To Vee or not to Vee?

[bwringer]

Whatever you do, don't mistake something as heavy and tall as a Vee for an actual dual-sport bike. You'll notice my stable contains a KLR650 for such antics.

That said, the Vee's six inches of suspension travel makes it a fantastic machine for high-velocity work on crappy sort-of-paved roads, and the occasional gravel road is usually no big deal (although sand, mud, or deep gravel are strictly no bueno).

Also, forgot to mention earlier that a Seat Concepts kit (you get foam and a seat cover to staple to your seat base) completely solved the seating problem for me at the lowest overall cost. I toughed it out on the squishy stock foam until about 70,000 miles -- the human ass is more adaptable than most people think, but there are limits...

Stock gearing is very tall -- 17F/41R. I've gone to 17/43 -- still serene on the highway, with a little added poke down low. To compensate for the added speedo error in addition to the usual stock Suzuki error s(speedo is driven from a pickup on the countershaft, not the front wheel as on the DL650), I added a SpeedoDRD -- it's a lot more compact and much less expensive than a Speedo Healer.

I've tried switching to a 530 chaina nd sprocket set instead of the stock 525, and been very pleased with the added lifetime -- roughly 1/3 to 1/3 again as long. Probably no need to monkey with that for a while, anyway.

Enjoy!

[Burque73]

Sooooo. I went to take a second look at the DL 1000 tonight and spent an hour and a half chatting with the owner while our wives got acquainted.

I pulled the bike out of the shed and had to keep wiping the giant grin off my face. I hopped on and have no problem reaching the ground, both feet at least the ball of the foot anyway. My wife hopped on and liked it, so far so good. Lights check out, fluid levels ok. Turn the key and this unfamiliar whizzing sound started. Oh yeah, I thought, fuel injected. Gear up and ride (solo) a short ways and notice a few things that the I will need to address, but overall was very pleased with the bike.

Stock shift lever was swapped for a dirt bike type one. I had to lift my foot to shift up and down rather than pivot my heel on the foot rest. No biggie, I'll adjust it or swap back to stock setup.

Clutch and brake levers were cut to fit in bark busters. They just feel tiny, can only fit three fingers on the clutch lever. Just feels weird but works fine.

Tires need changing for my mostly street riding, rear is pretty bald anyway.

Stock bars were swapped and are gone. These feel a little narrow, but may just get used to it.

No fuel filter bypass has been done.

No throttle position sensor change

Electrical mods behind headlight are all tucked into a makeshift junction box. My be fine but I'll dig into it soon.

Dealer service was presumably done on schedule. No real recollection of valve adjustments. Only that it was taken in and supposedly done. Hmmmmm, think I'll check for peace of mind.

There's a weird vibration around 3k rpms but smooths right out. Maybe I'm just used to the shafty and need to get used to the chain again. Will need further investigation.

I asked about the sprockets and they've never been changed. I'm sure I'll get used to it.

I wound up offering $1000 for the bike (weird vibe got me concerned). Thinking he'd immediately say get lost since it was already a low price, I just had to try. We met at $1250, I got the title and loaded it up. As we were leaving he asked if I wanted the bike dolly too. Sure, I said, and he threw it in!

[alke46]

Congrats Roger. Now just make sure it is right for you and then you can decide what to do with the 850.

[Burque73]

After putting 500 miles on the Vee and with a couple low speed tip overs, I decided to look for a smaller ADV bike like a Wee (DL650) or a KLR 650. Maybe I'm just partial to the GS, but I am having a more difficult time acclimating to the V-Strom than I'd like. It is a tall bike and I'm not a very tall guy so I'm sure that's part of it. Getting out and exploring dirt roads and some trails is what I'd like to do but without the concern of having to pick this beast up again in the middle of friggin nowhere. I haven't put my finger on what makes this bike in particular difficult to maneuver at low speeds.

Anyway it's listed for sale and I've had a couple replies already. I figured I'd ask just a bit more than I got it for since I replaced the chain, sprockets and rear tire. Hopefully I can get my $$$ back and it will still be a good buy for someone.

[RichDesmond]

...I haven't put my finger on what makes this bike in particular difficult to maneuver at low speeds...

It's a tall, top heavy bike. I don't take mine (a 650) on anything rougher than a smooth dirt road.

What the Stroms really are, are great light-weight sport tourers. I bought mine to replace a Kawasaki Concours and couldn't be happier. Actual D/S duties are handled by the DR-Z400.

Sounds like a KLR650 would suit you well, I'd recommend the first gen (07 and earlier) they are more dirt worthy than the later ones and really don't give up anything on the street.

[Burque73]

Sounds like a KLR650 would suit you well, I'd recommend the first gen (07 and earlier) they are more dirt worthy than the later ones and really don't give up anything on the street.

Exactly what I was thinking. I purchased a new one in 2004 but only had it for a couple of years putting 4-5K miles on it. Life was crazy and with small kids at home the riding just had to wait.

Anyway, there's an adorably hideous one in mind. I showed my wife and she says it reminds her of Wall-E.

https://albuquerque.craigslist.org/mcy/d/klr-650adventure-beast/6351816604.html

[RichDesmond]

Seems like that would work. Just remember, "ugly KLR" is redundant.

[bwringer]

Agreed, you need both a DL1000 and a KLR650 in your garage. That's what all us cool kids have...

The Vee is NOT a dual-sport bike -- it's a very roomy, comfortable, and capable sport-touring bike.

[Downs]

The STrom is quite a capable bike. Even off pavement it can hold it's own. I personally prefer the 650 to the 1000. You just have to accept the fact that you won't be going places as fast as other riders. Or riding over fallen trees or over boulders. The bike does have it's limitations in that area but I believe it's much more capable than people give it credit for.

[RichDesmond]

The STrom is quite a capable bike. Even off pavement it can hold it's own. I personally prefer the 650 to the 1000. You just have to accept the fact that you won't be going places as fast as other riders. Or riding over fallen trees or over boulders. The bike does have it's limitations in that area but I believe it's much more capable than people give it credit for.

Not to rain on a parade or anything, but I've seen 2-up Goldwings on roads rougher than that.

[lurch12_2000]

Not to rain on a parade or anything, but I've seen 2-up Goldwings on roads rougher than that.

Yeah but the fear factor of dumping for average riders going "off road" with a thousand pound Goldwing is much greater than for a 475 pound DL650....and conversely the fear goes down even more for a 375 pound KLR650!

[Downs]

I like how you can make assumptions on a road from a picture of a few 10 foot sections of it, it's not single track but it wasn't a perfectly groomed FS road either. A Goldwing wasn't making it end to end on either of those roads. I guess you might if you rode it fast enough. Well maybe with some underbelly protection and a heavy throttle hand to keep from getting completely high centered. But then again I wouldn't' ride a Strom on those roads without some kind of bash plate.






It's certainly not the first tool I'd pick for single track or mud or sand. Infact I avoid those things on the Strom because it starts to become more work than fun. But most bikes are capable of far more than people give them credit for. I've had my FJR down roads I wouldnt' drive a car down. But the motorcycle gives you a lot more options for picking the smoothest line instead of being forced across deep ruts or the like.

While the KLR is more capable than the Strom (I've owned a 07 KLR) I'd say you aren't really giving up that much to the KLR in the off road department by riding a Strom instead and gaining a much better highway bike in the process.

[Burque73]

Whatever you do, don't mistake something as heavy and tall as a Vee for an actual dual-sport bike. You'll notice my stable contains a KLR650 for such antics.
That said, the Vee's six inches of suspension travel makes it a fantastic machine for high-velocity work on crappy sort-of-paved roads, and the occasional gravel road is usually no big deal (although sand, mud, or deep gravel are strictly no bueno).
Enjoy!

It's a tall, top heavy bike.

The Vee is NOT a dual-sport bike -- it's a very roomy, comfortable, and capable sport-touring bike.

Yes, you guys definitely nailed it.

[lurch12_2000]

I agree, I wouldn't expect a Goldwing to survive that road.
This is the best I could come up with for a Goldwing adventure riding and it really isn't that bad. I've taken my GS850G on similiar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1dWWMpcXkMs

I've taken my DL650 on a road like your pics but struggled and is very tiring wrestling with the heft. I used my KLR650 with better results but still had to feather the clutch uphill since it's not geared low enough. Never dropped any of the bikes out there but the potential was there and my abilities to upright by myself might have been lacking.

[850 Combat]

For $1500 it's a nobrainer. Worst case, sell it if you don't like it and make a profit.

I'm sure that the bags and mounts would pull in a few hundred alone without really affecting the resale of the bike much.