Is Suzuki Working on a New V-Strom 650?

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The latest patent for Suzuki’s parallel-twin engine suggests it may power a new V-Strom 650 model. (Japanese Patent Office/)

Suzuki’s ongoing development of a new parallel-twin-powered model seems to be accelerating with yet more patents emerging in Japan that suggest multiple bikes are being conceived concurrently around the same new engine.

While the rest of Japan’s Big Four manufacturers have already launched several new or updated 2021 models this year, Suzuki has had little to show other than new paint schemes, and the last couple of years have told a similar story. The V-Strom 1050 and Katana are the most significant new models from the firm in the last 24 months, and both are heavily based on existing bikes. The last clean-sheet new model we saw from Suzuki in Western markets was the GSX-R1000 back in 2017.

But all-new bikes take time to develop and Suzuki’s R&D department hasn’t been slacking, instead putting a huge amount of work into the development of its new parallel twin.

The new engine design might slot into several other models, but the most likely candidates in the near term are the V-Strom and SV650. (Japanese Patent Office/)

First seen as the “XE7” turbocharged engine, which was given a low-key reveal at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show, the new powerplant has since appeared in a host of patents for a wide variety of models. Believed to displace around 700cc, the DOHC motor’s initial development was in boosted form and probably good for around 150 hp. It also showed up in various designs based on the earlier Recursion concept from 2013, which had featured a smaller, 588cc, SOHC twin.

More recently we’ve seen that Suzuki is developing a normally aspirated version of the new engine, clearly destined as a replacement for the SV650. And now another patent filed in Japan hints at an adventure style model to replace the V-Strom 650. The picture is starting to emerge of an entire range of Suzukis, across a spectrum of different styles and performance levels, built around variations of the same engine.

A deeper oil pan, taller seat, and an underseat airbox all point to an adventure-style design. (Japanese Patent Office/)

The latest designs show the now-familiar parallel twin, but where the previous patents illustrated a street-oriented model in the mold of the SV650, with a very low-profile oil pan fitted to allow the engine to be installed as low as possible in the chassis, the latest designs reveal a much deeper oil pan and taller seat along with a completely different frame layout and an unusual airbox design.

Previously we saw the airbox above the engine, with curved intakes leading to near-vertical throttle bodies to keep it compact. On the new design, all that is gone, replaced with a set of horizontal throttle bodies leading to an airbox that’s sited under the seat, sculpted to fit around the upper end of the rear shock.

Drawings show the airbox placed under the seat and fitting around the upper part of the rear shock. (Japanese Patent Office/)

It’s a layout that takes advantage of the tall seat of the adventure-style design, and one that leaves the area above the engine free to fit a larger fuel tank. The airbox itself is sealed where it’s exposed to the rear wheel, with an intake duct on the top feeding from inside the bodywork, where additional ducting will no doubt be fitted on the finished bike to bring fresh air to the engine. It’s a design that’s unlikely to be able to take advantage of any “ram-air” effect, but that’s less important on an adventure bike.

The airbox intake duct at the top feeds air from inside the bodywork. (Japanese Patent Office/)

With at least seven years of development work already spent on the new parallel-twin engine and the bikes set to use it, you might have thought that a launch would be imminent. However, at the moment there’s still no sign of the production versions of these machines and Suzuki recently unveiled 2021 colors for the existing V-Strom 650 and SV650 models. That means the earliest we’ll see the fruits of these designs will be the 2022 model year, and since Suzuki has managed to update the 20-year-old 650cc V-twin engine of the existing V-Strom and SV to meet the latest Euro 5 emissions limits set for Europe next year, it’s under no pressure to get replacements for those bikes into production any sooner than necessary.

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