Suzuki DL 800 DE

Suzuki’s DL 800 DE – The best value for money 800 on the market

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Suzuki DL 800 DE

Suzuki’s DL 800 DE – The best value for money 800 on the market.

Words: Séan Hendley

Pics: Deon van der Linde

It has been an exceptionally frustrating time trying to get another ride on the all new 800 DE and then only to get it for a day or two. Purely based on the absolute lack of availability of Media demo units you just know this bike is something special. We last had a very short ride on the 800 DE when Suzuki managed to squeeze in a Media day during their dealer demo week at RSR a month or so ago… and that left us salivating. And wouldn’t you know it, when we finally got it again during one of the wettest weeks this spring so far, so time was limited and we had to make the most of it. No fancy big adventure tours across the continent or the like, but rather a little jaunt out to ‘The Cradle’ and a secret riding spot that requires a fair amount of smooth talking and blood promises.

Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE

However, before that, I used it to run around a bit during my daily chores, putting on some good road mileage and testing the 800 DE’s touring capabilities on tar. Immediately I can tell you it is quick, quick off the line and quick to get to its top end of 199 km/h. Off the bottom end and midrange on the 800 V-Strom (Actually it’s a 776cm parallel twin), is exceptionally good for this class and it certainly feels stronger than anything else I have ridden in the 700/850cc adventure bike class. 

Gridlock through Gillooly’s interchange had me hopping up onto the central meridian and back onto the tarmac several times and doing the white line shuffle between cars, trucks and buses. Eventually it got so constipated that I eventually had to turn and muscle my way onto the grass shoulder and climb the embankment side of an off-ramp and work my way through the suburbs and back onto the freeway into slightly less manic gridlocked traffic. Adventure bikes are great.

All the way the new Suzuki mid weight adventure bike was very compliant, easy to whip around and change direction with what feels like a comfortably low and neutrally balanced centre of gravity, using the huge torque off the motor to assist with direction changes.

Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE

The decent suspension and brakes assisted in making this all new V-Strom even more agile and manoeuvrable. Having to stop very suddenly every so often usually results in sliding rear wheels or front ends trying to tuck in and suspension knocking through as they dive under harsh braking, not so with the 800 DE. (Although, I have to say that on the track scrubbing off speed quickly into a tight corner did get the DL 800 quite squirley – but then again, it is not a track bike is it?.) 

Two interchanges later I managed to break free of the traffic and get onto an open flowing freeway out to the Vaal Triangle and desperately had to make up time on a meeting I was already 10 minutes late for and that is where I worked out that the 800 V-Strom seems to top out at 199 km/h. It gets there fairly quickly and easily maintains that speed in top gear no matter the gradient of the road or any minor head or cross winds. 

At those kinds of speeds, flicking between slower moving traffic and tilting into the long sweeping bends was as natural and as easy as walking or scratching your ear, the only real drawback is the alarming alacrity at which the DE drained its fuel tank. I suppose my 2m, 115kg chassis did put up quite a bit of resistance. However, and this is quite a big one, I never experienced any mechanical sympathy, meaning the mid weight Suzuki never felt like it was working too hard to maintain that speed as a lot of its competitors do. Admittedly one or two of them might get an extra kay or five on top end, but you can really feel them working to stay there. That is fairly significant when it comes to rider fatigue over long distances. 

The standard quick shifter is sublime, but like most, under low load it is a little bit notchy, but at speed and heavier loads it is smoother than butter. No cruise control, but this one had a throttle lock fitted aftermarket which is useful for those long journeys, and no Bluetooth connectivity on these launch models.

Suzuki DL 800 DE
The standard quick shifter is sublime
Suzuki DL 800 DE
The windshield combined with the aerodynamics of the small fairing and tank diverts enough wind off to keep you comfortable
Suzuki DL 800 DE
decent suspension and brakes
Suzuki DL 800 DE
brakes assisted in making this all new V-Strom even more agile
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Where the tank and seat meet, they both narrow down quite a bit

So, what is it like comfort wise? 

Well, I am a big bloke and struggle with the ergonomics of bikes. The 800DE is as comfortable as they come. Tall wide handlebars, a nice wide, lowish and firm seat and low foot pegs, so you don’t sit like a jockey and a relaxed rider triangle and nicely shaped fuel tank. Where the tank and seat meet, they both narrow down quite a bit which will come in handy for the shorter riders and also makes it much easier to muscle this bike around over obstacles. The windshield may seem insignificant but, combined with the aerodynamics of the small fairing and tank it diverts enough wind off to keep me comfortable at the double ton mark on the speedo. 

Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE

Hitting the country roads is where this bike really comes into its own, breezing through the countryside, exploring the roads less travelled and discovering new places. It is plenty quick enough and stable enough in the twisties to have a bit of Valentino-esque fun, or something near enough along those lines. 

Getting this machine into the dirt properly was my goal, along game paths, over rocks and interesting trails into the mountains where mountain goats fear to tread, and that is exactly what I did. A bit of game viewing in the valleys, jumping some fun obstacles to put the suspension through its paces and generally just giving it a good off-road thrashing.

Suzuki DL 800 DE
breezing through the countryside
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Phweeeeeppp.....
Suzuki DL 800 DE
jumping some fun obstacles
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Getting a bit of light between the wheels and terra firma
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Hitting the country roads is where this bike really comes into its own
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And my verdict is… Well… I freely admit that I am no Chris Birch when it comes to adventure riding, but I can hold my own in the fast stuff but the 800 DE is just that good that I even managed to get a bit of light between the wheels and terra firma several times. 

I am grateful that Suzuki SA saw fit to mount a set of slightly more aggressive Michelin tyres than the snake skins they come fitted with from the factory and they worked equally well in the dirt and on the tarmac. I hit a couple of big and small jumps at varying speeds and not once did I manage to bang through the stroke of either the rear or front suspension. 

Clambering over and through the rocky sections was a piece of cake. Tearing along water eroded trails and skipping over sand was easy as pie, I will contend that it was possibly easier than most bikes I have ridden in this weight class and even some in lighter classes.

Suzuki DL 800 DE
Tearing along water eroded trails and skipping over sand was easy as pie
Suzuki DL 800 DE
A bit of game viewing in the valleys
Suzuki DL 800 DE
I am grateful that Suzuki SA saw fit to mount a set of slightly more aggressive Michelin tyres
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Clambering over and through the rocky sections was a piece of cake
Suzuki DL 800 DE
The Gravel mode is just a giggle a minute
Michelin motorcycle tyres

The Gravel mode is just a giggle a minute, intuitively picking up the slack where I was found to be lacking. At one point I started washing the front wheel and Gravel mode kicked in and brought the whole lot back under control by some kind of electronic wizardry. 

Weight distribution and balance as well as suspension and chassis geometry are exceptionally good on the DL 800 for this kind of adventure riding, so much so that I started pushing the limits, possibly a bit more than I should have and a lot more than I normally do all the while growing in confidence. 

There was that one moment though, that I was exceptionally happy I wore my brown underpants… which may have been blue when I started…. Phweeeeeeep, but that didn’t even slow me down. 

I am waxing lyrical about the Suzuki DL 800 DE because it is that good! 

As a sub R200k Adventure bike it is a really brilliant, sensibly priced all-rounder, go ride one for yourself…. If you can find a demo, they’re all likely to be sold out

Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE
IMG_0598
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE
IMG_0354
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE
Suzuki DL 800 DE

Road: 

Great bottom and midrange. Nice and revvy. Top Speed  200KPH (what we managed to achieve). Excellent bottom end and midrange. Quick shifter standard. Ergonomics are spot-on. Sensible 20 litre tank. One-touch starter.

Gravel: 

In a word, Easy. A proper ADV bike. Light small fun. Good ground clearance. Excellent suspension and brakes. Gravel Mode is a superb innovation. Ergonomics for adventure, spot on. Stall assist for creeping along the rocks.

Suzuki really got this one right.

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