Sorry I can't relate to your rant... But I'll take your word on it...

I'm one of those guys that has a 2012 V-Strom 650 ADV. And I really do like my bike. I tried previous years of 1000s & 650s and did not feel like it was a good fit for me, but the 2012 DL650 feels different & I like it!

I even like the stock seat. I changed out the pannier system, added ROX risers, Barkbuster Storm handguards & Yann'a skid plate and hwy pegs. I'm good to go. So far I've done 4 multi-thousand mile trips.

I like my DL650 Adventure.

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KJ

2012 V-Strom 650-ADV, 2013 V-Strom 650, 2008 TW200, 2013 CRF250L (Member: AMA & IBA)

Ad-ven-ture: 1. an undertaking involving risk, unforeseeable danger, or unexpected excitement. 2. an exciting or remarkable experience. Trav-ell-er: 1. one who seeks to experience their world. 2. one who seeks to be immersed in other cultures.

Sounds like you need to pick another brand, and simply walk away from Suzuki..no ?

I have been thinking " NC " lately !!.


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1982 GS850..BLACK SUNSHINE,the tripod
2007 DL996AR..BRUTUS
Ah screw it,I'm goin ridin !!!!!!!!

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KJ

2012 V-Strom 650-ADV, 2013 V-Strom 650, 2008 TW200, 2013 CRF250L (Member: AMA & IBA)

Ad-ven-ture: 1. an undertaking involving risk, unforeseeable danger, or unexpected excitement. 2. an exciting or remarkable experience. Trav-ell-er: 1. one who seeks to experience their world. 2. one who seeks to be immersed in other cultures.

I have posted several times on this forum that for several years I had fully expected to buy a Wee after having lurked on this forum that whole time and gaining familiarity with the complaints of Vee owners. But on that fateful day when I turned up at the dealership with my cash (well, my credit card...) a test ride convinced me to get the Vee. I just found it more interesting to ride.

It has clutch chudder, but I was expecting that and I can live with it. I will replace the basket when I have the time.

It has clutch grab. This I was not expecting and I can tell you it comes as a bit of a suprise when you are pulling away from the lights with high RPM in first and you experience the same effect as suddenly releasing the clutch lever. I am hoping the clutch basket mod will fix this also...

But then...after a long ride through the countryside I found my bike stalling, coughing, spluttering. I lost my faith in the bike. I know it is just the TPS that needs to be replaced, but after mapping out a 500km ride on Google maps the other day a thought appeared in my mind that I have never had before with any other bike : Is the Vee going to get me there and back ? The answer is most likely yes but the question is there nonetheless.

...and this is the thought that keeps going through my mind. How could Suzuki have gotten so many things wrong on the same bike ? Every bike I have ever owned was Japanese, several of them more than 20 years old, but I have never had ANY issues with them, or perhaps it is more accurate to say that I never lost faith in any of them. Whatever issues were there were very minor. Now every time I go out on the Vee I am waiting for the stator to fail (which is one problem I have not yet suffered).

I do enjoy riding the Vee, even when 99% of my riding is to work and back. When I am on the bike I ask myself "How can I give this up?". But I do find myself modifying the way I ride to allow for the bikes idiosyncrasies. My particular Vee is proving to be quite a difficult bike to ride and that limits how hard I can push it on the few occassions that I do feel like behaving like a hoon.

If I'm honest, I do not need a lot of encouragement to change bikes, but I was kind of hoping that the Vee was going to be the bike I was going to grow old with, the bike that ends up covered with stickers from far away lands, covered with dust and mud and panels held on with duct tape. I certainly didn't expect to be trawling "bikepoint.com.au" after just 8 months of ownership, checking to see how much people were selling theirs Vees for and seeing what other bike I could get for the money.

I think that if I have any further issues with the bike, our relationship will be at an end. I just have no idea what bike I would go to from here (Wee? GS500? Back to a Bandit 1200?)

I am in pretty much the same situation but was hoping the Vee would be my ticket to longer range riding (I was intending to build up to the ozzie equivilent of the Iron Butt thingo). If I knew I was going to be limited to just commuting there are far smaller, lighter, cheaper bikes more suited to the purpose. But then again, I am not exactly a light-weight myself and the Vee is the only bike I have felt comfortable on.

I do not yet regret buying the Vee but the honeymoon is definately over. On the plus side, most of my farkles will transfer across to a Wee...

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Owning a Vee is the very definition of a love-hate relationship..

So is the new DL1000 (2013??? 2014???) going to be the magic bullet? Will it have the improvements that will make it worth waiting for?

I'm really enjoying my Wee and it was the perfect choice for me, but there are some aspects of a Vee I would like-but with out the shortfalls.

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'08 Wee

Anytime I go more than 100 miles away I take a stator and RR with me !!.
I have already lost 1 of each in the first 30,000 miles..

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1982 GS850..BLACK SUNSHINE,the tripod
2007 DL996AR..BRUTUS
Ah screw it,I'm goin ridin !!!!!!!!

Could be worse! You could have purchased an 06 Buell Uly. For 14k and been left alonside the road 3 times during rush hour. Then Hardley pulls the plug on Eric Buell just as he gets the Uly sorted out. This drops resale value to zilch. Need to rebuild the electronics and also rear wheel. It was a great bike other than the engineer that designed the electronics for the Uly should done the honerable thing. So far very happy with the Wee. Test drove a Vee and it just didn't do it for me.

The Uly was on my list when I bought the V !!.


Sent from my iPhone using Motorcycle.com App

__________________
1982 GS850..BLACK SUNSHINE,the tripod
2007 DL996AR..BRUTUS
Ah screw it,I'm goin ridin !!!!!!!!

A very enjoyable thread.