To Vee or not to Vee?

[Burque73]

Sounds like a KLR650 would suit you well, I'd recommend the first gen (07 and earlier) they are more dirt worthy than the later ones and really don't give up anything on the street.

Exactly what I was thinking. I purchased a new one in 2004 but only had it for a couple of years putting 4-5K miles on it. Life was crazy and with small kids at home the riding just had to wait.

Anyway, there's an adorably hideous one in mind. I showed my wife and she says it reminds her of Wall-E.

https://albuquerque.craigslist.org/mcy/d/klr-650adventure-beast/6351816604.html

 

[RichDesmond]

Seems like that would work. Just remember, "ugly KLR" is redundant.

 

[bwringer]

Agreed, you need both a DL1000 and a KLR650 in your garage. That's what all us cool kids have...

The Vee is NOT a dual-sport bike -- it's a very roomy, comfortable, and capable sport-touring bike.

 

[Downs]

The STrom is quite a capable bike. Even off pavement it can hold it's own. I personally prefer the 650 to the 1000. You just have to accept the fact that you won't be going places as fast as other riders. Or riding over fallen trees or over boulders. The bike does have it's limitations in that area but I believe it's much more capable than people give it credit for.

 

[RichDesmond]

The STrom is quite a capable bike. Even off pavement it can hold it's own. I personally prefer the 650 to the 1000. You just have to accept the fact that you won't be going places as fast as other riders. Or riding over fallen trees or over boulders. The bike does have it's limitations in that area but I believe it's much more capable than people give it credit for.

Not to rain on a parade or anything, but I've seen 2-up Goldwings on roads rougher than that.

 

[lurch12_2000]

Not to rain on a parade or anything, but I've seen 2-up Goldwings on roads rougher than that.

Yeah but the fear factor of dumping for average riders going "off road" with a thousand pound Goldwing is much greater than for a 475 pound DL650....and conversely the fear goes down even more for a 375 pound KLR650!

 

[Downs]

I like how you can make assumptions on a road from a picture of a few 10 foot sections of it, it's not single track but it wasn't a perfectly groomed FS road either. A Goldwing wasn't making it end to end on either of those roads. I guess you might if you rode it fast enough. Well maybe with some underbelly protection and a heavy throttle hand to keep from getting completely high centered. But then again I wouldn't' ride a Strom on those roads without some kind of bash plate.

It's certainly not the first tool I'd pick for single track or mud or sand. Infact I avoid those things on the Strom because it starts to become more work than fun. But most bikes are capable of far more than people give them credit for. I've had my FJR down roads I wouldnt' drive a car down. But the motorcycle gives you a lot more options for picking the smoothest line instead of being forced across deep ruts or the like.

While the KLR is more capable than the Strom (I've owned a 07 KLR) I'd say you aren't really giving up that much to the KLR in the off road department by riding a Strom instead and gaining a much better highway bike in the process.

 

[Burque73]

Whatever you do, don't mistake something as heavy and tall as a Vee for an actual dual-sport bike. You'll notice my stable contains a KLR650 for such antics.
That said, the Vee's six inches of suspension travel makes it a fantastic machine for high-velocity work on crappy sort-of-paved roads, and the occasional gravel road is usually no big deal (although sand, mud, or deep gravel are strictly no bueno).
Enjoy!

It's a tall, top heavy bike.

The Vee is NOT a dual-sport bike -- it's a very roomy, comfortable, and capable sport-touring bike.

Yes, you guys definitely nailed it.

 

[lurch12_2000]

I agree, I wouldn't expect a Goldwing to survive that road.
This is the best I could come up with for a Goldwing adventure riding and it really isn't that bad. I've taken my GS850G on similiar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1dWWMpcXkMs

I've taken my DL650 on a road like your pics but struggled and is very tiring wrestling with the heft. I used my KLR650 with better results but still had to feather the clutch uphill since it's not geared low enough. Never dropped any of the bikes out there but the potential was there and my abilities to upright by myself might have been lacking.

 

[850 Combat]

For $1500 it's a nobrainer. Worst case, sell it if you don't like it and make a profit.

I'm sure that the bags and mounts would pull in a few hundred alone without really affecting the resale of the bike much.

 

[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.