nervous question

[bear7858]

hi guys,
i'm not havin any luck findin a strom in central florida. replied to floridastrom in classifieds here but he has not responded back. had one dealer about 400 miles away in georgia respond he had wee strom out of numerous e-mail inquiries. been doin some lookin around. i like the sport touring thing much better than cruisers. looked at everybodies offerings. bmw and honda are out on a price point. as far as i know that leaves the strom, kawasaki concours, and the triumph tiger. i definitely would love to find a strom. i just want to look at one and possibly sit on it. i already think its what i want according to you guys advice, opinions and testimonies. but i may not be able to find one.
made up my mind!! i wont buy anything till i at least eyeball a strom.

at the risk of bein flamed i would appreciate any opinions/experiences u guys mite have or hold about the triumph and kawasakie. i have visited their forums and they too love their machines.....but some of their issues r a bit more serious than a seat or a windshield. thanks in advance
donnie

[tinman]

Bear,

Make a vacation out of finding one - it is worth the time and effort. There has to be one somewhere in the Southeast. Are you after the 1k or the 650? With what I know now as a very happy owner, I would have gone more than 400 miles to get my tail on my terrific Weestrom.

[BBurton "BigB"]

Have you checked out cycletrader.com.... and done a Florida or another state search near you?

[BBurton "BigB"]

I just did a Florida search for "V-Strom" on cycletrader.com, and found 29 ads for bikes!!!

[bear7858]

thank u guys!! i'm on it!!

[Gilk51]

at the risk of bein flamed i would appreciate any opinions/experiences u guys mite have or hold about the triumph and kawasakie. i have visited their forums and they too love their machines.....but some of their issues r a bit more serious than a seat or a windshield. thanks in advance
donnie

The 'Strom is kind of in a class of its own. However, there are some rabid Triumph and 'saki riders out there. I ride with folks that have a good mix of bikes and all have good and not-so-good points.

My second bike is a Kawasaki ZR7S - a great general purpose 750cc bike, excellent for a first bike. Good forum here: http://www.zr-7forums.com/
They also have a strong Z1000 group.

Seen a lot of ZRX and Concours - the ZRX folks are a strong group (ZRXOA) and the Connies have COG.

Seen all kinds of Triumphs - speed triples, Sprints, Tigers. There is a strong RAT group in our area.

The advantage of living in a big metroplex area like DFW is that there are a lot of dealers and a lot of choices. You will just have to refrain from limiting yourself to just one bike!

Let me add that I think all bikes have seat issues!

[Imagine]

I can give you my thoughts on the VStrom vs. a Concours. I looked into both before I bought the VStrom, here's my opinion.

The Connie is a very capable sport-tourer. Stock lugguage, tried and true technology, good wind protection and comfortable. However there were a lot of thing I didn't like about it. It's dated.. The looks and the technology haven't changed over its long running life. I prefer fuel injection to carbs. While its not an awful looking bike, it looks like an 80s Kawasaki through and through. The Vstrom is more versatile, better looking (IMO), and newer technology.

Add bags to the Strom and it can sport-tour with the best of them. The Connie is a great bike, and relatively cheap considering its competition which is great if your not looking for anything new.

You may also want to check out www.sport-touring.net there are alot of ST owners that love their bikes, no matter which make or model.

[Fixer57]

hi guys,
i'm not havin any luck findin a strom in central florida. replied to floridastrom in classifieds here but he has not responded back. had one dealer about 400 miles away in georgia respond he had wee strom out of numerous e-mail inquiries. been doin some lookin around. i like the sport touring thing much better than cruisers. looked at everybodies offerings. bmw and honda are out on a price point. as far as i know that leaves the strom, kawasaki concours, and the triumph tiger. i definitely would love to find a strom. i just want to look at one and possibly sit on it. i already think its what i want according to you guys advice, opinions and testimonies. but i may not be able to find one.
made up my mind!! i wont buy anything till i at least eyeball a strom.

at the risk of bein flamed i would appreciate any opinions/experiences u guys mite have or hold about the triumph and kawasakie. i have visited their forums and they too love their machines.....but some of their issues r a bit more serious than a seat or a windshield. thanks in advance
donnie

Donnie did you do the cycletrader search. There were quite a few in florida. If nothing else Halls Motor sports here in Mobile has some. A red Wee strom and a black V Strom. Well the black V might be gone soon. I'll probably buy it. Good luck in your search.

[bear7858]

hi guys,
just an update on whats been goin on. did a cycletrader search. found about 25-30. most of them 4-5 hours ride away. went to a store and bought a hardcopy cycletrader. made a few calls and found a dealership 45 minutes away in orlando with both v's and wee's. also a triumph dealer and has a tiger too. will be nice to compare anyways. i'm pretty much sold on a strom though. i'll be going saturday morning.

here is what i decided. like i told u guys i've never owned a bike and its been 20 yrs + since i rode a street bike. so i'm first gonna take the msc.
then as i told u i'm about 6 ft and weigh 260. i'm definitely leaning toward the wee strom. first....although u guys think the 1k is better for touring and 2 up, i believe the wee will be better suited for me to get back in the swing. i doubt if i'll do any long distance touring. just a lot of weekend miles. my better half may join me once in a blue moon and there are a couple more friends that i have that r fems that may join me. but they all weigh less than 120 lbs. so we should should be ok for occasional 2 ups.

plus...i figure i could get a wee with bags for less than the 1k. so!! give me your opinions guys. what do ya'll think of the suzuki bags. or would the soft bags i've seen a couple guys here with suit me just as well. and would i be waisting money gettin the bigger suzuki wind screen or should i hold out for a cee bailey or other? i'm definitely gettin the crash bars the guy on the front page is advertising. along with a center stand. and thinkin hard about some kind of radiator guard too. all opinions will be noted and appreciated. thank u all so much for your patience and opinions.
donnie

[dan-c]

I was looking at the Tiger and GS before I stumbled on the V-Strom. I had never even heard of it. The more I read (and being a cheap SOB) I decided on the 'Strom 1K. Gee, you know what? Everything that people promised me before my purchase came true: the surging, the back-farting, the parts rattling loose and the most important one of all. "If you buy one, you'll LOVE it". You old timers (K2-K5's before I got mine) were right on the money. I love this bike.

[Imagine]

I think you'll be fine on the DL650. I ride two-up on mine all of the time. I'm about 190-200lbs in full gear and my wife is probably about 130-140lbs in full gear. The WeeStrom handles it just fine.

If you get the Wee (or any bike for that matter) and you want Givi bags, call up www.sporttour.com they have the cheapest prices I could find on Givi lugguage and racks, and they are good guys. My bags came in today, so I'm going down there tomorrow to pick them up. I'll post some pics as soon as I have everything installed. :D

[bear7858]

this keeps on gettin better and better. called my insurance agent this a.m. to get a qoute on insuring a strom. i am 47 yrs old, no tickets past 2 decades yadda yadda yadda. to insure a strom they want $1100 a year. progressive insurance. asked her to qoute me on kawasaki classic cruiser. $220 a year for the cruiser. $900 a year more to ride a strom. told her i was gonna change insurance companies for motorcycle insurance. know u guys have discussed this b4. any tips?

[MATTMAN]

Some companies class them as sport bikes. I think progressive classes the 650 and the 1000 the same.

[kcracker]

to insure a strom they want $1100 a year. progressive insurance.

Call 'em back and make sure that you specify that you're talking about the DL650. I'm paying 550 per year for full cov here in WA with Progressive. Also ask them if that quote included the discount for completing your Motorcycle Safety Foundation Beginner course. That makes a difference too.

so i'm first gonna take the msc.

Great idea...it'll be over simplified for you at first, but it will definitely get you re-familiarized with your controls and low speed manouvering.

i'm about 6 ft and weigh 260. <snip> my better half may join me once in a blue moon and there are a couple more friends that i have that r fems that may join me. but they all weigh less than 120 lbs. so we should should be ok for occasional 2 ups.

You'll be fine for occasional 2-up. I'm 6' and come in at about 215-220 with gear. SWMBO is 5'10" and weighs <mumble-mumble> more than what you're looking at for your passengers. The Wee-Strom handled the two of us just fine for a quick jaunt around town and on the flats. I haven't had her on board for any mountain climbing, but I'm pretty sure it would be fine (not necessarily fast...but fine).

John <--- still waiting for my top box. grr

[jackpiner57]

Try Markel American Ins. Co. Just go online and buy. My 650 was $312.00 for full coverage and was better coverage than Progressive.

Keep in mind that a portion of what you pay to Progressive Ins. Co. is donated to anti-firearms/freedom extremist groups.

I will not spend a penny with them.