Easy Rider

CUP OF MID-SEGMENT ADVENTURE TOURER, ANYONE?

- Sherman Nazareth

The Japs have the inherent ability to innovate, there’s no doubt about that. One little stroll along the streets of any Japanese city will have you question simply how someone could have thought of something so blatantly practical while nobody else has. How else could you explain vending machines for almost everything imaginable? Of course there’s also a fine line between ingenuity and absurdity. A can of warm noodle soup might just hit the spot, but a vending machine for used women’s delicates; I think we’re definitely toying with the line of sanity now (not to mention hygiene). But the Japs tend to have a much better sense of judgment when it comes to motorcycles. If we leave the slightly deranged Kawasaki Ninja H2R out of the picture, you’ll notice that the reason Japanese motorcycles are so widely loved is because they’re simply such approachable beings. They aren’t sipping from the same cup as their slightly more temperamental European or American counterparts. The Japanese have managed to perfect the notion of finding beauty in simplicity.

At a time when the ADV market is slowly and steadily gathering steam in India, Suzuki has decided to grace us with the V-Strom 650XT ABS. While the bike has been around from all the way back in 2004, this 2017 version has gotten a lot more comfortable to ride and certainly a fair bit more good looking. And like I mentioned earlier, this motorcycle seems to be quite in line with the whole conservative philosophy. In fact, I think this might be the epitome of it. If you have a gander at the V-Strom 650, you’ll soon gather that this is a handsome motorcycle, but it keeps flamboyance at an arm’s length. It’s still undeniably a Suzuki, though.