Happy I found this video. I'm the guy opening the moto shop in Guerrero Negro. Cool to meet the team and Happy to help you guys while in Guerrero Negro. Thanks for sharing your journey.
The story is not only excellently and professionally told, it also reflects everything I have learned from 30 years of rally raiding! I have been riding a SUZUKI rally raid for 20 years and that is why Justin's project is so close to my heart. You did an excellent job, got the bike to the finish line (which doesn't always work the first time) and showed that the rider and motorcycle coped very well with this insane stress. Respect and congratulations!🔥🔥🔥
I just wonder how much money all these extras would cost? Absolutely Suzuki needs to offer all these options on a factory built bike. Every bike I've ever had you always have to install all the extras before it's yours, it'd be nice to buy a one & done bike wouldn't it! 😆 🤣
Dude they do make this bike...plus Theres already 4 models of the v strom 800, how many more do you want? Tires, handlebars, and suspension set up is a personal choice but suzuki has 4 versions for different types of riding. He made a few other changes to the bike for racing specifically, but the bike they sell is remarkably similar to the bike he raced.
@@bradhelfrich6602the front forks are $3500 by themselves.... it's not practical to sell full race bikes when 99% of people don't need it. Another $2200 for the rear. It's neccessary to customize your bike for how you ride and quite frankly that's half the fun.
@pauliewalnuts240 I'd love to see this very setup. All the fat trimmed, the moto style seat and forks ect... you mentioned the cost of the forks ect.. but by the time you remove the unnecessary farings and such, then account for the economy of scale, the cost of the bike wouldn't vary much from the current price, although the dealerships would blow the price out of the competitive market range because much like when the T7 tennere was introduced they couldn't keep them in stock nationwide
Awesome. I actually met Justin at a camp ground in San Ignacio while he was hustling to get to the start line. i noticed the strom immediately and striked up some conversation because i have the stock version. he was kind enough to let me sit on the bike and feel up a fully modified version of my bike. although he was in a hurry he was very kind. it makes me so happy to see the whole journey on youtube just by chance. great work guys y'all killed it.
I'm 70 so I don't think I can compete! Thanks for having me along! It was fun, I needed a salty breeze in my face to make it better, maybe some sand in my teeth?
Great video. I roasted my clutch in the deep sand in Baja on my vstrom while riding down to South America. Of course I didn't have a spare so I had to install a bunch of washers under the clutch springs and limp along until Mazatlan. Good times. The 800 definitely looks like a nice upgrade but my 650 is still plugging along at 122,000 miles :)
Awesome bunch of videos. The build series was a great prequel and then to finish it up with this one, perfect. Takes me back to the days of reading the magazine as a teen in the seventies, cover to cover, fuelling my biking dreams while showing me all the different adventures you can do on a bike. Cycle World has been there for me for more than 50+ years, thanks gang and keep them coming.
I like how this video was in the perspective of the rider going into the race as it happened, unlike the other Baja films where they do the "looking back at it" style films. this style gives me the feel of actually being in the team with them.
This is PEAK UA-cam right here! Absolutely loved it, and I wish this was what commercial TV was like for the last 50 years, instead of the packaged bites that really are nothing more than a tease. I've been watching your progress with the DR since it came up in my feed, (being a moto freak), and when I saw this come up last night, I got pretty excited. Unfortunately I fell asleep half way through. All day at work I was like, "come on hours, lets go, I got something to watch... Lol. THANK YOU TEAM CYCLE WORLD. 🚲😹🤠✌👍💪🙏👀 Edit - a post below reminded that this does actually remind me of those mini movies you'd get in the cinemas before a movie in the 1980's. Very immersive and personal. Probably just converted a whole new generation to wanting an Adventure bike. I'm personally second guessing my sports tourer purchase now. He he heeee... might have to get a second bike?
Awesome to watch the full race while I recover from breaking my ankle. Already completed some off-roading on my 800DE and had some BDR action planned for the summer (e-bike crash put the kibosh on that for a few months). This race vid inspires me to heal up quick and get back out on 2 wheels. 🤘🏼
Awesome video and huge respect!!! I spent 8 years by the border there, took a Tiger 800xcx, KLX250 and CRF450X thru some of those sections closer to Rosarito just to see for myself. The 25hp KLX was the best no lie! Could ride all day without fatigue. The Tiger was sooooo damn physically tiring just to ride for 2 hours, and the 450X was mentally tiring cuz it beckoned u to ride faster/sharper. Most people dont understand that these heavy, high HP ADV bikes aint offroad bikes!
Thanks for the advice. Justin was so stoked to finish, and finish reasonably well, that he didn't really comment on the Pros and Cons of the weight verses the added power from the 800. I have dunes 80 Miles from where I live and don't want to trailer a bike there. Sounds like I'm better off going as light as I can, and putting up with a little discomfort on the highway. Thanks again.
@@tsubadaikhan6332 Its such a conundrum. Im going thru it again, after moving back home to Great Lakes region. Love my small dual sport but now want a ADV bike again cuz there is so many miles of logging roads here.
@@tsubadaikhan6332yeah. I was pumped and a little bit excited. Overall the weight you don't notice until something goes wrong. Then you REALLY notice it. I like making riding and racing harder than it should be, but this build showed that if it's done right, it can work well. Overall though in racing, lighter is always better than more power.
Suspension, Suspension, Suspension, than weight. Every time I've gotten really hurt is because of a bad suspension. Front of the pack on my 1979 CR250R, exhilarating. Over riding the Suspension, a month of crutches. Destroying a countless number or KTM's on a 2 day Enduro race while on a 1996 DR350. Awesome! Of course, it had head work, and a RM250 Suspension grafted to it.
Absolutely epic ride!! The video is awesome, on par with "Dust to Glory" in my opinion. Congratulations to all that participated and supported. Cheers!
Wow! What an outstanding and professional documentary of a great ride. I would pay to watch this anytime. I'm 60 but seeing Justin kick ass in the desert makes me want to throw a leg over again!
Never seen this guy before, but man does he have an amazing attitude throughout this. Always takes the blame himself, always keeps pushing and never gives up.
Had this Sunday off, found this video, and had a great morning watching Baja! Think I'll hop on my G310 GS, and take a quiet ride in the Virginia countryside!! Great job-great video!!
While I was watching the build episode, I kept wondering if the rally tower was built off of the stock windshield support. Whelp, now I know. I wondered about it because my Africa Twin requires an aftermarket brace just to hold up a small gps unit. Great content and thanks for sharing this awesome experience!
During the 1980's and 1990's, I would travel south to Guatemala every September or October to escape the winter months in Vancouver Canada. Riding the Baja peninsula to La Paz to take the ferry to the main land, following basically the same route shown. Obviously, I was not in a race, but rather alone without any GPS navigation cell phone, so caution was the priority. My favourite section was the road south of San Felepe along the Gulf Coast.
Well done finishing and learning on a bike that is a new platform. Im sure you learned a lot, and will make adjustments in the future. Hell of an accomplishment to get that thing to the starting line, let alone doing well in many stages. Pat yourself on the back Justin. Ps, you have inspired me to build my 800DE into a bit more capable bike, and then enter an east coast race that uses sandy forest service roads next March Its an incredibly under appreciated platform. 11k miles on mine, and its been great, until i got a flat today on the Smoky Mountain 1000 north of Morganton NC. Im local, and went for a quick ride without tire tools, pump ect ect, like have done many times. Oh well
What an EPIC adventure! "The true measure if success in any outdoor adventure, can only be measured by the amount of misery you endure. Who ever remembers a camping trip that went perfectly? All of the laughs in the retelling will come from everything that went wrong." - Patrick F McManus (paraphrased).
Wild race! Glad YT suggested it to me. From the moment it started h til the credits rolled my boys and I were glued to the tv! Congratulations on a successful race!
Only 30 seconds in and we see an XR650R. The legend still roams the lands. Welcome to BRP territory! Would have been hilarious to shoot a quick How To Fix Your Chain video during the race 😂 Great video! Would love to do this one day.
It was so cool seeing you guys down there! I don’t think I saw the bike until maybe San Ignacio and instantly was sending pictures to my buddy that I’m trying to convince to run this on a bmw g310gs 😂
This is an awesome build, I would have done just one little extra mod, I would have sprayed her in the DR Big 800 rally bikes Marlborough colour scheme.
I hope you do a full post mortem on this bike. It would be amazing for Suzuki to either give us a 650 DR with a six speed and EFI or this bike with 18”x21” tires, and 240 front suspension, tubeless tires and cruise control.
This is such a good video. Thank you for putting this together and showing us your adventure. Thank you for your work, it is truly inspiring; and I can only hope that it will be seen even more in the future. Ps : you inspired me to take my 800DE on an adventure too ;)
I would love to see a rally race with off the shelf bikes. T7 vs strom 800, vs trans alp and so on. Would be cool to see how they would hold up being pushed all reasonable limits.
I crossed the Turkana desert on my Suzuki. I purposely changed the gearing so I would use as little clutch as possible at low speeds. Sand riding hates clutch plates!!!
Hheyy folks.... you need to do MORE videos like this.... maybe Dakar? I love ralley raid racing, being an old SoCal desert rat and Husky rider.... I can live vicariously through your video. Please, please make more..... thank you sooooo much..
Happy I found this video. I'm the guy opening the moto shop in Guerrero Negro. Cool to meet the team and Happy to help you guys while in Guerrero Negro. Thanks for sharing your journey.
Thanks for the help Tim!
wish you all the best !
legend
I met you in Guerrero before you got the shop. You got me lined up with a mechanic that got me a used chain. 🤙🏻✨
!! - I only wanted to comment on the video to say you did a great job on that repair....and here you are already in the comments!! How cool is that!
The story is not only excellently and professionally told, it also reflects everything I have learned from 30 years of rally raiding! I have been riding a SUZUKI rally raid for 20 years and that is why Justin's project is so close to my heart. You did an excellent job, got the bike to the finish line (which doesn't always work the first time) and showed that the rider and motorcycle coped very well with this insane stress. Respect and congratulations!🔥🔥🔥
Dear Suzuki, please make this bike a factory available option 🙏
Word
I just wonder how much money all these extras would cost? Absolutely Suzuki needs to offer all these options on a factory built bike. Every bike I've ever had you always have to install all the extras before it's yours, it'd be nice to buy a one & done bike wouldn't it! 😆 🤣
Dude they do make this bike...plus Theres already 4 models of the v strom 800, how many more do you want?
Tires, handlebars, and suspension set up is a personal choice but suzuki has 4 versions for different types of riding.
He made a few other changes to the bike for racing specifically, but the bike they sell is remarkably similar to the bike he raced.
@@bradhelfrich6602the front forks are $3500 by themselves.... it's not practical to sell full race bikes when 99% of people don't need it. Another $2200 for the rear.
It's neccessary to customize your bike for how you ride and quite frankly that's half the fun.
@pauliewalnuts240 I'd love to see this very setup. All the fat trimmed, the moto style seat and forks ect... you mentioned the cost of the forks ect.. but by the time you remove the unnecessary farings and such, then account for the economy of scale, the cost of the bike wouldn't vary much from the current price, although the dealerships would blow the price out of the competitive market range because much like when the T7 tennere was introduced they couldn't keep them in stock nationwide
Awesome.
I actually met Justin at a camp ground in San Ignacio while he was hustling to get to the start line. i noticed the strom immediately and striked up some conversation because i have the stock version. he was kind enough to let me sit on the bike and feel up a fully modified version of my bike. although he was in a hurry he was very kind.
it makes me so happy to see the whole journey on youtube just by chance. great work guys y'all killed it.
Aye!! good to see (well, hear. Maybe see since I'm reading this...) again! Glad you found us!
I'm 70 so I don't think I can compete! Thanks for having me along! It was fun, I needed a salty breeze in my face to make it better, maybe some sand in my teeth?
age doesn't matter, spirit does :)
I'm 70 also and wouldn't tried this. And I'm in a lot better physical condition than most.@@robsonenduro3316
@@robsonenduro3316 Spoken like a young fella !!!!
Go ride buddy. You’re on the second half of your life! Don’t let it be too late.
Great video. I roasted my clutch in the deep sand in Baja on my vstrom while riding down to South America. Of course I didn't have a spare so I had to install a bunch of washers under the clutch springs and limp along until Mazatlan. Good times. The 800 definitely looks like a nice upgrade but my 650 is still plugging along at 122,000 miles :)
Awesome bunch of videos.
The build series was a great prequel and then to finish it up with this one, perfect.
Takes me back to the days of reading the magazine as a teen in the seventies, cover to cover, fuelling my biking dreams while showing me all the different adventures you can do on a bike.
Cycle World has been there for me for more than 50+ years, thanks gang and keep them coming.
❤ this is what we need. Although the efforts are huge, this kind of movies are next level. I would pay to watch something like this.
I like how this video was in the perspective of the rider going into the race as it happened, unlike the other Baja films where they do the "looking back at it" style films. this style gives me the feel of actually being in the team with them.
This is PEAK UA-cam right here! Absolutely loved it, and I wish this was what commercial TV was like for the last 50 years, instead of the packaged bites that really are nothing more than a tease. I've been watching your progress with the DR since it came up in my feed, (being a moto freak), and when I saw this come up last night, I got pretty excited. Unfortunately I fell asleep half way through. All day at work I was like, "come on hours, lets go, I got something to watch... Lol. THANK YOU TEAM CYCLE WORLD. 🚲😹🤠✌👍💪🙏👀
Edit - a post below reminded that this does actually remind me of those mini movies you'd get in the cinemas before a movie in the 1980's. Very immersive and personal. Probably just converted a whole new generation to wanting an Adventure bike. I'm personally second guessing my sports tourer purchase now. He he heeee... might have to get a second bike?
thanks for watching!!!
You man speak the gospel
Awesome to watch the full race while I recover from breaking my ankle. Already completed some off-roading on my 800DE and had some BDR action planned for the summer (e-bike crash put the kibosh on that for a few months). This race vid inspires me to heal up quick and get back out on 2 wheels. 🤘🏼
Throwing this up on my TV tonight and watching with the fam!
Awesome video and huge respect!!! I spent 8 years by the border there, took a Tiger 800xcx, KLX250 and CRF450X thru some of those sections closer to Rosarito just to see for myself. The 25hp KLX was the best no lie! Could ride all day without fatigue. The Tiger was sooooo damn physically tiring just to ride for 2 hours, and the 450X was mentally tiring cuz it beckoned u to ride faster/sharper. Most people dont understand that these heavy, high HP ADV bikes aint offroad bikes!
Thanks for the advice. Justin was so stoked to finish, and finish reasonably well, that he didn't really comment on the Pros and Cons of the weight verses the added power from the 800. I have dunes 80 Miles from where I live and don't want to trailer a bike there. Sounds like I'm better off going as light as I can, and putting up with a little discomfort on the highway. Thanks again.
@@tsubadaikhan6332 Its such a conundrum. Im going thru it again, after moving back home to Great Lakes region. Love my small dual sport but now want a ADV bike again cuz there is so many miles of logging roads here.
@@tsubadaikhan6332yeah. I was pumped and a little bit excited. Overall the weight you don't notice until something goes wrong. Then you REALLY notice it. I like making riding and racing harder than it should be, but this build showed that if it's done right, it can work well. Overall though in racing, lighter is always better than more power.
This is the coolest bike I seen
thanks for a great movie, watched it from England - super effort to all involved
Don't know if you'll have the fastest race bike, but you certainly are in the running for the best sounding!!!! GOOD LUCK!!!!
Suspension, Suspension, Suspension, than weight. Every time I've gotten really hurt is because of a bad suspension. Front of the pack on my 1979 CR250R, exhilarating. Over riding the Suspension, a month of crutches. Destroying a countless number or KTM's on a 2 day Enduro race while on a 1996 DR350. Awesome! Of course, it had head work, and a RM250 Suspension grafted to it.
You built an amazing bike. And you did an amazing job during the race!!! Thank you for taking us on this journey. Very inspiring.
for a first timer, YOU really did a GOOD JOB! hats off to you bro!👊
Great video boys. Good hanging out with you at NORRA. Hope to see you again.
Absolutely epic ride!! The video is awesome, on par with "Dust to Glory" in my opinion. Congratulations to all that participated and supported. Cheers!
I’m coming back to this video whenever I need to remember why motorcycles are awesome.
Ultimate compliment! Thank you, seriously. This is what we strive for.
Wow! What an outstanding and professional documentary of a great ride. I would pay to watch this anytime. I'm 60 but seeing Justin kick ass in the desert makes me want to throw a leg over again!
Nice to see someone actually build a unique bike again. Not just a bolt on queen.
Never seen this guy before, but man does he have an amazing attitude throughout this.
Always takes the blame himself, always keeps pushing and never gives up.
Thanks!
Amazing job Justin. I'm so in awe at your skill levels in producing this great content. Well done!
Phil!!! Thanks man. Great to hear from you.
Had this Sunday off, found this video, and had a great morning watching Baja! Think I'll hop on my G310 GS, and take a quiet ride in the Virginia countryside!! Great job-great video!!
While I was watching the build episode, I kept wondering if the rally tower was built off of the stock windshield support. Whelp, now I know. I wondered about it because my Africa Twin requires an aftermarket brace just to hold up a small gps unit. Great content and thanks for sharing this awesome experience!
this was incredible. thank you for filming and sharing with us.
The deco is as awesome as the bike!! (We need those stickers!)
we are looking into having stickers, t-shirts, and graphics for sale.
@@CWjustindawes That yellow/blue with the Camel im sure stood out to a lot more people than myself. Looks fricking awesome.
I was thinking the same thing. Justin make it a thing. See if you can get us the files.
Oh and great work on the film btw. Had us engrossed the entire way.
During the 1980's and 1990's, I would travel south to Guatemala every September or October to escape the winter months in Vancouver Canada. Riding the Baja peninsula to La Paz to take the ferry to the main land, following basically the same route shown. Obviously, I was not in a race, but rather alone without any GPS navigation cell phone, so caution was the priority. My favourite section was the road south of San Felepe along the Gulf Coast.
Love this vid. Awesome story. Fantastic bike. Well done you. What a great adventure. Thank. You for letting me part of it.
Woah! Nice SUZUKI!
And it was very nice to see that some Honda XR650r is still in BAJA1000! Cheers from XR650r rider! 😉
Where is Larry Roeseler when you need him 😂
@@DakarBluesin a truck!!! 😂
Well done finishing and learning on a bike that is a new platform.
Im sure you learned a lot, and will make adjustments in the future.
Hell of an accomplishment to get that thing to the starting line, let alone doing well in many stages.
Pat yourself on the back Justin.
Ps, you have inspired me to build my 800DE into a bit more capable bike, and then enter an east coast race that uses sandy forest service roads next March
Its an incredibly under appreciated platform. 11k miles on mine, and its been great, until i got a flat today on the Smoky Mountain 1000 north of Morganton NC.
Im local, and went for a quick ride without tire tools, pump ect ect, like have done many times. Oh well
Thank you! Enjoy the process of the modification to you DR Big!
What an EPIC adventure! "The true measure if success in any outdoor adventure, can only be measured by the amount of misery you endure. Who ever remembers a camping trip that went perfectly? All of the laughs in the retelling will come from everything that went wrong." - Patrick F McManus (paraphrased).
This was totally enjoyable to watch! Thanks for sharing with us 🏍️🙌
Awesome Dude. Thank you for putting the Dream back into me. Stay upright. Kiaora.
Incredible bike and challenge; an emotional roller coaster for the team. Outstanding filming and commentary👍
Suzuki V-Strom 800DE Cycle World M1k Edition! Put my order in now!
Oh Lord that Sound .... awwww.. such a beautiful bike , well done .. 🤩🤩
As an owner of a '93 DR650R - hell yeah brother.
Absolutely brilliant! Great bike, great riding, great production!
Badass video guys! Excellent job with that bike in this race!
Wild race! Glad YT suggested it to me. From the moment it started h til the credits rolled my boys and I were glued to the tv! Congratulations on a successful race!
That's awesome! Love to hear the your boys enjoyed it!
Amazing 100% homage to DR BIG Dakar bike
I just bought a Suzuki V strom 250 and found this video it's awesome built and I hope my next adv is 800DE
Ditto and ditto
Awesome race! The great attitude is why they made it to the finish...
Awesome effort. Great video and would like to see you back next year!
Congratulations! Excellent filming, guys. Very enjoyable, good fun. Greetings from Hungary, Europe!
Only 30 seconds in and we see an XR650R. The legend still roams the lands. Welcome to BRP territory!
Would have been hilarious to shoot a quick How To Fix Your Chain video during the race 😂
Great video! Would love to do this one day.
That bike looks sick and sounds even better!
That exhaust note is 🤌
Great video and I'm digging what you did to that VStrom! Nice!
Love the sound of the Vstrom engines!! Great job and video.
CONGRATULATIONS!! What a solid content! Enjoyed every minute of it. The bike was well modded!
I've been anticipating this!
Love the intro. Straight to the point.
Love the drone coverage and video production. Good job.
Great riding and outstanding video. Thanks for sharing!
Awesome! Thanks for taking us along!
A really excellent video! Loved the whole story line, very well done! Commentary was excellent too!
More of these vids that was awesome loved it!
So sad to see the clutch explode like that, absolutely wild. Awesome videos, and an even better effort.
Great ride, thanks for sharing. Kudos for owning your mistakes.
It was so cool seeing you guys down there! I don’t think I saw the bike until maybe San Ignacio and instantly was sending pictures to my buddy that I’m trying to convince to run this on a bmw g310gs 😂
Wow, this was amazing!!
Great video dude. On so many levels...:)
Some really great riding. That bike is a beast!
This is an awesome build, I would have done just one little extra mod, I would have sprayed her in the DR Big 800 rally bikes Marlborough colour scheme.
Test rode the 800de yesterday.. watching ygis makes me wanna go bavk and bring it home
Absolutely love this content! Great work Cycle World!
So basically a modern DR Big, but race-ready? Awesome
Fantastic production. Please keep them coming.
CONGRATULATIONS!
I hope you do a full post mortem on this bike. It would be amazing for Suzuki to either give us a 650 DR with a six speed and EFI or this bike with 18”x21” tires, and 240 front suspension, tubeless tires and cruise control.
EPIC story and perseverance. Congratulations to you, the team and the bike!
Impressive. Nice bike build, great race. That’s a testament to the 800…
Awesome vid. Great job. Bike looks sweet.
This is such a good video. Thank you for putting this together and showing us your adventure. Thank you for your work, it is truly inspiring; and I can only hope that it will be seen even more in the future. Ps : you inspired me to take my 800DE on an adventure too ;)
I really like the little jump the lady does when telling racers to go, it's adorable
She did that for hundreds of racers for six days straight!
Great video, well done.
Interesting bike choice! Especially for a first attempt! Awesome video.
I would love to see a rally race with off the shelf bikes. T7 vs strom 800, vs trans alp and so on. Would be cool to see how they would hold up being pushed all reasonable limits.
I crossed the Turkana desert on my Suzuki. I purposely changed the gearing so I would use as little clutch as possible at low speeds. Sand riding hates clutch plates!!!
I really want one of those Suzuki CW Camel stickers.
we are looking to selling them, stay tuned.
@@CWjustindawes My DRZ waits patiently. ;)
I would love to put this on my 8R! Same motor, different application haha. I started on dirt bikes, love offroad at heart!!
This was a great build and race (I just bought an 800DEA)
Well done fellas. Very well done.
I used a DL650 for hunting in BC, Canada , but never thought if racing one in Baja!!
Lol, the one guy said, "We almost had a Kove." I guess it fell apart before it got there.
Hheyy folks.... you need to do MORE videos like this.... maybe Dakar? I love ralley raid racing, being an old SoCal desert rat and Husky rider.... I can live vicariously through your video. Please, please make more..... thank you sooooo much..
Nice video.watched from start to finish 👏👏👏👏♥️from Philippines
Outstanding video
Subscribed because of an amazing content 🎉
Epic, you're a legend.
That Suzuki looks awesome!
So cool! Awesome job!
You guys did a lot better than the Ducati team. Nice job!
To be fair - Alexander Smith was second overall on the DesertX Rally. But, we were the people's champ!!
@@CWjustindawes He did great, as a team they had a 50% DNF rate though.
we can race anything we like, can we compete to a good level, however - Now that is a better question
That bike is so sick, Suzuki needs to make this a factory option
This was great to see I feel like I'm the U.S. we only see the bad in Mexico, but Mexico is beautiful.
Awesome. Great finish and spirit throughout. I had dismissed the new Vstrom too, you made it look good.