I've noticed a lot of ex GS owners in this forum. Some have talked about how the v-strom is more reliable than their previous BMWs. I always thought BMWs were super reliable, almost Honda-like. Is this not the case? Please elaborate on some of the common maladies, particularly on the GS models.

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Nevada Montagu
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08 V-Strom 650 ABS
05 YZ250

the biggest advantage of a bmw over an asian bike is longevity, in 20 years you will be able to find parts for the bmw, in 7 years, some parts of your asian bike are now obsolete

if yer getting a new bike every 5 years, the bmw is not worth the money, if your buing a bike that you want to be your last bike, the beemer will be serviceable

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RandyO
IBA# 9560
07 Strom 1k (7x,xxx miles)
99 SV650 (135,006 miles)
82 XV920R
A man with a gun is a citizen
A man without a gun is a subject
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I wonder if this will be true in 5 years since BMW is outsourcing so many parts now, including entire engines.

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-Tom (DL650AL2) (KA1TOX) (E-I-E-I-O)

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I question this. The BMW has a almost cult like following and this supports the parts availability where this isn't the case with most Japan based manufacturers. However there are lots of old Honda's etc. still on the road and I have yet to hear of the owners having to park it because of parts availability. I think it is just the impression due to the lack of "cult" following.

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Nothing is more destructive of respect for the government and the law of the land than passing laws which cannot be enforced.
Albert Einstein

09 Moto Guzzi Stelvio (Red of course)
07 DL650 Blue (wife's)
05 DL650 Grey.. (retired )

Stromtrooper Offroad Riders #7

For the difference in purchase price and maintenance costs, you can buy two Japanese bikes. The benefit here being you can buy a V-Strom now, and in seven years buy a new-and-improved Strom w/ all kinds of new technology.

That's hilarious! BMW is more expensive to buy, more expensive to own, more expensive to operate, more expensive to look at....and they crap out final drives. When I was at the ADV rally a couple weeks ago there was a team of dudes working on a dead GS because the slave cylinder failed. They had to:

• pull the rear wheel
• remove the exhaust can
• pull the rear shock

then they had a bitch of a time getting the slave cylinder off because of its location.

ON the DL1000 it takes two cable ties to bind the clutch lever and a 5mm hex wrench to remove the slave. And those BMW guy's snub the Strom?

There is a cult aspect, but it's true that you can still get most OEM BMW parts from the dealer, even for old bikes. Old Honda parts are mostly aftermarket, ebay, and third party suppliers, especially for popular models like the CB750.

I bought a bunch of 1995 OEM BMW parts last month including several tools missing out of the toolkit of a K75. I doubt I'll be able to do that for the DL650 in 10 years.

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-Tom (DL650AL2) (KA1TOX) (E-I-E-I-O)

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That's hilarous, at some ficticious ride there was a team of dudes trying to change the spark plug on the rear cylinder of a dead Wee Strom, they had to

• pull the sub fairings
• pull the tank
• etc.......

We've had enough people here complaining of problems on both DL models, mainly:

buffeting
FI problems
sore asses
seeping gaskets
shitty springs
wooden brakes

I'd really watch throwing stones while living in a glass house. The internet has a way of magnifying all types of problems.

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Ian

'07 KLX250S - Road
'00 CBR600F4 - Track

"The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page" - St. Augustine

I am not a BWM expert, but I have owned a few. They were great motorcycles. They were built very well with top quality components and materials. BUT....they can break, and when they do it costs a lot to fix them. They are expensive to maintain, but then all bikes are if you paid a dealer to do the real service that is recommended.

I sold my last BMW's as I could no longer use it as I wanted. (Back issues). I had gotten my DL650 as a second bike for playing on. The Suzuki is not the equal of the BMW, don't let anyone tell you that it is. After all, my BMW cost almost three times as much as my 650 V so how could one expect it to be.

What the Suzuki is, however, is a great value in a motorcycle. Its hard to find a machine that delivers the value that the Stom does for its price. The BMW has a certain following. Those owners are willing to pay the extra money for what they see as a premium brand. Now, most of them are great people, some of them are a bit...ummmmm....snobbie, but that is the minority. You find the same with Harley riders. Most are really dedicated riders who do some serious miles on those machines. When they do break some howl at the expense of fixing them. But to be fair, if you look at which motorcycles commonly reach high mileages, as in 100,000 plus, you will find more BWM's than any other brands.

This in no way detracts from what a fantastic value the Vstom is. Suzuki has done a wonderful job of building a motorcycle that can do a lot of tricks for a little money. They have a great engine that will last for countless miles if given reasonable care. But, as was mentioned, will we be able to get spares in twenty years?

I needed some minor parts for my old BMW, a 1988 K100RS. Went to the dealer and they had some in stock, others had to be ordered. Had all the parts in like three or four days and the price was no more than what Nippon parts would cost. Now, get into something like a clutch job and that changes. The BMW can put you into shock mode when you find out that it will be a $1,000 or more job. But reality is this doesn't happen too often.

I love my Suzuki and am amazed they can build such a fine machine for the price. I also know the limits of the bike and can live with them. I will not bash on BWM as they are an old respected brand that was cranking out great motorcycles long before Suzuki, Honda, et al. ever thought about it. I don't plan on keeping my Vsrom for twenty years so I am not concerned about future parts. After all, Suzuki will come out with new bikes and I can afford to replace the Vstom at a reasonable price for less than what the depreciation would be on a BWM.

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'05 DL 650 Vstrom, Best value ride of all time.
'07 Triumph Tiger 1050 Feel the Power!
BMW K1200 GT, Gone but never forgotten

Happiness is having a motorcycle with more power than you will ever need.

I put about 50,000 miles on a BMW R90S, 10,000 miles on A BMW R65LS and 30,000 miles on a pair of Suzuki DL650s, the last one with ABS. I hope BMW has improved the line a lot since I rode them because the V-Strom is by far the best of the bunch. I had a Honda CB500, a CX500 and a Yamaha XS1100E at the same time as the R90S. I spent more on that R90S to keep it going than all the other bikes combined and I traded it in because the right cylinder continued to burn oil even after a rebuild.

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Pat- 2007 DL650A was ridden to all 48 contiguous states. 2012 DL650A is just getting started.
Nicknames for posting ease on my part, Vee = all DL1000s. Wee = 2004-2011 DL650s. Glee = 2012+ DL650s