Hello, Stromtroopers! My wife and I just finished a fantastic 11-day, 3,200-mile trip, two-up on my 2011 DL650. It has been a great bike for eight years, and 63,000 miles. But, with fresh saddle soreness and an upcoming winter off the bike, we're considering some reworking. Want to help us find the right changes?
Up to now, the bike has primarily been my daily commuter, with only occasional day trips, and multi-day trips only once or twice a year. We hope to change that in the future: no more daily commute, and more leisure trips of both lengths.
The goals of renovation are: more comfort, easier packing, reduction of weight, and lower maintenance. My bare list is below. What am I missing, what specific models should I use, or what should I skip? If there are already threads about any of these, please feel free to just link, and apologies for not searching harder for them!
Custom seat. I see there's already two pinned threads about them (SEATS - Q&A -all you could ask and then some and Seat comparison: Stock (650) - Gel - Sargent), so I'll be reading there to find out what we want.
USB power outlet. The original owner put a regular cigarette-lighter style accessory plug on. The only things I ever want to charge are USB. Time to get with the times.
Luggage. I have a large Givi top case that is great. We've also been using the OEM saddlebags. They're fine, but something less awkwardly shaped would make packing easier. California lane-sharing also made me wish for something narrower. What racks and panniers are available these days? (Edit: remembered the Luggage pictures thread)
Stator. My stator burnt out three years ago. (Found out what happens when your battery dies on the freeway) At the time, the correct stator was on backorder due to a mass recall, so the tech put in something else. I'm thinking it's time to refix the hack fix.
Regulator. There seems to be some argument, but a different regulator may better protect the stator? If I install a new stator, probably also considering a new regulator.
Stromputer. (Stromputer is alive) Mostly for the voltage meter, to monitor the stator-regulator-battery condition. But why not get a gear indicator and thermometer with the deal?
Turn signals. I'm tired of the front ones breaking when the bike ends up on its side for whatever reason. Something shorter-stemmed, or more flexibly-stemmed. LED? I've added LED strips to my mud guards that act as turn signals. If those, alone, meet legal/safety requirements, maybe just eliminate the front turn signal stems?
Scott Oiler. I'm terrible at remembering to clean and oil my chain. As such, my last two have developed tight spots far earlier than they should have.
Tires. Yes, I know this is a holy war. I'm on my third or fourth set of Metzler Tourance (original). I'll probably go with those again, but will have a fresh look around to see if there's something better for fully-loaded highway miles, without sacrificing too much on the occasional gravel road.
Chain and sprockets. I'm tempted by the tooth-count change some make to get a lower highway RPM. I'd much rather spend my days on 35-45mph backroads, but when the just-cover-miles days arrive, it would be nice to knock down the revs at 70mph a bit. Especially because those high revs are where the engine seems to consume oil. How much does it affect the lower speeds?
LED headlights. I've always been happy with the light the V-Strom puts out, and I normally try to be off the road by sundown. But, freeing up a little power for other things sounds good. I probably don't need the bulb in the tail either, given the lightbar I have, and the additional lights running when the Givi is attached.
Belly pan removal or modification. I've had a belly pan on since I went on an offroad tour that required it. While it's nice to have the undercarriage protected, it's much harder to change the oil, and it's a significant amount of weight. Maybe it's possible to modify it, drilling holes to form a mesh instead of a plate.
Some things that are already on, that I don't plan on changing: grip heaters, center stand, engine crash bars.
Other than that, all the usual maintenance items (oil and filter change, air filter - especially given all the ash it probably consumed recently, whatever else is recommended for this interval) and probably its first deep clean ever.
What else should I think about? I know most people talk windscreens, but I think we're short enough that the buffeting isn't too bad. Some swear by steel braided brake cables, but I don't find mine squishy at all. Anything else the rest of you found that made your V-Stroms more enjoyable?
Up to now, the bike has primarily been my daily commuter, with only occasional day trips, and multi-day trips only once or twice a year. We hope to change that in the future: no more daily commute, and more leisure trips of both lengths.
The goals of renovation are: more comfort, easier packing, reduction of weight, and lower maintenance. My bare list is below. What am I missing, what specific models should I use, or what should I skip? If there are already threads about any of these, please feel free to just link, and apologies for not searching harder for them!
Custom seat. I see there's already two pinned threads about them (SEATS - Q&A -all you could ask and then some and Seat comparison: Stock (650) - Gel - Sargent), so I'll be reading there to find out what we want.
USB power outlet. The original owner put a regular cigarette-lighter style accessory plug on. The only things I ever want to charge are USB. Time to get with the times.
Luggage. I have a large Givi top case that is great. We've also been using the OEM saddlebags. They're fine, but something less awkwardly shaped would make packing easier. California lane-sharing also made me wish for something narrower. What racks and panniers are available these days? (Edit: remembered the Luggage pictures thread)
Stator. My stator burnt out three years ago. (Found out what happens when your battery dies on the freeway) At the time, the correct stator was on backorder due to a mass recall, so the tech put in something else. I'm thinking it's time to refix the hack fix.
Regulator. There seems to be some argument, but a different regulator may better protect the stator? If I install a new stator, probably also considering a new regulator.
Stromputer. (Stromputer is alive) Mostly for the voltage meter, to monitor the stator-regulator-battery condition. But why not get a gear indicator and thermometer with the deal?
Turn signals. I'm tired of the front ones breaking when the bike ends up on its side for whatever reason. Something shorter-stemmed, or more flexibly-stemmed. LED? I've added LED strips to my mud guards that act as turn signals. If those, alone, meet legal/safety requirements, maybe just eliminate the front turn signal stems?
Scott Oiler. I'm terrible at remembering to clean and oil my chain. As such, my last two have developed tight spots far earlier than they should have.
Tires. Yes, I know this is a holy war. I'm on my third or fourth set of Metzler Tourance (original). I'll probably go with those again, but will have a fresh look around to see if there's something better for fully-loaded highway miles, without sacrificing too much on the occasional gravel road.
Chain and sprockets. I'm tempted by the tooth-count change some make to get a lower highway RPM. I'd much rather spend my days on 35-45mph backroads, but when the just-cover-miles days arrive, it would be nice to knock down the revs at 70mph a bit. Especially because those high revs are where the engine seems to consume oil. How much does it affect the lower speeds?
LED headlights. I've always been happy with the light the V-Strom puts out, and I normally try to be off the road by sundown. But, freeing up a little power for other things sounds good. I probably don't need the bulb in the tail either, given the lightbar I have, and the additional lights running when the Givi is attached.
Belly pan removal or modification. I've had a belly pan on since I went on an offroad tour that required it. While it's nice to have the undercarriage protected, it's much harder to change the oil, and it's a significant amount of weight. Maybe it's possible to modify it, drilling holes to form a mesh instead of a plate.
Some things that are already on, that I don't plan on changing: grip heaters, center stand, engine crash bars.
Other than that, all the usual maintenance items (oil and filter change, air filter - especially given all the ash it probably consumed recently, whatever else is recommended for this interval) and probably its first deep clean ever.
What else should I think about? I know most people talk windscreens, but I think we're short enough that the buffeting isn't too bad. Some swear by steel braided brake cables, but I don't find mine squishy at all. Anything else the rest of you found that made your V-Stroms more enjoyable?
