A total bike, which allows you to move easily from urban commuting to a trip out of town. From tourism, perhaps in pairs and with luggage, to curves and hairpin bends with a sporty pace. It is the 'chimera' of every motorcyclist: finding a two-wheeler that allows you to do everything with a single bike, perhaps even with very low running costs and an ease of driving that is sometimes embarrassing. But the dilemma remains: does the total bike exist? Maybe yes or maybe no, but in any case it is difficult to imagine it very different from the Suzuki V-Strom 650 XT, not surprisingly best seller for years by the Hamamatsu house.
ANSA Motori has tested it for a long time, putting it to the test in all possible situations, including some unpaved paths at walking pace. And the small V-Strom has always followed the driver's requests, even if at times definitely out of place.
The 650 Suzuki is undoubtedly an easy bike, which gives confidence from the very first meters. Certainly thanks to the well-rounded double beam frame, which gives the V-Strom a remarkable agility and maneuverability, but at the same time it does not yield anything in terms of stability, even in fast corners where you exaggerate with gas and inclination angles. The 216 kilos of weight in running order seem much less, even in standing maneuvers, indicating a great job done by the house on balancing and on the center of gravity. The dimensions of the wheels, from 19 inches to the front and from 17 to the rear, as per the 'canon' for the enduro touring, are spot on and go well with the geometry of the frame.
All too well, as one might wonder what this bike could do with a sportier pair of tires and slightly more aggressive brake pads. But for daily use, net of the sporting ambitions that the bike could awaken, the standard equipment is fair and balanced.
The 71 horsepower of the twin-cylinder engine is enough and forward, also thanks to a brilliant character of the engine when you push it into the upper area of the tachometer. At low revs, however, it always remains soft and treatable, docile as a scooter in the city and absolutely suitable even for less experienced motorcyclists. The 62 Nm of torque never puts the tires in crisis, so much so that traction control (adjustable in two positions) is often superfluous.
The touring kit mounted by the test specimen is almost essential for an all-around use of the motorcycle: the pair of rear cases, which can comfortably accommodate a jet helmet, integrates well into the streamlined lines of the motorcycle and does not have a footprint excessive running. The increased fairing and the central stand, as well as the solid paramotor bars, are instead two icing on the cake for the traveler.
