[Flyguy]

I have been away from motorcycling for awhile. I am thinking about purchasing a DL 1000 with nearly 20K miles. How wqell do these bikes hold up? Should I be concerned about the mileage? (I want it to last awhile.)

 

[larry0071]

Your good to go.

I love my 03!

I have nothing bad to say at all in my 4K miles I've added to it in the last 2 months. Comfort, power, style (Hey... I like it!).

I also commute on it daily. Overall, I think it is about the best bike for me.... except maybe for a ST1300 or if I hit the lotto a BMW 1200GS. But that is not happening, so this is the best realistic bike for me.

You can crank the rear shock low enough for a 30" inseam and in 10 seconds crank it up for 2-up riding. That is a very nice feature I did not know I would appreciate. It handles 2-up like a dream, eats up miles of interstate like a hungry dog, outruns traffic with a mild twist of the throttle, can handle elevation changes with the best of them, has really great lighting and the overdrive is super cool!

 

[janiceclanfield]

Here's me and Freya. She's an '03 with 90K kilometers on her.

Had to replace the Air Intake Temperature sensor, but that's it for parts replacement. Everything else was just normal maintenance.

She zooms...

Buy it, you'll like it.

 

[Flyguy]

Thanks for your input

Thanks to all of you who responded...sounds like the mileage is of little concern. (Back in the sixties, a bike with 20K was pretty well spent).

 

[bureaucrat]

20k is kaka. The reason used bikes don't sell for any more than they do is because many folks don't understand that bike engines have been hardened and run as long as many cars. Maintenance is cheap and fairly easy if you like skinned knuckles.

Plus, if you buy it you will be in the fine company of Ms. Canfield. I've had an open offer of marriage to her for at least 5 years, but she keeps saying something about Holland and their dikes or something. I just don't understand.

 

[Cake_Kat]

Even if it breaks you'll still want to keep it.

 

[janiceclanfield]

20k is kaka. The reason used bikes don't sell for any more than they do is because many folks don't understand that bike engines have been hardened and run as long as many cars. Maintenance is cheap and fairly easy if you like skinned knuckles.

Plus, if you buy it you will be in the fine company of Ms. Canfield. I've had an open offer of marriage to her for at least 5 years, but she keeps saying something about Holland and their dikes or something. I just don't understand.

Actually it's Clanfield, not Canfield.

Besides, I spoke to your wife and she's definitely not interested in a 3 way affair.

Hmmm, Maybe she's interested in a 2 way one though.

Does she speak Lesbianese?

 

[swingset]

20k is barely broken in on a Vee.

The 03's are the best, btw, they're the fastest, and sexiest, and coolest by far.

Not biased.

 

[bwringer]

There's someone around with over 200,000 miles on their Vee... 20K ain't nuthin'.

However... if you haven't ridden in a while, I might gently suggest that a tall, heavy, powerful bike like a Vee is jumping back into the deep end of the pool with both feet, no lifeguard, and a couple of alligators hiding on the bottom.

Not sure how long you've been away, but PLEASE please please consider at least getting some training to acquaint yourself with the incredible capabilities of modern tires, suspension, and brakes. Even if you've only been away for a few years, you owe it to yourself and your loved ones to brush up your dormant skills ASAP.

I feel a marked loss of skill after being forced off the bike for a few weeks in the winter -- I can't imagine how rusty I'd be after being away for a year or more.

In the last few years there has been an explosion in the availability of excellent, professional rider training out there. I highly recommend the Lee Parks Total Control Riding clinics.

Even taking (or re-taking) the MSF's Basic RiderCourse would be an excellent skills reboot.

 

[cbennett5199]

About 40K on my '03. Never a problem. Just maintain, add farkles, and ride like heck. You'll love it.

And... I agree with bwringer -- take your time to reacquaint and increase your safety knowledge.

Good luck.

 

[bureaucrat]

About 40K on my '03. Never a problem. Just maintain, add farkles, and ride like heck. You'll love it.

And... I agree with bwringer -- take your time to reacquaint and increase your safety knowledge.

Good luck.

ditto. It isn't as heavy as big cruisers or road couches, but it is tall. If you have an inseam of 30" or less, consider installing lowering links (cheap). I have found myself embarrassed and picking it up at stop signs when my toes land on gravel. Lowering links solve that.

MSF was the one smart thing I've ever done in my pitiful life. Made me a better car driver as well, I think.

 

[Flyguy]

It sounds like the mileage is not much of a concern

Thanks again for all of the response. The bike is going for $3700. Does that sound like a fair price for an '03 with the mileage?

 

[superman]

you havent mentioned

what farkles she has.. i picked up an 03 with 30,000 miles this spring.. she was sportin $5000.00 worth of accessories, was in excellent cond. and I got her for 5 grand.. but i consider myself lucky.. not to mention its yellow which is a thousand dollar upgrade over silver.. dont worry about the price.. JUST BUY IT AND RIDE

 

[Veerider]

I just got back into riding after a 20 year absence and bought an 03 Vee with just shy of 20k back in April. I paid quite a bit less than 3700, but she needed new tires, sprockets and a few other things. Probably the thing you would want to know most is has the valves been adjusted recently and was a throttle body sync done at the same time?..and what other items need attention right off the bat such as plugs, filters, etc. I also took the MSF basic rider course and it helped a lot with the basics, but really does not prepare you for much other than taking baby steps towards getting back on the road. I agree with the poster who said that modern day bikes have very powerful brakes. Let me give you a tip - do not even use the front brake at speeds less than 5mph and especially while turning. That will pull you to the ground like a magnet. I've also learned that feathering the rear brake while using the clutch in the friction zone will give you additional stability and control. Lastly the Vee requires some serious throttle control in both directions. The engine has a lot of natural braking so you must use caution in how fast you roll off and it also has enough power to want to come off the ground if you hammer it. The bike is extremely fun to ride and is a hoot screaming along in 2nd gear at like 5k rpm...it will flat out boogie and put a grin on your face!

 

[luckyrxc]

2003 V Strom

I bought my '03 in December with 10,500 miles. I finished the car in May and have put 2,000+ miles on it since. I am really pleased with it.

 

[larry0071]

I recently gave $5,500 for an 03 DL1000 with about $4K of farkles.

 

[bureaucrat]

I bought my '03 in December with 10,500 miles. I finished the car in May and have put 2,000+ miles on it since. I am really pleased with it.

You, my friend, have raised the farkle bar. We kneel at your feet.

Did you do anything to stiffen the front forks on the bike? I've heard that having a sidecar puts lateral strain on the suspension because the geometry is totally different when doing corners.

 

[jmillington]

I have 34k miles on my 02 V-Strom, have had regular maintenance done, and it runs perfect!
However, I only have $3800 in farkles on it.

 

[dphares]

go for it.

i recently bought an 02 w/ 36k miles and a bunch of great mods for $2500. it runs like a beast from hell. i know multiple people with bikes with 80k plus. its an outstanding bike for the money. i sold an 09 klr i'd paid double the amount for and got twice the bike in return. my only very minor complaint is the marginal gas mileage. its pretty powerful. i'd call it an intermediate level bike.

 

[luckyrxc]

You, my friend, have raised the farkle bar. We kneel at your feet.

Did you do anything to stiffen the front forks on the bike? I've heard that having a sidecar puts lateral strain on the suspension because the geometry is totally different when doing corners.

Thanks for your kind words, Bureaucrat. I did install heavy fork springs but I have not added a fork brace. When I take the rig off the road next winter, I am planing to do a steering mod to reduce the trail. I will either build plates to push the axle forward a couple of inches, or will build leading link forks.
I've not yet decided which I will build.

Here is a link to the sidecar build project if you are interested. I bought the bike just before Christmas and started the build on New Years. It's maiden voyage was 1,350 miles in mid-May. V Strom Outfit - boxertwin's Photos