Overall rating Next up: Ride & brakes 4 out of 5 (4/5) Author: Liam Marsden Published: 06 October 2017 Updated: 06 July 2020 The 2017 Suzuki V-Strom 1000XT is evolution, not revolution, and the big 'Strom remains one of the easiest big adventure bikes to ride on the market. In 2020 it was renamed, and became the Suzuki V-Strom 1050 XT. Once you've read this review and checked out our owners' reviews, you may want to join a community such as V-Strom.co.uk to talk to enthusiasts and buy and sell parts.

Ride quality & brakes Next up: Engine 4 out of 5 (4/5) V-Stroms are big, comfy bikes perfect for all day riding, but they can also hustle in the bends. You need to put a little bit of effort into to get it to turn as fast as the smaller V-Strom 650, but once in the corner the V-Strom is incredibly stable and soaks up any bumps with little fuss. The previous generation of V-Strom had a very buffety screen, but thankfully Suzuki have sorted it with this model and the screen can be set at three heights and the angle can be adjusted on the move by pushing the screen away from you.

Engine Next up: Reliability 4 out of 5 (4/5) The V-twin engine makes 101bhp, which isn't anything like the 160bhp of some adventure bikes but is more than enough on the road. There's a slight lumpiness at 3000rpm, but anything above that is smooth, effortless drive. 101bhp might not sound like much in 2017, but it's more than enough to have fun with. The two stage traction control does a good job of keeping everything inline without feeling intrusive, even in the highest setting.

Reliability & build quality Next up: Value 5 out of 5 (5/5) The engine has been around for almost 20 years so it's pretty well proven now and in a very low state of tune. We've got 4 Suzuki V-Strom 1000 XT owners' reviews on MCN, with an overall score of 4.2 stars out of 5. The main problems were a lack of standard kit and fiddly maintenance.

Value vs rivals Next up: Equipment 5 out of 5 (5/5) At £9999 you can't really argue with the price of the V-Strom 1000XT. Yes, it's nowhere near as advanced as some of the competition, but it's still a great adventure bike. And you'll be able to spend more money on adventuring!