[19inches]

I too am interested in the best mods. I live in Western Massachusetts. I see you live in San Diego. They have washboards in San Diego? We get frost heaves and pot holes . I ride up into N.H. and Vermont. So I too am interested some suspension opinions. I have been riding a ZX9 and have just purchased an 02 DL 1000. Stock except a power commander.

 

[OydnaR]

Ohlins/WPSuspension/Elka/Penske

I'm running WP but the others are just as good

 

[richw]

Pipes just make noise

Get the ECU remapped at a real dyno Shop should be 300

When chudder find real shelby

I have a murph kit fork brace

There are better shocks or there is Susquath who will redo your stock one

Most want new windshield and mirror changes to eliminate buffeting

 

[PTRider]

The best? Simple. Traxxion AK-20 cartridge kit.
AK-20 Axxion Cartridge Kit

For the rear, you might equal but can't beat the Ekla shock from svracingparts.com
SVRacingParts.com
Note that if you don't ride with a passenger, you might consider the shock without the remote preload adjuster, and it is cheaper. Ask Blair.

 

[agrippa1]

I personally found that the PC III made a huge difference in how my Vee ran. The gas mileage was worse because I rode her harder because she ran so much better.

Better windscreen made a big difference too. I never had a Madstadt but people swear by them.

 

[oldturtle]

Mods that REALLY make a difference.

Here is how I solved my Vee issues.
Gearing. Stock 17/41 is worthless and far too tall even for freeway cruising. 17/43 (-5,0%) is big improvement and for me was ideal touring ratio. 16/42 (-8.9%) probably best for use as adventure bike with some gravel. 16/41 (-6.2%) after trying above gearing I have settled on 16/41 as my personal favorite and is also easiest and cheapest way to go.

Suspension. 0.95 Race Tech fork springs with 7.5 wt fork oil at 140 mm height. Sasquatch full shock mod. These work very well for me and see no need for more expensive alternatives.

Motor. PC5 from Fuel Moto and Leo Vince slip ons. Even though power commander can be set up to do well with stock exhaust when PC and exhaust are combined performance is seriously improved..

These are the three primary items that were required to transform my DL1000 from a sell quick bike to a long term keeper.

 

[greywolf]

I have an AK-20 Traxxion cartridge on my DL650. That's because it has a damper rod fork though. The DL1000 has a cartridge already. I'd send it for a Sasquatch rebuild. Suspensions by Sasquatch
Jay can rebuild the stock shock too but a replacement doesn't cost the large amount the Traxxion fork would.

 

[swingset]

For me, the most meaningful changes were ergonomic...better bars, mirrors, seat. That simple, cheap set of stuff improved the quality of the ride so much it made up for any "weakness" of the Vee on the roads. Seriously.

The other stuff were improvements but not "WOW, holy crap!" meaningful. Gearing was a nice change, PCIII with a good map was nice, fork brace helped, progressive springs, but those are really things that collectively sorted the bike out but I could have been plenty happy travelling without them.

The best accessory ever invented for the Strom is 87 octane gas, by the gallon.

 

[Craig Jackman]

If you ditch the stock pipes, you may see a small increase in HP, but a loss in MPG. If you do pipes, you would be better off considering a Power Commander or FI remap as you've altered the engine's ability to breathe. I'm still running stock suspension, but like it more now that I've made use of the limited stock adjustments.

Off topic, but the mods that have really worked for me are the Richland Rick peg lowering plates and fork brace (and the center stand of course).

 

[richw]

I forgot TRE mod made one from diagram on VSRI.

Probably cost me some 6th gear mileage but 6th gear pulls down to 50 MPH

rumor is 6th odius gear has its own lean map

Maybe thats why my VEE lifts so easy. She also puts along at 3k in all gears

 

[nmgreg]

I agree that the Vee is too tall geared but it works for me. The biggest things that seemed to improve my Vee for the riding I do, street , has been a 28" Cee Baily, lower peg mounts from Rich in Seattle, and a Shoei Qwest. The Qwest took 99% of the buffeting away for me. May try the 16 tooth countershaft sprocket that sounds interesting although I am concerned about a mileage drop. I ride at 3500' and higher and I drive like a old farmer so I get 47 - 49 mpg out of my Vee regularly.

 

[PeteW]

I want the ultimate suspension. Is there a AMAZING upgrade that will smooth out the ride on wash board / pothole dirt roads? The bikes are rattling beasts on dirt. Is Murphs Kit the way to go.??



Thank-you for your time and opinions.

My experience is from a DL 650. I added professionally setup emulators (You can revalve the 1000 and get the equivalent gains) and an aftermarket rear shock (Wilbers in my case).

With that, I must have done something right because all of a sudden the guys I rode with were spending much more $$$ on their KTM 990's GS's suspension and in the end I was still up near the front of the pack . I wasn't riding with maniacs though, all of us wanted to ride home at the end of the day, not be carried off in the white truck with flashing lights and the DL 650 was as good at the maximum sane speeds we'd do as the bigger bikes (100kph or so).

FWIW - Good suspension for a GS costs ~0.5 of a DL. The same level of goodness on a DL costs ~0.2 of a DL .

Still won't help with really bad roads where clearance is a problem, but on semi decent dirt roads the DL 650 at least can get to the standard of the big boys and I have no reason to believe that the 1000 can't do as well - The DL actually worked better on some surfaces (gravel roads with washboards) than the KTM 990's - that tall suspension is pretty flexy and the things wander around a lot more than a DL as a result.

To get better than that - add a fork brace, that'll stop you getting "trapped" in ruts, if you ride on sandy surfaces, sorry, the only cure I know is a steering damper - but that makes a night and day difference even on relatively smooth gravel.

Tire choice helps, TKC-80 is great, but if you can't stand them on road, get a tyre with as narrow and deep a profile as you can, the wider flatter tires "float" on the top of gravel - which is less than ideal. Conti-Escape or Pirelli Scorpion Trail are both pretty good.

You'll never get as capable as a KTM 990, the suspension travel is against you - BUT - on surfaces where clearance isn't an issue, yes, it's possible to not be embarassed.

Pete

 

[happypuppy]

If it ride your after suspension.. even the right springs only help a lot. My biggest was the mirrors. I ride pretty much year round and when heavy jacket time comes the shoulders get clipped with the stock one. I have used Richland Ricks extenders and I have used the Aprillia mirrors. both work well.

 

[oldturtle]

I agree that the Vee is too tall geared but it works for me. The biggest things that seemed to improve my Vee for the riding I do, street , has been a 28" Cee Baily, lower peg mounts from Rich in Seattle, and a Shoei Qwest. The Qwest took 99% of the buffeting away for me. May try the 16 tooth countershaft sprocket that sounds interesting although I am concerned about a mileage drop. I ride at 3500' and higher and I drive like a old farmer so I get 47 - 49 mpg out of my Vee regularly.

I also ride like the old geezer I am but never-the-less I have not experienced any noticeable milage drop with 16/41 gearing compared to 17/41 stock. IMO this is because RPMs have little effect on milage compared to wind resistance and also because with 16/41 you are usually in a sweeter spot of torque curve. I highly recm giving the 16 c/s sprocket a try. I believe you will never go back. Changing c/s sprocket is great time to clean up clutch push rod crud.

I will soon be converting to 530 chain and my 530 sprockets will be 16/41.

 

[Tollster]

On the wee side I found gearing, suspension, and tires to make a dramatic improvement. Simple things like adjusting the fork height in the triples and a fork brace can really help in certian applications and tracking. The suspension working as one really made a nice difference on my wee, it tightened it up on corner exits, making it very predictable under acceleration.
Tires and gearing are a good place to start on a low budget.

 

[Adventurerob]

Can I get a smooth ride with confidence to stay in 2nd or even 3rd gear on a rode like this? Clearance is an issue too for what I want to do. I'm stuck on investing for the major upgrade or going to GS. KTM is out of the picture.

I really like my dl1k and i want to do the TAT and up to Alaska this summer.

 

[richw]

Jack up your helmet and replace underneath

I see no problem with that road and a VEE

I am going to tapered head bearings and progressive springs with my fork brace but it didn't need it to do that road.

Most think Vee is undersprung for your weight but springs and maybe a sasquatch shock might give you more confidence.

I am sure "Down Under" that is a super highway they would do 70 on.

 

[Adventurerob]

another road in Honduras

 

[PTRider]

lower peg mounts from Rich in Seattle

That's Richland Rick from Richland, Washington. What you said is kind'a like saying NMGREG from Santa Fe. Agreed, the lower peg mounts do a good job.