That soft front affects the way the V-Strom handles around the twisty stuff as well. That, and the fact that it uses a 19-inch front, weighs in excess of 215kg, and sits on a wheelbase that’s longer than 1550mm. The turn-in on the bike, as a result, is slow. And, it takes effort to get it to change directions. Thankfully, it has a wide-enough handlebar, which helps with leverage.
But, even when leaned over, the front doesn’t lend a lot of feel. And as soon as you start getting on the throttle that feel begins to diminish. It’s best then to be progressive and not aggressive when riding the V-Strom around the twisty stuff. It also helps to trail brake a bit to keep that front from moving too much on its right side up forks.
Off-road, the V-Strom is friendly. Now even though we won’t call ‘dirt’ its natural preying ground, it’s happy taking on small jumps, sliding its rear on power, and even negotiating through some tight and tricky stuff at slow speeds. It’s got good balance; it feels natural to stand up and ride; and there’s no abruptness in the functioning of the throttle or the brake or even the clutch, which makes it predictable and stable on the loose stuff.
Then there’s the engine. A torquey, friendly, and excitable V-Twin, which has a good aural note going for it too. In terms of output figures – max power is around 70bhp, while the peak torque is rated just under 70Nm. With the latter peaking at 6,500rpm, it does give the 650 a handsome low and mid-range oomph.
You can open the throttle from as low as 3,000rpm, and even then you wont find the 650 struggling to gather pace. And because there’s so much grunt in the mid range, one can keep the V-Strom between 4-6k rpm all day long, no matter what gear, and have an effortless ride all day long. And if you are interested, courtesy its tall geared, slick shifting 6-speed gearbox, the V-Strom is only sitting at 4,000rpm in 6th when doing 100kmph.