Joined
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98 Posts
Or should I say, Whooooo-Hoooooooo!!!!
Went and picked up the Wee this afternoon (2011 Vee DL 650 ABS). What a sweet ride!
Got to the dealer (who had sent a truck down to Houma, about 100 miles from here, to get it from a dealer there and brought it back this afternoon) and when I got there, they brought me to the back where the Wee was getting the battery serviced, filled with gas and readied to be delivered to me.
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Signed the papers, gave them a check for the new "lady" and after about 30 minutes, they brought her up front.....Oh yeah baby!
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Time to ring her out a little (but keeping below 5k as per break in) but plenty of roads up to 65 mph that I could vary the speed through....Lady at the dealer took a shot and then I finished donning the rest of my riding gear.
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I am 6' 2" and no problems at all planting both feet squarely on the ground. Took her down a road to Abbeville that rattles my dentures loose on my old cruiser (1520cc Valkyrie) but with the Wee, man, it was a smooth ride - suspension worked above and beyond what I was expecting. :thumbup: All I kept thinking was....."Where is all that weight I am use to slinging around?????"
The bike was SO NIMBLE and responded to all my commands - swift and smooth.
Since the Valkyrie has the foot controls behind the cylinders, the Vee did not have that different of a riding position. Man, she ran so sweet!!!! Ran over to Delcambre, Louisiana on the 4 lane and she responded to my every command.
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Then took her through some sweeper two lanes back home. I can not stress enough how nimble the Wee was after slinging a 1200lb cruiser for 10 years. A lot more shifting required but the 6 speed gear box handled it with ease. No, when you grab a hand of throttle, it is not like the Valk - but then again, that is not what I got her for - but with proper shifting, there was NO shortage of "get up and go". At the 65 speeds I traveled on some of the roads, I was still keeping it under 5k rpm, so there will be no problem on the superslab - I think.
Well, after getting in about 60 miles today - for my first impression, all I can say is WEEEEEE-HEEEEEE! I am very impressed with the bike in all aspects. No complaints thus far - at all! (And I don't think I have ever been able to say that about a motorcycle before). :thumbup:
Great clearance. The bottom of the 650 motor is about equal to the TOP of my alternator cover on my Valkyrie, yet I had no problems standing flat footed.
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For a 650, the bike had plenty of power - and I am 240 lbs. During the break in, I don't want to slam it, but I never had any problems with power - none whatsoever.
The Valk I have has a full fairing and tall windshield, so the Vstrom didn't offer the total wind pocket, but offered plenty of protection. Air hit me about sunglass level with a full face helmet on but no buffeting. Shoot, it felt GOOD to feel the wind again. When I was doing 65, I noticed by just lowering my head a little threw the wind over my helmet, so if inclined, I can probably just raise the windshield a little - but today, it was not needed at all. Like I said, it actually felt good and was not a distraction - no buffet or anything.
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Well, all I can say is I am impressed with the little 650!!!! A very nimble, sweet running machine.
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Yep, I am hooked!!!! Let the adventures begin! Dealer dropped a couple of hundred dollars off the MSRP and the deal maker was he also threw in the hand guards (wind guards). He had to order them, so they should be in a few days.....Ordered the Givi Engine Guards (don't want to call them crash bars). Ordered the skid plate with Givi mounting hardware and the highway pegs that mount to the skid plate.....
Can't wait!!!!!!!!!! Tomorrow, I will take her out for a few more miles to let us get use to each other. Again, I am totally impressed with this ride!!! (PS - I enjoy this forum as well - keep it up ya'll)
Strider
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Went and picked up the Wee this afternoon (2011 Vee DL 650 ABS). What a sweet ride!
Got to the dealer (who had sent a truck down to Houma, about 100 miles from here, to get it from a dealer there and brought it back this afternoon) and when I got there, they brought me to the back where the Wee was getting the battery serviced, filled with gas and readied to be delivered to me.
Signed the papers, gave them a check for the new "lady" and after about 30 minutes, they brought her up front.....Oh yeah baby!
Time to ring her out a little (but keeping below 5k as per break in) but plenty of roads up to 65 mph that I could vary the speed through....Lady at the dealer took a shot and then I finished donning the rest of my riding gear.
I am 6' 2" and no problems at all planting both feet squarely on the ground. Took her down a road to Abbeville that rattles my dentures loose on my old cruiser (1520cc Valkyrie) but with the Wee, man, it was a smooth ride - suspension worked above and beyond what I was expecting. :thumbup: All I kept thinking was....."Where is all that weight I am use to slinging around?????"
The bike was SO NIMBLE and responded to all my commands - swift and smooth.Since the Valkyrie has the foot controls behind the cylinders, the Vee did not have that different of a riding position. Man, she ran so sweet!!!! Ran over to Delcambre, Louisiana on the 4 lane and she responded to my every command.
Then took her through some sweeper two lanes back home. I can not stress enough how nimble the Wee was after slinging a 1200lb cruiser for 10 years. A lot more shifting required but the 6 speed gear box handled it with ease. No, when you grab a hand of throttle, it is not like the Valk - but then again, that is not what I got her for - but with proper shifting, there was NO shortage of "get up and go". At the 65 speeds I traveled on some of the roads, I was still keeping it under 5k rpm, so there will be no problem on the superslab - I think.
Well, after getting in about 60 miles today - for my first impression, all I can say is WEEEEEE-HEEEEEE! I am very impressed with the bike in all aspects. No complaints thus far - at all! (And I don't think I have ever been able to say that about a motorcycle before). :thumbup:
Great clearance. The bottom of the 650 motor is about equal to the TOP of my alternator cover on my Valkyrie, yet I had no problems standing flat footed.
For a 650, the bike had plenty of power - and I am 240 lbs. During the break in, I don't want to slam it, but I never had any problems with power - none whatsoever.
The Valk I have has a full fairing and tall windshield, so the Vstrom didn't offer the total wind pocket, but offered plenty of protection. Air hit me about sunglass level with a full face helmet on but no buffeting. Shoot, it felt GOOD to feel the wind again. When I was doing 65, I noticed by just lowering my head a little threw the wind over my helmet, so if inclined, I can probably just raise the windshield a little - but today, it was not needed at all. Like I said, it actually felt good and was not a distraction - no buffet or anything.
Well, all I can say is I am impressed with the little 650!!!! A very nimble, sweet running machine.
Yep, I am hooked!!!! Let the adventures begin! Dealer dropped a couple of hundred dollars off the MSRP and the deal maker was he also threw in the hand guards (wind guards). He had to order them, so they should be in a few days.....Ordered the Givi Engine Guards (don't want to call them crash bars). Ordered the skid plate with Givi mounting hardware and the highway pegs that mount to the skid plate.....
Can't wait!!!!!!!!!! Tomorrow, I will take her out for a few more miles to let us get use to each other. Again, I am totally impressed with this ride!!! (PS - I enjoy this forum as well - keep it up ya'll)
Strider
