It’s late February, 2023, and the weather is starting to warm up across the northern hemisphere. What better time for Suzuki Italia to announce the release of a newly tricked-out V-Strom 650 variant? The V-Strom 650 Explorer packs a number of OEM accessories designed to exactly fit your V-Storm 650, straight from the factory.
Designed to make it easier for you to hop on and go, the 2023 Suzuki V-Strom 650 Explorer package comes standard with a center stand, crash bars, a touring windscreen, and color-matched hard panniers to carry your necessities with ease. The Explorer package, incidentally, is available on both standard V-Strom 650 and also on the V-Strom 650XT (which comes with spoked wheels).
The V-Strom 650 is powered by a 645cc V-twin engine, which complies with Euro 5 standards. It makes a claimed 70.72 horsepower at 8,800 rpm, in addition to 62 newton-meters (about 45.7 pound-feet) of torque at 6,300 rpm. It packs a 20-liter fuel tank, and the stock seat height is 835mm (or about 32.874 inches).
Gallery: 2023 Suzuki V-Strom 650 Explorer
The V-Strom 650 Explorer comes in three colors in 2023: blue, white, and black. Meanwhile, if you opt for the V-Strom 650XT Explorer instead, you can also get it in yellow. Pricing starts at € 9,140 (about $9,645) for the V-Strom 650 Explorer, including VAT. Opt to purchase the V-Strom 650XT Explorer instead, and pricing starts at € 9,690 (about $10,225) for that version.
How do those prices stack up against the V-Strom 650 and 650XT without the Explorer package added on? The total accessories package amounts to about € 1,700 (about $1,794) worth of stuff. Considering that the price of the base V-Strom 650 is € 8,940 (about $9,434), and the V-Strom 650XT starts at € 9,490 (about $10,013), it appears that the house of Hamamatsu is only asking about € 200 (or approximately $211) for the Explorer package on each bike.
With value like that, it’s difficult to think of a good reason not to treat yourself, especially if you were already thinking of buying a new V-Strom 650 anyway. Even if you end up leaving the panniers at home, you’ll have them for the next trip you take—and maybe that access will convince you to take a nice bike trip sooner rather than later.
