Two Brothers Review – Suzuki V-Strom 1000 (DL1000)
With the correct mods, Suzuki’s V-Strom 1000 can quickly transform from behemoth sport tourer to worthy off-road adventure tourer. The stock V-Strom is known for its bulletproof 90-degree V-twin and upright comfort- able ergonomics, but the machine has two major issues — weight and lack of horsepower across the powerband.
One mod that addresses both problems is the Two Brothers Racing Black Series Dual V.A.L.E. Slip-On Exhaust with Dual M-2 Carbon Fiber Canisters—quite a mouthful.
The Black Series keeps the raw, track-proven performance of a Two Brothers Racing (TBR) exhaust, and adds black-coated parts, such as the Black Teflon coated magnesium end caps and hardware to improve aesthetics.
The genius of the V.A.L.E. (Variable Axis Locking Exhaust) system is you can mount the exhaust before final tightening for an exact and quick installation. How quick? It took about 20 minutes on our V-Strom, though a few minutes were saved because the stock exhaust bolts were cut off due to rust from 70,000 miles of torture.
On the dyno charts, the Dual V.A.L.E. Slip-On—which feature slip tubes built from rustproof 0.035-inch stainless steel—added three horse- power, putting our Strom up to just over 92 horses at the rear wheel at 7600 rpm, with no other mods except a K&N air filter.
Though not a significant increase, the entire power ban is fattened for that additional power needed on the trail, especially in those technical sections that demand wheelies to clear obstructions.
Clearly significant is the weight loss far from the center of gravity. The TBR exhaust shed almost 15 pounds from the V-Strom 1000, with the TBR system hitting the scale at just under 11 pounds. This is especially noticeable when executing tight trails where extra weight high and to the rear is not what you want.
Our only complaint was the exhaust’s fatiguing bark, especially when cranking through the backcountry. Don’t get us wrong, from a gearhead perspective, they sound great as they arrive. However, the sound-moderating TBR M-2 Carbon Fiber End Caps are a must for an enjoyable ride.
The caps, which easily install under the six-bolt end-cap, drop the sound by about seven dB. TBR also offers Race Pipe PowerTip end caps for a bit less noise suppression.
In 20 minutes, the Suzuki V-Strom 1000 was upgraded in performance, handling, sound, and appearance thanks to the Two Brothers Racing Black Series Dual V.A.L.E. Slip-On Exhaust.
For additional information, visit Two Brothers Racing.
