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So that's what the "Snowflake" LED on the V-Strom's instrument panel is for! A freak snowstorm at the eastern exit of Yosemite resulted in a brush with hypthermia and temporarily abandoning the bike towards the end of my 20,000 mile ride around North America.

This trial by fire provided an interesting learning curve. Although rarely stable, riding mile upon mile of mud on varying and unpredictable surfaces often set the bike into uncontrollable slides. Braking was near impossible, and some turns were a little too close to sudden or boggy drop-offs. Speeds were usually slow but I experimented a lot, attempting to find a MPH sweet spot (never did), while preparing for the seemingly inevitable crash.

The driving rain continued and, although other vehicles were infrequent, there were instances when truckers provided, let’s call them “pucker” moments. Some of the inclines were extremely steep and at least a mile long. These guys were hauling heavy freight and even without the rain and mud the strategy was simple: hit a hill as fast as possible, using momentum to make it up the grade. At those speeds, when a truck passed—often inches away—there’d be a spray of mud that darkened the skies, coating my visor so thoroughly I’d have to stop and clean it.

It took about four hours of slogging through muck to make it to the Yukon Crossing outpost, where I enjoyed a brief respite with a little damp warmth, hot coffee, and some very expensive mystery gas from the world’s only pump designed by Rube Goldberg. What I didn’t count on was the facility being a quarter of a mile off the dirt road, with a substantially heavier, thicker lake of mud to torture me. The sludge was so thick and gooey that the bike’s wheels continually seized—the only remedy was to get off and hand-scrape them. Oddly enough, it was kind of gratifying!

The Grand Finale

Here I met a fellow nutcase, John Maddock, riding a Triumph Tiger 800 and also on his way up the Dalton. John is one of those guys you like immediately, so we teamed up to watch each other’s backs for the wet and muddy “slide” to the Circle. And a mere couple hours later, just as we approached our destination’s turnoff, and right on cue, the rain finally let up… oh, the irony!

The Arctic Circle marker, at its beautifully round-numbered latitude of 66° 33′, is one of those iconic “must photograph” landmarks, mostly because so few make it there. We certainly took advantage of that moment. But like so many of the world’s legendary destinations, no matter what the cost or effort to make it there the result is often anticlimactic—in other words, the journey, not the destination, is the reward. As this was the northern terminus of my journey I did the natural thing and immediately set about planning what was next. And when John voiced his decision that the ride was too precarious to continue, we saddled up, pointed our bikes south, and headed for Fairbanks.

An obligatory selfie at the "signpost forest" in Watson Lake, Yukon.

The storm had pretty much subsided for the ride back. By then my skills were catching up to the conditions and, to my surprise, I was even pushing the limits and having fun with it. Being more relaxed also afforded a little free-thinking “helmet time” rather than the panic-stricken survival mode of the way up. In some ways, the ride had fulfilled an aspect of what life is all about: facing a challenge and seeing it through. But a single nagging thought persisted—I’d almost given up—and I couldn’t help but wonder how the accumulation of all those “given up” moments played out in one’s psyche.

Adventure certainly can mean many different things, but in the end, it’s that inner journey we face. Run and we become weaker… take on a demon and become stronger. Hummm, curious how it now seems so simple afterwards….

The original V-Strom 1000 debuted in 2002 and remained relatively unchanged until last year. Unlike its baby brother, the V-Strom 650, the 1000 was never given the official “adventure” treatment until this release.

There’s a lot to like about the new V, especially with ABS and traction control standard. It’s a nice package with a surprisingly sportbike-like feel. The redesigned 1037cc engine is more bulletproof than ever—smooth and powerful with a flawless transmission that delivers just the right amount of torque in any gear. And not so subtle refinements to the frame, suspension and ergos make it the most comfortable and controllable bike I’ve ridden in its class. Options like crashbars, wing lights, handguards and heated grips are a must. Same with the factory tank bag that rigidly locks into place. Indeed, the only thing I didn’t care for were the plastic panniers. They’re too small for anything but a weekender—an opportunity the aftermarket will no doubt resolve.

It may also be important to delineate which definition of “adventure” the new V subscribes to. I’d place it in the adventure touring class, mostly because it’s configured with a bias toward long hauls that include dirt ’n’ gravel roads without anything too hairy. That said, our friends at the celebrated RawHyde off-road training center recently put a couple of these bikes through their paces and other than the requisite scrapped skid plates, it was all smiles. For off-roading, both bikes had ABS kill switches installed, because for whatever reason Suzuki doesn’t include that option. But it’s a quick and easy mod, or there’s a dedicated fuse to yank that’ll do the job, too.

If you like the idea of an ADV touring machine that requires practically zero maintenance while saving a few thou off the showroom floor, then the new V-Strom 1000 Adventure deserves serious consideration.

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