The venerable V-Strom hasn?t changed much in its nearly two-decade history, which is testament to the fact that Suzuki pretty much got it right back in 2002, when it became the first Japanese manufacturer to enter the large-displacement ADV market in the U.S. The 2002 DL1000 V-Strom was powered by a proven 90-degree twin with a superbike pedigree and had tallish suspension, a 19-inch front wheel and the user friendliness and reliability that might?ve been lacking in its contemporaries. This Goldilocks adventure tourer helped define the niche and quite possibly aided its explosion into mainstream popularity; almost 20 years later, the ADV segment is booming, with even Harley-Davidson acknowledging the fact with an adventure bike prototype of its own.
We?re big fans of the V-Stroms here at Rider, both the 650 and 1,000cc variations. The larger version especially checks all the ADV touring boxes?plenty of power, bulletproof reliability (and a large dealer network just in case), ample luggage-carrying capacity, tons of aftermarket farkles and the ability to comfortably carry a rider (and passenger) over vast distances and terrain ranging from smooth pavement to dirt or gravel forest roads. If you want something more off-road oriented there are better choices, but for the vast majority of adventure riders the V-Strom is an ideal mount.

Giant Sequoia National Forest is home to some of the largest trees on earth. We packed up our V-Strom 1050XT with camping gear and hit ...