The Suzuki V-Strom 650

[Greg]

I've been getting the itch to do some serious 2 wheel traveling and while my DR650 is great in the dirt and decent on road, I wanted a bike that would be a good compliment to the DR and really be capable of racking up some amazing pavement riding. Another consideration was being able to ride 2 up, with the wife on the bike with me. We wanted something reliable, some what inexpensive and capable of hauling both of us, plus some gear.

I've heard much about the Suzuki V-Strom and ended up doing quite a bit of online research about the bike. Most people prefer the 650 versus the 1000 since it's lighter, gets better mileage and has plenty of power for 2 up riding. The 650 is nicknamed the Wee while the 1000 is commonly called the Vee. It's Suzuki's offering as a mid-weight adventure bike, not really a dual sport, but a road friendly adventure touring bike. It's capable of running down a mild dirt road, but not much more than that.

Some quick specs about the V_Strom... both bikes have fuel injected V-Twin engines. The 650 makes 66 HP and both bikes feature a 6 speed transmission. The 650 will run just under a 12 second quarter mile, so it's plenty quick!

I got lucky and found a Wee that the owner had taken very good care of and added quite a few tasteful aftermarket parts. The price was right and the miles were decent compared to the many other bikes I found that had 20, 30 and 40k miles on them.

I ended up with an '05 with 9,500 miles. The owner had added Protaper handlebars, bar end mirrors, a Madstad adjustable windshield bracket, Scorpion aftermarket exhaust and Givi crash bars. He also had some great luggage, Givi side and top cases. The guy was kind enough to toss in his tank bag too! It's a great start on a being the ideal adventure touring bike!

Here the Wee is, with all the luggage on.-

Since Sunday was looking pretty good, I decided to take a 'long' ride... destination Gateway, CO about 65 miles away! The high for the day was supposed to be in the mid-40's, not bad for January. The ride ended up taking me thru Unaweep Canyon, with it's mid-canyon summit over 7,000' high. There was plenty of snow up there and it got cold.... to the point that if I go out again soon, I think I'll be investing in heated riding gear! At least a heated vest and hand grips.

I tried to get the wife to go with me, but she wasn't digging the cold and would have no part of it. I wanted to get used to having some of the Givi luggage on board, so I left the side bags on and removed the top case.

The bike is an absolute blast to ride... very smooth engine, suspension that loves to carve up the curves and a bike that is willing to just keep piling on the miles. It's very comfortable and easy to ride, I'm really happy spending time on the bike.

Here's some pics from the first real trip out.-

See the snow? Yeah, it's F'n cold!! At least my fingers were working well enough to run the camera!

 

[Skylinerider]

Nice! I've seriously been looking at bikes like this. Been looking at tiger's, but the V-stroms look great too.

 

[Greg]

I do have some additions I want to make... I don't plan to do much offroad riding, but the oil filter sits right at the bottom-front of the engine, right behind the front tire. It's very vulnerable to rocks and other road debris being tossed up, so I plan on adding a skid plate.

With the skid plate, I'd like to add some folding highway pegs for better comfort on long road rides.

The seat to peg distance seems a little short to me and my knees were starting to hurt after some time in the seat. This is where the highway pegs will really help, but I may keep an eye out for a V-Strom 1000 seat, which is quite a bit taller.

The tires are OK for now, rear is a Metzler Tourance and front is a Bridgstone TrailWing. They have plenty of tread, so they'll probably stay until they get worn out. After that, I might mount something up that is a little more dirt-road friendly, but nothing crazy... we'll see.

That's about it, I'm really happy with how well outfitted the bike already is!

 

[Greg]

Nice! I've seriously been looking at bikes like this. Been looking at tiger's, but the V-stroms look great too.

I'm pretty stoked about the V-Strom, they can be found pretty cheap compared to a Tiger of the same year & miles. The amount of body & fairing keeps most of the wind off the riders and quite a few bikes have 80k miles on them and are still running well, without ever had any major engine work.

They run very good, I'm impressed with the little 650cc V-twin, it will outrun 98% of the cars on the road. The EFI works well, the gear split of 6 speed transmission is perfect! The more I ride it, the more I like it.

The 650cc Wee isn't as brutal as my neighbors 900cc Triple Tiger, but it's still plenty quick for me.

 

[Greg]

Just over a week has gone by since picking up the V-Strom and I've been making the bike 'mine'. I like how tasteful the previous mods were and I wanted to stick to that line of thinking, I didn't want anything drastic or make a change that would alter the bike for the worse.

The big addition was a skid plate from Enduro Guardian. I found the builder on ADVRider and it looks like a quality product for half the price of any of the other offerings. On top of the price, it's beefy and good looking! I don't plan to ride the V-Strom on any rough trails, it's not a true dual sport... the big reason I added the skid plate is due to the location of the oil filter at the front-bottom of the engine, and the engine oil cooler just above the filter. The skid plate will protect the filter, cooler and exhaust from road debris.

I also added a 1" lift by way of longer 'dog bones' from Enduro Guardian, to give the bike a little more belly clearance and some needed height.

Since the previous owner added aftermarket bar end mirrors, I decided to use the open mirror mounts for a couple 1" RAM mounts. I ended up putting my Garmin Zumo on the left side, leaving the right open for something else to be determined.

Next up is fabbing up some highway bars with folding pegs, which will mount to the skid plate. It will be very nice to have highway pegs on those long road rides!

I need to get some better pics, only thing I had on me was the cell phone, so these will have to do for now.

Another thing I added which is less for the bike, more for me.... a Tour Master Synergy heated riding jacket. I went for the Tour Master since it didn't require additional wiring, controllers, etc... plus the fact that Tour Master Synergy jacket has plugs for Synergy gloves and pants, wired right into the jacket.

The heated jacket is the best invention ever! This one has 3 levels of heat and the highest setting makes MORE than enough heat to keep me warm while riding at 80+ MPH in 30 degree weather! I don't have heated gloves yet though, so that was my limiting factor. Even then, just riding around town with heavy winter gloves, the heated jacket really takes the edge off the cold. It's so nice to be out riding in 30-40 degree weather and actually feel warm. I have to say it's one of the best gear purchases ever!

 

[Spork]

So I got to ask this since my only experience with a vstorm is seeing one in the parking lot but how is seat height? I thought the one I saw was pretty tall and if you are adding an inch to that then it would be up there... (or maybe it was just the other bikes it was next that made it look tall.)

 

[Greg]

So I got to ask this since my only experience with a vstorm is seeing one in the parking lot but how is seat height? I thought the one I saw was pretty tall and if you are adding an inch to that then it would be up there... (or maybe it was just the other bikes it was next that made it look tall.)

It's quite low actually, my wife could flat-foot the bike when it was stock, but she is 5' 9" tall. She hasn't tried it since I added the 1" lift, but I doubt it changed much. The 1000cc V-Strom has a taller seat, it's a common upgrade for tall guys riding the 650's. I would like to try one out, but I think highway pegs will take the pressure of my knees.

 

[Caleb]

Love it! It looks like it's coming together quite nicely. The other day I stopped by the BMW dealership to check out the F800's. It's definitely on my list to pickup a big bike.

 

[Greg]

Love it! It looks like it's coming together quite nicely. The other day I stopped by the BMW dealership to check out the F800's. It's definitely on my list to pickup a big bike.

You know, a few years ago I wouldn't have believed I'd own a bike like a V-Strom. Fast forward to now and I wonder why I waited so long to own something like this, I just want to ride, ride and RIDE! It's such a fun bike, it's really nothing special, but it really offers a great all around package.

I do need someone to ride with on big bike rides... It would be interesting to see how the F800 compares to a Wee, I'm sure the BMW is 10x the bike.

I was talking to a guy that rode a Ducati, he was talking about the V-Strom and I think he summed it up very well. He said, "The V-Strom is almost a dual sport!" I agree... I've had mine off pavement 2x now and it's nowhere near as sure footed as my DR650. That's fine by me though, I have the DR for the rougher trails.

 

[Caleb]

You know, a few years ago I wouldn't have believed I'd own a bike like a V-Strom. Fast forward to now and I wonder why I waited so long to own something like this, I just want to ride, ride and RIDE! It's such a fun bike, it's really nothing special, but it really offers a great all around package.

I do need someone to ride with on big bike rides... It would be interesting to see how the F800 compares to a Wee, I'm sure the BMW is 10x the bike.

I was talking to a guy that rode a Ducati, he was talking about the V-Strom and I think he summed it up very well. He said, "The V-Strom is almost a dual sport!" I agree... I've had mine off pavement 2x now and it's nowhere near as sure footed as my DR650. That's fine by me though, I have the DR for the rougher trails.

Exactly, I've got the bike I need for the tougher trails. I'd like something I can hop on and ride (freeway speeds, etc) comfortably. Maybe some fire roads, easier two track, etc, whatever roads that get me to my destination. I also keep thinking of ways to pack more shit on my current bike, then I have to remind myself that my bike serves a different purpose.

 

[Hickey]

I've been looking into these. Greg, why did you sell yours?

 

[Greg]

I've been looking into these. Greg, why did you sell yours?

I bought it to ride 2-up with Catherine, but she didn't dig it... she wants to ride her own bike, which I can't blame her. I loved riding it while I had it, but in the end it just didn't quite fit my needs.

My thoughts, it's a SOLID road-oriented adventure touring bike and is very comfortable covering a LOT of ground, reliably, quickly and efficiently. The 650 is nice of you're solo and doing a little bit of dirt riding and the 1000 is better if you're 2-up, hauling a lot of luggage or doing massive road rides like Alaska, etc.

What kind of riding are you looking to do? I would rate them at a 90/10% split for road/dirt. It'll ride down a dirt road, but anything more than a smooth dirt road and it's the wrong bike IMO. I rode my V-Strom thru Monument Valley with those road tires and it was a bit of a handful on some of the deep sandy spots and hills.

 

[Hickey]

90/10 is about where I'm at. Thanks Greg.

 

[Tonkaman]

I've never heard someone say they didn't like their V-Strom 650.

 

[Greg]

I've never heard someone say they didn't like their V-Strom 650.

They're kinda ugly, but work very well! The new ones look great though.

 

[Deleted member 12904]

So Im going to go look at one of these bikes tomorrow. What do you think Greg after owning a few bikes after this? Still a good bang for the buck? I really want to do some long rides that would include some dirt roads for camping but I think I need a bike that can be comfortable on the freeway for hours at a time. Ive done the Harley Bagger thing and want something different.

 

[Greg]

So Im going to go look at one of these bikes tomorrow. What do you think Greg after owning a few bikes after this? Still a good bang for the buck? I really want to do some long rides that would include some dirt roads for camping but I think I need a bike that can be comfortable on the freeway for hours at a time. Ive done the Harley Bagger thing and want something different.

I think the V-Strom is a great bike, I still miss this one! They're great on the road for hours at a time, very comfortable, lots of wind protection, great power & MPG's (even the 650 has good power!) and reliable as can be. They can run down a dirt road and some people have taken them places they shouldn't be, but it's not really a bike for a rough 2-track road. If easy dirt roads are your limit, then I think a V-Strom is a good compromise. If you wanted to make the bike a little more capable in the dirt, you can get a set of spoked wheels, run some TKC80's and do some suspension work and it would be a bit more rough-road friendly.

I did my first 1,000 mile ride on this bike over 3 days! It was very comfortable and fun to ride, even with camping gear along for the ride! - https://www.rme4x4.com/showthread.php?83741-Road-ride-to-Monument-Valley-and-Bryce-Canyon

I keep looking at the new V-Strom 650 XT, it looks like a bike I could own. There's a chance I may be back on a V-Strom if my KTM 990 Adventure sells, I have a partially torn rotator cuff and it may be best that I stay out of the dirt for awhile.

 

[Deleted member 12904]

I keep looking at the new V-Strom 650 XT, it looks like a bike I could own.

me too! Just a little out of my tax bracket so I'll settle for somebody's hand me down.

 

[Spork]

Or maybe Yamaha's adventure bike based of the FZ-07?

https://idratherberiding.com/2014/07/05/xtz-700-yamahas-new-mid-size-tenere/

 

[Greg]

Or maybe Yamaha's adventure bike based of the FZ-07?

https://idratherberiding.com/2014/07/05/xtz-700-yamahas-new-mid-size-tenere/

If they ever do build it, it would be a great contender!!