We use this bike when touring Alaska, Canada, and Great Britain. This is one of the best rental bikes in our fleet in Alaska! It is just plain hard to beat its reliability, versatility, and comfort for touring. It is also a great bike with a passenger. Engine: The Suzuki SV 650 engine has been used since the mid eighties, and was used in the SV 650 – the street version of the DL 650. The engine is bullet proof with plenty of torque. It is no problem passing that second car with this bike! Ride and Handling: The V-Strom feels comfortable on the paved and the dirt….but prefers the paved. The bike will go off-road, but wants to make its way back to solid ground. It also handles like a dream at 80 miles an hour on the tarmac…making it look oh, so easy…. We prefer the 650cc over the 1000 simply because of the weight issue….less weight up top makes for safer dirt highway riding. Reliablility: It is the most reliable bike in our fleet. It is by far the best bang for your buck when it comes to adventure touring bikes. This is the type of bike that will go to the ends of the earth or to the corner market…with ease. Equipment: In Alaska Twisted Throttle outfits all of our newest bikes with the proper guards and accessories to make them "Alaska worthy" . The upgrades include skid plate, engine guards, center stands, hand guards, windshields, tank bags, waterproof Duffle bags, and more.The gauges are also cool when you start it up.