Part 2 coming on Monday. The full feature review is already in the current issue of Cycle News. magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1531151-cycle-news-2025-issue-01-january-7/62?
Discovered your channel today. very well presented, not too babbling and I'm already glued to your series. Looking forward to your new vids, you've got a new subscriber.
I have been excited about this bike since it first got released.!! And with this woman saying this chassis is really good in the dirt gives me that much more excitement to potentially own one
I bought one a few months back here in oz and agreed the bikes rides fantastic and the engine power delivery is so smooth. I'm going to do the suspension up as well. I also rode many middleweight adv bikes and came back to the 800de. I look forward to your build.
@CrossRutted transalp , Africa twin, Nordern 901, husky 701, desert x, KTM 890 , 790 , cfmoto 800 so quite a few middleweights. The Suzuki just fitted my size and seat is great and bar position for me. It's a good price in Australia so like yourself I'll fix the soft suspension and it will be perfect
Thanks! And yes, Suzuki definitely has some gems in their lineup. Glad you're following along. Although for the record my V-Strom is a he. Not a her. His name is Felix. 😎
I have the same bike. I’ve experienced some issues with it so far. I’m glad you made this video now I know where to take my bike for the suspension upgrade! Thank you
Thank you for watching. Yes, Tuner did a great job on this bike. Way less diving under hard braking (on and off-road), and I haven't managed to bottom it out. Under stock suspension, seemed like hopping off anything more than a curb would make it bottom out! Good luck to you.
I know this will probably get blown off but I have to say it anyway. I am a retired Ford mechanic of 38 years. I noticed the K&N type filter. I lost count of how many engines have been wasted due to what we call rock deflector K&N type air filters. This is no bull! Just run your finger in the throttle body on any engine that has run one of these filters for some time and you will feel coarse gritty dirt in the bore! I've seen these filters glaze cylinders in less than 100k miles on engines that normally go well over 200k miles. Dusted turbos in diesels... Servicing regularly helps a little, but it still lets a lot of the dust through. Hold it up to the light. Not much more than a screen. I'll quit blabbing now, but if you running that thing, oil it really heavy! And use the foam prefilter. Hate to see another K&N victim! I've seen a lot of them over the years. That's my rant😏 I like your bike! The wife has one and she loves it! Like you, she likes working on it also. It's fun to watch her have fun with it! You're so right about the way it tracks and feels in the dirt. In some ways, I like it better than my Africa Twin AS. Goes where it's pointed👍
@@dwayneneufeld1696 Not blown off at all, sir. Thank you for the info, and yes, you are correct. After a couple runs in dusty conditions over the summer, I checked the air filter and ran a finger inside the boot. Yep, dust got through. Not anything coarse like you said, but a small amount of very fine dust is getting through. I think I’ll put the foam element back in there and even though it’s not designed to be oiled, might try oiling it with some Maxima FFT. Thanks again for the note, and give your wife a high five for me. :)
Hey Jean. Looking forward to the series as I have just picked up a used 2023 in the same color! Suspension is the first thing on my list and I'm curious how TBT approaches this new platform. I have a list of questions if you don't mind (sorry!): 1. Where are they sourcing the springs from? RaceTech and K-Tech, as far as I know, don't have the DE listed on their site yet. 2. Are the factory front fork springs linear or progressive? 3. What rider sag number are you targeting as a baseline for the front and rear? 30% or 35% of travel? 4. Where is mechanical bottom-out on the front forks? My measurements gave me ~4mm right above the fork tube casting. 5. What percentage of travel should you be using most of the time?
Hi there. You can find some more info and some test rider feedback on the TBT suspension in the Cycle News story that just came out. But long story short, we did not replace the springs. The story explains what Travis modified and how it performed. Here's a link: magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1531151-cycle-news-2025-issue-01-january-7/62? As for your questions, I didn't dive into the metrics of the suspension components to that level. But for question number 5, I can tell you that you should be using 100% of your travel. Any travel not used is suspension wasted. As for "most of the time," that really depends on what kind of riding you do, and what type of capability you want to have. I ride my V-Strom on the street *most of the time,* since most of my miles are spent getting to and from the dirt. I'm not getting into much of the travel during that time. But once in the dirt, I want to have the capability to launch my 500 lb bike off water breaks, so I need a sturdy holdup. If I'm not getting off the ground, I won't be maxxing my suspension, but I still want that capability there for when I do need it. All in, I am using 100% of my suspension travel *some of the time.* So in my opinion, that's how you should look at it. Hope that helps. Thanks for watching and good luck with the new scoot!
i test rode transalp(europe,full power) and this back to back,on road.tenere,too weak and too high,didnt impessed me.the vstrom is superior,explosive motor and so sharp in handling.i could not believe it.unfortunately in europe,this bike is at the bottom of the sales.i think its the looks.yeah,those headlights and this beak...urrrg
Can't wait to see what you do with it 👍
Part 2 coming on Monday. The full feature review is already in the current issue of Cycle News. magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1531151-cycle-news-2025-issue-01-january-7/62?
Discovered your channel today. very well presented, not too babbling and I'm already glued to your series. Looking forward to your new vids, you've got a new subscriber.
Well thanks! Welcome. :)
I have been excited about this bike since it first got released.!!
And with this woman saying this chassis is really good in the dirt gives me that much more excitement to potentially own one
It's a good time to buy. Hope you get your hands on one soon. :)
I bought one a few months back here in oz and agreed the bikes rides fantastic and the engine power delivery is so smooth. I'm going to do the suspension up as well. I also rode many middleweight adv bikes and came back to the 800de. I look forward to your build.
Which other bikes were you considering before coming back to the DE?
@CrossRutted transalp , Africa twin, Nordern 901, husky 701, desert x, KTM 890 , 790 , cfmoto 800 so quite a few middleweights. The Suzuki just fitted my size and seat is great and bar position for me. It's a good price in Australia so like yourself I'll fix the soft suspension and it will be perfect
@@jaspreetbains2776 Nice!
I’ve never ridden a Suzuki,was looking at Yamaha T7s. But I think this will be my next bike!
Both great bikes. What are you riding now?
Cool! Suzuki has made some very good handing bikes, and good, long performing power too! Looking forward to what you do with her...
Thanks! And yes, Suzuki definitely has some gems in their lineup. Glad you're following along. Although for the record my V-Strom is a he. Not a her. His name is Felix. 😎
I have the same bike. I’ve experienced some issues with it so far. I’m glad you made this video now I know where to take my bike for the suspension upgrade! Thank you
Thank you for watching. Yes, Tuner did a great job on this bike. Way less diving under hard braking (on and off-road), and I haven't managed to bottom it out. Under stock suspension, seemed like hopping off anything more than a curb would make it bottom out! Good luck to you.
New Bike Day!!!!
Best day of the year!!
Heck yea 😎
Guys at Cycle World built a 800DE for NORRA Mexican 1000 Rally racing, turned out pretty awesome.
I know this will probably get blown off but I have to say it anyway. I am a retired Ford mechanic of 38 years. I noticed the K&N type filter. I lost count of how many engines have been wasted due to what we call rock deflector K&N type air filters. This is no bull! Just run your finger in the throttle body on any engine that has run one of these filters for some time and you will feel coarse gritty dirt in the bore! I've seen these filters glaze cylinders in less than 100k miles on engines that normally go well over 200k miles. Dusted turbos in diesels...
Servicing regularly helps a little, but it still lets a lot of the dust through. Hold it up to the light. Not much more than a screen.
I'll quit blabbing now, but if you running that thing, oil it really heavy! And use the foam prefilter. Hate to see another K&N victim! I've seen a lot of them over the years.
That's my rant😏
I like your bike! The wife has one and she loves it! Like you, she likes working on it also. It's fun to watch her have fun with it!
You're so right about the way it tracks and feels in the dirt. In some ways, I like it better than my Africa Twin AS. Goes where it's pointed👍
@@dwayneneufeld1696 Not blown off at all, sir. Thank you for the info, and yes, you are correct. After a couple runs in dusty conditions over the summer, I checked the air filter and ran a finger inside the boot. Yep, dust got through. Not anything coarse like you said, but a small amount of very fine dust is getting through. I think I’ll put the foam element back in there and even though it’s not designed to be oiled, might try oiling it with some Maxima FFT. Thanks again for the note, and give your wife a high five for me. :)
Hey Jean. Looking forward to the series as I have just picked up a used 2023 in the same color! Suspension is the first thing on my list and I'm curious how TBT approaches this new platform. I have a list of questions if you don't mind (sorry!):
1. Where are they sourcing the springs from? RaceTech and K-Tech, as far as I know, don't have the DE listed on their site yet.
2. Are the factory front fork springs linear or progressive?
3. What rider sag number are you targeting as a baseline for the front and rear? 30% or 35% of travel?
4. Where is mechanical bottom-out on the front forks? My measurements gave me ~4mm right above the fork tube casting.
5. What percentage of travel should you be using most of the time?
Hi there. You can find some more info and some test rider feedback on the TBT suspension in the Cycle News story that just came out. But long story short, we did not replace the springs. The story explains what Travis modified and how it performed. Here's a link: magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1531151-cycle-news-2025-issue-01-january-7/62?
As for your questions, I didn't dive into the metrics of the suspension components to that level. But for question number 5, I can tell you that you should be using 100% of your travel. Any travel not used is suspension wasted. As for "most of the time," that really depends on what kind of riding you do, and what type of capability you want to have. I ride my V-Strom on the street *most of the time,* since most of my miles are spent getting to and from the dirt. I'm not getting into much of the travel during that time. But once in the dirt, I want to have the capability to launch my 500 lb bike off water breaks, so I need a sturdy holdup. If I'm not getting off the ground, I won't be maxxing my suspension, but I still want that capability there for when I do need it. All in, I am using 100% of my suspension travel *some of the time.* So in my opinion, that's how you should look at it.
Hope that helps. Thanks for watching and good luck with the new scoot!
@@CrossRutted This helps! Thank you!
i test rode transalp(europe,full power) and this back to back,on road.tenere,too weak and too high,didnt impessed me.the vstrom is superior,explosive motor and so sharp in handling.i could not believe it.unfortunately in europe,this bike is at the bottom of the sales.i think its the looks.yeah,those headlights and this beak...urrrg
Oh geez. Yes, the "beak." My brother, who rides a KTM 890, makes fun of my 800DE and makes quacking sounds at me when I ride up. Haters gonna hate...