Today at the Intermot show in Cologne, Germany, Suzuki unveiled its V-Strom 1000 Concept. Heavily rumored to receive similar styling updates as its V-Strom 650 stablemate, Suzuki instead turned to its 1988 DR750S, the company’s first big on/off road machine, for inspiration, taking many by surprise. The updates are more than just skin deep, as the entire motorcycle has been redesigned. Read about the list of updates after the jump.

From a visual standpoint, the new V-Strom 1000 establishes itself as an adventure-tourer with a more dominant presence compared to its predecessor. More importantly, its 1000cc V-Twin engine has been completely redesigned and now includes traction control for peace of mind while street riding. Details are unclear at this point about an “off” button and power output from the new mill, however. Continue Reading »

Suzuki is bringing back its V-Strom 1000 for 2012 and adding a new U.S.-only  “Adventure” version with luggage.

The 2012 Suzuki V-Strom 1000 is unchanged from its previous version, last offered as a 2009 model. It’s powered by the same 996cc liquid cooled, fuel-injected 90-degree V-Twin engine as the previous model.

What is new is the V-Strom 1000 Adventure which is exclusive to the U.S. market. However, the only feature denoting the Adventure model are nylon (plastic rather than, say, aluminum) side cases and top box. This luggage set is more along the lines of traditional aftermarket luggage rather than the luggage standard on the 650 ABS Adventure. The 1000 Adventure also lacks engine guards and adjustable upper windscreen deflector that are standard features on the 650 Adventure

The base 2012 Suzuki V-Strom 1000 will retail for $10,399 while the V-Strom 1000 Adventure (available only in black) will cost just $600 more at $10,999.
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Official photographs and details of the updated 2012 Suzuki V-Strom have emerged as the Japanese manufacturer continues its prolonged teaser campaign to hype its “New Middle-Class Motorcycle”.

Indeed, the latest teaser is expected later today but images and specifications on the updated Wee-Strom have emerged from Suzuki’s global site.

The 2012 Suzuki V-Strom 650 will again be powered by a SV650-derived 90-degree V-Twin engine with a displacement of 645cc. The compression ratio however is now 11.5:1 instead of the 2011 version’s 11.2:1 ratio.

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OEMs are getting hip to online publishing insatiable appetite for new news. Suzuki is the latest company to trickle out bits of info about its upcoming new model, in this case, numerous teaser images of what looks to be the 2012 V-Strom.

The biggest unknown at this point is what Suzuki has done to the old DL650’s V-Twin engine. It might be something as simple (and cheap) as a repurposed 647cc Gladius engine, but it might be enlarged to better compete with BMW’s F800GS and Triumph’s new Tiger 800 (speaking of which, check out our review of the new Tigers).

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Suzuki has released a another teaser for its upcoming “Middle-class New Motorcycle”.

We wrote about the previous teaser last week, speculating the new motorcycle is an updated Suzuki V-Strom, possibly a V-Strom 650 with a retuned version of the Gladius’ engine. A commenter named Steven suggested it might be a V-Strom 1000 instead. I guess it depends on how Suzuki defines “middle-class”. Perhaps the new model will split the difference with an 800cc engine to compete against the BMW F800GS and Triumph’s new Tiger 800.

The new teaser shows a bit more detail than the previous image … though not by much.

It also remains to be seen how “adventure” worthy the new Suzuki will be. The V-Strom DL650 is billed as a dual sport but it leans more in the road oriented direction.

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Suzuki has released a teaser for a new mid-sized adventure bike, likely an updated V-Strom.

The teaser campaign, which can be seen at Suzuki’s official website, shows the image above, along with the words: “Time For Real Adventures” and “Middle-Class New Motorcycle”. These hints suggest the new model will be an updated V-Strom 650, likely using an engine similar to the one powering the Suzuki Gladius SFV650.

French website Moto-Station suggests the new V-Strom will get a new frame with different geometry from the current model (which has remained relatively unchanged since its 2004 debut). It will likely be equipped with ABS, seeing as Suzuki dropped the non-ABS version from its 2011 U.S. offerings.

We expect more information to be released soon, so check back here for updates.

[Source: Suzuki, Moto-Station via CMGOnline]