Got a chance to ride a Vstrom 1000 the other day

-This is a not a rant and I have no agenda, just my honest observations.-
Was offered a chance to ride a DL1000 the other day, and took him up on it out of curiosity. I owned an SV1000n for a short time, and was expecting the same great smooth power deliver, I was disapointed.
The first thing I noticed was how freaking top heavy this bike is - it felt as heavy as my ST1100 getting it off the sidestand and pedaling it around - where is the 175 lbs of missing weight?
Taking off there was a very noticeable interruption in the throttle, felt like a carbed bike with gummed up carbs. My first thought was this bike must have bad gas or something wrong with an injector or something, then I remebered reading about this problem that is common to these bikes.
The short ride I took left me with a very poor opinion of this bike. It felt like a crude dirtbike that was insanely heavy - I felt no confidence in cornering, to say the least. My 20 year old ST felt much smoother and more refined than this 5 year old bike. Taking bumps was very easy on the Strom and there was more power there, but to be honest I didn't feel comfortable at all twisting the wrist - the result was more unnerving than fun.
Getting off my thoughts were that maybe it's not that the wee is so great, but that its that great compared to this thing - I now understand at least part of the reason for the popularity of the Weestrom.

I had one of these and sold it for my ST1300. I know what you mean... they are great bikes tho in their way, simple, functional, etc.. but the handling on the ST's is so much more intuitive (IMO) and the "real" weight is less too.

not to mention stability in the wind, and more. they are a lot of bike for the money, and are great for many things. I'm glad to have the ST tho..

I understand your points... mmaybe the DL1000 is an acquired taste? I enjoy mine and have no problems with twisting the wrist...in fact it more often brings out the hooligan in me.
:angdev1:

I have had to learn to ride it differently...the ST1300 is smooth and has good torque at low RPM and I can ride it lazy. The DL1000 isn't smooth, until ~5k rpm.

Some of the earlier years, 2002 to 2004 (or 2005?) had a difference ECU map and Suzuki was criticized for the setup. Suz rectified that in ~2005 or 2006. It may be that you were riding one that hadn't yet been remapped by the owner (requiring a Yosh box to reprogram).


To each his own.

Interesting. I think there are a number of guys on this board who also own a V or Wee Strom. I personally own a DL1000 and share none of your observations. In fact, when you mention top heavy, I find the ST is much harder to move around by hand than the DL. I have never found any need for the surging mods as my bike never needed surged or hesitated. I corner just as well, maybe even better if I had appropriate street tires than I do the ST.

Make no mistake, the DL is not in the same class as the ST. They are completely different animals. However I can still easily do 700 mile days on my DL and I find no reason why it couldn't be a Sport Touring bike in it's own right. Yes, they are somewhat crude compared to the Honda but that makes them affordable. That is why a bolt-on aftermarket exists for these bikes and at the end of the day, you will see alot more customization at a Strom rally than you ever will at an ST rally. The ST is a great bike but I think I have more fun on the Strom.

It was a completely stock '04. Maybe the tires were badly underinflated or something? I certainly was expecting a much nicer ride after reading great things about it.

I think just like any other bike, it takes a wee bit getting use to, especially when the tank level is different.

Well, it's different than an ST, that's for sure. Sounds like you had a Vee that was out of tune or something. Mine has no surging, smooth throttle action, and power that comes on like gangbusters when you twist the throttle.

Where the ST (and yes, I have a couple hundred thousand miles on ST's) is smooth as silk with rheostat-like power that is sneaky-fast and smooth, the Vee has typical big-twin bang-bang power that is a real kick in the butt.

Ok, so it's a little top-heavy. It is, after all, nominally a dual-sport bike. That means it has big wheels and a longer suspension. It also means it sits a little higher off the ground, so you don't get to "flat-foot" it. BFD. I know a lot of people who complain about the ST being too high; it's a matter of getting some experience. If you're concerned with having a bike that's too tall, maybe you ought to be on a cruiser bike, because you're going to be uncomfortable on anything taller.

And after a few dozen-thousand miles of bashing into the wind and being knocked around by side-winds, it really doesn't make a lot of difference if you're on a ST or a Vee, you just learn to relax and ride it.

And if you can't find a windscreen to protect your delicate little head from buffeting, I have a few words of advice for you: Mirror extenders, M&R Vario, and Aprilia Mirrors.

Comparing a Vee to an ST is a waste of time. It's like comparing a jeep to a Mercedes. They're purpose-built for different purposes. And the fact that the ST costs twice as much as the Vee means the ST is going to have way better fit and finish...

So, ride what you want, and ride it like you stole it...

I really like my ST1300.
I realy like my Wee 650
I really like my old KLR

All three are completly different bikes yet they are all great bikes.
As Don said "Ride what you got and ride like you stole it"
Ride a little faster Ride a little further.

I got to ride my friends DL1000. I have also rode his TL1000. The DL1000 was nice! Not what I would want to ride everyday. But it would be nice in the stable.
I thought it would've had more power. I thought it could of had better brakes. But I thought this is pretty cool. It felt like I could put some serious miles on it, in a days time.
I look foward to our next ride together. So we can switch rides.
After I rode. And it was only about 5 miles. And that was on the slab. I said to my friend. Why can't Harley make a V Twin like this.
He had one of the first TL1000's that came out. I rode it one time. Scarred the S--- out of me! Never rode it again! You couldn't keep the front tire on the ground. What a wicked machine!

"comparing a jeep to a Mercedes" - Perfect summary.
I hope noone takes offense to my post, I just thought I'd share my experience. Obviously it's not my cup o' tea to begn with, and maybe I just rode a poorly maintained one (trying to give the benefit of the doubt here).

My Vee is up on the lift right now. Tomorrow I fit her with new SV1000 brakes. Going from 2 piston calipers to 4 piston calipers ought to make a large difference in braking power. Can't wait!

okckeith said:

I thought it would've had more power. I thought it could of had better brakes.

Click to expand...

Yup the brakes suck. But the SV calipers will fit fine (when I spend the time looking for some used ones.)

Your comment about thinking it had more power.....It has the same 1/4 mile time as the 6th gen (not the new one) VFR and I believe that ties it with the ST as well. What are you comparing it to?

the Stroms are great bikes. I miss mine at times. as for the problems... they're mostly history. the Stromtrooper forum has tons of good info. the surging is history, cheap replacement mirrors (Emgo) help, good fork springs are less than $100. And sure, out the door $$ is a real plus. you can set it up to your liking for a few more bucks and still be way cheaper than an ST.. but as everyone says, different animals at the end of the day. the simplicity is a plus too. it's a go anywhere (almost) bike that will run reliably forever.

I often think that opinions and likes/dislikes are trumped by putting a lot of miles on "whatever" you ride and making it your dance partner. It can take a learning curve, but they are all great bikes.

I had a new 2005 Vee until last december - traded it for some winter sports (snowmobiles). I am biased: I sat on it new on the dealer's floor, owned it two days later and put 30,000 miles on it... My thoughts:
Way taller, way longer suspension, similar riding position. I would take my Strom on nearly any road a 4wd car would go on and some that they wouldn't. Blasting around the hundreds of miles of gravel roads in Montana/Idaho was easy on this beast and not something I'll be as enthusiastic about doing on my ST1100.

The Mighty Strom took me from sea to shining sea without a hiccup (gotta love fuel injection for elevation changes). Loaded with Givi cases (side and top), a tank bag, heated grips, engine guards, bash plate, Stebel horn, PIAA's, GPS, and attitude, there's no where I would not take it and take it as fast as I cared to go. Can't say the same for the ST; the limited travel on the suspension will likely cause me to not take that lesser travelled road. Or maybe not. Time will tell.

The suzuki is not a bike that is as comfortable or smooth as the ST, but it IS a bike that will do most things quite well. And come back for more.

chesthing, I'm going to guess you rode a slug. I got the Vee about 6 weeks (and 2500 miles) ago, and I like it better today than I did the day I bought. A wonderful MC, it really is. Mine is '06 and the 'chugging' isn't there. In fact, this bike has a 'sweet spot' at about 7k RPM that is just plain fun to exploit.

It isn't the ST, but it isn't supposed to be. I've gotten to where I'll take the Vee on 600 mile days, I like it that much. I hope I like my new Connie as much

My friend has a stable including: Road King, VStrom 1000, Ducati, and a
Norton 850 Comando. All of which deliver a specific type of ride and experiance. Ive ridden all of his bikes, while he was driving my ST.

My experiance with his Vstrom was really positive...We rode some really tight twisting mountain roads in Woodside area of Calf. I got offc the bike and felt like I was transported back to my dirt bike riding era. (650 XR)

My St felt lower and like a heavey pig....................(but not for long ok?)

And the Norton.....Like a hay wagon.....The point is...all bikes do something
for you that another simply cant touch. I was transported to 1969 again on
that Norton...and then I was fine.

By the way...You should have seen my friend "duck walking" his Vstrom, through some off road areas..(no off road experiance)...while I stood up on the pegs and road through and around the muddy grooves, loose gravel sections and unpredictable slants in the road.

If you've never had off road experiances...you cant appreiate the differances
all these bike types present.
Ride on !

Just an update on the SV calipers. One word: WOW! I could do stoppies with the Vee now, except it's so tall I'd probably fall over and hurt myself..

STPaulK said:

Yup the brakes suck. But the SV calipers will fit fine (when I spend the time looking for some used ones.)

Your comment about thinking it had more power.....It has the same 1/4 mile time as the 6th gen (not the new one) VFR and I believe that ties it with the ST as well. What are you comparing it to?

Click to expand...

Please don't get me wrong! I liked the bike! Just not for me. I live in the flatlands. And don't get to go where I could enjoy it enough. If I lived in say Colorado or Utah. I would love to have one. But my buddy who has one, loves to go to Colorado, Utah,and places where you can enjoy it. So I look forward to a trip with him. That way I can ride it again and again and again! He thinks the ST is a little too smooth. He had a CBR 1000xx. Said the same thing about it. I rode it one time. I loved it! And I am not a sport bike guy.

I have rode two of his Suzuki TL1000. The first one was the first year TL. They call that one a widow maker. His new one, is nothing like the original. Thank God!

I got to ride a DL1000 once back to back with my ST and an RT1150. It was a fun bike but had much more buffetting on the hiway and less wind protection over all of course.

But where the Suzy really out performed the other two by a huge margin was on a very bumpy paved back road that turned into a very bumpy gravel road. On the ST and RT, I had to slow way down to feel comfortable and to keep my fillings in my teeth, but on the Strom, I didnt have to slow down at all. Did not even Feel the bumps and the thing just stayed on line. I was impressed!
They are all fun..but different..

I have owned all of the above mentioned bikes, ST, DL1000, DL 650

I put 35,000 miles on a 03 V strom dl 1000 I loved it.....

Just recently got a DL650----wow what a difference-----I call it a Oklahoma Sport Bike,

Race tech forks, SS brake lines, EBCHH front pads, fork brace, Leo vince exhaust, Ohlins rear suspension, 50 mpg, comfortable, smooth everywhere, flickable, still does ok on dirt and gravel roads.

ST is a sport touring bike for 2 up riding,

DL650 is just fun and cheap, get a madstad windshield bracket and all the buffeting is gone and adjustable for the heat.........

I went back and rode a friends DL:1000 I will keep the 650------Kieth