The Right Machine For The Job
For some people, adventure is taking inappropriate equipment to out-of-the-way places. That would be like if you tried to go down some jeep trail on your Suzuki GSX-R750 or Boulevard M90. The one is an absolutely top tier bike for the track or the street, while the other is an excellent ride if you're burning some miles on the pavement, but neither has any business on the really rough stuff.
No, the best kind of machine you can have when you're leaving the pavement behind is a dirt bike, and Suzuki produces a variety of those. For 2011 there are five models: RMX450Z, DR-Z400E, DR-Z125, DR-Z125L, and DR-Z70.
Still, dirt bikes are fine once you're at the dirt, but getting them there can be another issue entirely. Usually lacking lights and other amenities necessary for being street legal, dirt bikes generally require that you load them on a trailer or in the back of your truck and carry them to where the fun begins. And that's fine sometimes, but sometimes it's not. Not to mention that if you ride to the dirt, the fun starts right there in your driveway, not miles and miles later.
Isn't there a middle ground? Well, yes there is. That's why we have DualSport bikes. DualSports may not do as well on dirt as dirt bikes, nor ride as smoothly on the highway as touring bike, but a Suzuki V-Strom will take that dirt far, far better than any Boulevard, while purring along on the highway better than any purpose-built dirt bike out there.
There are now seven DualSports in Suzuki's line-up. At the top of the list are three liquid-cooled V-twins (V-Strom 1000, V-Strom 650 ABS, and V-Strom 650), and then there are four air-cooled singles (DR650SE, DR-Z400S, DR-Z400SM, and DR200SE ) that differ from their cousins in that they are street legal.
Going the DualSport route is all about compromises, but with the choice between the DRs and V-Stroms no one needs to give up much. Do you mostly ride on the pavement, maybe even doing some long-distance touring, but want a machine that can take you down that dirt road that has looked so inviting for so long? You're going to want a V-Strom.
With power and comfort good enough for all day riding, that V-Strom twin makes for a smooth ride. Dual disc in front and a single disc in back also give you serious stopping power. Have a lot of gear to carry? Just strap it on and the bike will take it in stride. At the same time, the broad powerband means the bike is more than happy to let you drop down into first gear and walk your way along between and through ruts and rocks, all without concern for stalling. When the climb gets steep, you stand up on the pegs, twist the throttle, and that low-end grunt kicks in to carry you right on up.
But maybe you really are more into riding dirt than pavement, but trailering is not an attractive option. In that case, you want a DR.
Right off the bat, the single cylinder and smaller sizes cut the weight substantially. You want a bike you can toss around on the trail and you've got it here. Even the biggest DR, the DR650SE, weighs only 366 pounds. In comparison the same-size V-Strom 650 and 650 ABS weigh 478 pounds and 485 pounds, respectively. It only gets better with the smaller models, with the DR-Z400S dropping to 317 pounds and the DR200SE down to 278 pounds. On the other end, that big boy V-Strom 1000 tips the scales at 525 pounds.
Whatever your preference, there's just no reason to stick strictly to the dirt or to the pavement. Whichever you ride now, a DualSport bike will open up a whole other world.
No, the best kind of machine you can have when you're leaving the pavement behind is a dirt bike, and Suzuki produces a variety of those. For 2011 there are five models: RMX450Z, DR-Z400E, DR-Z125, DR-Z125L, and DR-Z70.
Still, dirt bikes are fine once you're at the dirt, but getting them there can be another issue entirely. Usually lacking lights and other amenities necessary for being street legal, dirt bikes generally require that you load them on a trailer or in the back of your truck and carry them to where the fun begins. And that's fine sometimes, but sometimes it's not. Not to mention that if you ride to the dirt, the fun starts right there in your driveway, not miles and miles later.
Isn't there a middle ground? Well, yes there is. That's why we have DualSport bikes. DualSports may not do as well on dirt as dirt bikes, nor ride as smoothly on the highway as touring bike, but a Suzuki V-Strom will take that dirt far, far better than any Boulevard, while purring along on the highway better than any purpose-built dirt bike out there.
There are now seven DualSports in Suzuki's line-up. At the top of the list are three liquid-cooled V-twins (V-Strom 1000, V-Strom 650 ABS, and V-Strom 650), and then there are four air-cooled singles (DR650SE, DR-Z400S, DR-Z400SM, and DR200SE ) that differ from their cousins in that they are street legal.
Going the DualSport route is all about compromises, but with the choice between the DRs and V-Stroms no one needs to give up much. Do you mostly ride on the pavement, maybe even doing some long-distance touring, but want a machine that can take you down that dirt road that has looked so inviting for so long? You're going to want a V-Strom.
With power and comfort good enough for all day riding, that V-Strom twin makes for a smooth ride. Dual disc in front and a single disc in back also give you serious stopping power. Have a lot of gear to carry? Just strap it on and the bike will take it in stride. At the same time, the broad powerband means the bike is more than happy to let you drop down into first gear and walk your way along between and through ruts and rocks, all without concern for stalling. When the climb gets steep, you stand up on the pegs, twist the throttle, and that low-end grunt kicks in to carry you right on up.
But maybe you really are more into riding dirt than pavement, but trailering is not an attractive option. In that case, you want a DR.
Right off the bat, the single cylinder and smaller sizes cut the weight substantially. You want a bike you can toss around on the trail and you've got it here. Even the biggest DR, the DR650SE, weighs only 366 pounds. In comparison the same-size V-Strom 650 and 650 ABS weigh 478 pounds and 485 pounds, respectively. It only gets better with the smaller models, with the DR-Z400S dropping to 317 pounds and the DR200SE down to 278 pounds. On the other end, that big boy V-Strom 1000 tips the scales at 525 pounds.
Whatever your preference, there's just no reason to stick strictly to the dirt or to the pavement. Whichever you ride now, a DualSport bike will open up a whole other world.
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