We don't care if it rains or not! V-Strom Meeting 2025" held at Suzuki Hamamatsu Plant [Event Report].

On Sunday, November 9, Suzuki Motorcycles held its V-Strom Meeting at the Suzuki Hamamatsu Plant (Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture). The weather was unfortunate, with rain falling almost as soon as the event started, but the character of the bikes attracted so many riders that the bad weather was hardly noticeable.

⚫︎ Photos: Editorial Department/Suzuki Motorcycles

Raindoesn't matter toV-Stroke riders?

Suzuki has hosted many user events, such as the Katana Meeting starting in 2019 and the GSX-S/R Meeting starting in 2024, but it was this V-Strom Meeting that started in 2014 and will be held for the ninth time in 2025. (The event was canceled due to the Corona disaster and was held on the web). The venue was changed from last year's Suzuki headquarters to the Hamamatsu plant, and this year was the first time the event was held, but the weather was unfortunate with rain. The weather was unfavorably rainy, and in his opening remarks, Suzuki President Toshihiro Suzuki said, "I think this is the first time we have started the event with this much rain. It was so bad that Suzuki President Toshihiro Suzuki said in his opening speech, "This is the first time we have started the event with this much rain. Even so, 912 visitors (compared to 1518 last year) and 688motorcycles (compared to 1173 last year) gathered at the Suzuki Hamamatsu Plant, which seemed like an excessive number considering the weather. This was a great turnout of adventure tourers whose hearts were not broken by the bad weather.The main contents of the event will include talk shows, sales of goods, booths of various parts makers, exhibits of vehicles, technical exhibits (engine and body parts, etc.), and factory tours. The standard kitchen car will also be on display, so there is no need to worry about food. Some fans were hoping that the SV-7GX, which was announced just before the show, might be on display... but alas, no surprises happened (unfortunately).

Is the rich content unique to V-Strom?

The "richness" of the two talk shows was perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of this year's event. In the first one, journalist Noah Seren was the first to get into the thick of things with the three V-Strom developers, and after test-riding the DR-Z4S/S on Webike Plus, he asked them about the potential of the V-Strom 400, which is something you don't often hear. and other such questions that are hard to ask.The second talk show featured traveler Takashi Gasoli, who had just returned from touring in Africa on a VSTROM 250SX and passionately described his impressions of the trip with photos. The VSTROM meeting is probably the only event where a 78-year-old legend of the touring world blends in without any sense of unease.What was even more interesting this year was the abundance of VSTROM-related technical exhibits, including cut engines and parts. Each corner was staffed by a development engineer who gave explanations and allowed visitors to ask questions, a rare opportunity to interact with the developers of one's own bike.The tour of the factory lines (photography prohibited), held following the GSX-S/R meeting in October, was also very attentive to the event's content, as the two lines where GSX-Rs and Hayabusa are produced were lined up with V-Strom 800s and DEs. Below are the details of the event in photos.

Event Outline

• Date and time: November 9 (Sun.) 9:00-14:00
• Location: Special venue at Suzuki Hamamatsu Plant (8686 Miyakoda-cho, Hamana-ku, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture)
• Admission: Free
• Organizer: Suzuki Motorcycle Co.

The venue was the Hamamatsu Plant, following the GSX-S/R meeting in October. This is Suzuki's only motorcycle production facility in Japan.

I didn't expect this many people to gather even in the rain...

V-stroke riders, be afraid.

Some of these strong men.

Opening remarks were made by President Toshihiro Suzuki. It is Suzuki's style to read out all booth exhibitors and thank them for their business. On the left is host Miho Hamasaki, a personality on TOKYO FM's "Sky Rocket Company" and other programs.

Guests all gathered at the event. From right to left: journalist Noah Seren, Suzuki CN Challenge rider Takuya Tsuda (owner of a V-Stroke 250), Touring Maple editor-in-chief Shintaro Masuki, and legendary Takashi Gasoli.

The exhibition hall was lined with booths of the event's standard parts manufacturers and other exhibitors.

The entire current V-Stroker series was on display at the event, and visitors were able to straddle them.

Talk Show Part 1. (from right to left) Noah Seren, the host of the show, tuts to Kazutate Suzuki, chief engineer of the VST 250SX, Hayaya Togo of the 1050/DE, and Yukio Kato of the 800/DE!

Talk Show #2. Africa touring report by Mr. Gasori and Mr. Masuki.

Mr. Gasoli just returned from touring from Nairobi, Kenya to Cape Town, South Africa on his Vstr 250SX. A legend indeed....

Numerous parts and exhibits in the technical display area. The photo shows a cutaway model of the V-twin engine of the former SV650 series.

Also a parallel twin of the V-Stroke 800 series, this elaborate design rotates the crank and can shift gears just like a V-twin.

The placement of the "Suzuki Cross Balancer" on the V-Stroke 800 series engine. The balancer shafts are placed in front of and below the crankshaft.

Also on display is a display of how the 800 series crankshafts are machined.

The 800 also displays a crankcase alone and a cutaway model of a plated cylinder.

Here is a group of parts for the V-stroke 1050 engine. Suzuki is now the only domestic manufacturer of V-twins, and the company intends to continue with the V2 in the future. V2 engines are more expensive than parallel twin engines, and in this day and age, it is very difficult to make them again once they are discontinued!

Also on display is the V-Stroke 800 frame alone, a diamond type shared with the GSX-8 series.

This is the 1050's 20L fuel tank. It straddles the twin-spar frame and is heavily gouged on the back side to avoid the airbox.

The DR-Zeta (SR43), a works machine that competed in the 1991 Paris-Dakar Rally. Ridden by former World GP Motocross Champion Akira Watanabe, it finished 23rd overall. The beak design was carried over to the current V-Strom series.

There is also a message board on which participants write "What I want to achieve with the V-Strom next year."

Closing remarks were made by Takashi Ise, General Manager of the Motorcycle Business Division, who mentioned the V-Strom's long cruising range, and received applause from the audience when he said, "You can go nonstop (without refueling) from eating a pork bowl in Obihiro to eating scallop ramen in Cape Soya."

This is another Suzuki meeting staple, a send-off by President Toshihiro. We'll do it even in the rain!