Dirt & Trail Aug2020

word. It might be a bit top-heavy
for shorter people to get into real
technical, rocky terrain on steep
slopes and the like, but a tour
through the midlands and up
Sani Pass on the SA side is easily
doable on the DL 1050 XT in my
humble opinion. Get down to your
local Suzuki dealer for a test ride.
Kyle Says:
Straight off the batt this bike is
stunning. The red/orange paint
scheme with the white makes a
bold statement. “Look at me”. And
that we did.
So much so an hour long dealer
meeting happened around the bike
while talking about things we liked
on it.
Besides the colour, the most
noticeable things on this bike is
the graphics which tends to lean
its way to the original Big Dog as
well as the new light. It looks the
part.
As much as it looks the part
it feels the part too. The rider
position is more aggressive than
its predecessor. The adjustable
screen is great. You have to be off
the bike to adjust it. But, is this a
good or bad thing? In all the years
of riding I leave the screen where
it is. Do you really need to change
while on the fly?
Swinging your leg over you
notice the height of the bike, no
it’s not tall.
It did take time to figure out
where everything is. Some icons
are really small and you do tend
to lean in to see one or two things.
The controls on the bikes TC
systems are fantastic. No fancy
menus - straight select to mode
and off you go. Love it.
On the gas, the V- twin power
plant never disappoints. This
model has more grunt than the
previous one. It feels a lot more
lively.
Riding the bike on dirt is where
this bike really comes alive. With
the smooth power delivery, going
around corners with the arse out
is no problem. It puts the power
down with out losing the back end.
The front end feels great, no
head shakes and no bottoming out
from the suspension.
Although this bike has a 19’
front and 17’ rear, the way the
suspension is set up, on the open
road as well as on gravel there are
no issues at all.
We did play with the bike at an
old track and rode her hard… and
she impressed the hell out of us,
from jumps to riding berms and
thick sand…
Granted the bike is not designed
for this but it is most definitely
capable of it.
Overall as a complete package,
the Strom has always been a
fantastic motorcycle that does
everything well. That motor
is tried and tested and we can
guarantee you that it will run
virtually forever.
The radical facelift and bump up
in power is brilliant – and it makes
this bike very appealing.
But, and there is a small but.
When are they going to give Susuki
fans a 21’ front and 18’ rear? That
would be something!
Rumours of a smaller
capacity DR-Big revival
have been rife in recent
years – and we’d love it
if that happened, but for
now, get to your Suzuki
dealer and ride the big
mamma. Long distance,
commuting and those
far flung dirt horizons.
The new 1050 is a
brilliant choice
www.suzuki.co.za for your nearest
dealer.
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