[metbandit1]

Hey everyone!

Been lurking for a couple of weeks now on the site and thought I would sign up to say hi and ask a couple of questions!

Im 19 years old, living in the UK, motorcycle is my only mode of transport and I currently own a GSXR600 but I don't ride it as much as I would like due to it being really uncomfortable around town and on long trips unless your hooning it at 110mph+.
So thats why im considering a wee strom! My local dealer offered me £4000 for my bike, and said they would do me a new 2011 wee strom for £5700 instead of £6400.

Just wondering really if this is the wise thing to do?
I would love to do more miles than I currently am doing on my bike.
Also running the GSXR isnt the cheapest!

£250 for tires and the fuel economy is killing me.

If I purchased the wee strom I would still have it dealer serviced for the first 3 years to keep it within warrenty. After that I would like to do all of my own servicing.

Anyway if you feel I have missed any vital information out just and and ye shall receive!

Thanks for having me here!

Met :thumbup:

 

[V-Tom]

Welcome aboard!

A V-Strom is a great everyday bike!

It does nothing amazing, but does lots very well. It's a great commuter/city bike, touring bike, fun bike in the twisties, and not afraid of rough roads or gravel. You can expect about 20,000 km out of tires and have it for a while with mimimum servicing or issues.

It's one of those bikes that you just ride and smile all the time!

..Tom

 

[Scott E. Bonds]

You won't be sorry. It is a comfortable bike with the soul of a sport bike.

Also, you can do your own maintenance and the warranty will be valid. Just keep reciepts and document what you do.

 

[metbandit1]

Thanks for the warm welcome and the information :mrgreen:.

Im going for a test ride on one on friday, hoping to cover 400 miles of 95% motorway miles to see how it fares. Hopefully ill try to squeeze in some twisties as well

Met:thumbup:

 

[V-Tom]

Thanks for the warm welcome and the information :mrgreen:.

Im going for a test ride on one on friday, hoping to cover 400 miles of 95% motorway miles to see how it fares. Hopefully ill try to squeeze in some twisties as well

Met:thumbup:

If it feels a bit unstable at highway speed there is a simple fix that can greatly help. Raising the forks/lowering the front of the bike (about half an inch) appears to reduce the lift generated by the flat base of the fairing over the wheel.

..Tom

 

[metbandit1]

Great thanks for the tip!

I don't know how much weight/stability is going to be a problem for me, I only weight 10 1/4 stone wet through! (about 65kg).

Will I find it a bit heavy to control or will it be alright?

(Ok I might be 19 and weigh nothing, but experience wise I have 9 years under the belt, 7 of those off road and 3 on the road.)

 

[PTRider]

When rolling, the strom will be light and nimble. When stopping, be prepared to keep it exactly upright. Most of the drops are while stationary or when just coming to a stop. Your experience is great. Just don't let the bike get more than a degree or two off vertical when stopping. Get it off vertical and it gets very heavy very quickly.

 

[mcdstrom]

How long are your legs? If a bit on the short side, you may need to lower the bike which is easy to do.

Assuming "motorway" is similar to our highway, that is, you'll be moving at a good speed, you may experience some buffeting of the helmet. Some don't, but most do. There are also some fixes for that (a madstad bracket being the main one). Don't let it dissuade you from considering the strom.

 

[metbandit1]

Im 6ft tall witha 32" inseem, Ive sat on the bike already and i can firmly get one foot on the floor or comfortably put both down, i never realised its such a tall bike!

 

[helotech]

I was new to riding this year and got the 2010 Wee as my first bike. I completed a long tour of Newfoundland, Canada within a few days, doing over 2000 km within a couple days. The one thing I would recommend is changing the seat, depending on your body style. After about 1 hour in the saddle the "boys down below" were screaming in pain.
I did a quick solution by buying a gel seat cushion made for office chairs ( $15 on sale) and it mostly cured the problem. I can do about 2 hours in the saddle now before needing a break.

I love the bike, and have outfitted mine for long distnace travel. As a new rider I find it completely comfortable and easy to ride. I do echo the comments about the bike wanting to tip over. She seems very top heavy, and with luggage installed the problem get worse.
As for gas mileage, not sure what everyone else gets but I get about 500km per tank. I can probably squeeze this further if I changed my newbie riding habits.

Go for it!

 

[BobA]

I'm a new Wee owner and I can echo the sentiments above. On the road it's pretty light and nimble. The steering isn't heavy at all and it has great road manners and good balance. Absolutely no problems.

When it's stationary it's a different beast. More of a pig than a gazelle. Get it too far from vertical (and that's not all that far) and it is going down. It's top heavy and getting it back on its feet is no easy solo task, especially if you have a full fuel tank. Can be done, but be prepared for heavy lifting. Without the right technique, getting back up is close to impossible unless you're an Olympic weight lifter. With the right technique it's possible to get it back on it's feet. I can do it (though with significant effort) and I'm old, 6ft and around 165lbs.

You should get around 60-65 mpg (UK gallons) from the Wee (around 22-24 km/L). My experience is that the cruising range is around 230 miles before the fuel gauge starts flashing at you (with a gallon or so left). I'd imagine 300 miles may be possible if you want to push your luck.

 

[metbandit1]

Great thanks for the replies! I havent been on in ages, but heres some info:

Went on a 300mile test ride, ordered a new wee.
Put it on finance as my bike as a deposit, its a black x model, with hand,sump and engine guards.

I also put a top box and heated grips on finance taking it to a whopping £82 a month!

Heres a link to the top box:

GIVI TRK46N Trekker Top Box Monokey

 

[displaced southerner]

saddle sore

I agree with helotech about the uncomfortable seat. I bought my bike used, and the original owner had "upgraded" to the gel seat. I live in upstate NY and I average about 10K miles a year. This seat makes me sore after 50 miles. I tried a sheepskin seat cover. It lets me stay in the saddle for a few more miles. What ever happened to comfortable stock seats on bikes?

 

[Twill1356]

Great thanks for the replies! I havent been on in ages, but heres some info:

Went on a 300mile test ride, ordered a new wee.
Put it on finance as my bike as a deposit, its a black x model, with hand,sump and engine guards.

I also put a top box and heated grips on finance taking it to a whopping £82 a month!

Heres a link to the top box:

GIVI TRK46N Trekker Top Box Monokey

Congratulations! Here's wishing you many enjoyable miles on your new bike.

 

[sandman66]

Strictly utilitarian....
:thumbup:

If you like motorcycles....you love the V-Strom.