it is well known that the biggest (arguably) design defect in the v-strom is the wind buffeting that can be described as . I experienced it immediately and bought a madstad adjustable windshield bracket which helped, a little. as the winter weather really started kicking in, and I swear my hearing was getting worse, I went for the slick looking and larger (in both width and height) than stock GIVI D260ST Wind Shield.
the install was smooth as can be, the Givi attached to my madstad as readily as the Suzuki stock shield did. with the stock shield, I had madstad adjusted all the way up and forward. with the Givi this was unacceptable as I could no longer see over the shield. so now it’s almost all the way down and pulled a little way back from fully front.
with the Madstad + Givi combo, a total cost of ~$230 new, the buffeting problem as close to gone as anyone could reasonably expect. the shield itself is of high build quality and looks great. it does have one element of concern regarding an appearent “lens effect.” in bright direct sunlight it has been reported that the Givi shield can melt the dashboard. there is a warning sticker on the shield that states this as well. while a little disconcerting, not really a problem since I keep mine covered in the summer.
from the this should be easier than it actually is department. I finally got around to resetting my v-strom’s clock today to account for daylight-savings. anyway, because it has a steeper learning curve than most, I had to look it up… I figured the manual was the best one stop – wrong! there is a little trick (not mentioned in the manual) that I found over at the stromtroopers forum.
turn the key on, and the ignition to run.
push the left button slightly ahead of the right button and hold both for what seems like forever (~10secs or so..)
when you get a blinking minute, increment with the right button.
hit the left button to switch to hours, adjust accordingly,
then left again to finish the job.
this horrific cop-cam capture is of a rubbernecker who literally mows down a biker at a traffic light.
this is exactly why I split lanes or flash my brake lights with hold on the clutch until there is a stopped car safely behind me. if only our helmets had eyes.
AGF image note: you may have to open and close the image window if it does not start playing
they get so many more options, from colors to new models.
for instance, the DL650X which is not offered to America:
The new non-ABS VStrom 650X has arrived on the scene to complement the range, still with the versatility to switch from urban sprawl to country lanes, but with the punchy and flexible v-twin engine.
It comes with alloy skid plate, engine bars, hand guards and black sports screen, in Candy Sonoma Red or Matt Black for a fantastic price of £5,149 [~$8375].
for that price, and all those sweet addons (farkles) it’s a hellva deal! I paid around $8k for mine after taxes, registrations & fees…ugh! plus all the addons I’ve put on thus far: madstad bracket, handguards, center stand, givi luggage, crampbuster, buell signals. and I still want to get a givi windshield and engine guard, skid plate and maybe that black sports screen the 650X has for the summer time. at this rate, I doubt I’ll ever be “done” farkling my wee. not to mention all the costs of repairs I’ve incurred and still have yet to do! classy motorcycling is simply not for the poor man’s pocket book – tis a pricy way of life.
p.s. the germans get *four* colors to choose from for their v-strom ABS model… More…
I broke the right turn signal after dropping my vstrom for the second time ever (and in two days!) (actually, this pic was taken after a little emergency electrical tape was applied… it was too heartbreaking to capture though!)
fuck, I thought, not the “upgrade” I was planning anytime soon. but fortunately, peoples of the internets came to the rescue and delivered onto me this mod: a well-built yet cheap pair ($24) of buell turn signals fit the vstrom almost perfectly. just a handful of washers, a little due-diligence, and I’d be right as rain for half the price of one OEM suzuki vstrom signal ($43!!)
(took a few trips to the hardware store to get the right parts, even though this helpful howto listed them all…)
success looks a little something like this: (though not my bike, the bonus is that this image makes up for last friday’s lack o’ AGF!)
this time of the orange variety… I have a feeling we are going to be seeing a lot of these, and not just because they are eye poppingly orange! (this one belongs to stromtropper E-Nigma)
update 9/3/08 — replaced the dansstorm strom pictures with those taken by e-nigma, (sorry) quality is much better! I am really starting to like the orange… plus, less need to wear high visibility clothing. ;)
this fine specimen of the Suzuki DL650 is the 2007 version outfitted for the man.
I particularly like the luggage bags – utilitarian minimalistism yet stylin’. and while I think the flat black model would look better as a police vehicle, the befitting expression of the boys in blue makes up for it.
according to this stromtrooper thread, the new suzuki wee strom’s have hit dealerships in Texas. a couple lucky stromtroopers have already purchased theirs.
here’s a couple shots of stromtrooper energywhiz123′s new ’09 650 gray beaut’:
msrp pricing for this bad boy is set at $7,199 for non-abs and $7,499 with.
first, understand that it needs to be done at least every 600 miles. second, realize that you just hit 2k miles on your new vstrom, and as far as you know, it has yet to be done… third, do it, now.
- to clean, use kerosene. I used a clean (rag) towel soaked it and scrubbed the exposed chain. since I do not possess a center stand, I had to roll the bike forward to expose more chain. rinse repeat until the entire chain had been soaked. a soft brush would be effective for those who require OCD-type clean – I did not have one thus did not reached such unsullied nirvana. there is a lot of evidence surrounding the adverse effects of using WD-40 in cleaning a chain – it is a penetrant and can wreak havok on the o-rings of chains. the suzuki owners says use kerosene, so that’s what I did.
- to check chain tension: simply push or pull on the lower part of the chain. suzuki recommends between a 0.8 and 1.2 inch give. mine was on the high side; I plan on tightening it next chain lube session. this involves moving the rear wheel back.
- to lube: use chain lube. due to availability, I chose Napa autoparts Chain and Cable spraycan lube. suzuki of course recommends their own brand, but I could not get it now. I performed the same rolling the bike forward stunt as before spraying lube on each link until satisfied.
- done? I went for a short ride around the neighborhood to ensure all felt well. it did. when I returned to the stable, I discovered a fair amount of oil fling around the rear tire and other nearby to the chain parts. a quick yet thorough wipe down ensued.
- for future: get (or make) a center stand or swing arm rear stand. this job would be much quicker may even enjoyable with the back tire free from ground contraints… continually standing then rolling the bike is a monotonous and rather time consuming task. and, probably get a better (less flingy) can of chain lube.
- good references in my quest: webbikeworld’s Motorcycle Chain Lube part one and part two, two contains a significant amount of insightful reader/editor discussion. calsci’s how to clean your drive chain article – however it contrarily suggests ye’ol’ WD-40 to clean which I would not do.
this suzuki enduro color scheme inspired wee belongs to stromtrooper user Surrlibrumm.
this look makes the yellow and new orange wee subtle by comparison.
whist riding my my v-strom six fiddy (’08) over the past 2k miles (that’s all of them by the by, including break in and a majority of commuter miles) I have averaged 54 mpg. my fill up habits tend not to push the envelope – as it can potentially cause fuel pump failure – the liquid gas cools the pump! this means I get between 220 and 250 miles per tank – then dump between 3.5 and 4.5 gallons of petroleum based black gold.
I’m ok with this, because even though I live in California, which has the highest gas prices in all the land by far, I still pay just ~$20 per fillup. and while it’s cheaper than public transport, I am trying my darnest to keep on the goin’-green-goal for the month of july/august and possibly beyond. now if only they’d hook me up with a bus seat suite… or at least let me drink my fucking coffee!
I thought this was an interesting topic, since many find they must choose one over the other (including myself.) because each bike has essentially the same *heart* (engine,) how best to distinguish them? I came across this stromtrooper thread discussing the very subject.
** technical spec comparisons:
SV650:
1/4 mile: 11.99 sec. @ 107.64 mph
0-60: 3.5 sec
0-100: 9.94 sec
(Dry weight) 412 lbs
Power: 67.2 hp @ 8930 rpm
Torque: 42.6 ft.-lb. @ 7200 rpm
* updated these specs from 2008 sv650 cycleworld review, found here.
DL650:
1/4 mile: 12.54 sec @ 101.00 mph
0-60: 3.98 sec
217 kg (479 lbs)
Power 67 hp (50 kW)
Torque 44.3 ft.lbf (60 Nm) @ 6400 rpm
** visual comparison:
SV650:
DL650:
** anecdotal comparison:
Stromtrooper user Xavier6162 summed it up best in saying:
“The SV is more like a Fighter plane. Very light, more flickable and maneuverable in a shorter amount of space because it is always on the verge of instability. Manuvers like a bicycle at very slow speeds.
Compared to the DL it is twichy (short wheelbase), not very forgiving and very easy to get yourself into trouble. Great track bike, great street fighter or great for an aggressive rider……and young foolish squids. Poor highway bike. Very uncomfortable over a 30 minute ride. Very Painful after an hour. Dead numb-paralyzed butt after 1.5 hours even with a seat upgrade. Very cramp riding position compared to the DL. Very cheap to buy (Dime a Dozen) and easy to find. Twice the insurance cost of the DL.
The DL is more of a Cesena. Very stable and forgiving.”
