Suzuki V-strom 650 Review

Used Buyer Review

The V-Strom 650 is arguably the most sensible used bike purchase you can make right now. The 645cc V-twin is damn near bulletproof — these engines routinely tick past 80,000 miles with basic maintenance, and parts are cheap because Suzuki kept the mechanicals largely unchanged for years. Buy a 2012 and a 2019 share countless components. That's your insurance policy right there. Check the throttle bodies for carbon buildup on higher-mileage examples, and inspect the subframe around the rear luggage points — previous owners who loaded them heavy sometimes crack the welds. Front forks are a bit soft stock, but that's a £150 fix with a cartridge emulator kit rather than a dealbreaker. Avoid anything that's been dropped hard on the right side; the throttle body gets crunched and replacements aren't exactly free. Used pricing has stayed stubbornly strong because everyone knows how good these are, so don't expect bargains. But you're buying a motorcycle that'll genuinely do everything competently — commuting, touring, light gravel — without demanding specialist knowledge or a specialist wallet to keep running.