My impressions of the 800 Strom after 6 days riding. Firstly, it looks very much like its little brother, the 650 V Strom. I had intended hiring a 790 KTM but when I went to collect it, they were unable to fit panniers. Two up, we needed a top box and 1 pannier. That plan went out the door quick smart. What else do you have? 1050 Strom, no, what about Tracer, no, 800 Strom, yes, fit pannier , yes, ok , solved.
The 800 is a little more sophisticated than the 650. It has adjustable upside down forks, quick shift up and down, a number of ride modes, abs and traction adjustments. Nice TFT screen showing settings and the usual trip info, fuel consumption etc, easy enough to use. The rear shock has the usual Suzuki preload adjuster, which I set to max for 2 up riding, I don't think there was comp or rebound adjustment like the front forks.
I made some personal adjustments, raising the gear lever to accomodate my size 47s. The top box was not back far enough for the wife, so out with the drill, a few new holes, solved for the time being. The pannier set up leaves a bit to be desired. I guess due to having a raised exhaust and for symmetry reasons, the pannier mounting brackets are high, too high really for comfort. Moving the top box back vastly improved the pillion leg comfort.
It handles very much like the 650 Strom, very neutral, maybe not quite as nimble, it's easy to tighten the radius or flick through flip flops. I did a put a little more damping into the front forks, a slight tweak with a flat bladed screw driver. No complaints about the suspension. The 21 inch front wheel adds a little to the seat height and the Michelin Anakee tyres performed well even when things got spirited.
It was reasonable comfortable, although I'm not sure about the step in the riders seat, especially as I'm tall. The front screen provided good wind protection and didn't hamper slow manoeuvring too much. The ergonomics were quite good. The brakes were adequate, without being great. I would have liked a bit more bite from the front.
Engine wise, the claimed 84 hp was quite impressive. I used A maps for the whole ride and it pulled well from 2500 and there was not need to top it out at 9 grand, by which time it the power was tapering off any way. The quick shifter wasn't the best I'd ever used, 3rd upwards was good and best up in the rev range. Down shifting felt brutal in the lower gears and marginally better in the upper gears. Most QS down equipped bikes I've ridden, require a closed throttle, and give a blip when operated, didn't notice this on the Strom and this probably accounted for the harsh action.
Overall I enjoyed the 800, the rental shop could have adjusted the chain prior to being hired out. The bracket, the top box is attached to, was flimsy and fatigued and it had to be reinforced in Nan. I also took the opportunity to tighten the chain at the same time which helped to smooth out the drive train. I don't know if I would own one but 2 up it's got more pounce than the 650 and handles all that's thrown at it very well. Regards Wazza.
The 800 is a little more sophisticated than the 650. It has adjustable upside down forks, quick shift up and down, a number of ride modes, abs and traction adjustments. Nice TFT screen showing settings and the usual trip info, fuel consumption etc, easy enough to use. The rear shock has the usual Suzuki preload adjuster, which I set to max for 2 up riding, I don't think there was comp or rebound adjustment like the front forks.
I made some personal adjustments, raising the gear lever to accomodate my size 47s. The top box was not back far enough for the wife, so out with the drill, a few new holes, solved for the time being. The pannier set up leaves a bit to be desired. I guess due to having a raised exhaust and for symmetry reasons, the pannier mounting brackets are high, too high really for comfort. Moving the top box back vastly improved the pillion leg comfort.
It handles very much like the 650 Strom, very neutral, maybe not quite as nimble, it's easy to tighten the radius or flick through flip flops. I did a put a little more damping into the front forks, a slight tweak with a flat bladed screw driver. No complaints about the suspension. The 21 inch front wheel adds a little to the seat height and the Michelin Anakee tyres performed well even when things got spirited.
It was reasonable comfortable, although I'm not sure about the step in the riders seat, especially as I'm tall. The front screen provided good wind protection and didn't hamper slow manoeuvring too much. The ergonomics were quite good. The brakes were adequate, without being great. I would have liked a bit more bite from the front.
Engine wise, the claimed 84 hp was quite impressive. I used A maps for the whole ride and it pulled well from 2500 and there was not need to top it out at 9 grand, by which time it the power was tapering off any way. The quick shifter wasn't the best I'd ever used, 3rd upwards was good and best up in the rev range. Down shifting felt brutal in the lower gears and marginally better in the upper gears. Most QS down equipped bikes I've ridden, require a closed throttle, and give a blip when operated, didn't notice this on the Strom and this probably accounted for the harsh action.
Overall I enjoyed the 800, the rental shop could have adjusted the chain prior to being hired out. The bracket, the top box is attached to, was flimsy and fatigued and it had to be reinforced in Nan. I also took the opportunity to tighten the chain at the same time which helped to smooth out the drive train. I don't know if I would own one but 2 up it's got more pounce than the 650 and handles all that's thrown at it very well. Regards Wazza.
