Joined
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6 Posts
Howdy,
A little background on me,
My last bike was an '05 ST1300, great sport tourer, did a great long 10k km tour on it in 2009, then it sat around, I sold it in 2010... I do miss it, and riding in general...
I have been aware of the V-Strom ever since it was introduced back in '02, at the time I had a '97 TL1000S, which was one heck of a HOOLIGAN bike, great for all around riding, hooliganism and track-days (which I did and am glad I lived through) the 996cc v-twin engine was an absolute blast, mine dynoed at 117hp at the wheel (k&n, power commander, Ivan's TRE and Yoshimura Slipons were the only power mods)
The bike was a mixed bag mechanically however, and in the end, the tranny came apart and locked the real wheel at speed, luckily the bike stayed upright... however I never wanted to touch the TLS or its derivatives since....
Now, nearly a decade later, my riding style has changed a LOT, I like sport-touring, and the DL-1000 seems to have developed a reputation for being reliable, and it got me thinking about the V-Strom.
Which brought me here and maybe I can find some of the answers I seek.
Now, a general Q: Is the DL-1000 a good fun all around bike with a bit of fun built in? I'm looking for a machine that is great for a day ride, enjoy the scenery, but also flick through some good corners, some highway, lots of back-road fun, and most likely, when no one is watching a wheelie or two.... (in the future, I would like to do a Cross-Canada ride on my next machine... the ST1300 did it in comfort, hopefully the DL1k would be up to the task) The ST was not bad for just fun riding, but at 736lbs wet, it was quite heavy to toss around in the corners... just too much *sport-TOURING* for the occasional riding I did on it.....
I have "access" to a '01 FZ1, which is great for most riding I do on it, but its main caveat is in the comfort dept, the FZ1 engine vibrates too much for my liking, it starts to hurt my hands after a few hours, and after 1/2 a day on it I'm ready to get off and not look at it for a week... good thing its not mine
(a good friend of mine lets me borrow it whenever I want, as long as he's not planning on riding it that day
)
Once I get my own bike again, the FZ1 friend would be my riding buddy again. (when I had my TLS, he rode with me on his ZX7, so we had a well matched set of bikes)
Would the DL1000 be a good companion to ride with the FZ1?
Could it at least *almost* keep up in the twisties and maybe a few straights?
My riding buddy is really set against the DL1k btw... he thinks the FZ1 will out-pace it easily in all situations....
I should toss in that I am not in any way or form interested in off-roading the DL. A gravel road is as much as off-pavement I'm willing to get, tried it on the FZ1, could not get back on pavement soon enough.
Another DL1k Q: This clutch "shudder" I'm hearing about, how common is it on the Vee Strom? and when looking at a used bike, how can I tell if its got it with out riding it?
How well does the DL1k respond to a few power mods, Power commander, K&N, slipons? ATRE?
Are there any major changes to the DL1000 from 2002 on? I noticed that the windscreen has changed in '04 I think, anything else?
Any things to look out for in the early V-Stroms?
I know that for my next bike I'd like a comfy and fun bike, some sportiness plus a helping of comfy riding, should do it. (the previous bike to my ST1300 was a Valkyrie, which was another great bike, but was missing that sporty spark I've been looking for... hence why I tried the ST next)
I have also thought about the Bandit 1250, would it be a better choice for what I'm looking for?....
it, and the V-Strom have been the two main models I have been considering.
Any thoughts, suggestions, ideas are welcome.
One last thing:
Are there any riders in South-Western Ontario that would not mind showing me their Vee Strom? I have yet to see one on the road.
Easy Flyer
A little background on me,
My last bike was an '05 ST1300, great sport tourer, did a great long 10k km tour on it in 2009, then it sat around, I sold it in 2010... I do miss it, and riding in general...
I have been aware of the V-Strom ever since it was introduced back in '02, at the time I had a '97 TL1000S, which was one heck of a HOOLIGAN bike, great for all around riding, hooliganism and track-days (which I did and am glad I lived through) the 996cc v-twin engine was an absolute blast, mine dynoed at 117hp at the wheel (k&n, power commander, Ivan's TRE and Yoshimura Slipons were the only power mods)
The bike was a mixed bag mechanically however, and in the end, the tranny came apart and locked the real wheel at speed, luckily the bike stayed upright... however I never wanted to touch the TLS or its derivatives since....
Now, nearly a decade later, my riding style has changed a LOT, I like sport-touring, and the DL-1000 seems to have developed a reputation for being reliable, and it got me thinking about the V-Strom.
Which brought me here and maybe I can find some of the answers I seek.
Now, a general Q: Is the DL-1000 a good fun all around bike with a bit of fun built in? I'm looking for a machine that is great for a day ride, enjoy the scenery, but also flick through some good corners, some highway, lots of back-road fun, and most likely, when no one is watching a wheelie or two.... (in the future, I would like to do a Cross-Canada ride on my next machine... the ST1300 did it in comfort, hopefully the DL1k would be up to the task) The ST was not bad for just fun riding, but at 736lbs wet, it was quite heavy to toss around in the corners... just too much *sport-TOURING* for the occasional riding I did on it.....
I have "access" to a '01 FZ1, which is great for most riding I do on it, but its main caveat is in the comfort dept, the FZ1 engine vibrates too much for my liking, it starts to hurt my hands after a few hours, and after 1/2 a day on it I'm ready to get off and not look at it for a week... good thing its not mine
Once I get my own bike again, the FZ1 friend would be my riding buddy again. (when I had my TLS, he rode with me on his ZX7, so we had a well matched set of bikes)
Would the DL1000 be a good companion to ride with the FZ1?
Could it at least *almost* keep up in the twisties and maybe a few straights?
My riding buddy is really set against the DL1k btw... he thinks the FZ1 will out-pace it easily in all situations....
I should toss in that I am not in any way or form interested in off-roading the DL. A gravel road is as much as off-pavement I'm willing to get, tried it on the FZ1, could not get back on pavement soon enough.
Another DL1k Q: This clutch "shudder" I'm hearing about, how common is it on the Vee Strom? and when looking at a used bike, how can I tell if its got it with out riding it?
How well does the DL1k respond to a few power mods, Power commander, K&N, slipons? ATRE?
Are there any major changes to the DL1000 from 2002 on? I noticed that the windscreen has changed in '04 I think, anything else?
Any things to look out for in the early V-Stroms?
I know that for my next bike I'd like a comfy and fun bike, some sportiness plus a helping of comfy riding, should do it. (the previous bike to my ST1300 was a Valkyrie, which was another great bike, but was missing that sporty spark I've been looking for... hence why I tried the ST next)
I have also thought about the Bandit 1250, would it be a better choice for what I'm looking for?....
it, and the V-Strom have been the two main models I have been considering.
Any thoughts, suggestions, ideas are welcome.
One last thing:
Are there any riders in South-Western Ontario that would not mind showing me their Vee Strom? I have yet to see one on the road.
Easy Flyer