I recently posted this on the Stromtrooper website and received a few responses. Since there seem to be at least a few V Stroms in the garages of ST members, I thought I might get more feedback here. I will add that the PO changed the front sprocket to a 17 tooth from the stock 15. This should reduce my available torque when I open the throttle at low ground speed and decrease my revs at highway speeds.
This is what I wrote:
"I recently mounted new Shinko 705's on my V. The other day I made a left turn by mistake and my riding partners continued straight, so I immediately U-turned and then I turned left back onto the main road. This was a wide (2 lanes in each direction), clean, well maintained state route and as I leaned into the turn, I probably added too much throttle. It felt like the bike's rear end was drifting out. This was all a very comfortable sensation - not scary in the least.
A couple of points. I am not a 'hot' rider by any means; I prefer to ride slower thru the twisties so that I can SEE and enjoy the country I am riding through - not get the adrenaline pumping by carving the turn as fast as possible. My other ride, an ST 1300 will, when I hit a painted line or tar snake on the road and am leaned over in a fast curve, slip on the paint in a fast skid (I have Pirelli Angel GT's on this bike). This lateral 'drift' is not pleasant, is only the 4 to 6" width of the paint, is over almost before I know it, and is a marked contrast to what the V Strom exhibited.
The Shinko's are obviously not high performance street (only) tires, and had about 250 miles on them. It is possible they were not fully scuffed in and I was over onto the new rubber.
Has anyone else experienced this kind of behavior on the bike? With these tires? Obviously I am going to be more careful w/ that throttle in tight curves in the future, but this experience sort of reminded me of what I did on my bicycle 40 or more years ago."
This is what I wrote:
"I recently mounted new Shinko 705's on my V. The other day I made a left turn by mistake and my riding partners continued straight, so I immediately U-turned and then I turned left back onto the main road. This was a wide (2 lanes in each direction), clean, well maintained state route and as I leaned into the turn, I probably added too much throttle. It felt like the bike's rear end was drifting out. This was all a very comfortable sensation - not scary in the least.
A couple of points. I am not a 'hot' rider by any means; I prefer to ride slower thru the twisties so that I can SEE and enjoy the country I am riding through - not get the adrenaline pumping by carving the turn as fast as possible. My other ride, an ST 1300 will, when I hit a painted line or tar snake on the road and am leaned over in a fast curve, slip on the paint in a fast skid (I have Pirelli Angel GT's on this bike). This lateral 'drift' is not pleasant, is only the 4 to 6" width of the paint, is over almost before I know it, and is a marked contrast to what the V Strom exhibited.
The Shinko's are obviously not high performance street (only) tires, and had about 250 miles on them. It is possible they were not fully scuffed in and I was over onto the new rubber.
Has anyone else experienced this kind of behavior on the bike? With these tires? Obviously I am going to be more careful w/ that throttle in tight curves in the future, but this experience sort of reminded me of what I did on my bicycle 40 or more years ago."