Although I had a small dirt bike early in my riding life I have primarily been a road rider. Touring around the country on a road bike meant I inevitably put up quite a few miles on dirt, but not necessarily by design or choice. In my case a change to an "adventure bike" does not mean moto-crossing on a 250kg plus bike but actively looking to include some dirt road adventure touring.
I still enjoy road riding and that will be the prime role of the bike although it has to be tough enough to withstand the stress of traversing over rougher terrain. I wanted to stay BMW but the R1200GS/A was not my cup of tea and I'm not a fan of the 800cc motor. In the end I settled on the 2016 Suzuki V-Strom 1000.
One of my early dirt adventures at the
Lower Cotter Catchment Reserve
The V-Strom has great balance and the 1000 has plenty of poke (for me) when I go to California Superbike School courses. I guess if you were to say 95% road/5% dirt I would not necessarily argue but there is no doubting this is a sturdy bike. Adventure bikes by nature are tall in the saddle, great for leg comfort while riding but can take a little getting used to when stopping, which takes a little more consideration regarding where to place the supporting foot. I'm about 176cm and can get reasonable flat foot purchase on flat terrain.
On my first dirt adventure at the Lower Cotter Catchment Reserve I tested the Strom's lying down charateristics! A sharp uphill switch-back saw me in too high a gear (2nd) with too little speed. The subsequent stall and sharpish falloff of the road meant my right foot was too low for me to be able to hold the beast up, and over we went!
The good news in all this was that the Strom did not receive any damage, the blinkers etc are placed to be clear of contact points should this type of event occur. I have seen lesser bikes receive more damage than what they should in these circumstances. Plus I learned an important lesson re being in the right gear for the demands of the moment.
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