2014+ DL1000 Vstrom

RaY YreKa · Oct 4, 2012

Buster452 said: ↑

I could give or take the looks. It's the performance I want to know. How well does it handle off-road. Does it "feel" lighter? Is the engine smoother, less snatchy and chudder free?

The Super Tenere has really upset the balance in the Adventure market by making a bike handle off-road better than the GS. Off-road handling is really where they could strengthen their market share. Without it, it's just another street bike to compare against other street bikes.

Looks like they reduced some weight up top to lower the center of gravity. I'd like to know if there are any rake/trail changes.

The wheels look soft as butter though. Those mag spokes look a little spindly. Maybe they're saving some weight there too?

Looks like you might be able to drill some new holes in that fender and raise it up a bit to keep it from shredding to bits when a tkc-80 picks up a rock.
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Honestly, if you're buying this on off-road ability than you will be in 5%-10% of purchasers, if that.

A new DL1000 will sell just like the old one - on price. $5000 or £5000 less than a GS, MS1200, or KTM is a lot of fuel, camping, and good times.

K0m4 · Oct 4, 2012

A hacksaw's all you need I say...

fifthcircle · Oct 4, 2012

RaY YreKa said: ↑

Honestly, if you're buying this on off-road ability than you will be in 5%-10% of purchasers, if that.

A new DL1000 will sell just like the old one - on price. $5000 or £5000 less than a GS, MS1200, or KTM is a lot of fuel, camping, and good times.
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After getting a DRZ400, I have very little desire to take my dl650 anywhere but on good roads. I get the ADV bike necessity for big trips like Alaska, but what % actually make the trip. And even then, a big tourer will be better for 95%+ of that trip.

If I had a pile of cash, I might get the Multistrada right now... Or wait for the new GS... For a budget minded, street biased fun bike, it appears to be a winner! YMMV

Sent from my fat thumbs on a small touch screen.

Twilight · Oct 4, 2012

K0m4 said: ↑

A hacksaw's all you need I say...
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Could you put on a couple of extra headlamps too please?

svs · Oct 4, 2012

fifthcircle said: ↑

For a budget minded, street biased fun bike, it appears to be a winner! YMMV .
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Today's affordable UJM...

ride it, drop it, beat on it, it's all good!

glitch_oz · Oct 4, 2012

K0m4 said: ↑

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I think, I've been there before...Suzuki is just catching up

Oh, and btw...that bike's for sale, too.

Buster452 · Oct 4, 2012

I would think that a larger percentage of the folks on this forum would actually be interested in off-road capabilities of this bike. Yes, many of the bikes sold don't even see dirt, but how much of the purchase decision is made off of "If I wanted to, I could...". If the off-road handling could match that of the Super Tenere or GS, then Suzuki has a winning platform.

Either it's an adventure bike that can handle off-road or it's a just a street bike. If it's an Adventure Bike, then they're going to have to improve it's off-road characteristics. If not, just put it into their "standard" category on the pamphlets and take it out of "dual sport".

It's not gonna be easy for Suzuki. There's no clear cut answer as to what specifically an "adventure bike" really is defined as. I would have to say though that some form of off-road use is involved in adventure riding and should weigh into the design of an adventure bike. Whether or not it actually gets used off-road is an unrelated question if it's labeled "adventure" or "dual sport".

They are most likely limited because of their price point in the market though. Much of the improvement costs will most likely be in just traction control, ABS and emissions. Everything else would just be inexpensive cosmetic changes.

I'm at 40k miles on my 2009 dl1000 and a purchase decision is coming up soon. If I had to pull the trigger right now on a replacement, it'd be the Super Tenere. $5k though is alot of gas and beer so it'd be tempting if the new DL1000 just felt a little lighter off-road.

RaY YreKa said: ↑

Honestly, if you're buying this on off-road ability than you will be in 5%-10% of purchasers, if that.

A new DL1000 will sell just like the old one - on price. $5000 or £5000 less than a GS, MS1200, or KTM is a lot of fuel, camping, and good times.
Click to expand...

K0m4 · Oct 4, 2012

Twilight said: ↑

Could you put on a couple of extra headlamps too please?
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I tried, but it looked so awkward on the profile picture

Tbh, I've looked at the pic from front, and there really seems to be plenty of places to fit aux lights to create a triangular thing, so if the headlight has a decent light output to start with, that might do it for conspicuity - and be even better than parallel lights. But it sure would look better...

glitch_oz said: ↑

I think, I've been there before...Suzuki is just catching up

Oh, and btw...that bike's for sale, too.
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Yeah, your build is pretty badass. I think the development team may just have read your thinstrom thread!

Pecha72 · Oct 5, 2012

even if the bike turned out to be good, Suzuki might actually be late. Trends come and go, and while "ADV" bikes have been very hot for a while, there's no guarantee this will continue. Plus it's already a very contested segment. (but this updated v-twin will probably also power other models in the future).

M0t0Rider · Oct 5, 2012

Buster452 said: ↑

I would think that a larger percentage of the folks on this forum would actually be interested in off-road capabilities of this bike. Yes, many of the bikes sold don't even see dirt, but how much of the purchase decision is made off of "If I wanted to, I could...". If the off-road handling could match that of the Super Tenere or GS, then Suzuki has a winning platform.

Either it's an adventure bike that can handle off-road or it's a just a street bike. If it's an Adventure Bike, then they're going to have to improve it's off-road characteristics. If not, just put it into their "standard" category on the pamphlets and take it out of "dual sport".

It's not gonna be easy for Suzuki. There's no clear cut answer as to what specifically an "adventure bike" really is defined as. I would have to say though that some form of off-road use is involved in adventure riding and should weigh into the design of an adventure bike. Whether or not it actually gets used off-road is an unrelated question if it's labeled "adventure" or "dual sport".

They are most likely limited because of their price point in the market though. Much of the improvement costs will most likely be in just traction control, ABS and emissions. Everything else would just be inexpensive cosmetic changes.

I'm at 40k miles on my 2009 dl1000 and a purchase decision is coming up soon. If I had to pull the trigger right now on a replacement, it'd be the Super Tenere. $5k though is alot of gas and beer so it'd be tempting if the new DL1000 just felt a little lighter off-road.
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I would go with the Super Tenere if I was you..The DL not the bike for you. Your replies keep confirming that so move along and sing your goodbyes. (said in the nicest way of course)

garandman · Oct 5, 2012

satz said: ↑

Me, if they hold below 10k price and avialable ABS , suzuki might give a run to all the 15k plus bikes .
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So why would it make sense to cut corners to sell a 1,000 cc bike for less than $10,000 to compete with $15,000 bikes? Cater to riders trading in two KLR's?

Buster452 said: ↑

I would think that a larger percentage of the folks on this forum would actually be interested in off-road capabilities of this bike. Yes, many of the bikes sold don't even see dirt, but how much of the purchase decision is made off of "If I wanted to, I could...". If the off-road handling could match that of the Super Tenere or GS, then Suzuki has a winning platform.

Either it's an adventure bike that can handle off-road or it's a just a street bike. If it's an Adventure Bike, then they're going to have to improve it's off-road characteristics. If not, just put it into their "standard" category on the pamphlets and take it out of "dual sport".

It's not gonna be easy for Suzuki. There's no clear cut answer as to what specifically an "adventure bike" really is defined as. /.
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Ah, yes, I understand. Suzuki should spend more on off-road capabilities so that the 5% of the riders who use it will buy it? That's not who buys these bikes for the most part.

Tough Bikes for Suburban Adventurers

These bikes look ready to powerslide the Siberian Road of Bones, ford Chile’s Bio-Bio River or go mano-a-horn with an enraged Namibian rhino. In reality, their riders are probably lawyers, creative directors and investment bankers, headed out for nothing more exotic than Sunday breakfast. A life-threatening breakfast, to be sure, including eggs with actual yolks, caffeinated coffee and even pork-based cured meats. But any extraordinary riding skill or high-stakes route-finding will focus on getting back to the gated community in time for Briana Scurry’s 1:30 soccer kickoff.

Though these bikes are theoretically engineered for hard-hitting off-road exploration, only a tiny percentage will ever go more than a few miles off-piste. As any real dirt-bike rider knows, the next-to-last thing you want while traversing real mud, sand, rocks or water is a sharp-edged, $20,000, 500-pound motorcycle. The last thing you want is to find yourself alone, trapped underneath one.

As with Cialis, divers’ watches and submarine-launched thermonuclear devices, it is not necessarily what you do with what you have, it’s what you — and others — imagine you could do that counts.
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Suzuki first aimed this bike at younger, more sport-oriented riders than those who bought the BMW GS. That's their power alley, and they'd be dumb to leave it. Most of the "Adventure" riders here don't seem to be familiar with sport bikes but the GSX-R 1000 sells in big numbers at $13,500 and is usually mid-priced in that market. The Boulevard M109R is $14,300. I'd be shocked if the new DL1000 was less than $11,500.

The new KTM will attract the "real" offroad riders who want a 500 lb bike. And note that Honda is now selling their Dakar bike - a CRF450 Rally. The CRF450R has a curb weight of 238 lbs, so it's going to be light.

Twilight · Oct 5, 2012

Buster452 said: ↑

I would think that a larger percentage of the folks on this forum would actually be interested in off-road capabilities of this bike.
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 You forget that this bike is mainly made for Europe, and the chance for going off-road is very limited here. In Norway for instance, it is strictly forbidden to go off-road at all. Large fines and possible confiscation of the vehicle is the rule. People have been fined for parking just outside the road in some instances. It's a crazy regulated country.

Reposado1800 · Oct 5, 2012

Is anybody familiar enough with the USD forks to see if the Compression and Rebound clickers are present on this demo bike? The shock looks pure DL1000 without a remote reservoir.
The front suspension would have to be top of the line forks to get my consideration. Too many bikes now are doing a phony USD fork setup.

browneye · Oct 5, 2012

I like it. I had a '02 'Strom 1000, and currently a Tiger 800XC. Had a Versys first gen, and a SV650, the little canyon carver. Personally I've always like the v-twin. More Ducati-ish, as opposed to the inline 4-ish, in sound and torque curve. The DL1000 was a shuddery thing, fo sho.

Triumph builds a much nicer motorcycle than Suzuki. IMHO.

The hack-saw photoshop actually looks better. Beak or no beak, don't really give a damn. Everybody poo-poo'd Triumph for putting one on the Tiger, "Oh, they're just compying the F800". Oh well.

I wanted to look at the new DL650 but after testing out the triple motor it was a foregone conclusion.

Subscribed.

PeterW · Oct 5, 2012

Clayjars said: ↑

Is anybody familiar enough with the USD forks to see if the Compression and Rebound clickers are present on this demo bike? The shock looks pure DL1000 without a remote reservoir.
The front suspension would have to be top of the line forks to get my consideration. Too many bikes now are doing a phony USD fork setup.
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There are top photos and the front appears to have the adjusters, hard to be sure, but that was the appearance.

Remember though, that the photo's aren't necessarilly from a production bike.

I'd be more worried that Suzuki sorted out the low rpm behaviour of that engine & clutch - since that's about all the old 1000 needed to be very usuable on dirt roads.

Pete

Pecha72 · Oct 6, 2012

PeterW said: ↑

I'd be more worried that Suzuki sorted out the low rpm behaviour of that engine & clutch - since that's about all the old 1000 needed to be very usuable on dirt roads.
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That will be interesting to see also because the tighter emission norms now make this task even harder to perform. The engine has to run very lean in the lower rev range, where those are measured, and with a large displacement v-twin, it often means problems like running rough, etc. But I´m sure they are aware of this.

PWRCRZR · Oct 6, 2012

I figured I would chime in as a current Vstrom 1000 owner, I probably have just over 30,000 miles on them not a lot but enough to make a few comments.

I primarily use my V as a 2 up all road tourer, I prefer back roads and a bit of gravel. I personally do not see it as an "off road" bike. Just my opinion. It does a great job of hauling my wife and I and all our gear anywhere we want to go.

Great motor but the clutch chudder and throttle snatchieness does get old..the rest of the bike is definitely good for the price point. Seat is all day comfy for me, wind management isn't as bad as people complain about, suspension is fair for what the bike cost. Styling...well that is not that important to me.

Well it just so happens that my long range goal is to start traveling the country in segments in 2014, Ride store repeat. So I hope to be in the market for a new 2 up adv touring bike for my wife and I.

Personally I kind of like the look of the concept V, sure it follows current styling trends but hay look around everything in our economy does..

I like many others hope they fix the chudder and EFI issues, possibly improve the suspension a bit. Maybe even move a little bit of weight lower some how.

I for one would have liked to see a shaft drive but I am thinking it is a cost thing and possibly Suzuki trying to find something to offer that not as many others do in the big displacement ADV bike market.

It definitely looks like it will widen the field of contenders when I am ready for a new bike.

jdfsau · Oct 6, 2012

I never had the fuel injection problems but I did have the clutch problems.

The OEM DL1000 clutch should be called the "poor man's slipper" since Suzuki engineered to to slip by simply using weaker clutch springs to mitigate rear wheel lockup.That's probably the main reason for the dreaded chudder. Suzuki must have been afraid of liability issues to make it decide to use this turd of a part.

I replaced the stock clutch with a slipper clutch one out of the SV1000/Tl1000 (fits right in) . Now I have a real slipper clutch and all the old problems are a distant memory. I still remember that I had to change the original clutch not once but twice in 20K miles. The so called "improved" clutch lasted for an even shorter period of time that the original "unimproved" clutch. The first time Suzuki paid for the parts but not the labor since the bike was out of warranty. The second time I had to pay for all of the clutch replacement myself.That's when I decided to put the slipper in.

If the new Concept comes with another old cheapo non slipper clutch that would be the deal breaker for me. Another deal breaker might be if the the bike comes with a 17 inch front wheel instead of the present 19 incher. I might not take the bike off road very much but I would like to have that option. No one even makes dual/sport or dirt tires for a 17 inch rim (as far as I know)

Even the new Kawasaki Ninja 300 has slipper clutch and this is a basic $5k motorcycle. Wake up Suzuki.

Twilight · Oct 6, 2012

Here is the improvement Suzuki needs to do to the concept to make me buy it! (from stromtrooper.com)

Pecha72 · Oct 6, 2012

PWRCRZR said: ↑

I for one would have liked to see a shaft drive but I am thinking it is a cost thing and possibly Suzuki trying to find something to offer that not as many others do in the big displacement ADV bike market.
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It´s also a weight thing.

And I´ll have a chain on an ADV bike, thank you.

An example: my friend just did a 6-month tour from Argentina to the US... and there was one major fault on the bike during the whole trip. You guessed it the shaft gave up in Colombia. So the bike was transported on a pick-up to Cartagena, and then on a boat to Panama, where they were able to fix it (with parts shipped to them from Europe). Meant about 7-10 days of waiting around, and I have no info on the total costs, but wasn´t cheap.

On a chain-driven bike that just does not happen. So very easy to carry all parts as spares, if you like. And even if you don´t, chains are everywhere. I know it requires more regular maintenance.

But I don´t mean to start a fight, this is nothing more than just my personal opinion.

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