Suzuki V-Strom 650 and V-Strom 800 Review and Rating
Updated: Sep 2
The Suzuki V-Strom 650 and V-Strom 800 are mid-size adventure touring bikes for riders who want a comfortable, long-legged, mostly-road machine that can handle gravel, and they run two completely different engines. The 650 uses the 645cc liquid-cooled 90 degree V-twin Suzuki has built since the original SV650, and that engine is still sold new in the 2026 SV650 ABS. The 800 family uses a newer 776cc parallel twin with a 270 degree crank and Suzuki's Cross Balancer, the same unit fitted to the GSX-8S.
Neither is the right bike for serious off-road work, and the 800DE is the only one that even tries. If your riding is single-track or deep sand, a 507 lb adventure bike on tube-type tires is the wrong tool. Anyone shopping the base V-Strom 800 should know its 19 inch cast front wheel and 7.3 inches of ground clearance are road-biased by design.
Which Engine Is In Which, and What Replaced What
The V-Strom 800DE arrived first, as a 2023 model in the US, with the 800DE Adventure alongside it. The road-going V-Strom 800 and 800 Touring followed as 2024 models. The V-Strom 650, 650XT and 650XT Adventure carried on being sold at the same time, and Suzuki's US site shows them at model year 2025 with no 2026 or 2027 page. The 800 did not replace the 650 overnight. It arrived, sold beside it, and then the 650 pages stopped being renewed.
MCN, reviewing the 800DE, put the relationship plainly: it is more capable off road than the 650 that went before it, and if anything a better road bike too. The 645cc V-twin has not been retired. Suzuki lists the 2026 SV650 ABS at $8,149 plus $600 destination with the same engine, so parts and knowledge will be around for years.
V-Strom 650: 645cc, 90 degree V-twin, 81.0 x 62.6mm bore and stroke, 11.2:1 compression.
V-Strom 800 and 800DE: 776cc parallel twin, 270 degree crank, 84.0 x 70mm, 12.8:1 compression.
2025 US prices: V-Strom 650 $9,299 and 650XT $9,799, both plus $600 destination.
2026 US prices: V-Strom 800 $10,249 and 800DE $11,799, both plus $700 destination.
The Power Gap Is Smaller Than the Numbers Suggest
Suzuki does not publish horsepower for these bikes in the US, so use measured figures. On the Cycle World dyno a V-Strom 650 made 66.85 hp at 9,210 rpm and 43.04 lb-ft at 6,560 rpm. The V-Strom 800DE, on the same dyno, made 72.2 hp at 8,500 rpm and 50.2 lb-ft at 5,500 rpm. That is about five extra horsepower and seven extra lb-ft, with the torque arriving a thousand revs sooner. Rider Magazine separately measured 68.7 hp at the rear wheel on a 2017 V-Strom 650.
European claims run higher because they are crank figures. Suzuki UK quotes the 800DE at 84.3 PS and 78 Nm, and MCN lists 83 bhp for the same bike and 71 bhp for the 650XT. Both sets are honest, they just measure different things. The practical summary is that the 800 is stronger in the midrange rather than dramatically faster.
The parallel twin is not perfect. MCN found a persistent vibration at just over 5,500 rpm, roughly motorway speed in top gear, and very little engine braking because of the mass in the balancer system. Ride one at highway speed before buying.
Seat Height, Weight and Who Fits
This is where the three bikes separate. Suzuki lists the V-Strom 650 at a 835mm (32.9 inch) seat and 470 lb curb weight, the 650XT at 476 lb, the road-going V-Strom 800 at 825mm (32.5 inches) and 492 lb, and the 800DE at 855mm (33.7 inches) and 507 lb. Cycle World's scales confirmed 507 lb wet on an 800DE.
So the cheapest bike in the family is also the lightest, and the road 800 is the lowest. The DE trades 30mm of seat height and 15 lb for 220mm (8.7 inches) of suspension travel at both ends, 8.7 inches of ground clearance and a 21 inch spoked front wheel. Suzuki offers low and high seat options across the range.
Wind protection and comfort are consistent strengths. MCN called the 800DE very comfortable, with a seat you can sit on all day for days. In an MCN250 group test the V-Strom 650XT had the best range, the biggest tank and the most protective fairing, while having the least impressive motor of the three bikes tested.
Electronics, Brakes and What Each One Gets
The 650 is deliberately simple. Suzuki lists Advanced Traction Control, Low RPM Assist and Easy Start, an LCD dash, and nothing else. There are no ride modes and no quickshifter. Rider Magazine noted the traction control has two levels plus off and that the standard ABS is not switchable, which matters on gravel. Braking is Tokico two-piston calipers on dual 310mm front discs, with a conventional 43mm fork adjustable for preload only.
Both 800s carry Suzuki's S.I.R.S. package as standard: drive mode selector, traction control, a bi-directional quickshifter, ride-by-wire, a slipper clutch, a 5 inch colour TFT dash and a USB outlet. The road 800 gets a Showa SFF-BP fork and Nissin four-piston radial front calipers on dual 310mm discs. The 800DE gets longer travel suspension, axial-mount two-piston calipers on the same discs, five traction control settings including Gravel, and rear ABS you can switch off, which Suzuki says is a DE-only feature.
For an adventure bike used off pavement, switchable rear ABS is the most useful item on that list, and the clearest functional reason to pay extra for a DE.
Recalls and Known Faults
One recent campaign is serious. NHTSA 24V535, Suzuki's 3A03, covered 1,688 units of the 2023 and 2024 V-Strom 800DE and 800DE Adventure. The rear tire could crack or deform and separate its tread, and Suzuki's filing blames insufficient rubber thickness between belt and carcass on tires made before week 28 of 2024. Owners were told to stop riding until the tire was replaced free, dealers were told to stop selling affected bikes, and owner letters went out on 20 September 2024. On a used 2023 or 2024 DE, confirm this work by VIN.
The V-Strom 650 has a longer, older list, all well documented. NHTSA 15V852 covered 2012 to 2014 DL650A models for tappet and camshaft wear that could stall the engine. NHTSA 16V878 covered 2012 to 2016 DL650s built between August 2011 and October 2015 for an alternator stator that could short and stop the battery charging. NHTSA 18V694 covered 2017 to 2018 DL650A and DL650XA machines for a twisted fuel pump O-ring and a fire risk.
None of that makes the 650 a bad bike. MCN calls the SV650-derived engine pretty bulletproof and gives the 650XT an owners' reliability rating of 4.4 out of 5, and its buying advice is about corrosion rather than mechanicals: look hard for rust, especially if the bike has seen gravel. On the 800DE, one MCN owner reports surface corrosion on the spokes.
What They Cost to Run, and the Obvious Rivals
Fuel economy is a genuine strength on both. Rider Magazine measured 46.9 US mpg on average from a V-Strom 650, with a low of 41.0 and a high of 58.5, and put the range at about 250 miles from the 5.3 gallon tank. Suzuki UK quotes 64.12 mpg imperial for the 800DE and MCN records 64 mpg, both roughly 53 US mpg. MCN lists annual service costs of about 160 pounds for the 650XT and 190 for the 800DE. Warranty is twelve months on everything here.
The rival that keeps coming up is the Yamaha Tenere 700, and the comparison is not close on paper. Yamaha lists it at 689cc, a 34.4 inch seat, 459 lb wet and a 4.2 gallon tank with selectable ABS, so it is lighter and taller with less fuel. On the Cycle World dyno it made 61.7 hp against the Suzuki's 72.2. The Tenere is the better dirt bike, the V-Strom the better road bike.
MCN's harshest verdict on the 800DE was value, scoring it 2 out of 5 because the Honda Transalp was over 1,000 pounds cheaper in the UK. Cycle World's database has the Transalp at 70.6 hp, close to the Suzuki.
Common Questions
Is the Suzuki V-Strom 650 discontinued?
Suzuki's US site lists the V-Strom 650, 650XT and 650XT Adventure only at model year 2025, with no 2026 or 2027 pages, while the V-Strom 800 and 800DE are listed for 2026. Treat the 650 as a bike you now buy used or from remaining new stock. The engine itself continues in the 2026 SV650 ABS.
Is the V-Strom 800 a V-twin like the 650?
No, and this is the most common mix-up. The V-Strom 800 and 800DE use a 776cc parallel twin with a 270 degree crank, shared with the GSX-8S, while the V-Strom 650 uses a 645cc 90 degree V-twin descended from the SV650. Suzuki chose the 270 degree crank to give the parallel twin a firing pattern close to the old V-twin.
Should I buy the V-Strom 800 or the 800DE?
Buy the DE only if you actually ride unpaved roads. It costs $1,550 more, weighs 15 lb more and sits 30mm taller, and for that you get 8.7 inches of travel, a 21 inch front wheel, Gravel traction control and switchable rear ABS. For pavement, the road 800 has a better front brake and a lower seat.
Should You Buy One
Buy a V-Strom 800 if you want a comfortable all-day road bike with real touring range, a modern electronics package and a quickshifter, and you can live with a 5,500 rpm buzz at highway speed. Buy the 800DE if unpaved roads are a regular part of your riding. Buy a used V-Strom 650 or 650XT if value is the priority: it is lighter, cheaper, proven, and its known faults are documented recalls with free fixes.
Skip all of them if you need genuine off-road ability, if you want a bike under 450 lb, or if you are shopping purely on price, where the Transalp undercuts the Suzuki in most markets. Also skip the base 800 if you expected DE capability, because the wheel sizes and ground clearance tell you what it is for.
On gear, this class rewards armoured textile. Look for CE-rated protectors at shoulders, elbows, back, hips and knees, a waterproof membrane or a separate shell, and vents you can open with gloves on. Unarmoured leather is weather protection, not crash protection.
Rating: 4 out of 5. The V-Strom 800 range is a very good road-focused adventure bike with a strong engine and a complete standard specification, held back by its price against the Transalp, the vibration at cruising revs and a rear tire recall that required a stop-ride notice. The V-Strom 650 remains one of the best used buys in the category.
