Am I crazy to be thinking that I would rather have a V-Strom 650 than my perfectly good 02 Gold Wing with ABS, a bike I have enjoyed for many trips and thousands of care free miles? The situation: I am 68 and beginning to feel the 830 plus pounds are too much for my knees and legs, and I am not great at parking lot speeds. But it's highly visiable and pretty much unbeatable for comfort on long trips. But it is also somewhat boring, almost too comfortable. I also have an 08 KLR650 with a bunch of stuff including Happy Trails panniers. A great bike for the money and one of the most fun things I ever sat on. But I took it on about a 1,000 miles trip recently and it wore be out on the interstate not to mention everybody was passing me and it didn't feel real stable over about 75. I really don't need but one bike. Am thinking about trading the KLR650 for a new 08 DL650A if dealer can find one. I think he offered me a fair deal if he can locate what I want. I don't like the gray, only color available in ABS, and would probably get it painted yellow, subject to cost. Anyway, don't want to make a mistake, but if I trade and like I would sell the Wing, which surely wouldn't hurt in retirement. Also, the KLR is for sale if anyone is interested before (and if) I trade it. Any suggestions or advice appreciated.

I own both an 02 GL1800ABS and an 08 Wee Strom. The Wee is a great adventure tourer and twisty road basher but there are other bikes that could be considered if light weight touring is your objective. I have ordered a new Honda NT700V shaft drive tourer with hard bags and decent fairing. It will cost twice as much as I paid for used 08 Wee but what the hell we only go around once. After 7 years and 87K miles I also am getting tired of 900 plus pound Wing and at 69 years old I want something lighter for touring. I will keep the Wee and more than likely sell the Wing.
The Wee can be made into a decent touring bike but it just takes more work and the results wont be as nice for slab riding. Several BMW models and many metric cruisers would also fit your needs.

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04 Kaw KDX220
06 Suz DL1000
09 Suz DR650
11 Kaw KLE650 Versys

Well, I'm only about 2/3rd's your age, and I rented an '08 Gold Wing last summer for 24 hours, put about 400+ miles on it, gave it back to the dealer, and thought that I'd never need to do that again. Felt much more at home when I left the dealer on my Strom. Ahhhh...

Pros- great for 2 people, gobs of power (it never ended!), rode like a 2-wheeled sport-coupe Caddy.
Cons- Didn't like it as rider only, WAY too many do-dads for me, hotter than h*** above about 77 degrees, and yes, the heat vents were closed. Heavy, heavy, heavy- frankly, a bit of a pig until I was rolling. Hard clutch to modulate/feather, too, quite on/off at the clutch, and with all that engine power I had a couple pucker moments when rolling off from a stop or slow speed maneuvers.

I think either VStrom with a seat upgrade (Sargent World Sport for me), windshield upgrade (Givi on Madstad bracket for me), and some "meets-your-needs" luggage would work out very well for just about any rider looking for a basic, well-mannered, reliable, comfortable motorcycle. I've also lowered mine with KB rear end lowering links from Murph's Kits (lowers the rear 3/4") and raised the fork tubes in the triple clamps the same 3/4", making it easier for me to mount/dismount and get my feet on the ground.

Hope this helps.

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Steve.
Twin Cities, MN, USA
Blue '07 650
"With the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit happiness comes responsibility, to yourself and others. With responsibility comes accountability. Without responsibility, without accountability, we cannot and will not be a free and civilized society."
-Me, Steve T.

Hey Turtle,

When you get that new Honda and have some long miles logged, could you give a report back on your impressions? It looks like a nice alternative in the mid-size tourer market (about the only choice...), but from photos it looks to me that the seat-to-footpeg distance is more compact than on a VStrom. Not sure that my knees would like that. But it looks like a good machine. Best of luck with it!

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Steve.
Twin Cities, MN, USA
Blue '07 650
"With the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit happiness comes responsibility, to yourself and others. With responsibility comes accountability. Without responsibility, without accountability, we cannot and will not be a free and civilized society."
-Me, Steve T.

Thanks for the replies. I too have considered one of the new (to the U.S.) Honda NT700's. I've also been the BMW route and although I loved my last r1100r, maintenance and repairs were too tough on wallet and dealers are too few and final drive failures too many.

My father bought a new 08 Wing last year. He has ridden motorcycles his whole life and decided it was time for the "couch." However after riding it a few times I quit calling it that. It was really impressive. Tons of power and handled great. However my father could not get used to the low speed maneuvers. My father and I switched off bikes a few times on some of our trips. I rode it a few times on some gravel roads in SW Ohio and is was really intimidating. We were doing some exploring and I had to turn in around in some tight off-camber situations. Wow, I don't want to do that again. The weight is just unreal when you get off balance and try to hold it up. He decided it didn't match his style of riding and wanted something that was a little more adventure capable. I know some people, maybe even you have taken these machines to the end of the earth. But neither I or him wanted to see it fall over and hear all the plastic crack. He sold it this summer, not a scratch on it. Held its resale very well and he really didn't lose too much money. My point to all this rambling is that he loves the Wee and has said several times he wished he would have bought one instead. He is content with riding his SV1000 for now. Everything however is one's opinion and everyone likes something different.

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2008 Wee Strom "Yellar"
1979 Suzuki GS1000
2008 Suzuki DRZ 400 SM
2008 Honda Metro "Hers"

Unless you need the somewhat better off-road capability, you'll find the DL650 a big improvement over the KLR.
The Strom really does go almost anywhere, including hiways.
As for the Wing, I got fed up with the weight of my Bandit 1200 and moved initially to a KLR. While I did miss some of the power, my aching knees and back preferred the lighter weight.

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Fred
Ignorance killed the cat. Curiosity was framed.
Sarcasm is not just a right, but a responsibility.

In my motorcycle history, I've had a hard time finding a bike that strikes the right balance for meeting my needs. I like the minimalism of a motorcycle, but not so much so that I'm being tortured on long trips. I like to tour, but if I wanted a car, I'd take the car. So I never ventured toward the Goldwing.

Having just picked up the Wee, and taking my first long trip, I know one thing: I found it, the motorcycle that hits all the bold points, and then some. The Wee, even with the stock screen, and stock seat, is amazing. The power is wonderful, the handling is spot on. I love the riding position.

So my opinion, and it's just that, is know what you want, and then find it. Maybe it's the Goldwing, maybe it's the Wee, maybe something altogether different. But know what your hot buttons are, then research, research, research.

My research brought me to two and a half choices: The FZ6, and the two V-strom choices. I nearly bought a Vee, but from my past bad choices, I knew the Wee was the way to go . I stayed true to my gut, and the rest is history. I'm thrilled.

Good luck!

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"Spent my days with a woman unkind, smoked my stuff and drank all my wine..."

I sold my 2002 K1200LT and got my wee this summer. The flying couch had served us well and the thing always got 45-50 mpg. We rode it all over the US but anticipated changes in the family situation and me, too, getting tired of the big bike got me thinking to buy a naked sport bike. After a bunch of test rides I ended up going back to the Suz dealer to ride the V-strom again - thought I wanted the 1000 - but eventually rode home on the 650.
I miss the excellent wind protection and the long-distance comfort and all the farkles (stereo, intercom, heated seats etc.) but I don't miss picking the darn thing up after falling over with it on the camp ground or in the grocery store parking lot and I don't miss the tupperware parties preceding any maintenance. I have not really looked back since. We'll see what happens in the long term....

Funny that you should ask! I had an '07 Wing ABS as my main ride prior to buying my DL1000 about 2 years ago. I never looked back. I only ride one-up as my wife has zero interest in the bikes. While the Wing was everything promised, powerful and silky smooth on the highway or secondary roads, very well-balanced, and of course over the top in features, I just tired of dealing with 950 lbs of bike all the time. Particularly in close quarters, etc. I just never got comfortable with it.

Also interesting is that I also have an '08 KLR that I bought prior to getting the Vee. It is now for sale as I never ride it anymore! Anything that I can do on the KLR I can do on the Vee. I have thrashed the Vee unmercifully off-road and it never misses a beat. Other than standing more than I did on the KLR, it is a far better overall machine on the forest and logging trails, and of course no comparison when back to the blacktop.

Though I will remain a multi-bike guy (I have an FJR sport-tour), there is no doubt that my '04 Vee is my favorite of the pack, and actually I would say my favorite that I have ever owned.

If you do get a Vee (or a Wee), unless you are riding two-up over distance, my guess is that the Wing might not accumulate too many more miles... Good luck!

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Gerald Massey
07 R1200RT
04 DL1000 (Sold)
02 KLR650