Certification documents may not be the most exciting things to think about, but they can be extremely useful if you want real, substantive insight into future bikes. Take, for example, an executive order issued by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to Suzuki Motor Corporation regarding four 2024 model year bikes.
Since CARB is primarily concerned with emissions, these documents tend to revolve around all members of a specific engine family for a given year. In other words, if a bunch of bikes all use the same engine, they will typically be grouped together in the same document. In this specific case, it’s the 776cc parallel twin engine that Suzuki first introduced for the 2023 model year in both the GSX-8S and the V-Strom 800DE.
Taking a closer look at this document for the 2024 model year, we see four separate machines listed that will use this engine as approved for sale in the state of California. For those unfamiliar, if CARB approves it for sale in that state, it will also be sold throughout the US. California tends to have the strictest emissions requirements in the US, so if vehicles pass its emissions standards, the rest of the country generally follows suit.
The four machines are listed by model designation, along with Suzuki’s internal codes for each model. From top to bottom, we see the V-Strom 800DE Adventure, the V-Strom 800DE, the V-Strom 800, and the GSX-8S.
The V-Strom 800DE and V-Strom 800DE Adventure both rolled out at EICMA 2022. As you may recall, the V-Strom 800DE was the first adventure bike introduced on Suzuki’s new 776cc parallel-twin engine platform. It shares the platform with the naked GSX-8S, which was also introduced at EICMA 2022. The Adventure variant of the V-Strom 800DE adds a set of quick-release black anodized aluminum panniers with a 37-liter storage capacity, as well as a skid plate and an accessory bar to the base V-Strom 800DE.
When Suzuki first introduced the V-Strom 800DE and V-Strom 800DE Adventure at EICMA 2022, it made no mention of a more street-focused variant at that time—which is most likely what the V-Strom 800 mentioned in that CARB document will be.
Motorcycle manufacturers in general like to cover all the bases with regard to bikes that customers want, and Suzuki is no exception. Some riders want a dual-purpose adventure bike that can handle both on- and off-road adventures, like the V-Strom 800DE. Others want a bike that’s better equipped for off-road excursions, like the V-Strom 800DE Adventure. Still others want a bike with adventure styling, but that is primarily geared for on-road riding—as logic suggests is the case with the V-Strom 800 name.
Speculation at this point includes alloy wheels instead of spokes, as well as a 19-inch front wheel (down from the 21-inch unit found on the existing V-Strom 800DE and V-Strom 800DE Adventure). Those seem like the safest bets to expect, although no official information about a V-Strom 800 has been released as of August 9, 2023, by Suzuki.
As of August 9, 2023, Suzuki has yet to introduce any 2024 V-Strom 800DE and V-Strom 800DE Adventure updates. Will its official announcement regarding those bikes also be the time that it chooses to introduce the V-Strom 800? That’s not yet clear, but when we have more information, we’ll be sure to keep you in the loop.
In the US, MSRP for the 2023 V-Strom 800DE starts at $11,349. Meanwhile, MSRP for the 2023 V-Strom 800DE Adventure starts at $12,999. Depending on other features that Suzuki may choose to equip on the upcoming 2024 V-Strom 800, we’d expect pricing similar to or slightly below the V-Strom 800DE. As a reminder, though, since the 2024 models have yet to be released, the 2024 prices also have yet to be released—so it’s likely that they’ll increase by at least a little bit.
