Comparisons (Crossrunner, VStrom 1000 and ancient Vara)

[Dee Dub]

About a week ago I posted about a test ride on a VStrom. Thunderroad Bridgend got in a Crossrunner for me to try out today, so I thought I'd post a three-way comparison with my ancient Injectadero 1000 VA4.

Background

Bear in mind that I've scarcely ridden another bike since I bought the Vara in 2005, and after all this time I can remember only a little of what my previous bikes were like. If I comment on suspension being harsh, that means harsh in comparison with a bike that has seen nearly 70k miles and was pretty soggy when new! The Vara saddle has a good reputation, and 10 years has seen mine mellow even further. An MRA Vario screen has made improved airflow and comfort at high speed. The power delivery is gentle: ample at any revs but gradually gets more exciting as the revs rise. I seldom use it all.

To the Vara’s standard 268kg kerbside weight you have to add the weight of crash bars, luggage racks, top box and various nick nacks. With rider and pillion wearing biker gear, and sometimes some luggage, the total weight on the road is close to half a tonne. The bike’s weight becomes really problematic when I'm carrying a tall pillion. An emergency stop that doesn’t end perfectly upright can cause a real strain to keep the damn thing upright. I had to let it go down during a botched car park manoeuvre a few months ago.

I have ridden the Vara around Europe including Prague, Tuscany, the Alps and so on. So there’s an emotional attachment, as well as a familiarity that develops over 70k miles. Typical use nowadays is for days out, often with a pillion, and a little general running around. I no longer use it for commuting or riding off-road. Essentially I want something that is comfortable two-up and lighter than my Vara.

 

[Dee Dub]

Getting started

“At bloody last”, I hear you say. Physically small for an adventure-styled bike, and looking very neat, the Crossrunner feels lovely to manoeuvre. At 242kg it might seem heavy on paper, but the CoG must be relatively low. It’s quite easy to lift it off the side stand and wheel it around. I was in two minds about this until I did a direct comparison with the Vara. Then I was reminded how I have to push the side with my hips as well as heave the bars to get the old beast off the side stand. The Crossrunner’s lower saddle (835mm) also helps with manoeuvrability when seated.

The Crossrunner’s sports-tourer heritage becomes apparent when you set off. The pegs are closer to the saddle than I’m used to – most bikes’ pegs are – and the saddle is shorter and firmer. The mirrors are rather stylish looking but too small to my mind. You have to adjust them precisely and even then I felt there were too many blind spots. The switchgear did not fall easily to hand. I grew accustomed after a while, but initially it was tricky to operate the indicators. The traction control switch looked like an add-on, stuck above and separate from everything else. The dashboard had a complex digital display, and overhead trees reflected from the plastic cover. In summer you might find sunlight reflecting off it at midday.

The VStrom is 14kg lighter than the Crossrunner at 228kg. It felt equally as easy to manoeuvre, but I can’t say that it felt 14kg lighter; I couldn’t do a side-by-side comparison though. A higher saddle (850mm) - even higher than the mighty Varadero (838mm) - might have hindered the Suzuki’s manoeuvrability when seated. When setting off, the VStrom felt similar to the Vara. Its seating position was comfy and the switches were easy to use. The rev counter is analogue and the speedo is digital. Ancillary information – traction control, trip odo etc. – were clear and easy to read.

At the end of this section, the VStrom is very slightly ahead, but not by much.

 

[Dee Dub]

Engines and gearboxes

At idle the Crossrunner’s engine sounded like it was running fast, though I think this bike’s idle really was set a little high. Four cylinders compared with two might contribute to the feeling. The clutch is light, gear change is slick and it pulls away willingly.

The VFR’s throttle response is rather odd in comparison with the Vara. A small adjustment to the Vara’s throttle results in a small adjustment to power output; there’s plenty more on tap if you need it but power builds gradually as the revs rise. On the Crossrunner, though, small adjustments made the bike lurch a little. Maybe the feeling is just the result of 10 years of gentleness, and I’d probably adjust to the Crossrunner after a few days. Conversely, opening the throttle up didn’t actually result in a lot more power from the VFR800 engine… until it reached about 6500 revs when it really took off. I’m guessing this is the VTEC effect. It’s a lot of fun when you have an open road and no speed cameras. The bike reaches licence-banning speed remarkably quickly and it’s intoxicating.

The VStrom engine pulled willingly and the gear change was very slick indeed. Clutchless gear changes were a breeze, a Suzuki tradition, I’m told. As I mentioned on the other thread, the throttle response was crisp, though on a short run I didn't get the hang of maintaining a steady throttle on bumpy surfaces. Power delivery was more like the Vara: there was ample power at any revs and it grows gradually more powerful as the revs rise. Such crisp throttle response is as addictive as that on the Crossrunner.

For reasons I can’t fathom, I seldom open up the engine on the Vara, but I did so quite often on both test bikes. Maybe if I had to pay for fuel, tyres and chains I would go easier. Also I had the feeling that somehow I had to open up the throttle, you know, in the name of journalism.

Overall, the two test bikes are about Even Stevens under this heading.

 

[Dee Dub]

Suspension, handling and comfort

The Crossrunner’s suspension felt a little firm to me, but mostly comfortable and controlled. Only when riding over traffic-calming speed bumps did a lack of rebound damping become apparent from the rear. I suspect that can be dialled out. I’m sure the test bike’s front tyre was under-inflated too, because during cornering I had to work hard to counter-steer. A little time on tyre pressures and suspension would probably result in some excellent handling.

Compared with a 70k miles Vara, the Suzuki front suspension felt very harsh indeed. Every road surface imperfection and undulation were transmitted straight to my wrists. Lighter fork oil could help ease the compression damping, but might then allow the front to rebound up like a pogo stick. Just because the forks are upside down doesn’t mean they are better. The rear felt fine when riding solo, but I’m not sure I could live with that front end.

The Crossrunner’s screen is very small, low and unadjustable. Nevertheless, the airflow was quite smooth, just like on the sports-tourer VFR. I quickly remembered that the ideal position at motorway speeds is to lean into the breeze and allow the airflow to take my body weight. I’ve already mentioned that the saddle is small and firm, but it felt fine after an hour. I think the lack of legroom would irritate on a long journey.

The VStrom’s screen was pathetic no matter how I adjusted it. It caused all manner of turbulence and buffeting. Suzuki offers a touring alternative, but it doesn’t look as good as the MRA Vario, which I think would be a good investment. As with the Crossrunner, the saddle was firm but comfortable after an hour. Legroom was ample and the seating position felt the same as my Vara’s, that is, perfect.

I haven't mentioned brakes specifically. Both bikes appeared to brake just fine. Similarly, I didn’t get chance to try either pillion seat, but both looked fine. I would test them with a pillion before purchasing though!

In this section, the standard Vstrom sadly lags behind. Problems may be fixable, but that’s a risk the purchaser would have to accept.

 

[Dee Dub]

Options and adventurifying

Think of the Crossrunner as a VFR800 with higher bars, and you won’t go far wrong. Apparently Continental makes TKC80s that fit, but you wouldn’t… would you? Apart from engine bars and fog lights, Honda doesn’t offer any options to make your Crossrunner even pretend-adventure. The brochure also lists colour-matched luggage, a centre stand and a rear hugger. Does anyone know if there are tough luggage options? Unsurprisingly, Touratech doesn’t list the Crossrunner on its website!

Options for the VStrom are more enticing. There are several versions that you can buy straight from the dealer. Apart from the basic version, there’s

• the Sport (costing an extra £800 for fancy silencer, engine bars, knuckle guards, lower cowling etc.);
• the Adventure (costing an extra £1000 for side cases, engine bars, knuckle guards, lower cowling);
• the Desert (costing an extra £1700 for side cases, engine bars, fog lights, knuckle guards, heated grips, lower cowling, centre stand, sat nav and a cool sand colour scheme);
• the Titanium (costing an extra £2k for engine bars, fog lights, side cases, tank bag, lower cowling and sat nav etc.).

In addition to the Suzuki options catalogue (black/silver luggage, bars and guards, fog lights and lower cowling) there is a healthy range of after-market suppliers too. For example, Touratech lists replacement front springs (hooray!), ZEGA luggage, engine protection, headlight protection, hand protection, wide footpegs and so on.

The VStrom is streets ahead under this heading.

 

[Dee Dub]

Costs and conclusion

The Crossrunner list price is £10,299; that includes top box, Akropovic exhaust and TomTom Rider sat nav. The basic VStrom list price is just £8,999; that includes two wheels, an engine... Closest to the Crossrunner’s price is the Desert (which comes with all the bits) at £10,699, or the Adventure at £9,999 plus a couple of hundred for replacement front springs and screen. I didn’t ask for the dealer’s ‘best price’, but I suspect those prices are negotiable.

In the other thread, fellow members praised the Triumph Tiger 800 but I didn’t notice much support for the BMW F800GS. The VStrom 650 looks like a viable alternative. Obviously its power output is lower (though probably adequate), it is much lighter (215kg) and it has an even better range of options. Then of course the new Africa Twin (232kg) will be along soon at a price just a tad higher than the Crossrunner; I suspect the dealers won’t negotiate on price on the new AT though.

Me? I’m in no hurry to change bike. I’ll continue to heave the Vara off its side stand for a while longer. I'll just be more careful in car parks.

 

[Dee Dub]

... The dashboard had a complex digital display, and overhead trees reflected from the plastic cover...

Ha hah! I just re-read this and realised how ridiculous that sounds. I meant overhead branches, of course!

 

[austin]

Good Stuff Dave. Thanks I enjoyed reading it. But I think if you are buying you can tie yourself in knots with this sort of analysis. How do you square off the bike you like the look of best with harsh suspension on another, say.

 

[Paul-S]

Thanks for taking the time for such a detailed review

Hope you are keeping well

 

[-XP-]

Nice one, Dave.

I think when you're after a new (or different) bike, the heart wants what the heart wants... and that's what you'll go with.

 

[Philwhiskeydrinker]

Interesting comparison. Ultimately, a bike either feels 'right' or it doesn't irrespective of spec/performance etc.

 

[Dee Dub]

I think that's the nub of the problem. The Crossrunner certainly feels nice, but it and the VStrom have their problems. No rush, I'll keep looking.

 

[RedSoul]

I also owned a Vara and took it all over Europe including doing the stelvio 2 up fully loaded which was a bloody nightmare.My one gripe with the bike was not weight because as a 2 up tourer it's actually a light bike.Its classed as heavy because it's supposed to have off road pretentions.Anyway the problem with the Vara is that it is very TOP heavy.
You should look at bikes that are easy to handle/ride and not necessarily bikes that are lighter.
Apart from the Vara I have toured on a transalp and a 650 vstrom both of which are easier to handle but now I ride a super tenere which is even easier to ride though it's as heavy as the Vara.Have now ridden it over the last two years 15000 miles round Europe two up and fully loaded and when cones to that time to change bikes I will buy another S10.
In short what matters is where the weight is and not how much of it there is.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[OhJ]

Dave, as normal good research. So what are you going for.
Looking at the prices why dont you wait until you test a new @, And when are we going for a ride on or off road