Hi All

We're thinking of doing some European and USA trips on a bike (2 up) and the bike we want to get is a V Stom DL 1000.

We were hoping to get an 07 model, but they are still a bit pricey and maybe a bit above our budget for now. The question is, is there a particular year of manufacture we should avoid which had some known problems? I would prefer to get a bike no older than about 4 or 5 years with as low as possible kms obviously.

Thanks
Pumbaa

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www.seeyouwhenwegetthere.com

The early bikes [ probably just the first two years of production ] had a problem with the clutch basket , most were replaced by Suzuki .
After that there don't seem to have been any major problems .
Just go with a good condition low mileage model and don't worry about what year it happens to be , because they really haven't changed significantly .

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Blessed are the cracked, for they let in the light. - Spike Milligan
"When you come to a fork in the road ,take it ! When you come to a spoon in the road ,take that also ."

Being an owner of a 2003 Dl1k i can tell you the clutch chutter issue is more about the sound it can make then any real issue with the bikes operation. Mine is approaching 50k miles and I dont have an issue. It will make a racket at times under heavy load and low rpms but i have just learned to think of it as an audible low rpm indicator.

The only thing I prepared for on a trip to Alaska was the possibility of the clutch slave cylinder leaking. It did on the trip but it is something you can manage and clean up and keep going. It however is only a 60 dollar part and I even considered bringing a spare in my pretrip planning, i just failed to follow thru with my planning. If I had to do it again i would have gotten one as it cheap and small. It is about the size of a small apple and can be changed out in less then an hour on the side of the road.

I did buy one on the road which ended up costing 150 dollars in canada but you pay for the right part in remote locations. My cleaning and maintanance kept me on the road the whole trip and I did not end up changing it till i got home.

If you do decide to get one as a spare the new model has an improved seal so it wont be an issue. Just drop it in the bottom of your pannier and you probably wont ever need it.

One issue I do want to bring up however is that on poor fuel with a lot of water the bike will not run well. It does not keep you from moving down the road but it will be real low on power you will enjoy when the bike is running properly. Also the fuel filter on the bike is very odd. Buy one before you go and take one with you. It is very expensive for a filter. I think it was like 118 bucks US but you will not find one on the road. I have seen a mod that lets you change to external fuel filter but It is easer just to change the current one and keep a spare.

I hope that is helpful to you. The big strom is a great bike. It is very capable on road and is good on bad surface, dirt and gravel road.

That is my two cents worth anyway.

Coop

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Robert "Coop" Cooper
Alcoa, TN
03 Vstrom
00 KLR650

No bike will run very well with water contaminated fuel.
Add a small amount of methyl hydrate [ methylated spirit ] in the fuel to dissolve the water and then the bike will run better .
If you use a Trangia camp stove [or similar] you will already have some in your kit.

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Blessed are the cracked, for they let in the light. - Spike Milligan
"When you come to a fork in the road ,take it ! When you come to a spoon in the road ,take that also ."

Thanks for all the replies.

I've heard about the noisy clutch on the earlier models, but my understanding was (and now confirmed by some of you) that it wasn't really a problem except for the noise.

Looking forward to getting a bike again. Haven't been riding for the last 2 years, so definitely time to get on again!!!

Cheers

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www.seeyouwhenwegetthere.com

I had two wee storms with me and we all fueled at the same time and place and my bike ran worse then theirs did. It did not ever fail to run but was noticeable... With good fuel it well out performed the 650s.

As a rule however the 650 weestroms were more then capable on the Alaska trip.

Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Tapatalk

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Robert "Coop" Cooper
Alcoa, TN
03 Vstrom
00 KLR650

I've done a fair bit of 2up touring, with camping gear, on a 650 Strom and highly recommend it. Not as quick as the 1K obviously, but more than good for the job. Only issue I've had so far is worn dust seal on front callipers. Easy but time consuming fix due the bleeding of air

Paint finish is not as good as it could be, but hey it still get there........

Oh ................just seen this is an old thread.....................dooooh

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Regards Tim

Learning my craft for the big stuff, it won't be long now and it's not that far anyway

I'm on my second K6 (2006) DL1000 both of which I had from new. First one did about 30K. I worked part time for a Suzuki Dealer and in 2008 Suzuki GB moved premises and found 6 x K6's they had overlooked. I got one at a good price meaning the change cost me nothing.

I've never had a mechanical issue with either bike and find them very comfortable. My wife also rates the comfort of them but she did cut her teeth later on in life on an SV1000 and a GSXR1000, so anything would be better. In fairness I did dabble with a BMW1100RT but she prefers the VStrom.

There are a few cons though. The OE Luggage is rubbish and the Top Box sits to far forward making it cramped for the pillion and also making removal of the seat with the Box in place impossible. Many owners had the rack extended so the Box can sit further back. The panniers are an impractical size and mine opened of their own accord on several occasions before I ditched them.

I use a Givi 52 litre Box which sits in the right position when the adapter plate is fitted and also Trax Boxes. Not pretty but much more functional. When Touring we had bags strapped on top of the luggage and were grossly overloaded but part from getting a bit light on the front when dealing with uphill mountain hairpins, they put up with the abuse well.

Having said that I did kill the OE Shock at around 23K on the second one and have replaced it with a Nitron.

The front benefits from a Fork Brace. The brakes need fairly regular attention to keep them tip top. I clean mine about every 2K. Beyond that you can feel them going off and piston grab is a common problem.

Buffetting is also an issue for some. I cured mine with a Madstad Bracket and MRA Vario screen.

Fuelling from standard is a bit suspect, very lumpy low down with lots of popping on the over run, enough to stop the engine. Both mine were fitted with Power Commanders and had Custom Maps done which transformed them. (The benefits of working for a Dealer )

Regularly toured in Europe on them, particularly The Alps which is where we now live.

Arghh...... I have also only just noticed it was an old thread Doh!