Sounds like Suzuki nailed it. Seat issues are normal, (in my case likely due to rider age).

 

Been out for a 200+ mile demo ride today...So no 4.5k limit
I have a 1050XT and found the 800 much more nimble.. But noticeably down on power
Did fire roads minor roads and major roads ..Screen is crap but thats my only real complaint
Vibes a bit at 5k but i think it's more apparent because it's so smooth under 5k.. Found the seat fine and the suspension is pretty good stock
Bike was a lot better off road than i expected
It does not sound or feel like a proper V twin to me
Overall very impressed have one on order so will be the proud owner next week
Nice Job Suzuki

 

Been out for a 200+ mile demo ride today...So no 4.5k limit
I have a 1050XT and found the 800 much more nimble.. But noticeably down on power
Did fire roads minor roads and major roads ..Screen is crap but thats my only real complaint
Vibes a bit at 5k but i think it's more apparent because it's so smooth under 5k.. Found the seat fine and the suspension is pretty good stock
Bike was a lot better off road than i expected
It does not sound or feel like a proper V twin to me
Overall very impressed have one on order so will be the proud owner next week
Nice Job Suzuki

I feel sorry for who ever buys that demo bike.

I heard those exact words, but the other way from a DL650 owner. He said it was "up on power" compared to his DL650. Having owned both, I just see it as in the middle, but power more broadly available than the 650.

One thing most owners are going to start asking is how do you reset the maintence period display. "Next maintenace due in XXX miles" Is the first thing that pops up when the key is turned on.

I think the best way to describe the windscreen is a small accent piece. Something that supports the artistic vision of the designer and produces no particularly negative effects by being there, That is a big improvement over the stock screens of earliy Vees and Wees.

The windscreen mount looks robust enough to support an effective aftermarket screen.

So new seat, windscreen. Expected. And heated grips. Its time to make list of stuff I just realized I need. Probably new jacket, pants, and helmet too.

 

The dispaly is beautiful, simple, and super easy to use.

Thank God they listened.

 

Its funny, all the negative buzz about this bike before it even came out...mostly from folks who's opinions are not important. From the beginning I said: Wait until you ride one before you pass judgement. Like any machine some will love it, some will find fault. Suzuki isn't stupid, they put a lot of thought into this bike. They also had to hit a price point, as I mentioned before, in order to place it correctly in the market. My Tiger offers a bit more but does so at a price that is thousands more. It seems Suzuki has, as it did with the DL650 and its big brother, given us a very good machine at an affordable price point. I expect it to be reliable and last for a long time.
I predicted they would sell every one they brought in the first year. As more and more people get them and real world reviews keep coming in I am sure that will be the case. I look forward to hearing more about your experiences with this bike as you put more miles on it.
And that seat and windshield thing.....we get that from pretty much any motorcycle ever sold. I guess its just impossible to make "one size fit all". Enjoy!

 

I did not have a problem with the seat ( 230 miles mainly on back roads )
Unlike the 1050XT
If anyone ever expects to buy a demo bike that has not been ridden to full potential dream on

 

Would you describe the suspension action as good... or as good as cartridge units from a suspension guru? This would be SO welcome.

 

The bike got 57 mpg round trip.

I wonder how that would compare to wee or Vee kept under 5k RPM. please let us know what you're getting when you're riding it normally.

 

4500 rpm is 65 mph in 6th gear. I noticed the fuel economy improve slowly as the trip progressed.

I'm trying hard to be objective and not gush about the bike. That requires effort. The need for a long distance seat and windscreen are just expected IMO. Just like the need for a centerstand.

The factory supplied auxillary power socket is located on the left side of the instrument console and is a USB.

I found it handy/nicely placed and used it to power my phone in the top ransparent pocket of my tank bag. Which reminded me how important an over the dash mount for the GPS is for safety.

I don't know if many people will opt for fender risers because there is more room between the fender and the tire right out of the box. The mirrors are the same used on the DL1050 and seem to be an improvement over teh past rectangular mirrors.

I got tickled with the kill switch. It reminded me of how long it took humanity to figure out that luggage could benifit from whels. Again, .like the DL1050, this bike has a three way kill/run/start switch.

Which means you can't leave the kill switch on off while pushing the starter. The act of pushing teh starter button ensures the kill switch is set to run. A small detail, but how many times have we all wonderred why our bike wasn't starting only to find teh kill switch was turned to off?

I was remiss in not mentioninbg that the bike is tall. With a 30" inseam I can touch toes with both feet. I have not yet set the sag.

My wife just told me Givi has some new sot bags that I need to check out for the new bike. She is keeper for sure.

 

Great insights Rick, hope to hear more as you get to spend time on it.
I am personally torn between this and the new Transalp, which as of yet isn't coming this side on the pond, so a new 800 might be in my future too. Sadly to date mo test rides schedule at any local Suzuki dealer in my area.

 

Everyone has compared this bike to the DL 650 or DL 1050 V-Strom motorcycles. This is what Suzuki is trying to market the bike at.

I believe that the bike true lineage is more in line with Suzuki's DRZ400. I also believe that if I was a DRZ 400 I would be a prime candidate for this new Suzuki dl800. IMHO

Keep a good reviews coming, I love reading about them!

 

I had that feeling to some degree as well. I was thinking my dirt bike buddies with aversions to street bikes who once had DRZ400s might find this bike tempting.

 

I think Suzuki marketed the bike this way to increase sales! A DRZ800 is more of a niche market.

I think there's room in the market for Suzuki to manufacture the DE650. They already have all the components.

 

How will this bike compare to the Tenere 700? Are they in the same niche?

 

You have an excellent point! The tenere 700 is a wonderful success story. An dual purpose bike from Japan at a reasonable price point. I think the DRZ400 pails in comparison to the DL 650 in overall sales.

I hope Suzuki's new DE800 is as big of a success story.

The real question is the DE800 an adventure bike or more a dual purpose bike?

 

It is in my opinion not a dual sport. I woudl not take this bike on single track trails. It is a more off pavement capable adventure bike than the DL650 and DL1050. I woudl not hesitate to do a BDR or the TAT on this bike. I might skip a few rutted/rooted/muddy sections though. And Ihe cost benifit of going up Bear Pass makes no sense to me. But chasing the Oregon Trail and the Lewis and Clark by-way would be easy on this bike. As well as looking for ghost towns at the ends of dirt roads.

Oh, and the transmission is one of the best I have ever expereienced. First to second is as smooth as second to third, etc. A huge improvement over my 2014 DL1000.

 

It is in my opinion not a dual sport. I woudl not take this bike on single track trails. It is a more off pavement capable adventure bike than the DL650 and DL1050. I woudl not hesitate to do a BDR or the TAT on this bike. I might skip a few rutted/rooted/muddy sections though. And Ihe cost benifit of going up Bear Pass makes no sense to me. But chasing the Oregon Trail and the Lewis and Clark by-way would be easy on this bike. As well as looking for ghost towns at the ends of dirt roads.

I agree with your assessment, Suzuki launched the bike with adventure tires. I believe the tenera 700 comes with off-road tires. It seems like Suzuki is competing more with the Honda transalp and not directly with Yamaha tenera.

 

SAWEET!!!

 

"I got tickled with the kill switch. It reminded me of how long it took humanity to figure out that luggage could benifit from whels. Again, .like the DL1050, this bike has a three way kill/run/start switch. "
My Tiger has the same style kill switch. After living with it for a year I have learned to appreciate it as you never have those "why won't it start" moments.
Sure sounds like Suzuki has put a lot into this bike. I have to believe they knew what they were doing.

 

My 2017 650 shifts wonderfully well.

 

Thanks for bringing the 800 to the Rally, Rick. It gathered people around it like flies on a tur...........well, it just gathered ALOT of folks. I am very impressed with the looks.........not in the market for a new bike, but personally believe 800cc's is the "perfect" engine size for an ADV bike. Now............Rick, get out into the machine shop and design/build some farkles for it........!!!!

 

Rick, get out into the machine shop and design/build some farkles for it........!!!!

I'm looking forward to it. Designiong new parts is fun.

I think the 5k vibe issue passes largely unnoticed unless of course it happens to coincide with the riders favourite cruising speed. That is the impression I am gleaning from tests.

My former Triumph 1200 Explorer had a lovely smooth motor in the most part. However it had one small buzzy patch exactly at my Motorway cruising speed. On long days that could prove tiring and sometimes handnumbing if it wasn't for CC.

When I test one of these bikes, that will be the aspect of the 5K buzz that I will check out. The bike seems really good otherwise from what I am seeing.

Griff's assesment about the vibration is probably spot on. The bike is just incredably smooth up to 5000 rpm. It will be interesting to do bike to bike comparisons at 70 mph. I think my Vee2 transmitted more vibration at that speed.

There are vibration apps for our phones these days that take the place of a vibrometer. We can park two bikes side by side and test them at what ever RPM we want and get real comparative data.

 

I'm personally not very happy with the DE. I purchased my 650 new in 2020,.... I've spent a ton of cash on farkles and all sort of goodies,that make the bike nearly perfect for me, and then....., along comes the DE

Imagine you're dating this awesome person and after several years, you find out there's a really hot younger sibling in the picture. This one looks amazing, does more than the one you're with and now all you want is the new one!

Thank goodness my bike is an inanimate object and it will never know that I'm thinking about the DE every time I'm riding it!

 

Envy is a terrible thing!

Is your bike less than it was before? Is it no longer perfect for you? Does all the things you did to make it better for you still doing what you intended?

Enjoy what you have and be happy that when you decide to change there is something else you can purchase and be happy with.

..Tom

 

I picked up my new 800 DE yesterday, unloaded it from thr truck, and rode it to the Eastern Gathering and back home in a little more than 24 hours.

The bike got 57 mpg round trip. Filling the tank full reulted in a calculated 240 mile range displayed.

The first 600 miles is limited to 4500 rpm, but of course I hit 5000 plus rpm a few times. The buzz at 5000 rpm reported by one reporter is mostly imagination. I guess he felt like he needed to find some kind fault even if it was mostly imagined.

IMO,

It feels like a V-Strom when you sit on it. It sounds like a V-Strom too.

Power is what you would expect. Between the DL650 and DL1000, character more like the the very refined DL650 than the bruteness of the 1000, just more power everywhere. Fuel mapping appears perfect.

The bike is VERY smooth. With no meaningful vibration the mirrors are rock stable and crystal clear.

Handling is nimble. The bike feels much lighter than it's actul wieght.

The dispaly is beautiful, simple, and super easy to use.

The postage stamp windscreen results in no descernable buffeting, but I suspect that is because it isn't big enough to do much. Still the ride was comfortable.

The seat sucks as much as or almost as much as any V-Strom seat and will need to be replaced to do long distances comfortably.

It looks MUCH better in person than in the advertisements.

Several folks rode it at teh Iron Horse Lodge and I expect they will offer opinions as well.

For me, it's a total winner. I'm looking forward to trying it on fire roads.

Rick was generous enough to allow me some time on his brand new 800. I agree with all he described. I didn't get the time is saddle that he now has but I have had 5 V-Stroms (4 of the 1000s, and a 1050.). The 800 pulls very well and as Rick said it feels more powerful than it should. It has the nimbleness of the 650 or even better. Brakes and shifting were as smooth as the 1050.
As soon as I can find an Adventure 800 I will be on V-Strom #6. Thank you again Rick for the opportunity to ride this magnificent motorcycle. Suzuki has another winning entry into the adventure bike arena.

 

Sounds like a nice bike and fits well in between the Wee and the Vee. For me, the 800 not having cruise control is a major drawback making it a 100% no go.

 

This bike is sounding better and better. I still have a problem with the tube tire, however in all my years riding, I have never had a flat in front, though plenty in rear. Hmmm.

 

I'll bet there is enough talent on this forum to design and build a cruise control from scratch.

 

I'll bet cruise control will be an added/optional feature on future models. I assume it is throttle by wire now is this correct?

 

Suzuki might expect this to be used more in the dirt and less of a long haul tourer, so saving money by leaving out the CC.

 

Based on history of marketing the likely thing will be: If the 800 sells well in a couple of years (or sooner) there will be a more road oriented model made. It will have cast wheels, tubeless tires, cruise control and a bigger windshield and other more road oriented items. This is a new models, the current V-twins are old models. The new models will evolve while old models will fade based on sales figures. Its how business works.
Back in the late 1990's GM was considering ending the Corvette model. They built the C-4 for some years and it had hit a dead end. Luckily some of the engineers and marketing people held on and a new C-5 Corvette was, very slowly as money was in short supply at GM back then, developed. Before top management would approve it for production the engineers and marketers had to show how the model would progress through eight years. So, before it even hit the road we knew of the changes that would take place for each of the eight years of its production. I am guessing Suzuki already has a "road map" for this model of how it will evolve over the next five or more years. The marketplace will dictate how this goes. Seeing as how this new model seems a step, even a leap, forward from the "old" V-twins I expect they may fade away as production lines change over to newer designs. Suzuki invested millions of dollars into this new engine and clearly see it as the way forward.

 

Not buying a motorcycle because it lacks CC.
I have CC and don't even know how to deploy it. It's a novelty. Just me.

 

USA review...

 

I lost the will to live halfway thru. Too much waffle. However I stayed long enough to hear those 5000rpm vibes mentioned again. Any further views on that subject ?