P FOR VENDETTA

Makes sense considering that a V-Strom comes with a parallel-twin engine, right?

- Manaal Mahatme

'It's a practical adventure bike.' 'It's a simple motorcycle.' 'It's a lovely tourer if you stick to the highway.' Well, people weren't wrong when they said all this about the Suzuki V-Strom 650XT. But while Hamamatsu's middleweight adventure bike was receiving appreciation for its gentlemanly personality, ADV aficionados were going gaga over its brutish European counterparts. And I think that's what ticked off the V-Strom (and Suzuki) to let go of everything 'nice' about it, and turn into every adventure biker's wet dream.

It all starts from the way the V-Strom 800DE looks. It's a big deviation from the bulbous and flowing design of the 650XT. No longer does it want to 'show' that it is a big bike one glance and you know it is. The longer I stared at it, the more I was drawn to it. Except for the tail-light, none of the design elements reminded me of the 650XT.

In fact, all those sharp lines and complex layers reminded me of just one thing origami. And though it is 15 kg heavier than the 650, the maxi-enduro styling gave me an impression that the 800DE will be lighter to manoeuvre.

And I was right. The moment I swung my leg over, it was evident that the V-Strom didn't want me to play nice. I mean, the long and tall handlebar meant I had this big motorcycle by its leash and the footpegs were placed just right for me to grip the bike comfortably while being seated or standing. With the ergonomics taken care of, even a slow motorcycle feels enjoyable.