Crossover Hits
Crossover Hits
Ducati Multistrada 620 vs. Suzuki DL650 V-Strom
DAVID EDWARDS
OKAY, LET’S SHORTCUT THIS THING. BOTTOM LINE, THE Suzuki wins. The V-Strom 650 makes more power than the Ducati Multistrada 620, cuts a better time at the dragstrip, is more comfortable, gets scooter-like mpg numbers and on top of all that is a budget-friendly $ 1800 less expensive.
No-brainer, in other words, end of story. But that’s just the beginning of this tale. You probably don’t have to guess that these two bikes were the runts of our “2X2” fleet. Nowhere near as enticing as the $30,000 Italian Flashbikes or limited-edition Ameri-Cruise Kings. Slow as 90-weight in Saskatoon compared to the ’Busa and Ninja 14, either one of which could outrun this pair using just first gear! Literal half-weights , >/ compared to the Rushmore-class monumentally Big Baggers But here’s the thing: As all-around motorcycles go, for the sheer joy of moving through the air on two wheels, none of those bikes even comes close to these two, especially the V-Strom, which may just be the most shockingly competent machine in the world today.
Yes. No need to take just our word for that, either. Last year, our friends at Germany’s Motorrad magazine went to the Alps for a 20-bike, all-singing, all-dancing shootout involving sport-tourers, repli-racers, nakeds and adventurebikes, and when the last gravel-strewn hairpin had been dispatched it was the DL650 that was named Der Alpenführer, which is kind of hard to hang an ad campaign around, but there y a go.
DUCATI
MULTISTRADA 620
$8495
DUCATI MULUSTRADA 620 Price.............$8495 ^»PS Dry weight........ 432 lb. A The affordable Multistrada Wheelbase........57.5 in. (Dark model $500 cheaper) Seat height.......33.0 in. A Extensive options, includFuel mileage____45.3 mpg ing bags, GPS, 750cc kit 0-60 mph.......4.8 sec. A Goofy two-part fairing, great 1/4-mile ...... 13.23 sec. airflow @ 99.30 mph A Two-year warranty (two times Horsepower......58.1 bhp the Suzuki’s) @ 8670 rpm Torque.......39.1 ft.-lbs. Downs @ 6220 rpm ▼ Terblanche styling still not 116 mph growing on us ▼ Magnetic tankbags need not apply
The V-Strom is also pretty good at jumping railroad tracks, a trick best left untried aboard your Vulcan 2000 Classic LT.
Key to both these bikes’ all-around goodness is balance. Each is derived from a lOOOcc model but tip the scales 40 pounds (Suzuki) and 30 pounds (Ducati) lighter. In the garage and in motion, the weight loss feels like twice that much, an impression aided by seat heights an inch lower than on the 1000s.
The 620 undercuts the bigger Multistrada’s list price by $3500; the 650 rings-in $2300 less than the DL1000. Power-wise, both midsize, fuel-injected V-Twins give up about 20 horsepower and 20 foot-pounds of torque to their big brothers.
There are rallybike overtones to each machine’s styling, but that’s about as far as off-road aspirations go. Ducati makes it clear that the MS range is strictly street, a point underscored by sticky, 17-inch Pirelli Corsas at both ends. The V-Strom is more ambiguous. Suzuki lists it as a “standard” in the catalog, though it wears Bridgestone Trail Wing tires and includes a Tips for Off-Highway Motorcyclists booklet under the seat. While dirt-road duty would be okay, a trail with rocks of any consequence will soon flatten the Strom’s exposed exhaust pipes and have the low-mounted oil-cooler bleeding its contents onto the ground.
Stick to any kind of asphalt and there’s precious little to complain about. Both engines are free-rewers with easy-shifting six-speed boxes and feel relaxed, with power to spare up to about 85 mph. The Multistrada’s air-cooled, two-valve -per-cylinder design gives up about 4 horsepower and 2 footpounds to the more modern V-Strom motor (liquid-cooled, four-valves-per) lifted from the SV650. The Ducati’s clutch could stand some tweaking.
It’s sometimes grabby and the engagement span is ridiculously narrow, right at the end of the lever’s travel.
On paper, the 620 should be the better handler. It’s lighter and has a shorter wheelbase, wider rubber, stiffer suspension and a more aggressive ass-up, elbows-out riding stance. And make no mistake, the little Duck slingshots around corners, but the V-Strom is absolutely unreal in that regard. It lays into a corner so easily and holds its line so effortlessly that surely the laws of physics have been suspended and countersteering is no longer needed. Not the case, of course, but there is some kind of magic going on here. Maybe it’s the combination of stout aluminum frame, relatively skinny 19-inch front tire and lots of leverage provided by the high, wide handlebar, but it seems all that’s needed to initiate a turn is a nod in that direction.
Not that the V-Strom is perfect, just close. Its biggest bugaboo is the windscreen, which buffets average-sized riders annoyingly. It is manually adjustable over about a 2inch range, but that didn’t help. Problem is that the screen is located 2 feet away from the rider and spillover is inevitable. We found relief by removing it altogether.
No matter. A faulty piece of plexi or a balky clutch are not enough to dull the important lessons that the Multistrada 620 and V-Strom 650 (re)teach. Think back to the bike that introduced you to the joys of motorcycling. Chances are it didn’t make 100 horsepower, weigh 500-plus pounds or cost an arm and a leg, either.
SUZUKI
DL650 V-STROM
$6699
Price.............$6699 Dry weight........ 443 lb. ▲ Ups Best bike you didn’t buy? Wheelbase........61.2 in. A Luggage rack stock Seat height.......32.7 in. A ABS model available for '07 Fuel mileage____53.4 mpg ($7199) 0-60 mph.......4.1 sec. A King of the Alps 1/4-mile......12.65 sec. @ 100.27 mph Downs Horsepower......62.4 bhp Also no great beauty @ 9050 rpm Windscreen’s gotta go Torque____41.1 ft.-lbs. Twin DL1000 mufflers would @ 7560 rpm look, sound better Top Speed____109 mph What, no saddlebag option?
