I’ve ridden as far as a lap around the globe on my VStrom 650, over mountains passes and desert tracks, making me an expert on offroading with this bike. In this article I will share my take on modifying your adventure buddy so he/she is ready for an offroad adventure.
Which mods are essential for making the Suzuki VStrom offroad ready?
- Bashplate
- Radiator guard
- Crashbars
- Hand guards
- Offroad foot pegs
- Handlebar risers
- Offroad tires
This list of seven modifications are the bare minimum to make the vstrom offroad ready. This kit will upgrade your bike and protect it from breaking down in the case of a crash so you can keep exploring and can be used as a guide to decide what you will get and what not. In the rest of the article I will explain why these are essential, what to look for and what are the nice to have modifications.
Is the VStrom good off-road?
I have ridden my VStroms, yes multiple, in impossible places like the jungle hills of Thailand or the desert of Wadi Rum in Jordan. The VStrom is not and never will be a real dirt bike, but it is more than capable of tackling challenging terrain. It is a great bike in most offroad conditions.
Its power lies in the v-shaped engine, which provides a lot of power at lower speeds and during hill climbs. It is also lower than most adventure bikes, which means most riders can touch the ground with both feet giving beginner riders the confidence to try new things.
The biggest difference will lie in the speed at which you tackle the terrain with on a vstrom compared to other adv bikes and dirt bikes. The VStrom will need to take it slower because of the limited ground clearance and the short suspension travel. Most beginners won’t go that fast where they will notice the difference. If you are planning on overlanding on this bike you won’t go at top speed either because getting to the end of the trip with the bike in one piece is more important then setting a new personal record.
Lastly, I said that the VStrom is very capable in most offroad conditions. It is however pretty shitty in muddy conditions because the mud get’s stuck in the stock front fender. Otherwise, it will do amazing in deep sand, rocky trails, hill climbs, gravel roads and more.
My 7 essential modifications for the Suzuki VStrom DL650
Now let’s dive into my list of must have mods for this bike, this list is based on 90.000km / 56,000 miles of riding experience. I’ve ridding this bike across 3 continents and put it to the test. This list is a result of that experience.
1. Why do you need a skid plate?
The skid plate, baseplate, bashplate, engine guard, whatever you call it, is there to protect the soft underbelly of the bike. Especially the VStrom has some sensitive parts of the bike exposed on the underside of the bike such as the oil filter and therefor needs to be protected from being hit by rocks.
Many different brands make skid plates for the Suzuki VStrom, so there is plenty of choice out there. Picking one means you will have to balance the following concerns:
- Weight
- Does it need/fit with my crashbars?
- Is there a hole for oil changes or do I need to take the whole thing off?
- Type of material (aluminium is lighter but bends more easily)
- Durability, depends on the thickness and type of material as well as the shape of the design
- What are you planning to do with the bike (mellow gravel roads, or tricky mountain climbs)
- How well does it protect vs does it leave some airflow to
Here are some brands that you can check out:
2. What does the radiator guard do?
The radiator is there to cool off the engine while riding with the wind passing through. It is an essential part of the bike. If a small rock were to puncture a hole and the radiator started leaking you would notice the bike having less power and starting to overheat.
Especially because most radiator are located behind the front wheel, where a lot of rocks will be slung backwards, having a radiator guard for offroad is essential and it’s a cheap modification too so there is not really an excuse.
There are multiple brands making their own version so you should be able to find one available close to you. Make sure that the guard leaves enough space for a decent airflow otherwise your bike still might overheat.
Here are some brands that you can check out:
3. The pros and cons of crashbars
Crash bars or engine bars are there protect the side of the bike during a crash. When you put the bike on the side with the crash bars installed, the bike will lay on those. This should insure that the fairings and engine parts all stay untouched making it possible to keep on going.
You can imagine that this is an important modifications to add to your bike before going offroading unless you are willing to take that risk.
For most skid plate you also need to install crash bars to be able to mount it properly so make sure that your skid plate and crashers go together.
Some people use their crash bars to attach other accessories like auxiliary lights or extra bags to.
The downside to adding the bars is that you are also adding weight which is undesirable for any adventure bike. A lighter bike is easier to manoeuvre and pick up.
Here are some brands that you can check out:
4. Why do I need other hand guards?
This is a valid question and I asked myself the same before I left for our Africa adventure. It was the biggest mistake I made and regretted it for almost the entire trip.
You see, the VStrom has nice hand guards that are big and protect from wind and rain. But they are made from plastic. But the bike down once and it is almost guaranteed that you crack one of them. As well as bend the screw that holds the handlebar weights. These get so bent after a while that they vibrate out on any particularly bumpy section of track.
Replacing the stock hand guards with one that has a metal bar in it not only protects the hand guards and replaces the stupid handlebar weight system, it also protects your levers from breaking. Most of the time it just snaps off the end, where it is designed to break and you can keep on riding without any issues. I think I rode at least 20.000km like that. But in some rare occasions, it breaks off at the base. And trust me, you don’t want to be in the middle of Tanzania with a broken clutch lever. Just watch this video on YouTube of us riding through offroad in thick mud in Tanzania.
The plastic handguard at the beginning of the trip, all clean and shiny and in 1 piece.
Here are some brands that you can check out:
5. What is the benefit of offroad foot pegs?
The biggest difference between the stock footpegs and offroad ready ones are the grip they provide in wet and slippery conditions. Where the road footpegs have comfortable rubber on top, the offroad versions have spikes so that even when your boot is covered in mud, you won’t slide off. Most offroad footpegs are also broader and/or wider than the stock ones providing more control over the bike and more comfort while standing up for longer periods of time.
Some of the brands have a rubbery top, that pushes down when more force is applied when you stand up. They work fine in my experience when you do a lot of dual riding. When you are really planning to only do offroad, you might be more interested in switching to one of the more hardcore offroad style pegs.
This is essential for making the VStrom offroad ready because with the right grip on the bike, you will be able to properly manoeuvre the bike through tricky sections. If you are just riding easy gravel roads, you might be able to do without, but I’ve been in the situation where you suddenly meet a muddy section and start to slip and slide off the bike as soon as you’ve set a foot down in that stuff. It stopped being fun very fast.
Here are some brands that you can check out:
6. Who needs handlebar risers?
Okay, I’ll admit. These aren’t essential. Not for everyone. Not for short people. But if you are like me, I’m 1,87m or almost 6’3, then you’ll need them to adjust the handlebar height to better fit a standing riding position. With the handlebars too low you will have to bend over to reach and put more weight on the handlebars than necessary making it harder to steer but most importantly more tiring to ride.
7. VStrom offroad tires make the bike offroad setup complete
A bike is nothing without a good set of offroad tires. Well, actually, a bike can almost go anywhere with the right rider, but a good setup helps us beginners to make it easier to learn. I can know because as a beginner I didn’t know the importance of the right tire and just started offroading on 90% street tires. The confidence boost I felt when I finally switched to a proper tire was incredible.
Now what the best tire is is up for debate and probably one of those lifelong mysteries that will never be solved, like what came before the big bang? But I do have a few suggestions for you that I think you should consider.
The following considerations are important to choose for a tire
- Your style of riding, aggressive vs mellow
- The places you plan to ride in, lot of road or a lot of offroad
- The distance a tire will last
- The terrain you are planning to ride in, sand/mud/rock
- The money you are willing to spend
- The tires that are available near you
- The type of rim you have, tubes and spokes vs tubeless
Here are some brands that you can check out:
What does this vstrom offroad upgrade kit cost?
To make the vstrom offroad capable you will need to spend between US$900 and US$1500 for the essential upgrade kit. The price varies with the quality of mods you buy and if they are stock or after market. The recommended kit includes a bashplate, radiator guard, crashbars, hand guards, offroad foot pegs, handlebar risers and offroad tires.
What are nice to have modifications for the Suzuki Vstrom 650?
Besides the bare essentials, these 6 mods are nice to have as well if you can afford them because it doesn’t always need to cost fortune to get your bike adventure ready. I’ll go over these modifications quickly and explain why I like them for adventure riding.
Heated grips are nice because they keep your hands warm during a change in altitude or riding in the shade where the sun is not keeping you warm. Sometimes conditions change rapidly and with the heated grips you don’t need to bring an extra pair of gloves.
A raised or lowered seat, depending on the length of the rider is nice to make the bike fit to your needs. You don’t need to be able to flatfoot the bike with both feet, but it does give a lot of confidence while learning how to ride offroad. A raised seat makes the seated riding position more comfortable for tall riders (like myself).
To have a GPS bar to mount your navigation unit on, wether that is a phone or a dedicated device, is nice to have because it allows you to keep your eyes on the road. Especially following tracks on the map where it doesn’t give you directions and you just follow a red line.
The side stand foot enlarger, or whatever the sexy name is for that, is really practical when riding in loose terrain and you want to take a brake to go for a wee and need to park the bike for a minute. It’s not on the essentials list because most of the time you will be able to find something, a rock or a branch, to put underneath but when you’ve got to go it’s nice to not have to think about this.
Pannier racks are very practical for those planning a multiple day trip that includes camping. I always highly recommend riding with soft panniers instead of hard aluminium for safety, but that means you’ll probably need some sort of pannier rack to keep them from burning up on your exhaust. Some bags come with racks so make sure you decide on the bags first and then pick a matching pannier rack.
Now that you decided that you are nog going to take hard case luggage, a larger luggage rack instead of a top box is also nice to have. This makes is easier to strap your roll bag tight and because the surface is bigger it will stay in place better. Sometimes they are also called adventure racks.
Custom suspension is a hot topic and some people will disagree with me and call it an essential upgrade to any v strom rider planning to take their bike offroad. The reason I disagree is because it is an expensive setup modification and therefor not very accessible to most. Secondly, you should know what you want before drastically changing your bike and as a beginner you probably don’t.
The last and most important reason I disagree with those people is because they probably ride much faster and more aggressive than the average rider will. If you take it easy and don’t try to push this bike to it’s limit, it will happily take you through some cool adventures.
These 3 modifications you absolutely don’t need for adventure riding
- Aux lights
- Doubletake mirrors
- Adjustable windscreen
Some people will share a list of the modifications they have done to their bike of over ten grand. Absolutely unnecessary in my opinion especially as a beginner. It is your job to figure out the way you like to ride before copying someone else's style. And don’t be afraid that the bike you are riding is not the right fit for you (anymore). Don’t try to make the VStrom into something she will never be. A dirt bike.
In the list above I mention three mods I think you don’t need for taking your vstrom offroad.
First of all is auxiliary lighting, meaning attaching two extra lights to the crash bars for extra visibility both for yourself and oncoming traffic. Although it probably does what it is supposed to do my adventure riding advice is always this. Don’t ride in the dark. Full stop.
The double take mirrors are there for dual sport bikes and move on impact or fold away when you don’t need them while riding the trails. That is because you can’t really use them while standing up. I actually did use them a lot to check on my riding partner without have to turn my entire body around and risk changing direction accidentally. They are also supposed to prevent your mirrors from breaking, but after 34.000km / 21,000 miles and plenty of crashes on two bikes they are both still fine. So not worth the investment.
Adjustable windscreens are more something for people who enjoy or have to to a lot of highway riding and are too tall to fit behind the stock windscreen. Or get annoyed with the slightest breeze in their face. I don’t know. I feel like they never do what they promised and a liability when it comes to stuff that might break in a crash. So no need to get them to make your v strom rally raid worthy.
Leave your comments down below.
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Related questions that might interest you
What are the best v strom 650 mods?
There is no set list of modifications that are the best for a v strom 650 because your riding style determines which mods are going to make that experience better. Different riding styles are cruising, commuting, touring, long distance, adventure riding and offroad riding.