To Vee or not to Vee?

[Downs]

I wouldn't say it was a struggle. I found it quite fun. That road the Goldwing was on in your video looked like a graded unpaved Farm Road here in Texas. They aren't pavement but still smooth enough to go fast on even on a road bike.

I found that I just have to let the bike wander a bit under me and not fight with it. Pick the right lines, avoid sand and mud if possible. Use proper lifting technique if you do happen to drop it. I dropped it on and off but it wasnt' an every ride type of thing. I just never felt that adding another bike to the garage was worth it for the type of riding I did. Ride to an area I haven't been in explore the dirt roads, fs roads/trails ect, find a place off the beaten path to camp wake up and do it again. My experience with the KLR had me enjoying it but I felt that I gave up a lot on the road in comparison to the Strom and I felt like I wasn't giving much up off road by going with the Strom over the KLR.

If I was out riding single track and what not every ride maybe something else would be great but I never really did that so no biggie. There are lots of guys around here that feel they need a tiny little dual sport bike to run the farm and county roads around here which are mostly pretty well graded.

Edit-It should be noted that tires make a HUGE difference on the bigger bikes. The least aggressive tire I run on the Strom is a Shinko 705, but I run big bike knobbies on the bike quite often as well. A tire like the Shinko 804/805 can really transform how the bike behaves off pavement. But you still get good pavement manners with those tires as well. They aren't Pilot Roads but they are quite good on pavement.

[Burque73]

I've had a few people inquire about the V-Strom. Last weekend I rode it to Santa Fe which is 50 miles North of here for a potential buyer to see. Turns out they weren't interested but I had a nice ride anyway.

Today, a gentleman asked if I'd trade it for an 08 Kawasaki KLE 650 Versys. I haven't seen it yet but from his description and supposed meticulous maintenance it sounds promising. He said it has 8K miles on it, bags, 12v outlet, throttle lock, tall windshield. We'll see what it looks like tomorrow but I'm interested.

[Burque73]

I had an interesting offer today on the Vee. An offer to trade a 1999 BMW F 650 funduro. I rode it and like the feel of it. Much smaller in comparison to the Vee and I can get my feet on the ground.

Pros: Heated grips, skid plate, bags and trunk(not in pic). It has 42K miles and runs great.

Cons: It does have some weeping oil seals and gaskets, needs a chain and sprockets (which are on order apparently), and as a thumper it vibrates your butt a lot more than the Strom's twin does.

Here it is. I'm asking $1,900 and other Stroms in similar fashion on CL are listed $2700 and up.



Anyone here own a 650 BMW? They seem like great bikes from what I've read but the value of this one is a bit lower than an 02 DL 1000. I may ask for cash with the trade if I go that route.