[reppu1]

Hi all,

New member and first post. Been bikeless for a few years and the 1000 is on my short list of possible bikes for this year. I've never been a fan of V-twins, but that may be because all my V-twin experience has been on cruisers - a Kawasaki Vulcan 2000 and a Victory Cross Country. Didn't care for either of them, but I know cruisers are engineered to have a particular sound and feel.

I'm hoping/thinking that the 1000 may be much more to my liking. Can anyone comment on how the 1000 compares to cruiser twins? Perhaps smoother and less rough feeling?

The bikes I mentioned were borrowed from friends or rentals. I've always owned four-cylinder bikes.

Thanks.

 

[LoneStrom]

Apples and oranges.!!.Vtwin cruisers are all about low end torque and they are usually low reving engines.The DL1000 is alot higher reving and in stock form is not much fun under 3,000 rpm's,BUT it has a wonderful rush of power over 5,000 rpm's.


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[LoneStrom]

Oh and by the way my other bike is a GS850,love in line 4's...


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[reppu1]

Thanks Lonestrom. Gotta find one for sale and take it for a little ride.

 

[richw]

The V twin - ness is only 1 of many factors

Many years ago there was a race displacement advantage to Vtwins vs I4s. So Ducati ruled and everyone had a performance twin. Vstrom the grandchild of this affair. Harleys and clones grew from basically a desire to get more power cheaply by adding a cylinder which had many common parts with the single they replaced. OR about 50 HP vs nearly 100. My Craftsman mower has a Vtwin for the same reason as Harleys

Because the pistons are big and the stroke is long then usually they don't rev well and breath at high RPMs and as such are tuned for mid range torque push

 

[SittingDuck]

Yes, the stroms feel very much like an inline 4 compared to a cruiser; the 650 more so than the 1000.

 

[Scott E. Bonds]

I have a Vee (1000) and a Harley Twin Cam Road King. the two engines are complete opposites.

Harley needs much less shifting and rides in a sweet spot of 2300 to 2700 rpm. Revs much slower also. It shakes a bunch but its rubber mounted so the vibrations mostly do not make it to the frame.

V Strom has a sweet spot between 3000 and 6000 rpm. It is internally counter balanced and rigidly mounted to the frame. You get a slight buzz through the handlebars and foot pegs. Revs very quickly.

I llike both styles, but the Vee gets ridden much more.

 

[JRWalker]

bike for bike there almost nothing alike. i used to ride cruisers and, it took me a while to get used to DL1000. especially the 6th. gear overdrive.

 

[invisabiker]

Never had a vee but i had a sv1000 which has the same engine with a different tune. it depend what kind of riding you do. my riding is mostly below 50 mph. (city/slow backroads) i really didn't like the 1000 that much. it doesn't like to run below 3500 rpms even with mods. my wee is much better for my kind of riding.

 

[gryphon51]

Hi all,

New member and first post. Been bikeless for a few years and the 1000 is on my short list of possible bikes for this year. I've never been a fan of V-twins, but that may be because all my V-twin experience has been on cruisers - a Kawasaki Vulcan 2000 and a Victory Cross Country. Didn't care for either of them, but I know cruisers are engineered to have a particular sound and feel.

I'm hoping/thinking that the 1000 may be much more to my liking. Can anyone comment on how the 1000 compares to cruiser twins? Perhaps smoother and less rough feeling?

The bikes I mentioned were borrowed from friends or rentals. I've always owned four-cylinder bikes.

Thanks.

These V-twins are nothing like you have experienced, but if you want smooth, do the 650...
the 1000 is an out of control monster..... I traded a VL1500 Cruiser in on my 1000, there is no comparism, the speed and acceleration of the VStrom will impress you, even if you are used to inline 4's....

 

[Illinois]

Try the Vee on some backroad twisties before making your decision. :yesnod:

 

[Garbage Marc]

The only v twin motor in a cruiser that is anything like the V Strom is the Harley V Rod.
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[marshallnoise]

Yeah, I came from I4s in sportbikes. So this was a change for me, but, it still has that rush that the I4 has. Plus it pulls like a freight train. Scares me at times. :thumbup:

 

[SittingDuck]

These V-twins are nothing like you have experienced, but if you want smooth, do the 650...
the 1000 is an out of control monster..... I traded a VL1500 Cruiser in on my 1000, there is no comparism, the speed and acceleration of the VStrom will impress you, even if you are used to inline 4's....

The dl1k out of control? lol; when I demo rode one I thought the clutch was slipping. I probably gave the vee an unjust comparison as I'd rideen my inline 4 (85 gs1150 with some extra oomph) to the dealership, so the back to back comparison was less than favourable.

Compared to a blinged out 1500cc cruiser, a 175cc 2smoke scooter seems massively powerful.

I'd say the dl1k's power delivery is comparable to that of an early eighties suzuki GSx 750.

 

[nhbubba]

...all my V-twin experience has been on cruisers - a Kawasaki Vulcan 2000 and a Victory Cross Country.

As said, totally different animal.

Applies to displacement too. So much so you should add the DL650 to your consideration too.

I do a lot of Interstate highway commuting. All of my cruiser bound family and friends swore up and down that I needed my head examined for even considering a 'little' 650. Get a "real bike" they said (and continue to say). The problem is cruiser twins are so poorly tuned that everyone thinks you need massive displacement to get reasonable power/performance. This isn't so.

The 'strom is more sport bike in this regard. Even the 650 has plenty of punch for highway use.

Shortly before I bought my 'wee' last year I had the pleasure of riding a friends nearly new Shadow 750. The bike has a 750cc EFI twin, but only one throttle body and only manages ~35HP yet is saddled with ~550lbs of weight. Around town its okay, the torque sees to that. But out on the highway everything goes south. Passing power is hard to come by.

Meanwhile the DL650 makes 60-something HP and is close to 75lbs lighter. It makes for a much more lively ride.

Those middle-weight cruisers have earned their bad rep using simple, stone age tech. Modern twins like the 'stroms use are a different deal.

 

[gsinpei]

Wee could be a better choice

After everything I read I chose the wee and couldn't be happier.
It will go from 0 to the speed limit in 4 to 5 seconds, and it's smooth, handles great and has better fuel economy. I did change from the stock 15 to a 17 tooth sprocket to keep the revs down a bit and it still has plenty of power.
Try one, you may just like it!

 

[SittingDuck]

[...]All of my cruiser bound family and friends swore up and down that I needed my head examined for even considering a 'little' 650. Get a "real bike" they said (and continue to say). The problem is cruiser twins are so poorly tuned that everyone thinks you need massive displacement to get reasonable power/performance. This isn't so.[..]

Yeah, "there's no replacement for displacement" is still going around; At least the car-scene kids caugfht on to the fact that bigger cylinders didn't really breathe better.
Small cylinders, high volumetric efficiencies and high rpm make much more power than those big garbage cans they wrap around 60 lb cranks...

Honda had a 6 cylinder 250cc GP bike back in the sixties that made over 60 hp; The pistons were the size of my thumb.

 

[Phodius]

At what point does a "V" Twin become an "L" Twin. Our cylinders are 90 degrees...so I'd call it an "L" twin and a VERY different engine than the 45-55 degree "V" twins out there not only in looks but in the way it makes its useable power as well. My Vee is NOTHING like the VTX it replaced.

 

[gryphon51]

The only v twin motor in a cruiser that is anything like the V Strom is the Harley V Rod.
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truth.... ironically a bike that was one of the most hated Harley's by some self proclaimed Harley enthusiasts when launched...

 

[PTRider]

At what point does a "V" Twin become an "L" Twin. Our cylinders are 90 degrees...so I'd call it an "L" twin and a VERY different engine than the 45-55 degree "V" twins out there not only in looks but in the way it makes its useable power as well. My Vee is NOTHING like the VTX it replaced.

Yep. Ducati has been building 90° L-twin engines for the last 40 years or so. Call it L, call it V, either way, sweet engine configuration.

Reppu1, include a 650 V-Strom in your test riding just for the fun of doing so. It may be an eye opener.