According to sources in Europe, Kawasaki is expected to introduce its own version of the Suzuki V-Strom (the 1000cc V-Strom, at least) in the near future. Kawasaki should call the bike the KLV 1000. The adventure touring machine, which has been a success for Suzuki, might be considered compensation to Kawasaki for allowing Suzuki to market its own version of Kawasaki’s power cruiser, the Mean Streak. Suzuki has begun marketing this power cruiser in the United States for the 2004 model year.
How far will the “alliance” between Kawasaki and Suzuki go? At this point, Kawasaki and Suzuki appear willing to share just about any model, no matter how successful, except for the traditional “flagship” bikes, such as sportbikes and large bore motocrossers (Suzuki has already announced that it will develop its own 450cc mx machine — see yesterday’s article, for instance).
