling screen clearly did not encourage bikers to buy this "new" model.

"According to our studies, the V-Strom 1000 are kept for half over three years", report the managers of the brand in France. Would the Suz ‘, which does not wear out quickly enough, be a victim of its reliability? Clever, salespeople prepare LOA offers to compensate for this "unfortunate" phenomenon…

Trail - V-Strom 1050 XT test: Suzuki reconfigures its maxitrail - V-Strom 1050 XT test page 1: update 2.0.20

"We are in the process of finalizing our proposals", specifies Julien Garcia, marketing and communication director of Suzuki France: "a standard V-Strom 1050 should cost around 179 euros per month and the XT 199 euros, with a contribution of 20% and on the basis of an annual mileage of 6000 km ".

To attract bikers to their dealerships, the Hamamatsu Yellows know nevertheless that the most decisive is the product, before the services! In order to grab (all) ground at BMW – but also at Honda, comfortably installed in second place in this carrier segment with its Africa Twin -, Suzuki is back in charge in 2020.

To begin with, the designers have completely revised the appearance of their maxitrail! By stealing its square headlight from the 2019 Katana, the V-Strom in turn plunges into the 80s. A good idea? For MNC, yes: if the launch of the neo-retro roadster failed, it is above all because of its ridiculously large tank (12 liters).

Trail - V-Strom 1050 XT test: Suzuki reconfigures its maxitrail - V-Strom 1050 XT test page 1: update 2.0.20

The historic nod to the new V-Strom is clever … It was precisely in 1988 that the DR750S initiated a fashion that is today a benchmark in trails of almost all brands: the famous "duckbill ".

From an aesthetic point of view, the Motorcycle Journal of the Net regrets that the exhaust is so bulky … But to reduce the size of the double outlet pot, Suzuki should have placed a large pot under the engine, as it is the case on the GSX-S1000 and Katana. Adapted to roadsters or sports cars, this solution was not possible on this trail which must keep an acceptable ground clearance (165 mm) in order to climb … the sidewalks !

V-Strom 1050: a new "eighties" look

Two of the three colors offered on the XT – the top-of-the-range version that Suzuki offers us to try today – pay tribute to the motorcycles that entered rallying at the time: an orange – blood – and white with a on the one hand, a yellow with golden rims and blue saddle on the other. Suzuki dares bright colors and MNC approves !

However, the Hamamatsu firm is thinking of bikers who prefer to go unnoticed: the XT will also be available in March 2020 in a shiny and classy black, discreetly decorated. As for customers who will opt for the V-Strom 1050 "quite simply", the paintings are in tuning forks (hum): black, gray or white, "quite simply".

Trail - V-Strom 1050 XT test: Suzuki reconfigures its maxitrail - V-Strom 1050 XT test page 1: update 2.0.20

Another immediately noticeable change: the "Big" V-Strom of 2020 changes its displacement … or at least claims it, since the 1050 uses the same engine block as the 1000: the V-twin at 90 ° cube still 1037 cc! "The new name is now more in line with the cylinder capacity", justifies a Suzuki France manager.

This is the third generation of the "1037", now compliant with the new Euro5 antipollution and noise reduction standard, like a certain Africa Twin 1100! According to Japanese engine manufacturers, their V-Twin should be content with 4.9 liters of gasoline to cover 100 kilometers.

This first (good) point seems to have been reached insofar as our on-board computer indicated 17.5 km / l at the end of a first 138 km loop covered at a high pace, then 18.2 km / l on a second route. of 203 km made hardly more quietly.

Trail - V-Strom 1050 XT test: Suzuki reconfigures its maxitrail - V-Strom 1050 XT test page 1: update 2.0.20

In the end and according to the clever calculations of the Motorcycle Journal of the Net (Excel file available on request), our V-Strom 1050 XT would have consumed on average 5.6 l / 100 km. By sparing their mounts, heavy riders will be able to cover 360 km in one go thanks to the 20 liters of the tank..

Paradoxically, the engine which meets a more restrictive standard in terms of emissions – polluting and noise – manages to progress in terms of maximum power. The engineers extracted six more horsepower than on the previous version, or 107 hp now.

For this, the admission has been revised: the bodies, for example, see their diameter increase by 10% (from 45 to 49 mm for the most curious) while the cams of the two shafts adopt more aggressive profiles. The mapping and escapement have also been reconfigured.

Trail - V-Strom 1050 XT test: Suzuki reconfigures its maxitrail - V-Strom 1050 XT test page 1: update 2.0.20

The other side of the coin: the maximum torque is down slightly with 100 Nm instead of 101. Yeah … It will also – and above all – perch much higher: the peak in 2020 is reached at 6000 rpm while that of 2017 was from 4000 rpm.

According to the spokesperson for Suzuki France, the torque curve would be more linear, which would erase the muscular effect – sometimes too much? – revivals of the V-Strom 1000. And in reality, how does the V-Strom 1050 handlebars in hand behave? This is what Site suggests you discover on page 2 !

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