Suzuki V-Strom 1000 ABS | DOIN’ TIME

WRIST: Marc Cook MSRP (2014): $12,699
MILES: 12,875
MPG: 41
MODS: None
Update: 7

This month, my long-term Suzuki V-Strom got to do all the things I'd hoped it would. That's the good news. Bad news is that I wasn't in the saddle. Tim Courts, paterfamilias of our very own Associate Editor Zack, spent a few days in early spring to escape the lingering Vermont winter and took the V-Strom on a 1,200-mile mini vacation. Here's his synopsis:

“I had a blast. Somehow I’m not usually drawn to new stuff; in general I prefer the patina of age. Nevertheless, it is a lot of fun to use a bike that isn’t, for a change, going to break soon or require some deft and dirty improvisation. I’ve been pining for bike time through the long winter, so it’s great to finally get my fix.

“And the Strom! What is a strom, anyway? Great bike. Right up my alley. Nice comfy seat and seating position, plenty of friendly power, and brakes and handling to match. It’s almost like someone invented the ADV bike then refined it for 35 years. It’s too big for me, but it works fine once you get going. Maybe it’s my skill level, but soft sand is very difficult to manage. I tipped it over trying to maneuver around the campsite and busted the tip off the clutch lever.” The Strom’s first drop damage!

"I love the motor, from the sound it makes to the power it makes. V-twins are a special breed anyhow, and this one is so far ahead of my old boxer that it seems foolish to compare them. Ditto the brakes and the chassis. It handles choppy pavement well and has plenty of cornering clearance, at least at my pace. I suppose it's slow compared to some of the competition, but I think more power would just put me on edge. Zack says if I rode BMW's new wasserboxer GS I'd get an idea of how much better a bike can be, but it's a good deal more expensive, right?" Right.

"I put more miles on than I meant to and enjoyed it," he continues. "The Bags Connection Dakar saddlebags work great too. Skeptical at first, I was quickly at home with the intuitive, functional design, and the top box, an accessory I've always seen as hopelessly geeky, works great. All in all a great little tour." And another top box convert!

Next, more details on the Dakar bags and some tricks for mounting them to the V-Strom, along with an update on the Holeshot Performance slip-on I'm testing. Plus, maybe, I can have a few days of fun like Courts Sr. did.