Suzuki Missed the boat on the 2012 VEE

Suzuki missed the boat on the DL1000. They brought it back to the states which is good but still has all the old technology on the bike. The bike seems to have no updates, no ABS, no traction control, still chain drive no shaft. What were they thinking, it was a great bike when they first came out but there are so many better bikes now.

It's the DR650 of the 1000cc class,
It's lightish, It's more Street than dirt, which seems to be what people respond to, It's proven reliable, and they may have 120,000 extra 1000cc motors they need to get rid of. It may be that Suzuki doesn't make them anymore and they are just warehouse items these days. It's also great value for money. May not be the "best" or the fanciest where I come from it's great value, Except currently the 1050 Tiger is on Special at the same price. So In OZ the old Tiger is the best value ATM.

It still has a place. It would be nice to see a refresh, but then the price would go up and everyone would have a whine if it was more than a refresh. Might be good to just ad ABS and do some refinement on the motor but it is what it is.

And now for a different opinion:
I for one do not want all that electronic garbage on my bike. It is bullshit, plain and simple. A 165 HP ZX10R may need traction control if anyone is going to ride it near its potential but a street/adventure bike does not. I do not want ABS, traction control, variable valve timing, VTEC, linked brakes, automatic clutch, automatic transmission, dual clutch transmission,etc, it is all heavy, complex, unnecessary crap and I will not buy it. I am not an eelectronics geek, I am a motorcycle guy. Give me a nice running bike that I control- ME- not some electronic crap

Let's see. The DL1000 never sold well in the USA or anywhere else. We are experiencing one of the worst economies in a very long time. And you ask why they haven't upgraded it? You should at the very least be happy that they are still offering the original version instead of doing away with it.

Sure we all want to see Suzuki bring an answer to the 1200 Tenere to our dealerships. But it's not in the cards. At least not for a few more years.

Answer to the Tenere? HOW ABOUT AN ANSWER TO THE MULTISTRADA 1200? You bet they missed the boat. I bet they are out of money. They sure seem like a company that is. No real motogp or world superbike showing, and pretty boring line up.
...But back to the MS1200. It's not for everyone, its a kings ransom, but just try finding one used. And even if you do, you might as well buy new. That has to say something about the pulse of what people want. Sure some want a true single trail bike, but a lot want high performance. I would love a less expensive Japanese version. (IMHO)

I like your attitude!

Jon

It's why I'm still running a DR650.

I agree and while they're at it add USD forks, clearence exhaust, parameter frame, single side swing arm and drop 100 lbs while doing it.

I too have been taken by the Multistrada ... but I suppose I should wait until I get to try the new Triumph ... always wanted to own just one Ducati though! (of course if someone gave me an original round case 750 Super Sport I might try and find room in the garage) ...

It's weird.....

A few months ago, when I was still a lurker...............

There were a lot of people WISHING Suzuki would bring back the DL1000.

Just sayin'.

I think if my new job works out I will get a 2012 DL1000. WHY? One reason and one reason only. The SV1000S engine in a dualsport. That engine in one evil MOFO. Get it while you can.
The Super Ten is a excellent bike and had me drooling but you know what? It is sooooo heavy. All that heft negates the technological edge. If it has to be porky you might as well roll around with a booming Vtwin.

Damn it, when did they announce this? When I was in the market a few months ago to replace my totalled '07 Vee, I read that Suzuki was manufacturing Wee only. I even had all the farkles that I could have just swapped over.

Amen

And, those "aids" will not save the rider who rides like a dumbass.

Amen again.
And all the above is why I rid a Buell Ulysses.

OP,
We can only assume that they did it because they thought the bikes would get sold...
Their game; their rules.

Sounds like you need to buy a Stelvio.

well this thread strikes a nerve with me partly because I have been annoyed by the so called progress that has been made with bikes for years now.
Maybe your average suburban yuppy needs to know that a bike is totally loaded down with the latest acronym laden electronic garbage so it can look super cool as he passes it in the garage on his way to his SUV, but does any of that crap actualy enhance the riding experience? I dont think so. It is just junk to distract and enthrall...very much like this:



Note the striking similarity to a rider fooling with the traction control setup on the dash of his bike prior to a ride. "Lets see, it rained last week, better go with the "soft" mode in case of any moisture on the road surface..."


I have already got an 05 V-strom 1000 that I love, it is a fine bike. When I ride it I do not long for more doo dads to fool with or more flashing lights on the dash. When I work on it I dont miss the extra 3 miles of wiring, brake line plumbing, sensors, servo motors, clutter, vaccuum line crap and other asorted BS I have seen on new bikes lately. All of the aforementioned "innovations" are just fluff designed to excite today's electronic doo dad addicted consumer

I often wish my bike was lighter and more powerful, had better brakes, etc. If they are going to change the V-strom, that is where they should look

I agree with whipit1k.

I have an '06 DL650 that I really like. I have on occasion lusted for the 1000, for additional torque more than anything. It took mountains of farkles to get the Wee to true adventure status, many graciously applied to it by the PO. Since I first saw the reviews for the 2012 650, I've been underwhelmed. They changed the 650 design from a reasonable gravel road tourer to just another street bike. It looks like they left the 1000 more or less alone, which is a good thing.

ABS, particularly full-time ABS will stick you on your head on dirt or gravel. Just forget to switch it off ONCE in the loose stuff and savor the sensation of no brakes. -1 for Suzuki. What would an additional switch have cost on the 650? I'd rather spend the extra money on the four-pot gsxr brakes my Wee is equipped with.

The alternator on both models is marginal for fully loaded use. Running heated grips and a heated jacket pushes the system to its max. My '95 BMW K75 has an alternator nearly twice the size. 400 watts isn't a lot for cold weather touring with some aux lights on at night.

Reducing suspension travel? OK, so the old Wee can be a bit of a sail in crosswinds, but it wasn't overly endowed with travel in the first place. Fully loaded, it can and will bottom. Reducing travel won't help out here. It appears they left things alone on the 1000.

The 1000 has a real advantage in power-to-weight over the 650, which is where I think it would shine. Once a dual-sport gets much over 500 lbs, it can turn into a real handful in many conditions you'd expect in real life. Even though well-balanced, 700 lbs is 700 lbs.

My DL also has one of the nicest transmissions. Glad it's there on the 1000.

As noted above, I'd rather have something reasonably priced that I can farkle or not to my taste than purchase lots of factory bells and whistles. At over ten grand, however, I'll leave the 2012 DL1000 alone. For that money, one can buy one heck of a lot of used bike. Of one is lucky, one can get something that has already bankrupted the PO.

Oh not this again... someone else living in the past (or with a current BMW)

Rema, help me straighten this guy out will ya?


I have a DL1000 and a Super Tenere 1200 - both are great, but the ABS gives a level of confidence IN THE DIRT that you just don't get with the Vee. I'm a decent braker, but I don't trust myself not to lock the front braking hard on a varied surface. I can't modulate the brakes quickly enough to account for wet leaves, mud, sand. The ABS on the Super Tenere will. True, there may be some occassions when the Yam ABS a disadvantage, but they are far less frequent than when it will save your arse.

It would be nice to have such ABS on the new Vee, but not if not as good as the Yam's. And if it was, it will increase the cost significantly, and there goes the market advantage.

If Suzuki had introduced an updated Vee, I would have it now. Wouldn't have minded paying say $2k more. That's where they missed the boat. If they want to go up against the Super Tenere/GS now, it's going to have to be a completely new design. Before the S10 was introduced they could have gotten away with some relatively minor updates and kept a bunch of loyal fans. Instead many have now moved to the Super Tenere.

The fact that they are the cheapest new bike that is (almost) in the same class as the others, I don't think counts for much. I mean, if you a buying a 2012 Vee (for $10k+) to save some money, why would you not just pick up one of the many gently-used/fully-farkled bikes for around half that price?

Well, not exactly current issue. . .



I like ABS. I really do. Mine has saved my bacon more than once, even though it was chipped out of stone in the last century. I just like the CHOICE of turning it off.

And I think I made the used bike/farkle point somewhere in there. . .

There are plenty of high end/complicated new ADV bikes in the 1000+cc category on the market now or nearly to market. The new old Vee provides a unique solution for those that don't need or want all the fancy stuff and are on a budget. I think Suzuki has always been a bang-for-the-buck brand.

Right around $9K for a brand new 2-up comfortable ADV touring bike!! thats $1K less than a T800 and probably has better grunt and better 2-up capabilities. $3-4K less than a T800XCabs or S10.

Don't get me wrong, i am seriously considering a S10 or the like in a couple of years. But in the mean time, I picked up a used 2005 Vee for $3300 just to test the large ADV bike waters. So far i really like it. Seems like a steal for what I paid. I'll have a lot of searching to do to justify the added expense of the new ADV crop.

Yep, that's what I'm talking 'bout. Still, you missed out on a REAL bargain - I could have let you have my 83k mile fully farkled 2002 for a grand less than that