Suzuki V-strom 650 Xt Review

Used Buyer Review

The V-Strom 650 XT is arguably the most sensible used bike purchase you can make right now. The 645cc V-twin is virtually bulletproof — I've seen examples pushing 60,000 miles with nothing more than routine maintenance. The XT trim adds wire-spoked wheels that actually tubeless-convert nicely, plus hand guards and a bash plate, so you're getting genuine adventure capability without the posturing of something twice the price. Check the chain and sprockets on anything over 20k miles, inspect the fork seals, and make sure the previous owner didn't drop it in a gravel lot — the fairing tabs are fragile and replacements aren't cheap. Ergonomically it suits riders from 5'6" upward comfortably, the fuel economy sits around 55-60mpg, and the fuel tank gives you genuine 200-mile range between stops. It's not exciting — nobody's lying awake dreaming about one — but it does absolutely everything adequately and some things brilliantly. For a used buy, that's often exactly what you want.