Good dual-sport bike.

[trent]

Looking at a suzuki v-strom 650 and a 800 triumph tiger..the tiger is a little more cost than I was wanting to spend but could handle it.
Wanting something to go on longer trips with little maintenance. any tips or suggestions !

[salty_monk]

Either will work well. The Tiger is more sporty. The V-strom's are well known for reliability.

[tkent02]

What he said. Ridden them both a hundred miles or so. Both are great bikes, for long lasting and little maintenance I'd probably take the Suzuki, for more kicks per mile the Triumph.

[GS1150Pilot]

Have you looked at the BMW F800GS?

[tkent02]

Yeah, I bought one. Engine has more torque than the Triumph, but not as smooth. Feels like a dirt bike engine, the Triumph feels like a street bike engine. F8 gets better fuel economy ridden equally. Far better off pavement, but the Triumph does well too. Both have a LOT more off road capability than the Suzuki.

[GS1150Pilot]

Good so far, or gone?

[tkent02]

I have kept it about four years now. That's almost a record, and it's not going anywhere soon. At least not without me on it.

[RichDesmond]

Looking at a suzuki v-strom 650 and a 800 triumph tiger..the tiger is a little more cost than I was wanting to spend but could handle it.
Wanting something to go on longer trips with little maintenance. any tips or suggestions !

I have a Strom and love it, but it's really a street bike with some D/S styling cues.

None of the big D/S bikes are great in the dirt, although a competent off road rider can get them through some pretty rough places. I suck as a dirt rider, so my choice for real D/S work is a DRZ400S.

[GS1150Pilot]

Every year I toy with the idea of buying and farkling out a KLR650. This year, though, will see the resto-mod of my 1150 and the purchase of a Royal Enfield for commuting. I'll probably take that little bike down some fire roads, because, hell, if it can deal with the topography of India, it can handle most simple jobs.

[Kiwi Canuck]

I have both a 2012 VStrom 650 and a 2013 DR650, both great bikes, the VStrom is not very off road friendly for a non skilled rider, but plenty capable with a bit of practice and experience.

Many riders have ridden them on RTW adventures and you can find their reports on ADV Rider Reports.

I like the Vstrom better for the type of riding I do, (98% asphalt) and it needed very little mods to make it a good long distance bike, maybe $1,500 to $2,000 in farkles, just need a better seat as I find the stock seat a bit uncomfortable after 1.5hrs in the saddle.

If you are riding 2 up and like to ride briskly the 800 would be the better bike as the 650 is a bit under powered for 2 plus luggage.

I have 24,000 KM on my bike and have done 5 or 6 oil changes and 1 set of tires, less than $500 so far, due for new chain and spockets at 30,000 - 35,000 KM and that's about it. I do all my own work on the bike.

The VStrom 650 is really good bang for the buck, one of the better bikes I've owned, you wouldn't be disappointed with either, just comes down to personal preference in my opinion as all bikes will usually get you there, wherever there is.


David.

[trent]

Found both the 650 and the 800 locally, the guy with the 800 is starting to have second thoughts on selling it. I was going to jump right in and buy one, but think I'll give myself another month, maybe something else will get my attention.

[robertbarr]

I picked up the DL in my sig in mid-spring. So far, so good. It's a fun & odd little bike. Very quiet exhaust, but all sorts of weird and troubling mechanical noises that everyone has assured me are normal. Actually not such a little bike, with the same capacity fuel tank as the original GS850, but better mileage. I've gotten 60.1, 60.4 and 58.4 mpg on my last three tanks. Rather a tall bike. Almost a plush ride to it. Runs like a watch -- it has deepened my love affair with fuel injected bikes. ABS. I'll let you know how the maintenance goes once it actually needs any.

Even after a few thousand miles, I find I'm still trying to shift into that elusive 7th gear; the newer models have a gear indicator. Really close ratio gearing; the designers could have eliminated 4th gear altogether and nobody would have noticed.

Its off-road capabilities will have to be determined elsewhere -- magazines, maybe. This particular bike won't be going off-road if it involves even a moderate risk of gravel dust on my immaculate machine. Maybe I'll toss a copy of Dual Sport ADV Rider in the trunk, where I keep the chamois and the Novus plexiglass cleaner.

[BurntKittyForge]

Just remembered THIS interesting thread I came across looking up info on my similar model I was/still working on.

Not the result I was going for, but It was a real inspiration for me seeing how much more that guy went through there.

One guy replied atleast twice he should convert to chain drive. Seems like shaft drive would be more durable against gravel, off-road stuff though(?).
Interesting other "dual-sports" shown there too!

I used a '94-'97 Suzuki RF 900 shock on mine .(Hard-tail bar noticed when I got it home). With the new shock I had to make a kickstand extension ... and could've used a different exhaust. Plenty clearance though now.

Rides like a "velvet slipper" and potholes are non-event, down curbs fine, front wheel diameter too small to confidently go up a steep curb though. (attempted but gave up once)

[bwringer]

I have a Strom and love it, but it's really a street bike with some D/S styling cues.

None of the big D/S bikes are great in the dirt, although a competent off road rider can get them through some pretty rough places. I suck as a dirt rider, so my choice for real D/S work is a DRZ400S.

Agreed. It's not really a dual-sport, although with a little more suspension travel than your average streetbike, a DL is magic on crappy roads. It's comfy, reliable, cheap, very farkleable, and a great all-round bike.

Also, may I draw your attention to my personal fleet listed below...

[lurch12_2000]

I put almost 10k miles on my '05 DL650 vStrom. Probably the best all around bike for the money I've owned. Changing my stock DL650 seat to a DL1000 seat was a huge improvement. It is a bit tall and heavy for battling the wood trails and lacks true suspension travel. You will klunk and bottom out on the rough stuff. The KLR650 I now have is much better for that. I've looked at the BMW GSes but am always scared off by price (overpriced) and the cost of dumping it making you not want to get too risky off road. I'm noticing the used DL650 asking prices are climbing and the guy who bought mine 6 mos ago got a great winter deal especially with all the farkles it had and it's low miles. Maybe I shouldn't have sold it but I have ADHD with bikes. I would not go on long of a trip with the KLR which includes much highway and prefer the DL650, but the KLR can be had relatively cheap and is a true adventure bike. You have to decide how much time you have to get from point A to B or if the adventure is looser planned and who cares if you get to point B on time. The DL650 was super on the Tail of the Dragon last year but would like to try the KLR with more clearance and tamer street tires someday.