Apparently, the new Suzuki DL650 V-Strom is not a dual-purpose motorcycle.

According to the Suzuki guy who handed me the keys to my tester, it's officially categorized as a "street-slash-sport bike." He then told me he had just returned from a trip where he'd been happily riding it's bigger brother, the DL1000, on forestry access and logging roads.

(There is very little difference between the two bikes, aside from engine size.)

However you want to tag it, the DL650 is a motorcycle with broad appeal. It's easy to get along with, affordable ($8,899 before extras), reasonably powerful, comfortable and suitable for the occasional off-road foray.

Introduced this year, the DL650 is powered by the same 90-degree V-twin engine as Suzuki's popular SV650. It displaces 645 cc and features liquid cooling, dual-overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder and electronic fuel injection.

Power output is 66 hp at 8,800 rpm, and 60 Newton/metres of torque at 6,400 rpm. It's mated to a six-speed transmission and final drive is chain.

While not an overwhelming power plant, it red-lines at 10,500 rpm and, when prodded, will move the 189-kilogram DL650 along with a steady, even supply of grunt. Most of its power fades away after roughly 9,000 rpm, and at 130 km/h, for example, it's spinning along contentedly at exactly 6,000 rpm.

But it can do it all day and doesn't seem to mind being revved out on a regular basis. At highway speed, engine noise is pronounced and emanates directly up through the frame-mounted fairing.

I'm not so sure I'd want to ride this little tusker from coast to coast, but I've been aboard worse and the well of reserve power in the DL650 is pretty deep. It is only a 650, after all.

In fact, as I rode this bike, I couldn't help but marvel at the technology. To get this kind of power out of a 650 cc V-twin engine is remarkable. There are plenty of bikes around with displacement two and three times as great, and in a drag race, the DL650 can more than hold its own.

There are lots of other interesting little bits and pieces.

Brakes are dual disc up front with two-piston calipers and a single piston disc in back. As a result, stopping power is impressive. I found the rear-brake foot lever and shift lever to be a little on the small side, but that seems to come with the territory with these kinds of bikes. And I couldn't help but notice that, despite Suzuki classing the V-Strom as a street bike, it was shod with Bridgestone Trail Wing tires.

Seat height, as always a sore point for someone that stands 5 foot 8 in boots, is 820 mm, so it's a bit of a stretch. But there is a rotary dial for rear suspension preload settings located on the left-hand side of the bike, which brings it down a little, and Suzuki is apparently on the verge of introducing a lower-seat option for this bike.

Interestingly, the DL1000 V-Strom has a lower seat height. Both bikes have a handy rear luggage rack with side handles.

Seating position is fairly upright on the DL650 and, all things considered, reasonably comfortable. A fairing-mounted windscreen (manually adjustable) helps during freeway riding.

Lift the seat off and you'll find a storage tray for your paperwork under there, as well as the battery, electrical terminals and a small tool kit. Instrumentation, often completely absent in bikes such as this, is pretty comprehensive: Tachometer, speedometer, fuel gauge, digital clock and neutral light.

And just to keep things under control, the DL650 cannot be started with the kick stand down and must be in neutral with the clutch in. This is pretty standard throughout the industry, and once you've fired the bike up, you can redeploy the kick stand while it warms up.

A few minor gripes: First, the handlebar grips are too small and, because of their hard rubber padding, transmit a nasty little vibration that gets wearying over time. Any kind of long-distance hauling is bound to induce some numbing.

I would also like it if the windscreen could be adjusted without having to remove it from the bike (a small thing, but there you go).

Another thought that occurred to me during my time with the DL650 had to do with expectations. What do people usually want in a motorcycle? Usability? Image? Power? Value?

The DL650 isn't the kind of bike you buy to vogue down the main drag on Friday night, nor will it put you on your butt every time you crack the throttle.

But if you're the kind of rider that wants to get your money's worth and just hop on the thing and go, come what may, it's right on target.