DL 650 vstrom GT
 

I have just bought a 2010 DL 650 Vstrom GT and just though I would pass on my first thoughts...

I have ridden lots of Adventure type bikes and owned a few too, like the R1200 GS Adventure, Triumph Tiger 1050 etc.... I was never happy with them for some reason, couldn't touch the floor with both feet, too expensive, or too heavy on fuel..... his little strom seems just right, its good on fuel, not too expensive, comfy, nice riding position, so, out of the create, it seems a good bike.

The small 650 V-Twin pulls very well, right from the off up through the rev range with no flat spots. To me it felt like two bikes in one, I nice cruiser for pottering about on and taking in the scenery or, open it up a bit, and it responds well into the higher revs and pulls hard.... this shocked me a little as its only a 650 and wasn't expecting performance. Don't get me wrong, it's no racer, but in this class, very acceptable...

The brakes... mine has ABS so I cant answer from those without but, it feels very sure on light and heavy braking alike with a strong feeling of stopping power and didn't seems to dive too much like some other bikes I have ridden.

The handling is also impressive. This is a budget bike in this adventure class so I was thinking the handling won't be that good, again I was happily wrong. On slow cornering it feels very secure with a dab of rear brake to hold the line in the tight U turn type corners. I found myself at a local place where sports bike riders have a go and getting their knee down on some open round abouts, as I came into the roundabout I was following a black Kawasaki ZX6R, he threw himself into the corner and round he went with his knee down... he looked back to see where I was and I think I shocked him as I was still on his tail.. (I had the ball on the foot peg down).

The only down side I have found with the bike is the standard screen... I am lucky as mine came with the standard one and a high touring type...
The OEM screen is fine for anything under 60mph, over that I was feeling the buffet... I am 6 foot 2 inches tall so maybe that's why...
I'm not saying it's the best bike in the world for touring but my first thoughts are, I'm very impressed and look forward to riding I'm more soon.

anyway have a look at my bike, I like it a lot so far....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...k/P1050877.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...k/P1050881.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...k/P1050828.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...k/P1050798.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...k/P1050821.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...k/P1050824.jpg

I too have a 2010 DL650 and have had it from new. I wanted a bike that was a good allrounder as my last two bikes were sports tourers ( Honda Super Blackbird and Yamaha FJR1300 ) great bikes but not much fun on poor road surfaces. I was expecting that dropping half the engine size might be disappointing but for a 650 it does not dissapoint. I find it is a great allrounder . I've just returned from a trip from the UK to the Pyrenees it was great all the way down eating up the miles and happy to cruise easily between 80 and 90 mph. Once I got there it was fantastic on the mountain twisties :mchappy:, handles great !! On top of that I enjoyed taking it on some rough trails high in the mountains ,it just takes everything in it's stride. My only complaint is that it's 'pig ugly ' but after the way it's performed over last year and 7k miles it's really growing on me. :thumbup1:

My god, that's clean, even for you. Actually I quite like the colour. I think the fairing on these is ugly but there are days when I'd anally probe a hedgehog for better wind protection than I have.... ie, none. You see a lot of these about on the continent. In fact the rarest form of bike out here is sportsters, don't know why. You see them in Italy which is the one place where they probably shouldn't be allowed.
It's a good bike, I hope you finally bond with this one. What are you doing with the DR, I loved that bike but horses for courses. This one is probably ideal and a half for what I'm doing now, ie chauffering a moody Asian around europe between chocolate cake shops. I can't wait to see what you do with it, it's almost a shame it's all kitted as half the fun is doing it yourself. Any news on the GPS, did you go with the 660? I like the 500 but it feels very basic now and the update is very slow. Not dangerous slow but annoying. It's a shame we get so stitched up with bike gear, car units are far more advanced for less cash.
What about lights? Going with HID units? Lots of questions but I'm stranded in a hotel in Albi with a tired little asian. Nothing else to do....

Ha, pig ugly but can handle abuse... I think I dated her....

Hi

I bought mine 3 years ago... K5 with 4 thou on the clock.. now its got 31 thou :-)

Not got the ABS... took it off road the other day (lowered the tyre pressures) and she handle it very well... so well were off together next year on a RWT

I too came from a 1500 Suzuki Intruder and I was very surprised at how responsive the 650 is.... good for cruising fully loaded at 70... with a canny bit of poke for overtaking

My next bike.. will be a DL650.. without a doubt

Cheers
Geordie aka Will

I did take it up a bit of a dirt track today (where my uncle broke his arm) and i was suprised how smooth it felt, nothing to hard just a pitted gravel track.

HID.... hmmm not too sure yet, if i do it will only be in the spots...

lots of people saying its ugly, i really dont mind it, maybe after owning a GS Adventure anything is better looking. the fairing is good, does the job well, the hand guards do too, maybe a bit too well.

JTW00000000.... the DR750 is going to be sold, once i have changed the clutch, yes i know, it should have been done ages ago, well whatever... wanna buy it?
oh and i went for the 660... should have it in a few days

That's a shame. For anyone who doesn't know this *****, this DR750 is a near mint original bike and a beautiful thing to behold. It's a shame she never worked out for you, i thought you'd found "the one". If I didn't have investment in my own bike then you know, i would buy it off you. I think it would make a cracking ADV machine.
Back to the Strom, I know the track well. A good little confidence builder and easy meat for her. I would guess that is more or less what they had in mind for it when they were set up.
I think pig-ugly is a bit strong. It's got a typically Japanese over-exuberance in the headlight department which gives it a bug-eyes spiderman look. Anyway, ADV bikes are hardly beautiful to behold, practical often is not. Is this why Italian bikes never work?
Anyway... I'm glad you're happy... now for gods sake bond with it a bit and enjoy it.
As for 660. I don't know but my guess is that to get proper navigation like you do on your home turf you're going to have to download new maps. I'm doing fine with point to point route planning. Mostly the maps are wrong anyway.

heres my DR 750... will soon be for sale.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...G/P1050346.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...G/P1050359.jpg

The 660 sat nav im getting comes with west europe city nav DVD for up load, so it will have all the places on it. i hope....

I hope you don't live to regret this, that bike is not just gorgeous but it's something you've been wanting for a long time. Seriously, that's the best bike you've had in a long time with potential oozing out of every pore like the greasy face of a teenage frenchman.
Groovy about the GPS. Maybe mine has, I don't know. I just assumed it would work abroad like it does at home. My bad, I guess. City navigation would be handy, we struggle most in and out of towns.
Other toys are horns! Get them. I have the Stebel Magnum. Nice and loud but doesn't feel (or look) like quality. I'm not moaning for a tenner but maybe there is something even better. I'd swap all your bulbs for LEDs too, just so they don't burn out ever again. Cheap enough mod. Oh so much fun having a new bike to **** up.

New DL650
 

Apart from the ugly aspect, which is in the eye of the beholder in any case, it is rare to hear a bad word said about this bike.
There is a new model due in the show rooms anytime now, so the "ugliness" may well be solved. As ever, the journalists see only improvements over this last model. Time will tell.

I always avoid new stuff, you lose too much money on it and there's bound to be problems with the first batch.

i have read a lot on the newer model, the engine is meant to be better but im happy with the one i have... i also prefure the look of the older one. mabe the new shape will look better in the flesh?. the fairing looks too small and is smaller so maybe not so good weather protection, and i dont like the clocks, its like the looked at the triumph and just coppied it... as i said at the moment, i prefure the older model.

Hey, I used to have one just like that (was a 2009-model, though, and we didn´t get the GT-model here, so had to buy the farkles separately!)... here on a 2-up trip to Sicily, in June 2010:

http://i1235.photobucket.com/albums/.../etna_2402.jpg

great pic, nice bike and nice view....

Dl 650
 

QUOTE=Jtw000;345745]Ha, pig ugly but can handle abuse... I think I dated her....[/QUOTE]

Good day Mate,

She might be pig ugly, but I am probably also one of them. Who decides, not me or you. Anyway not everyone needs to ride: a look at me, look at me, bike. Question of personality and character. Most offer the same riding excitements, that's when no one will watch or judge you.

Anyway, my V- Strom serves me well, and the money I save can be spend on booze and other enjoyments, and there are more than bikes.
Just keep looking for them and don't give up.

Cheers

Rusty Max

This is exactly what I don't need to hear. How great a bike is that I don't have when it's what I need.... I'm stuck with a pillion on a long ride on a little single and I'm gagging for that little extra power and better seat...
I think it will be great for what you want but I do think it's a shame the DR won't be getting a makeover. I really like that bike. If you want my opinion then don't sell it until you get back from touring. Just hold off for a while because it's such a great example and they're so rare and you're going to kick yourself, I think.
If I hadn't spent so much money on mine I'd buy it off you and rebuilt it myself. No question.

At the end of the day, it's what you do with it that counts... that's what I told her and she said that was mostly the problem. She's dead now.

Saw that coming..... :thumbup1:

i like the DR and as you know always wanted one... but i think its a case of wanting one is better that owning one. This problem i have with it is its too cleasn and too good. maybe i should have bought a crap one... maybe i will... who knows.

for the record, my vstrom has a nice seat and a little bit more power... just so you know. bier

Arse....hole....

I know what you mean, I couldn't bring myself to hack my Millie for the same reason. It would be awesome to get a non-runner and start from there. Yours is a tasty bike and all original. Just so you know, if I had the cash, time and storage I would have it.
Now, sorry to derail your thread by dribbling over your outgoing fantasy bike you had for three weeks. Back to the Strom. Let's talk about what you're going to do... Are you going to leave the boxes? They look quite flimsy in a crash or car-park spill, if not flimsy then they look expensive. Anything else it needs? Everyone says you just get on these and ride them... what are your impressions, as a noob to this bike?

I've just bought myself an 04 (two plug) V-strom fully kitted out to GT spec..

I am struggling to like it.... I really really want to like it though. I bought it because I wanted a bike I could tour on and also have some fun on the twisties.

I find it very heavy. There is no need for a 650 to be this heavy. Granted, all the luggage racks, crash bars and sump guards don't help.

I find the suspension pretty awful too. I would hate taking this on anything more than a graded gravel track. The lack of damping adjustment shows it budget. This with the weight of the bike rules it out of any serious over landing for me.

As a "plodding" road bike it works well. You can tell this is 90% a road bike. It handles well on the tarmac and it's a smooth ride.

The engine feels pretty dull and lifeless too. It struggles to overtake more than one or two slow moving cars unless you really rev the hell out of it which KILLS the Fuel economy. It feels like I'm towing a pallet of bricks. Low down torque it hasn't got. That's a shame for a V-twin. I've rideen the SV650 that is shares an engine with and the SV has so much more poke and pick-up.

It's top touring speed is about 90mph without abusing the engine too much. That's plenty fast for me though..

Mine has a horrible FI stutter from low rev's too. I found from other owners that this is normal and a power commander can sort it. Not worth the cost for me though.

For me, it's a very practical and functional bike but doesn't excite me in the way I hoped. I actually thought mine had an engine fault due to it's lack of ooomph until I passed it around other 650 owners who said theirs were identical.

I will be keeping it for it's practicality. I can take the missis out on the weekend and tour around the Europe with comfort. I suppose that's what it's made for.


Sorry to the OP for pissing on his bonfire. Just because I don't like it, doesn't mean you shoudn't. We're all different and have very different ideas on what makes a good bike. And that's the way it should be. :thumbup1:

V-Strom is more or less a streetbike, so it´s not a "real" adventure tourer in that sense. But then again, it can handle bad, bumpy and holed roads much better than your average streetbike. The wheels, for example, are quite tough, even though they probably haven´t won many design awards.

And it´s a budget bike – good to keep in mind, when you judge the handling, suspension and brakes. Those may satisfy a beginner, but for an advanced rider, or an adventure tourer, their shortcomings will be obvious for sure. But remember those parts specs will have a direct impact on the price tag. Those can also be upgraded in many ways without spending a fortune, too.

The engine, however, is simply great for its size (and it´s very similar to the SV, I´ve owned both, and differences really are quite small, but the SV is of course lighter, so the bike can feel punchier). That V-twin has also proven to be about just as bulletproof as they get.

Excellent headlights, good wind protection and room for two, large fuel tank/long range, carries a lot of weight (better get stiffer springs, though), large selection of aftermarket stuff, and relatively easy to maintain, with very few known technical issues, at a price that few others can match. That combination would still make it my #1 choice for a RTW-tour, if I was going 2-up. For 1-up my list of bikes would definitely be much longer.

I do agree that naturally people have very different views on what makes a good bike.

Can't argue with that..

I paid £1900 for mine second hand with all the luggage, bash plates, engine bars, scottoiler touring, centre stand and a full service history...

Crazy eh !!

I understand everyone is different, and im not saying its the best bike in the world... but for me at this moment, for what i want a bike for, its great...

With regards to Touring Ted, power on my bike is not a problem, as i said in my forst post, it seems like two bikes, i can potter about, and rev it a little harder and it really picks up, if i didnt know better i would have thought it had a bigger engine than a 650.... impressive for the size and weight. brakes are again not the best but ok for most riders, and the susspension for me seems great, i find it handles very well indeed... and i have been riding now for 20 years on all sorts of bikes. Its not going to win races but for what it is in the price range and class, i feel its just a great all rounder.

sorry your not getting on with yours.

My sat nav is going on this week, have to make a bracket first, and have a 12v socket im going to fit at the same time.

im really like this bike, i have no problem chucking it about in the corners and it sits up and rides all day in resonable comfort, what more can i ask for. it makes me feel like my R1200GS Adventure did, it just makes me feel i want to ride that little bit further... :clap:

Oh my god... the first sign of bonding. When it comes to power, I have to say you won't need much if you're riding with me. I got 185miles to a tank which equated to around 75mpg all in with general riding, today at heavier cruising speeds averaging 70mph to 75mph it managed 165, 2 up so mine is clearly a slow cruiser. I kind of knew that.
All these bikes you've had and you actually start to like a middle-of-the-road machine. The comments here are what I've heard but any bike can be improved on and by improvements I mean modifying to suit your needs better. Let's get out there with some gear and figure out what those needs are....

middle of the road bike or top end bike to 125 commuter.... if you like it you like it... nuff said.

I wont travel fast either i find it pointless, i know at some point you just want to get there but i want to see lots so that means riding at a reasonable pace to do so.

hurry up and get here and ride it for yourself...

Only two weeks. It flies by. It's a blur of country lanes (mind you I was looking for cities at the time).
I'm glad you're happy with it and would love to try it for myself... so long as it doesn't make me want one.

now that would be funny :mchappy:

Even funnier if I don't come back with yours....

wont happen.... :thumbup1: :scooter:

Might happen with your DR...

Dl 650
 

Hi Ted,

interesting comments. Bike riders vary in age,sex,weight,attitude,opinions aso. and so do their preferences, luckily.
For me and for many others, the DL 650 is still the best value for money on the market today. I love mine, and by the number I see on the road, they're the preferred mount of the practical rider.

Cheers

I think that with a touch of irony the V-strom is probably a better GS than the GS. (should I duck?). The GS is an amazing bike to ride but dogged with a few little fault that spoil the bike. They're omin-present on the continent and always clean and spotless. You see a lot of Stroms and to be fair, it's them carrying luggage, beaten up fairings and bearing foreign plates. I've rarely seen an R1200gs outside its home turf which is a shame but it's nice to the Stroms getting some real use.
Talking of which... are we sure they're budget bikes? I piked up my BMW G650 for £3000 a year ago but I've seen them go for £2k now, granted they're a second hand bargain. It's an 07... how does that compare to the VS? I mean to compare to BMW you're looking at a F650gs? I reckon the VS is in the ballpark of the same money or am I blowing smoke outa my arse?

just looked up the price of the BMW F650 GS (800cc) with the same spec as mine, its 7700 new, the strom is 6900, the strom comes with panniers and top box, with the BMW you thenm have at least £1000 more for boxes. so the strom is cheaper but maybe not a budget bike...

One of the more common bikes I've seen around Europe is the GS500. Now that's a budget bike (great little bike). The VS is relatively cheap but I don't think it's fair to call it a budget machine. You buy an R1200GS and your wife divorces you and your banker offers you free blowjobs so maybe it's not in that league but even so... I'm a budget biker. I bought a nice machine and made it good for less than a VS.
I guess cheap is subjective.

tight arse

Ugly! My arse
 

:thumbup1:On my 2nd Wee Strom. Love every aspect of the bike. Handling , appearance , versitility , economy, reliability, and easy to maintain. What else do you need? Me and the strom are off to the Arctic soon . 6 weeks together. Ill let you know if the love affair is still on when I get back .

V-Strom ...
 

Hi, have a DL650AK8 :funmeteryes:- 45K kms - cross Canada/USA, Yukon, BC, AB... Love the bike, am 6'2" and yes OEM screen is poor. immediately replaced with x-large Suzuki V-Strom DL650 / DL1000 Windshields
busted it in'10 and tried the N20212 VStream which still had too much turbulance so have another Calsci. Moto handled well enough on dry Yukon/AK/AB gravel roads. Trying Heidenau K60s.
Planning a RTW in 2012. - Safe Riding & C U in Nakusp :-)

nice one, good luck with that trip... look forward to hearing how you get on... :clap:

Awwww. VS riders are so nice... BMW riders... not so much

shut up, bloody BMW rider.... doh

:blushing:

Hmmm. For now. Looking at all the shiny road bikes zooming about comfortably while I wallowed about on my little single two up in the black forest today made me feel like I had turned up with a German girlfriend somewhere in the south of France.
Then, to add insult to injury a really mint R1100gs turned up and she said, "you should get one of those, they look nice." This made me wonder what the extradition laws are for UK citizens in Germany.

dl650
 

ok you show yours I show you mine:thumbup1:http://hendikaf.smugmug.com/Motorcyc.../DSC0184-M.jpg
http://hendikaf.smugmug.com/Motorcyc.../DSC0189-M.jpg

Mine

http://i56.tinypic.com/fnec8y.jpg

Nearly done 30k Miles on her... getting her prepped for a RTW starting May 2012

Couldnt ask for anything more in a bike

Cheers
Geordie aka Will

nice, i like the spots on the forks...

RTW... good luck, and nice to see it being well used... are they Hepco Becker Juniors you have there?

Nope there Storm cases very similar to pelican

Made my own brackets to attach to an ebay purchased givi frame.

My cooking table is a piece of ali that sits between the 2 cases.. simples lol

Cheers
Geordie aka Will

thaks for letting me know, looks a good set up. i have the standard panniers but not too happy with them, i think i will be changing them soon.

ha ha. Told you so...