Suzuki V-Strom 800DE Rally Edition is as Cool as Adventure Bikes Get

The Suzuki V-Strom 800DE Rally Edition has been announced by Suzuki GB and has been developed in conjunction with indoor off-road racing specialists SR75 Suzuki World Team.

The basic point of the Rally Edition is explained by its name. What SR75 has done is take the Suzuki V-Strom 800DE — already one of the best middleweight adventure bikes going — and added a series of off-road oriented components to increase its potential on the loose stuff.

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These parts include a modified FMF titanium exhaust system and an Envy wheel set, the 17-inch standard rear upsized to an 18-incher. The new wheels are wrapped in moussed Dunlop D209RR tyres, and the bike also comes with an AS3 sump guard and AS3 handlebar risers, and the bars themselves are borrowed from the Suzuki RM-Z450.

Components retained from the standard 800DE include, of course, the 776cc parallel-twin pumping out 84bhp and 58lb ft, as well as the Showa suspension front and rear.

The bike is finished in an SR75 livery, and will be on display at the Adventure Bike Rider Festival at Ragley Hall on 28-30 June — before SR75 plans to take it rallying — along with the rest of the V-Strom range, all available for on- and off-road tests.

SR75 Suzuki team owner, Geoff Walker, commented, “Racing RM-Zs around the world might be our bread and butter but we’re also always up for a project build like this. We produced the SR75 V-Strom 650XT a couple of years ago, and as soon as the 800DE was launched we were always keen to get our hands on one. 

“This is really stage one of the build and we will make some more modifications before we go racing, but we think we’ve taken what was already a solid base package for an adventure bike you could hard ride off-road or into town for a coffee – it’s that versatile and usable – and turned it into a bike that can hold its own in a competitive rally.”