Table of contents:
- First step, redesign the engine
- Electronics, the right one for what else?
- Chassis, ergonomics and cycle part
- Japanese design, this is all said
In 2002 the first Suzuki V-Strom 1000, Hamamatsu's bet in the maxi-trail segment. A couple of years later, its little sister, the Suzuki V-Strom 650, arrived on the market, both coexisted in the catalog until in 2008 the Suzuki V-Strom 1000 stopped being imported into the European market due to problems with anti-pollution laws.. Meanwhile the Suzuki V-Strom 650 continued to sell very well. So much so that in 2011 the V-Strom received a major overhaul to update it. To date, the number of Suzuki V-Strom sold worldwide is around 187,000 units.
With this sales figure in Suzuki they could not pass up the appetizing pie of the sales of a Maxi-Trail with a one-liter engine, designed to route and aimed at very specific users who the crisis does not seem to affect. The goal in the design was build a motorcycle for road use, with a comfortable posture, that allows long journeys. Let's see if they have succeeded.
First step, redesign the engine
Although the comparison seems easy, the new engine of The 2014 Suzuki V-Strom 1000 ABS retains very few elements of its predecessor. The architecture is a 90º vee twin engine with DOHC four valves per cylinder heads. But the 996 cc of the old engine now goes to 1,037 cc, because even maintaining the stroke the pistons go from 96 mm in diameter to 100 mm.
In the cylinder heads we now find two iridium spark plugs instead of one. These two spark plugs per cylinder have a high coil each, so the engine operation at low revs is much better controlled. Performance is now 100 hp at 8,000 rpm and torque is 103 Nm at just 4,000 rpm.
The power supply is original from Suzuki, and now instead of four holes per injection body it has ten holes. This improves efficiency, achieving consumption of up to 4.78 liters per 100 km and comply with Euro3 regulations. Other improved details are the injection control system, designed exclusively by Suzuki, or the electronic management of the entire motorcycle, now in charge of a 32-bit control unit.
The oil cooler from the previous version has also been removed, saving up to 1.5kg in final weight in that step. The clutch now uses a controlled slip system to make downshifting more comfortable. In the gearbox, the sixth gear has also been re-designed to offer more comfort to users.
Finally, in this section, the exhaust has also been redesigned, now being of the 2-in-1 type, thereby saving part of the weight of one of the silencers. The exhaust also features a bypass valve to improve bass response. And of course it also has a catalyst that helps to comply, as we have already said, with the Euro3 standard.
Electronics, the right one for what else?
Based on what Suzuki says in its press release, the 2014 Suzuki V-Strom 1000 ABS is the first Suzuki to come equipped from home is a traction control system. A system that we already know from other brands, which is constantly comparing the speed of both wheels, the rotation of the crankshaft and the position of the throttle, and when it detects any sudden change, it takes control of the ignition and air supply to the engines. injectors. This comparison is made every four thousandths of a second. The system can be configured in two positions, going from more to less intervention in driving. Or you can directly disconnect.
And so far the electronics available, well it remains to mention the ABS system, but we will talk about it in the section of the cycle part. Because the electronics in this bike is what it is, just right.
Chassis, ergonomics and cycle part
The chassis has been redesigned based on the previous one, improving the driving position, altering a few degrees the triangle defined by the pilot's hands, hips and ankles. This one now sits a little more upright, but only a few millimeters. In any case, the chassis is still a double aluminum beam, although now it weighs 13% less than before. The meeting of the tank with the seat has been taken care of to the maximum, so that the driver sits in maximum comfort and is able to reach the ground without having to measure two meters high.
In the general dimensions, a few millimeters have been gained in the wheelbase (20 mm more than in the previous version). But the distance between the front axle and the swingarm pivot axis is now shorter (6mm). The angle of the front fork is now one degree less than in the previous version (25.5º by 26.5º) and the advance is now two millimeters less. These subtle changes seek better dynamic handling.
In the suspensions we find a inverted Kayaba fork fully adjustable and with a 160mm travel. Behind the suspension is conventional, with an adjustable pre-load shock absorber and little else. The front rim is 19 inches, while the rear is 17 inches. At the front it mounts a tire in size 110 / 80R19 and at the rear 150 / 70R17, both signed by Bridgestone. Both are made of cast iron manufactured by Enkei and have 10 spokes each.
The brakes are signed by Tokiko. In front we find a pair of 310 mm diameter discs with opposite double piston calipers and radial mounting. Behind the brake is entrusted to a simple 260 mm diameter disc with a single piston Nissin caliper. Both axles are controlled by an ABS system signed by Bosch that checks the speed of the wheels 50 times per second.
Japanese design, this is all said
The design of the new 2014 Suzuki V-Strom 1000 ABS seems to have little to do with its predecessor. The concept that has been sought is that it is not as bulky a motorcycle as the rivals of similar displacement. It will be necessary to see it next to those rivals to appreciate if they have achieved that objective. At the moment in the photos it is appreciated that equipped with the optional suitcases the set is not very bulky.
The screen is adjustable in three positions both in height and in inclination. But to change the height you need tools, while the angle can be changed by pushing or pulling on the screen itself. Behind this screen we find a new dashboard, which now only uses an analog needle for the rev counter. Everything else is digital, and we find information about the gear engaged, the instantaneous speed, the outside temperature, various consumptions, a frost alarm and alternator voltage.
In addition we also find information on traction control, a time clock and a practical bar that indicates the amount of fuel available in the 20 liter tank (two less than the previous version). All these options and screens can be changed from a button located on the left handlebar hub. Although, perhaps the most practical of the whole board is the 12 v connection located on it, which saves you long cables and cumbersome connections for the accessories that the owners of this motorcycle are supposed to use.
The design, in the title we have said that it is Japanese, and with that everything is said. To do it justice, it must be said that the designers of this 2014 Suzuki V-Strom 1000 ABS have been inspired by another motorcycle from the Japanese brand, which once marked a whole generation of Trail bikes. We are talking about the Suzuki DR750S, the well-known DR-Big. That with its peculiar "duckbill" indicated the way to follow for others. Perhaps that line now looks a bit diluted between the different panels of the new one, but nowadays lines are not as aggressive as in the eighties / nineties.
The headlight recovers the lines that we know in other motorcycles of the brand, such as the Suzuki GSX-R. In the taillight we find LED lamps, while the indicators use transparent lampshades. We have already commented that the seat seeks to be the most ergonomic and allow the pilot to reach the ground without problems. Although the height from the seat to the ground has not been made public in the data you have provided us. The seat places the rider at a lower level, while the passenger is located at a higher level, which leaves their seat flush with the rear rack so that luggage can be installed on both without much trouble.
The list of accessories ranges from LED turn signals, fog lights, aluminum or plastic skid plates, hand protectors, heated grips, raised screen, aluminum chain guard or a tank bag to match the bike. The available colors will be four, Candy Red, Glacier White, Sparkle Black and Desert Khaki. The price and availability are currently unknown. But seeing where it is pointing, I imagine that they will do the impossible to place it below the price of its competitors.
Because with so little technology, compared to its rivals, it does not seem that its trump card is going to be that. Rather It seems that it comes to compete in price more than in benefits with its rivals. We will have to stay tuned to see if Suzuki Spain changes its policy of press vehicles with Motorpasión Moto and allows us to test some of its motorcycles.
