VStrom Owners Thread

[ALLDRTY]

Originally Posted by QBOTU

Yeah that's the dealer where I bought my bike. They also sell RV's which makes for a fun dealer visit.

We have a dealer out here that sell bikes,RV's and boats under the same roof....It's like a "fun stuff wet dream store"

[RoyQ]

Bought a '06 Red DL650 a month ago. Rode a '02 DL1000 for 3 years and 34k miles until a dumb ass women in a minivan ran over me back in Sept. '05 while I was headed to work one morning. Put 1300 miles on the 650 so far and I like it alot. I was lucky in the crash my Jesse bags were not on the bike that morning so I still had those just needed the 650 racks. I have added the OEM hanguards and centerstand. My Pat Walsh radar shelf off my 1000 worked on the 650. I tranfered all the V1 wiring and GPS hard wire over to my 650. The Givi topcase rack was unhurt so I added it to the 650 also. Only thing I don't necessarily like about the 650 is the lower seat height I am looking for a 1000 seat to replace it. I added a Fenda extenda tonight and will be adding some kind of skid plate soon I just have not decided which one yet. I've been down a few gravel roads on it and it is way better than the 1000 was. I miss the grunt of the 1000 but the 650 will go plenty fast in time, I've had it to 120 mph by my GPS. I took the 15T front sprocket off in favor of a 16T GSX-R600 front sprocket I had from my WERA race days. I attached a crappy pic of it, my camera focus button was out of wack when this was take, I'm no photographer.

[Maxmosbey]

Originally Posted by ImaPoser

Double thanks for the pics. I was thinking if I buy a wee, I'l have to pony up for a set of h-b junior bags as I hadn't really ween a set of Givis I thought looked as good. That setup looks very nice. If you don't mind, how much was that setup?

I don't remember exactly. I believe that the whole thing was under $750 including tax and shipping. I bought them through my local dealer, and he went directly with GIVI and gave me a hell of a discount. As I remember, the first person that he talked to was not real helpful, however the second one was better. The thing is, that the E360s, the top rack, and the E460 were in stock, and they arrived fairly quickly, however the sideracks were missing. It took a couple of calls to find out that the sideracks were on back order, and they didn't bother to tell us that when we ordered them. I checked with everyone on the internet, and no one had the side racks. I looked at other brands that were compatible, but I wanted the GIVI racks and the guy at GIVI told us that we were at the top of the list, so I waited a couple of weeks for them to come in. Then, GIVI sent them to the wrong dealership. Finally, after about a month, I got everything. Frankly, it was a pain in the ass getting them, but once they arrived, and I installed them, I love them. The fit was perfect, and they hold up very well. My advice is to go through someone like Twisted Throttle, and make sure that they have everything before you order. At least the guy at Twisted Throttle will be straight with you, and I understand that he does a lot of business with GIVI, so he probably knows how to cut through the BS. If I were to do it over, that is what I would do.

[KTMRyder]

RoyQ, I added the gel seat to mine and it seems to work pretty darn good.
about the same height as the 1000 seat but wider.
after I broke my pelvis about an hour in the saddle was all I could take.
I got tired of riding standing up so I decided to give it a try.
$165 with tax and everything with my discount from the dealer.

With a new seat and my sheepskin cover I am good to go.

[RoyQ]

Originally Posted by KTMRyder

RoyQ, I added the gel seat to mine and it seems to work pretty darn good.
about the same height as the 1000 seat but wider.
after I broke my pelvis about an hour in the saddle was all I could take.
I got tired of riding standing up so I decided to give it a try.
$165 with tax and everything with my discount from the dealer.

With a new seat and my sheepskin cover I am good to go.

I have thought about doing that. I had a gel seat on my Bandit 1200 but disliked how hot it got when left in the sun. Suzuki sells the tall touring seat for about $203 from Ron Ayers. Not sure what direction I'll take if the deal comes along I will jump on it in the meantime the stocker is not that bad I just prefer the profile of the 1000 more, got used to it in 34k miles.

[RoyQ]

Originally Posted by QBOTU

Roy, are you on the other Strom specific forums?? Often there are posts from folks wanting to swap seats.

Yes I am, in fact I have been in contact with two people already one from California and the other from Arizona, details have not been worked out yet. They are still window shopping

[HMR71]

You guys complaining about the seat, I felt your pain! I could only sit in that stock saddle for an hour. I bought an AirHawk seat cushion and it changed my life. Since I don't have a Strom right now I put the AirHawk on my chair at my desk. I'm sitting on it right now! Try it.

FWIW-I have a Corbin on the KTM950 and it's comfy all day with or without the Airhawk.

[helikron]

I bought a blue K5 650 at the end of summer, so only a few hundred miles' riding before I had to put it to bed for the winter.

Sweet experience thus far, and really really looking forward to Spring here.

Has anyone here gone with a longer shock or tried to raise their Fiddy? I've got long legs and some gnarly roads here.

Oh, and anyone want to trade a 1000 seat or Gel for my Fiddy's?
Related: buy a sheepskin from Alaska Leather... $50 and really does the trick!

[wibby]

Originally Posted by Stinez

I sure like my 1k but night riding in the rolling twisties is scary.
Between the faring mounted headlights and the somewhat high pattern of the lens’ the lack of light makes me feel like I’m turning into a dark hole.

I’m getting a set of PIAA’s before the next long trip. And I'm angling them so I can see better through turns.

I've always thought my Strom has GREAT lights, Especially with Silverstars

I just use the highbeam trigger when going into a corner

Wish the lights on my truck lit the road as good as the Strom

[basses11]

Greetings everyone, I own a DL1000 K5 a truly wonderful motorcycle.

[svs]

Mine is the DL 996

[motogon]

DL-1000 here! Great bike, I love it

[element]

I found very easy to remove the factory cover to reshaped and repadded my stock seat. The factory cover very quickly shaped itself to my extended seat pocket!

So what is the big deal about the Vstom seat?

Adventure riders should be able to fix anything.

[dan-c]

Me too, K bike that is. I love her :rabia

[Stinez]

Originally Posted by wibby

I've always thought my Strom has GREAT lights, Especially with Silverstars

I just use the highbeam trigger when going into a corner

Wish the lights on my truck lit the road as good as the Strom

What are the Silverstars?
(NM- I googled them) I think the lens pattern is more the issue than the bulbs themselves.

I've done the high beam thing when I could but I'm looking for something I can leave on without pissing off the people going the other way.

I do like the stock lights when I'm upright but leaned over the darkness is more than I care to deal with. (As some may know) The lens’ have a VERY distinct border so it’s either full light or no light with minimal reflected light into a tight turn line.
I hope the PIAA’s are the answer.