Long-term report: The Suzuki 1050 V-Strom RE transforms the airport experience

They say the best things in life are free. When it comes to airport parking, it’s rarely that you get anything for free – unless you’re travelling on two wheels, that is.

I’ve recently taken delivery of a Suzuki 1050 V-Strom. It’s one of Suzuki’s battlecruiser motorcycles, and a model which has actually been in the Japanese firm’s line-up of bikes for a little while now. Suzuki calls it the ‘Master of Adventure’ and with its upright seating position, it has a commanding view of the road ahead.

Underneath, there’s a 1037cc 90° V-twin which first entered Suzuki’s range back in 2014. For me, that doesn’t feel all that long ago. It’s only when you look up and realise that it’s over a decade since an engine first found its way to the roads that you understand just how long it has been in operation.

But when you’re on the move, it doesn’t feel outdated. In fact, as the fully loaded V-Strom took me up the A3 towards Heathrow with a few days’ worth of luggage in the side and top boxes, the V-Twin’s smooth performance only feels more natural.

There’s a lot more space available in those boxes than you might think, too. The top box can accommodate a full-face helmet and, at either side, you’ve got enough room for clothes and extra shoes. Which all comes in very handy when you’re taking a motorbike to the airport.

Which brings me to that first point – free parking at an airport? Well, here’s a little secret – it won’t cost you a penny to park a motorcycle at London Heathrow, or Gatwick for that matter. Each terminal has its own motorcycle parking area tucked away and while it can be a little tricky to find them, once you’re there it makes travelling a breeze.

I was travelling from Terminal 3 at Heathrow on this occasion and the route there does take you on a magical mystery tour. It’s not very well signposted, either, but lies close to one of the airport hotels right next to the arrivals area.

Once you’re there, you’ve got ground anchors to which you can properly secure your motorcycle and there are CCTV cameras monitoring the whole area too.

It gave me a good opportunity to try out some new locks, too. Up front, I’ve got a Hiplok MD100 disc lock which is brightly coloured and an easy one to transport. Thankfully, there are rubber straps which are magnetised for you to secure to the handlebars; it stops you from riding off when you return to your bike without removing the lock.

Then, at the rear, I attached a heavyweight Hiplok Mega Chain – which has one of the best security device names in my opinion – and threaded it through a Litelok X1 D-Lock. Combined, it’s got a very high rate of protection. After all, it’s not necessarily about making your bike the most secure, but making it the least appealing prospect to any would-be thieves trying their luck. To be fair, I wouldn’t know where to begin if I was tasked with trying to crack the security systems on the V-Strom.

I did hit a bit of a snag with the cover, mind you. A rather tatty old Oxford bike cover that I’ve used for years struggled to fully cover the bike and its panniers and, when I attempted to adjust it, ripped away. I’ll have to do some investigation into a replacement – and it’ll have to be quite a big one.

With all of my kit on board the lockable boxes, I could then saunter into the terminal in just a few minutes. It certainly beats having to wait for a bus at long-stay parking or suffer the high prices of parking somewhere closer. The only hassle is getting changed and storing your equipment, but after a few trips you get into the groove.

I’ve got some time left with the Suzuki V-Strom 1050RE and as a bike designed for adventures, I’m hoping that there are still plenty of trips in store.