Suzuki has finally launched the much-awaited V-Storm 800DE in India at an introductory price of Rs 10.30 Lakh (Ex-Showroom, Delhi) after the bike was previously teased on Social Media by a Suzuki big-bike dealer. The bike will be contending in the middleweight adventure tourer segment with similar powerhouses such as the Honda Transalp 750 and Triumph Tiger 850.
For starters, the V-Storm 800DE is quite modern and is packed with a lot of electronics, unlike its smaller 650XT sibling which is rather simple (which is good, no complaints there). Features of the 800DE include a bi-directional quickshifter, 3 traction settings, 4 riding modes and dual-channel ABS. All of these are accessible through the new 5-inch TFT instrument cluster. There’s also Suzuki’s Easy Start System which helps to start the bike with just one press of the starter button and the Low RPM Assist feature that increases the engine’s RPM when starting from a dead stop.
The bike uses the same steel frame as the GSX-8S although the sub-frame has made it tougher to support the extra load of pillion and extra luggage. The Suspensions are handled by a front fork which is adjustable and a monoshock with remote preload adjustability. Meanwhile, the braking is taken care of by a pair of 310mm discs at the front with 4-piston floating calipers and a 260mm disc at the rear with a single-piston caliper, which are further supported by the dual-channel ABS as standard. The rear ABS can be switched off too. The bike weighs 230kg with a tall seat height of 855 mm and a 20-litre fuel tank.
Powering the 800DE is Suzuki’s new 776cc, liquid-cooled, 270-crank parallel-twin engine that puts out 84.3 hp and 78 Nm of Torque. There’s only one con with the bike and that is the tubed Dunlop Mixtour rubber that is shod in the bike.
At a price of Rs 10.30 Lakh, the Suzuki V-Storm 800DE is priced lower than its main rival, the Honda Transalp 750 (Rs 11 Lakh) for now since its introductory price and will increase later. Bookings are open and the bike comes in 3 colours – Champion Yellow No.2, Glass Sparkle Black and Glass Matte Mechanical Gray.
