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One of the nagging temptations that accompanies owning a VStrom...

6K views 51 replies 34 participants last post by  w650 
#1 ·
Is the temptation to go fast. Very, very fast. :yikes:

Just saying. :thumbsup:
 
#4 ·
You have owned enough bikes Dave to know what "fast" is, but the Stroms can for sure be ridden at a quick pace in the twisty stuff...... a Busa or a Gixxer is FAST, like we are talking 100 MPH in first gear fast!!! :fineprint::wink2:
 
#10 ·
It is still true that compared to almost any car or truck on the road short of a true supercar, a 650 V-Strom can blow their doors accelerating off the line or merging onto a highway.

It is easy to get weight off the front wheel when I come out of the toll plaza at the bridge in the morning.

I get it, its not super bike fast but still more then enough get in trouble with. I haven't owned another machine that I had to pay attention to not going 100 mph accelerating onto a fast moving highway.
 
#13 ·
I went to merge on the freeway today and it was a fur ball. Dropped it down to 4th up to 5th and slalomed through the cars into clean air with a giant grin on my face the whole time. Since the cages might have well been standing still, I'd say me Vee is plenty fast.

Note, I usually don't ride like that but it was Friday after work and had my "V-Strom" playlist blasting through my Bluetooth in the helmet. Couldn't resist.
 
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#15 ·
Stroms don't "look" fast, so it fakes people out. I ride with some guys on Wednesdays after work and the group changes some every week. The newbies on their "hot" bikes will take off on the highway showing off a little and are startled to see me next to them on this 10 year old, fugly bike. They always ask, "What is that thing?" No, it won't match a Multistrada or liter sport bike, but it keeps them honest, anyhow. I love my 1K and have spent some $$ warming it up some. Love the results.
 
#16 ·
I admit I sometimes ride my '14 Vee2 like a hooligan. Why do I wear atgatt if not to go crazy once in a while.
Love the V twin on my Vee2. Never rode an inline 4, but am going to the BMW dealer to test an S1000xr for the fun of it. May even try a Superduke gt before winter just to see what 150+ h.p. feels like.

In the end, 100hp in my Vee2 is enough for me. I just turned 60 this year, and would like to go from old age!!!
 
#17 ·
It's why I have the CBF1000.

Looks like a CBF600.....goes like the Fireblade it was born from. I just can't get a thrill off the Wee tho stripped down it is nimble, fun and comfortable.
I love the wind out of an inline four and this was is detuned from the superbike motor for more torque so pulls like a freight train .....sub 500 lb ....a thrill anytime you twist the wrist.

Careful with that S1000XR - it's also 500 lb but 160 HP.

The kids rode the Honda CBR1000rrs at a demo and both came back and said - what's the point ....160 kph in first gear ....
They enjoyed the CBR600rr much more.
 
#18 ·
Anyone can ride fast in a straight line, not many can ride fast in corners.
Also my answer to how fast can you go is, "How far can you go, you pick the start line and I will pick the finish."
 
#24 ·
My '16 650 is not liter-class performance, I knew that when I bought it.

If liter-class is what you're envious of, you bought the wrong bike!

Having said that, the twin is plenty spunky. Run it through the gears hard or even semi-hard and you'll be moving fast enough - soon enough. There are plenty of bikes the 650 or 1000 will smoke.

The 650 will routinely run 90-100+. If you're hanging up there on public roads for more than 3 seconds, well, you're an idiot.
 
#26 ·
Fast is subjective. On the street, there are all kinds of hazards as well as ticket writing humans in dark cars on the side of the road. You gotta pick your spots and your speed. That said, I felt the 650, especially after a fresh service, quick enough if you whack the throttle through the gears. We do know that little engine likes to spin up and run above 6,000 rpm. I had a 1050 Triumph before that was much faster, but after a while, I didn't really notice much difference between 30 and 70 MPH in normal riding. Off the line and above legal speeds, yes, there was a huge difference when hard on the throttle of both bikes. But in the middle, the little 650 loves that power band it was born with. IMO, not much need in many riding scenarios to have much more, although more can be fun at times too. I'll admit I wouldn't mind riding a liter sport bike now and then. My friends ZX14R was a blast and super well-mannered if your rode it normal. I'd just hate the tire budget on a bike like that though!
 
#27 ·
Lots of people are killed on bikes because the rider brings his race track mentality to public roads and highways. If you want thrills like that stay on the track where you only endanger yourself.
 
#29 ·
I have never considered any Strom fast. My Vee cruised very nicely and had plenty of passing power on the interstate. My Wee rolls all day at legal speeds and passes just fine, just a car or two at a time. Now, my S1000RR, that's fast. It is in another class then a Strom, and if you really think a Strom is fast, it simply is not. >:)
 
#30 ·
Relatively speaking....The DL 650 is not fast . Neither is the DL1000. Neither is a GSX1000R ......My buddy's son, Zach, just set a speed record on a Brock's prepped Kawasaki H2. It went from the stock 200 hp to 270 hp and then went 219 mph. Now THAT'S fast.
It's on You Tube at Brock's Kawasaki H2 219 mph . First is a 1/4 mile run at 8.9 seconds and then the top speed run.
 
#32 ·
The older I get, the more I want something that goes stupid fast, which puts me on the horns of a dilemma; every year I put off getting that stupid fast Gixxer (or whatever) is one more year that my reflexes degrade and make me even less capable of riding it without creating a Jackson Pollock painting on the side of a building.

I should probably just do the responsible thing and buy a Royal Enfield.
 
#35 ·
Gave the V2 a squirt the other day to get past 3 or 4 cars, and hit 100mph fairly smartly all in 3rd gear ;) Dixie was pillioning with me, she didnt seem to fazed ;) the V2 is a bit of a quiet achiever ;)
(Hinze Raceway for the Aussies that know it )
 
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