What is it?
There’s plenty of choice in the motorcycle market at the moment. From roadsters to out-and-out adventure bikes, there’s usually something dedicated to whatever type of riding you’re planning to do. But what if you need a motorcycle that’ll do a bit of everything? That’s where this bike – the Suzuki V-Strom 800RE – comes in.
With a large fuel tank, the 800RE is equipped for those long-distance journeys, but it shouldn’t shy away from adventures when you kit it out with some chunkier tyres – that’s the theory, anyway. We’ve been trying it out to see what this Suzuki has to offer.
What’s new?
The 800RE has a host of features designed to help it tackle all kinds of challenges. Prices for it start from £8,899, too, and there are loads of accessories and features to help tweak it towards what you’re planning to do. Its geometry has been designed to make the 800RE comfier over long distances, too, while a relatively large screen is there to take away the worst of the wind blast – something that can prove extremely tiring when you’re on lengthier trips. You can adjust its position, too.
The geometry of the 800RE has been designed in such a way as to favour a more lean-forward riding position, helping to increase control. Suzuki has thought about pillion passengers, too, so the bike’s design helps those sitting at the rear to do so without having to bend their legs all that much.
What’s it powered by?
Right at the core of the 800RE is a 776cc parallel-twin engine which has been designed to offer a decent blend of low-end performance with that accessible top-end required by all fun-to-ride motorcycles. Overall, it produces just over 83bhp and 78Nm of torque, hooked up to a six-speed manual transmission. The 800RE also gets a quickshifter as standard, so fast-paced gearshifts can be achieved easily.
Suzuki claims that you could get up to 64.12mpg combined and, during our time with the motorcycle, that certainly seems about right. Coupled with the 20-litre fuel tank, it means that you shouldn’t have to be filling up all that often.
What’s it like to ride?
Upon first impressions, the 800RE does appear to be quite a tall bike but thanks to an accessible seat height, you don’t feel like you need to stretch in order to get into a comfortable seating position. However, once you’re there, accessible controls and an intuitively laid-out dash make the 800RE feel familiar right away – though some of the materials for the buttons do feel a little on the cheap side.
The 776cc starts up with a relatively quiet thrum, but it’s an engine which delivers well in all areas of riding. Around town, the throttle feels well-judged and easy to manage, while the clutch isn’t too heavy either. Thankfully, this engine has more than enough grunt to make overtakes or motorway merges a breeze, while the quickshifter makes progress swift and efficient. The large front screen does a great job of making the 800RE more comfortable to ride at high speeds, too, and this makes the Suzuki a great motorway tackler. Only the fitment of cruise control would make the 800RE better for long-distance trips – with this, it would be next-level comfortable.
How does it look?
Suzuki’s 800RE may not set the world alight in terms of styling, but it’s got more than enough features to keep things interesting. There are three colours to choose from – Pearl Vigor Blue, Metallic Matt Steel Green and Glass Sparkle Black – which happily are all no-cost options. From there, you’ve got a lot of scope for personalisation, while upgrades like an LED fog lamp add to the overall usability of the 800RE.
There is also the option of either low or high seat changes – costing £184.90 and £213.97 respectively – should you need to change things to make the 800RE more comfortable than its standard setting.
What’s the spec like?
As mentioned, the 800RE starts from £8,899, which represents good value for money considering you’re getting a standard-fit quickshifter and a clear, easyto-use five-inch colour TFT screen. A full traction control system and adjustable power modes are equipped on all models, too.
You could opt for the 800RE Tour – priced from £10,399 – if you need a little extra functionality. It gets a three-piece luggage set as standard, with a 38-litre top case and two 37-litre side cases as standard, alongside a full locking setup to ensure that it’s all as secure as can be. You could, of course, add these to the standard 800RE later on should you want to, but it’s good to have a model which offers extra versatility as standard without too much of an increase in price.
Verdict
The Suzuki 800RE is the kind of motorcycle to get the job done without fuss or flamboyance. It doesn’t have the hair-raising performance offered by some rivals – not the over-the-top looks – but if you need a motorcycle that you can rely on to deliver time and time again, the 800RE could be it.
Coupled with an attractive starting price and a good range of standard features, all of these attributes help to make the Suzuki 800RE a very easy motorcycle to recommend.
