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If all the V-Stroms looked this good...

robertbarr

robertbarr

Forum Sage
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Past Bard Award Winner
I might be forced to pick one up. Look at this thing: (It's a CL ad from Peoria, IL a bit to my south).

I'm not even sure how that price compares to similar Stroms, but here's the problem: My beloved Honda Nighthawk in my sig is on its way out of my life. Sad day; I bought it for $600 about 13 or 14 years ago and I've ridden the daylights out of it. On my last ride, though, it's developed an internal chain noise. It's not audible when it's started cold, but of course I intend to disclose this noise in my ebay ad. It'll kill my 'take', but if I get my original $600 after fees and so forth, well, there's some karma circulating.

So, a few questions: How is the WeeStrom on longer rides, does it eat tires, and how needy is it in the maintenance area?

Excuse me whilst I slip off in search of a Strom forum. (Stromtroopers? I sorta remember that title...).
 
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The Wee is perfect for longer rides, although one thing every rider has to sort out for his or herself is the windshield. Stock, it works for absolutely no one

No, they don't eat tires, and in fact the "ADV" rubber category has some very long-wearing choices. You can spoon on some touring rubber and regularly go 10,000 miles or more between tire shop visits. Or you can spoon on knobbies and roost like a hooligan for 2,000 miles a set.

The one thing about the Wee and Vee is that they are TALL. If you have less than about a 31"-32" inseam, you may find yourself on tippytoes. They can be lowered, and the seat can also be lowered, but the usual tradeoffs apply.
 
tom_zpsu2lluv1d.png


This fellow rode down to John Day, Oregon on this Vstrom from Victoria, BC and he seems to have enjoyed himself. It must have been at least an 800 mile ride one way, plus the hooligan miles following Trevor. He sure kept up fine. My 1100g couldn't shake him. Ok, maybe it was me being a bit slow. That's a sweet Nighthawk!

cg
 
In the short time I've had my '06 DL650 I've clocked over 1500 miles already. Commuter, highway, winding roads, choppy back roads, mountain gap roads, dirt roads and even 4 wheel drive roads and....I love it. Plenty of grunt where you need it on the road and will cruise all day long at 80mph. The windshield seems to be a common complaint but mine had the adjustable aftermarket windshield to mod the angle and height so no issue there. The seat is not as comfortable as my GS1000G but it will work on 300 mile days and now I am trying a gel pad to add comfort. As mentioned it is a tall bike (because it has great clearance for corners and rough stuff) but any 6 ft person with 32" inseam will be flat foot at stops. The 5.8 gal tank with avg 55mpg using regular gas gives me 300 mile range possibilities. I put a new set of Shinko 705's and they work great. I have not been able to scrape the pegs even in really hard cornering and it is light and nimble. It is about 40 lbs lighter than the DL1000 and 100lbs lighter than most old litre GSes. You should check that bike out since he has all the farkles included...skid plate, handguards, tall windshield, bags, heated grips, and centerstand. Just tack on some highways pegs and you'll be ready for cross country trips. No, you should really run to check that out and maybe you might steal that low mileage bike for $4500...or just give him the $4950 and ride it home. Worth every penny. Plenty of owners with 50k plus on them. Great for 2up riding too. What else can I praise the Wee about?
 
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Robert, that looks like a beautiful bike and is very well equipped for the price, the guy who owns that has probably set it up for a long trip but never made it happen, unfortunately that is a pretty common them.

The stock Trailwings on my 2012 Wee Strom have about 19,000KM on them and I could probably get another 2K out of them, so tire wear is not an issue unless you do a few track days.

I have the 2012 650 VStrom and love the bike, even two-up it's not too bad for power and I never feel like I'm wringing it's neck staying with the groups I ride with.

My only issue is the stock seat, it just doesn't work for me, after 1 1/2 - 2hrs I'm feeling pretty sore, I may try the Suzuki tall seat option or get a Russell Daylong, I'm 6' 2" and can flat foot it with 2-3" to spare.

Certainly one of the best all round motorcycles available and I have been very impressed with mine, zero issues since new.

What are you waiting for, if you have the $$$ just go buy it, you will not regret it.

David
 
Charlie G said:
tom_zpsu2lluv1d.png


This fellow rode down to John Day, Oregon on this Vstrom from Victoria, BC and he seems to have enjoyed himself. It must have been at least an 800 mile ride one way, plus the hooligan miles following Trevor. He sure kept up fine. My 1100g couldn't shake him. Ok, maybe it was me being a bit slow. That's a sweet Nighthawk!

cg
Click to expand...

"Hooligan miles following Trevor"..?? I have no idea what you are talking about.:p
 
My friend has a 2007 - first of the twin sparks. I just did a valve adjust on it for him - bit of a pain but not difficult & would take half the time to do it again.

Great bike to ride - not as tall or as long in the leg as my 2009 KLR (I am 5'8" with a 31-32" leg). The best bit about riding the older stroms is that from the seat you don't have to look at them... UGLY!

I like the new ones much better....
 
I would definitely take that deal. It's a 2009 but with the low miles and all the farkles it is worth it. I put several hundred into mine the first month I had it just to get it minimally set up for long haul riding. And I do not have near the gear this one has.

Mine is a 2014 which is the newer (2012+) version. I suspect they ride about the same. I have had it for exactly a year and put a hair under 10,000 miles on it, just about all on long trips. So yeah, it does a good job at touring. The wee stroms are relatively light for a touring mount, but they have a long wheel base--longer than our GS's or my BMW RT even--and are very stable a interstate speeds.

It looks like the owner has already addressed the windshield issue. You will probably have to do something with the seat to do long days comfortably. It might be as easy as just getting an Airhawk or some other type of pad. You might need to bite the bullet for a custom seat. But I think that is true of most current motorcycles.

If you aren't particular about the aesthetics Wal Mart has a pretty good solution in the auto department for $11.47.

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Yeah, they're sort of ok for long trips. :)

http://www.sonicsprings.com/catalog/alaska2008_ride_report.php

Like most sport touring bikes (which is what I consider a Strom to be, the off-road pretensions are a little silly IMO) it needs a new windshield and seat, and the suspension worked on. That done, the bike is just magic. It has a beautifully balanced feel and somehow is way more than the sum of it's parts.
 
RichDesmond said:
Yeah, they're sort of ok for long trips. :)

http://www.sonicsprings.com/catalog/alaska2008_ride_report.php

Like most sport touring bikes (which is what I consider a Strom to be, the off-road pretensions are a little silly IMO) it needs a new windshield and seat, and the suspension worked on. That done, the bike is just magic. It has a beautifully balanced feel and somehow is way more than the sum of it's parts.
Click to expand...


Watch this video before you dismiss the DL650 for the occasionally off road detour on a cross country trip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_QQEeW2gO4

It is not a dirt bike by any means because of it's weight but I've taken my Wee on terrain that I wouldn't try with the GS650E or just any street sport touring bike. I have the Shinko 705's but put a set of Conti TKC 80 tires on and I'd push the Wee even further on rougher terrain.
 
Nice Share Lurch... Those were some AWESOME trail roads... Wish we had stuff like that in our neck of the woods. Mud trails is what we got from all this rain... Makes me want to take the FZ out!!!
 
All I can say is I have owned a lot of motorcycles over the years and now my daily rider is a gladius 650, and yes I was surprised I bought it as well , but I love that motor it is awesome , just my 2cents, Brian
 
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