Opinions on V-Stroms

[dankatz]

Oh come on, for us short guys seat height is 1/2 the adventure of adventure bikes! (me 5'6", 28 inch inseam)

I know...I know...I rode a KTM adventure at Americade...talk about tall. I was just starting a few years back and was not comfortable with the height.

As for pushing it, I meant, full luggage, high altitude and pushing the revs...I think because the engine is not huge when you load it up the fuel economy takes a hit (like all other smaller displacement bikes). In general, these twins are very economical and with a huge tank, awesome range. Also, very comfortable for two up. Better than the SV650 standard that my wife and I rented in SF!

[markbvt]

Honestly, I think the DL was a wise choice for me because I really have no idea what you mean by "until you push them". I have not been easy on the thing so far. I leave traffic lights with haste. I do what I consider my fair share of carving. I have found red-line on the tach.

Unless New England suddenly sprouts 14k foot passes, I do not expect my mileage to change much.

Maybe if I ever try my hand at riding this thing off-pavement.

Try spending 200 miles on the slab at 80mph, especially if it's windy out. Gas mileage plummets down to the low 40s or so.

Yeah, slab riding sucks, and I avoid it, but sometimes it's necessary.

--mark

[nhbubba]

My daily commute is 120 miles at 70-80... spurts up to 100 indicated.
Did the full 120 loop yesterday, filling up on my way out of town. ~115 miles on the trip and the first bar on the gauge ticked off just as I was pulling back into the 'hood yesterday.

Either way you slice it: this wee gets pretty impressive mileage and range in my book.

[Stromper]

FYI the gas gauge is NOT linear at ALL

[RandyO]

My daily commute is 120 miles at 70-80... spurts up to 100 indicated.
Did the full 120 loop yesterday, filling up on my way out of town. ~115 miles on the trip and the first bar on the gauge ticked off just as I was pulling back into the 'hood yesterday.

Either way you slice it: this wee gets pretty impressive mileage and range in my book.

first bar is about a half a tank, the rest of the bars are closer to linear

I get 100-120 miles on the first bar on my Vee as well, still only get 230 or so miles from a full tank

[nhbubba]

We'll see I guess.

[nhbubba]

Filled up on the way home. My mileage plummeted to a frighteningly low figure of 53 MPG for this mostly highway tank. I only made it ~260 miles before I gave into the nagging blinky indicator and filled up.

Looks like I'm good for two trips to work per tank.

[dankatz]

Nice, looks like you will be racking up the miles. Did you get the center stand? I am so used to having a center stand for help with simple maintenance that it's one of the things I look for in a bike (kind of stupid since a lot of bikes you could add it to!). My FZ6 came with one and so did my VFR. The Monster, I have to get onto a stand to do stuff which I personally find cumbersome. Not sure if the added weight of a center stand is useful or now, but it is nice that the V-Strom has so many available options and a big aftermarket

[nhbubba]

Racking up the miles is easy when you work so far away from work.

No center stand, yet. Pretty sure I want one of the aftermarket center stands... but kicking around the idea of a swing arm stand instead. I've always had center stands and agree; feels like a requirement for a bike. Yet so many models lack them these days.

I hear the Suzuki stand is kinda crap. I hear the SW-MOTECH one is the one to have.

Center stand would make storing the bike in our 2 car garage easier too.

Need to do that soon as chain lubing is kind of a PITA without. Which reminds me, I need to coax the missus into helping me with that. I am due.

Bike needs a bath too.

[nhbubba]

Scratch that, center stand ordered.

[markbvt]

Filled up on the way home. My mileage plummeted to a frighteningly low figure of 53 MPG for this mostly highway tank. I only made it ~260 miles before I gave into the nagging blinky indicator and filled up.

Out of curiosity, how much do you weigh?

Because I was only getting that kind of mileage out of my Wee-Strom when riding moderate-speed secondary roads. Easily made it the 260 miles, for example, between Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Port Hope Simpson on the Trans-Labrador Highway, but then again I was going around 50mph pretty much the whole time. But when hauling my 250lb ass around on the highway, my Wee-Strom wasn't getting anywhere near that.

--mark

[TheIglu]

Need to do that soon as chain lubing is kind of a PITA without. Which reminds me, I need to coax the missus into helping me with that. I am due.

Scottoiler + dual head nozzle = ahhhhhhh, so nice......

[nhbubba]

Out of curiosity, how much do you weigh?

A helluva lot! I regret to share that I am not a small guy.

Seriously though, not much less than you.

I have like zero accessories attached except a skimpy little tank bag. I plan to put hard bags on eventually and expect that will hurt the aerodynamics and hurt my mileage.

[Garandman]

Out of curiosity, how much do you weigh?

Because I was only getting that kind of mileage out of my Wee-Strom when riding moderate-speed secondary roads. Easily made it the 260 miles, for example, between Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Port Hope Simpson on the Trans-Labrador Highway, but then again I was going around 50mph pretty much the whole time. But when hauling my 250lb ass around on the highway, my Wee-Strom wasn't getting anywhere near that.

--mark

Since you bought the Triumph the V-Strom seems to suck worse every day. One would think you would have put it behind you by now. It's just a motorcycle, a relatively inexpensive and slow one from a non-prestige brand at that.

I have logged every gallon of fuel used in both V-Stroms I've owned totaling something over 20,000 miles. Most of my miles are commuting out of Boston to Auburn, NH, Peabody, MA, or Westborough. I also take some trips, mostly in New England. The bike always has Jesse bags on it, some tools, and I weigh over 250 in riding gear. As you can imagine I ride a lot on traffic. All my best mpg tanks are on trips, usually on secondary roads in NNE or W MA.

The 2005 averaged 51.0 mpg over the time I owned it. The high for a full tank was 62.3 mpg and the low was 41.8.

The 2009 is equipped the same, except that it has the twin plug motor and ABS.

For the 2009 season the bike was new. Average MPG was 50.6, high was 53.7 and low 44.4.

For the 2010 season I rode it 7,101 miles. Average MPG was 50.1. High was 61.1. Low was 42.4.

Lowest MPG for a full tank ever was for a track day. I went 103.5 miles and used 3.5 gallons yielding 29.5 mpg.

[nhbubba]

I have logged every gallon of fuel used in both V-Stroms I've owned totaling something over 20,000 miles.

May I recommend fuelly.com.

Fun graphics and statistics, you get to share your data with the world, and uploading lotsa miles is really easy as they accept data in CSV format.

[markbvt]

A helluva lot! I regret to share that I am not a small guy.

Seriously though, not much less than you.

Huh. Strange. Consider yourself lucky, then -- I guess you got a particularly good one!

Since you bought the Triumph the V-Strom seems to suck worse every day. One would think you would have put it behind you by now. It's just a motorcycle, a relatively inexpensive and slow one from a non-prestige brand at that.

Where did I say the Strom sucks?

Yes, the Triumph is a big step up from the Strom, but I still think the Wee is a terrific bike for what it is, and it's undoubtedly one of the best values on the market.

I just rode mine down to Virginia on Friday to deliver it to my dad. Once I settled in and got reaccustomed to the ergonomic differences from the Tiger, I quickly remembered how easy it is to rack up miles on that bike. It really is a very competent tourer. I enjoyed the ride down (despite terrible weather and traffic in Pennsylvania), and when I pulled into my parents' garage, there was a twinge of sadness at letting the Strom go. It's been a faithful companion in some really fun adventures. I'm glad it's staying in the family, and I'll be able to ride it from time to time when I visit the parents.

--mark

[TheIglu]

I just rode mine down to Virginia on Friday to deliver it to my dad. Once I settled in and got reaccustomed to the ergonomic differences from the Tiger, I quickly remembered how easy it is to rack up miles on that bike. It really is a very competent tourer. I enjoyed the ride down (despite terrible weather and traffic in Pennsylvania), and when I pulled into my parents' garage, there was a twinge of sadness at letting the Strom go. It's been a faithful companion in some really fun adventures. I'm glad it's staying in the family, and I'll be able to ride it from time to time when I visit the parents.

--mark

ANd I this time I was waiting patiently for that thing to get listed in the FS forum.

[Garandman]

ANd I this time I was waiting patiently for that thing to get listed in the FS forum.

Be patient, as soon as ship dates are firmed up for the '12's I think you'll see quite a few pop up.

That's one great thing about them. I sold my 05 for asking price in 24 hours. Called in the am, showed up with a truck. trailer and a stack of $100's.

[Stromper]

I don't think the 12's are much of an up tick

I would surprised it would influence a strom upgrade
for the benefits and features of the new model

I think that there was a slowing of the 11's waiting to see
what the 12 would be, Now if cheap the 11's will fly out the door.

[Rossco]

ANd I this time I was waiting patiently for that thing to get listed in the FS forum.

[nhbubba]

Posted a new thread for further discussion. Why? I dunno, 'cause I did.

Tagged it like this one because that stuff is funny.

[Garandman]

Where did I say the Strom sucks?

Yes, the Triumph is a big step up from the Strom, but I still think the Wee is a terrific bike for what it is, and it's undoubtedly one of the best values on the market.

Rider magazine V-Strom 650 versus Triumph 800.

In their test, the Triumph averaged 38.4 mpg vs. 45.9 mpg for the V-Strom. Summary:

The Triumph Tiger 800 is more exciting, its look, sound and feel stimulating my lizard brain, that primitive nerve center of emotion. The Tiger is also more capable offroad—such an important consideration for me that I’d probably pony up the extra dough for an 800XC.

On the other hand, the Suzuki V-Strom 650 ABS is more practical. It’s cheaper, it’ll go farther on a tank of gas, it’s more comfortable for the long-haul with or without a passenger, it’s supported by a larger dealer network and the aftermarket offerings are much broader and deeper. If, as they say, we buy with our hearts and justify with our minds, I’m sure it wouldn’t be too hard to convince myself that the Tiger 800 is the better choice.

Before I buy another new bike I'll test ride one. But I had a chance to ride a BMW 800 in a track session at NJMP and was underwhelmed. Yes, it's faster and has more torque in the mid-range, but the V-Strom felt more agile and that's a pretty big mpg hit for such a small boost in performance. The 800's may be "too big to be small and too small to be big."

Personally I think Suzuki was wise to stick with the 650 for the facelifted 2012. I think with an aftermarket [lighter] muffler they may prove a great balance between sporty and economy.

[markbvt]

In their test, the Triumph averaged 38.4 mpg vs. 45.9 mpg for the V-Strom.

Magazine tests are fairly useless. They're not real-world tests. I've put 40,000 miles on a V-Strom 650 and 9100 on a Tiger 800 XC. Under typical riding conditions, I averaged in the low 50s on the Strom and high 40s on the Tiger. Difference of 3-4mpg.

The one thing I do like better about the Strom than the Tiger, though, is the 5.8-gallon gas tank. It's so nice being able to go 230-250 miles before worrying about filling up.

Before I buy another new bike I'll test ride one. But I had a chance to ride a BMW 800 in a track session at NJMP and was underwhelmed. Yes, it's faster and has more torque in the mid-range, but the V-Strom felt more agile and that's a pretty big mpg hit for such a small boost in performance. The 800's may be "too big to be small and too small to be big."

The Tiger 800 is not the BMW F800.

I've ridden an F800GS and I too was very underwhelmed; its handling felt sluggish and the motor was kind of buzzy. The Tiger 800 (including the XC) is a much better-handling bike; in fact, after riding the Strom to Virginia and then getting back on the Tiger when I got back home, I noticed that the XC feels lighter and nimbler than the Wee.

But that's essentially a side-by-side comparison; in the real world, both are excellent-handling bikes, and both are easily capable of scrubbing the tires all the way to the edge of the tread.

Personally I think Suzuki was wise to stick with the 650 for the facelifted 2012. I think with an aftermarket [lighter] muffler they may prove a great balance between sporty and economy.

Agreed; I never really understood all the people who wanted a V-Strom 800. I always thought that as far as the motor was concerned, all Suzuki really needed to do was bring it back up to SV650-spec instead of detuning it. An 800 would have to be a completely redesigned motor as the 650 is about as big as it can reliably go; and a bigger motor would therefore weigh more.

I still think that Suzuki would be smart to offer a stripped-down version with lighter-weight, more compact frame, minimal bodywork, and DR-Z suspension and wheels. They could steal away a lot of F800GS, Tiger XC, and KTM buyers.

--mark

[nhbubba]

I agree they don't need an 800. Although they do need to invest in the 1000. Maybe differentiate it from the wee, make it more road oriented and go after the likes of the BMW R1200RT, but on in a low-buck kinda way. Then pump up the Wee with the big brother upgrades from the Vee.

Same engines, same mechanicals, just different plastics and styling.

Or maybe getting the 1k mill to pass emissions just isn't worth it.

[markbvt]

Or maybe getting the 1k mill to pass emissions just isn't worth it.

Yep. This is reportedly why they've stopped making the DL1000.

--mark