i went to this test ride event since it's quite close.


rode a few bikes.


spent the most time with the vstrom.
didn't follow the pre-planned route. i took it to some bad roads and gravel agriculture roads around the area.


if you want something for long distance touring, will do 2up with panniers, can do some mild offroad, more power and upgrade from your dominar,

do test ride the vstrom 650. it's not as tall or heavy as 800cc+ midweight
not much power tho. might feel the same as your dominar.

bmw f800gs, bmw f750gs, bmw f850gs. f800gs with the rear tank doesn't feel as heavy as f850gs. f700gs/f650gs is even shorter and lighter.
crf 250 don't make much power and not nice on the highway. topspeed 110-120, lack of power to overtake.

the himalayan and scram 411 don't make a lot of power. heavy clutch. 5 speed gearbox. might feel a downgrade from your dom

i feel the 790 adv is too expensive for the asking price.
no cruise control. non adjustable suspension.
some features like adjustable traction control, slip control you need to get the rally pack or tech pack.
tiger 900 has more features vs 790adv at the same price.

but going past 800cc the accessories and parts price is really on another planet.
you drop the bike offroad and hit a rut or a rock RIP wallet

i feel that there's not much torque from the engine. maybe like you said it's tuned for higher rpm.
kindda hard to powerslide (even on gravel) just from engine power alone. even after turning off traction control.

with that engine i feel that you don't even need traction control haha
it feels like cb500x, good enough but not much fun factor. feels quite boring to be honest.

ktm tuning is really fun.
feels like it's trying to kill you if you mess too much with it.

same with triumph. feels fun and lively. boatload of torque in the lower rpm.
sport mode, and if the road wet, you'll powerslide on the white lane marking just by twisting the throttle.
then traction control kicks in and you'll recover.

fun as hell.

similar price as upcoming transalp? heard transalp would also be priced around 60k
youtube reviews are saying the 800de feels lighter than a t7 tho it's 30kg heavier

you're gonna have to go for a test ride. both bike feels different and handle differently.


the new modenas versys 650 have more gadget than the vstrom.
and currently it's cheaper than the vstrom that is now selling for RM42k-44k new

but after testing both i think i prefer the vstrom as it feels lighter, easier to maneuver and felt narrower.
on the highway the versys might be better since the light handlebar is prone to wobble and quite a number of people are reporting this issue on the vstrom.
also people are reporting high speed wobble issue when the vstrom have panniers installed.

so which bike is better is purely based on your usage.

Yes the vstrom has the low rpm assist.
But a lot of bikes also have the low rpm assist but didn't advert them. My tiger for instance have an even better low rpm assist system that makes it even easier to ride at low speed, but never advertise it.

Suzuki frequently do road test event. Maybe you can follow Suzuki Malaysia FB

on triumph low speed assist you could even press the brake (front or rear brake) to slow it even more and it doesn't stall.
very easy to ride slowly on gravel since you could put it in 1 2 3 gear and just let it creep slowly.

i feel that the bike is easier to creep very slowly than my kapcai. a godsend feature

Unless you forcefully pull the brakes to stop the bike, then it'll stall.
While creeping if you pull the brakes you can hear the bike purposely revving the engine to avoid stalling.

Haiya that old gen vstrom 250 really kenot la.
Hopefully they'll release the new gen and not this new retro modern classic adv haiya

Good wakeup call for Suzuki to mind the pricing.
The brand name and CBU status is not enough to entice customers.

Just like Yamaha. Haven't seen 1 tenere on the road yet.

they even let the bikes loose on the dirt and muddy track.

feel like attending the event next month. wanna try ducati desertx in the dirt hngnghhh

fulamak 12k voucher for the 800de.
can turn to DP? can contra with bike price?

RM48k for 800de?

yeah mang.
i'm so excited hhhnnnnngggghhhhh
finally the legendary vtwin reliability in a modern, exciting design.

if yamaha release the tracer 7 here, i doubt it'll be priced as competitively as what AMI is doing with suzuki.
tracer 7 is going to be yamahal, not even surprised if tracer7 is RM69k

This post has been edited by paskal: Nov 5 2025, 08:26 AM

Probably to keep cost down.
Its still using the same nissin calipers, telescopic fork, rear swing arm.

But since its now ride by wire, aftermarket cruise control can easily be added for about rm1k-ish