Views so far.
So initial thoughts on the 800de whilst still in the break in phase with all the limitations that has on testing it under unrestricted performance envelopes.
Comfort has been better than expected given the amount of bikes that appear to need aftermarket seats for brand new bikes, how manufacturers get away with selling optional “comfort” seats is a mystery to me. It’s like saying, “here, buy our bike with a shit seat so we can charge you a bit more to fix something that is our fault”. Seat to bar to foot peg position all seem good for now, but I’ll be repositioning the clutch and brake levers so they fall more naturally to hand for me which is a personal thing. One very small niggle is that the indicator switch is a little high on the switch housing for my liking.
Build quality appears good for this price bracket and I can’t see anything that shouts out to being a future problem because of the bean counters influence beyond the hand guards which are best viewed as brush guards against minor vegetation.
The engine as has already been well documented exceeds what the spec sheet would suggest and I reckon over the years this twin iteration will become one of the classics from this decade. I can see other manufacturers trying to ape its low and midrange strength as a result of how much real world users love it both on and off road.
Let’s not get carried away, it’s never going to thrill in the way the big cc hitters do on faster roads but on 90% of British roads it’ll be just as much fun.
Having owned an Africa Twin it gives a pretty similar riding experience, maybe even better in the lower revs and only loosing out towards the top end.
The A,B&C modes for throttle mapping are actually distinguishable between each other. “A” not surprisingly offers the best option for a more spirted playtime but still fuels smoothly, haven’t really explored the “B” setting but what has really surprised me is the “C” setting. I was expecting it to be mapped so you could ride across the skin of a rice pudding without ripping it up, but It actually still gives a reasonable chance to make progress with a bit of roadcraft skill when dealing with overtakes etc.
Not had any issues with engine vibes but I’m operating below the rev range reported by some.
ECU is telling me that with generally smooth twisting of the throttle and relatively low speed that we are averaging 64mpg but expect that to drop by at least 10mpg once I start using it in earnest.
Gearbox is typical Suzuki and selecting 1st and neutral is a breeze, no hunting around setting off or coming to a halt. Quick shifter appears to work effectively but too early to tell how much of a nice to have thing this will be. Personally I can match the smoothness it might bring to the party in terms of looking after a pillion, and the advantage it might provide of a few milliseconds X 3,000 gear changes during a timed endurance event doesn’t really transfer to normal road riding in my opinion. I’d rather they took the money from fitting a quick shifter and put it into fitting heated grips as that would have more of an impact on comfort and fatigue. It seems like a simple cost to gain equation to me, others talking about quick shifter virtues to mates in the pub might disagree…….
Suspension hasn’t really been put to the test but so far on the roads here on Cornwall it’s been great soaking up the poor surfaces and holes that most of us see on a daily basis. There’s plenty of bikes where I’ll make a determined effort to change lines to avoid riding over things but even with these limited miles under it’s wheels I’m finding myself not having to constantly scan for pot holes, badly fitted drain covers etc as it’s already giving me confidence it’ll just shrug them off.
I’ve purposely sought out cat’s eyes, thick white lines, overbanding and disintegrating joints between carriageways, and not surprisingly given that one of the bikes design briefs is to be ridden on rock strewn and rutted tracks it doesn’t deviate at all, no drama no fuss (this may change as speeds head north of 65
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Nine stone pillion dismounted a happy bunny, with the only adjustment made for them being a bit more rear spring preload. Front does dive on braking so for the moment it’s just a case of using more rear brake until I can see if there’s is something that works by way of fork twiddling without compromising the ride that’s provided by standard settings.
Headlights untested to date, rest of the led’s nice and bright, sturdy hardware.
Dash is great. I don’t get particularly excited by having the latest type of instrument panel, it’s a functional piece of equipment not a work of art or amazing design feature, but having said that Suzuki have nailed this one. Easy to intuitively navigate around and very clear and easy to read information displayed. Selecting and adjusting rider aids in particular is something a lot of other makers need to emulate, it really is that easy.
Expect there’s something hidden in the less used menu’s that I’m no doubt not aware of but I’ll get my teenage daughter to explain those to me later
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Screen is small (off-road bias so that’s to be expected) but the airflow is pretty clean and no buffeting for me at 5’11” normal proportions (oo-er matron). With it set at its highest position it gives a bit of cover for my upper torso with the uninterrupted air flow starting at about the bottom of my helmet. With ear plugs there’s no abnormal wind noise and if you were never aware of other options you’d happily ride around in the same way we did when naked bikes were the norm. As I’ll be using this mostly on roads I’m going to be on the lookout for something like the MRA Vario to provide a bit of weather protection against rain etc. on longer escapades.
So in summary, I was really happy with what it cost and with the riding experience it delivers at this price point its exactly what I’d hoped for.
I generally shy away from “this one’s a keeper” but I’m beginning to think this one may well see me out as now living on a pension with daughter heading towards Uni I can’t see much on the horizon that will give me as much bang for the buck.
Now, if everyone can stop advertising bargains in the for sale section I may have a chance of keeping garage space free
Any model specific advice or experiences from fellow owners would be welcomed
Cheers
, before it gets dirty 
