2012 DL 650 thumbs up or down?

[bigdave-gs]

Originally Posted by garandman

If you say so.

Last year Boston got 85" of snow. Most places inland got 1 1/2 as much. This tends to cut into riding time. My snow thrower runs 2 hours on a tank and I went through 7 tanks. It moves almost a ton of snow per minute. Do the math....

See, there's a reason I live in Texas. I think we got 3.5" of rain all year so far and we get at least a half inch of snow every four or five years, and that shuts down the whole state. ............. Oh and what's a snow blower........ Just kidding, my Aunt lives in Binghamton, NY.

[SpaceManSpiff]

and now...back to our scheduled program.

Suzuki USA shows an MSRP of $8,299 --that is a lot of bike for the money.

[bigdave-gs]

Originally Posted by SpaceManSpiff

and now...back to our scheduled program.

Suzuki USA shows an MSRP of $8,299 --that is a lot of bike for the money.

Yes sir, the V-Strom 650 is the best bang for the buck. BMW F650GS starts at $10,200.00 and only holds 4.2 gallons of usable fuel.

[Mojo34]

Originally Posted by bigdave-gs

Yes sir, the V-Strom 650 is the best bang for the buck. BMW F650GS starts at $10,200.00 and only holds 4.2 gallons of usable fuel.

Hi Everyone -

Got a request to add some of my opinions here as a new owner of a 2012. I read every word I could on the bike before buying, but I already knew from having followed the V-Strom picture thread over the past few years that I was pretty much leaning towards the bike, despite its non-upgrades and slightly boxy look. The 650 V-Strom has everything I want in a bike at this stage, including good gas mileage, passenger comfort and a comfortable position.

I've now done 1000 kms on this new bike and had the oil changed as the doctor ordered. The user manual says this oil change is critical, and so is driving gently during break-in. They still say not to exceed 7500 until 1500 kms, so I haven't pushed it. No need really, as the bike has great growl in the 5-6000 rpm range, not to mention that this usually puts me near or above the legal limit anyway.

Here are some impressions:
- I love the new look. I didn't mind the old look, but now I really think the bike has nothing to fear from any of its competitors.
- Without exception, my friends (including lots of riders) and family all think that the look is sweet. Many are surprised to see it's so cool live.
- I have the screen in the high position and can ride 130 km/hr (80 mph) without being hammered. A touring screen might be nice, but I'll wait and see.
- In the first 1000 kms (admittedly mellow riding), I got 4.7 l/100 (50.5 mpg), with one long (mellow) ride at 4.2 l/100 (56 mpg). The gas gauge is accurate, with 5 bars total, and the last 1 accurately indicating reserve by flashing (black) at 4.5 liters and white at 2.5 (or something like that). In any case, you get two warnings and 80 km (50 miles) to find gas. This means 350-400 km per tank, with confidence.
- It's definitely powerful enough to drive the speed limits in France and stay ahead of everyone on country roads.
- I'm 5'8" and kept the standard seat. I thought of getting the lower seat, but I'm happier with my choice to keep the regular one. Very comfortable seat for rider and passenger: after a few hours riding, my buddy and his wife on a GS1200 both had sore butts. My wife and I were fine.
- I had tried all the logical choices for the touring/city riding that I do, including several Hondas (VFR, Transalp, CrossRunner), BMW GS800, Kawasaki Versys, and the venerable Triumph Tiger 800. Nothing bad to say about any of them - especially the Tiger, but when I went back and tried the 2012 V-Strom, I was ready to sign on the dotted line. Note on the Triumph: magnificent bike, probably more power than I need, and clearly not very good gas mileage. I just felt more at ease with the whole Suzuki package.
- I've heard a lot about V-Strom turn signals being snapped off in a fall... don't know if it's a new thing, but mine are on a rubberized shaft and are thus flexible. Already dropped it once (engine bars, grip protectors and top case kept the bike from any damage whatsover), and the front turn signal didn't break in the slightest.
- The mirrors seem huge in comparison to some other bikes and I really feel that I can see a lot.
- It's easy to control and I have no trouble lane-splitting or making U-turns.
- The headlights seem pretty awesome at night.
- There are many glowing reviews about the bike on the Web. Do a search for 2012 Suzuki V-Strom, and limit the search to the last week or so to get the most recent. Haven't really seen anyone say anything bad about it.

All in all, I couldn't be happier. I'm really looking forward to the Spring and riding around northern Spain and southern France.

I hope you find this useful and/or interesting. This site and its forums really helped me make informed decisions based on what owners were saying.


In the countryside just north of Montpellier, France

Ride safely!

[Don T]

Nice first 1000km review Mojo34

[Pecha72]

^ And when news of this 2012-change came out, so many seemed disappointed, because it wasn´t "fully new".

I think it could in fact be a lot worse, if it was fully new. It has improved in many key areas, with subtle, but still notable changes.

One of the best seats of any Suzuki for a long time, for example. The stock seat on the previous model definitely needed some upgrading.

And the tank size being cut down 2 liters - well, according to reports, this model does use even less fuel than its predecessor, so the range is just about the same.

[D.T.]

You seem to be the first real owner. Over here the adventure is coming out first then the standard version. My local stealer said the end of this month for the ADV model.

[Hogslayer]

Originally Posted by Kawidad

Nope. Sorry to say.

The DL1000 is being sold in the states for 2012 no change though, just check out Suzuki site.

[BlueSkyGuy]

I like to kid owners of the 12 but seriously these are great motorcycles that have developed a following as strong as any other brand in the "all roads" line up. From purchase to the last mile (if their is one) great machine.

[Don T]

As I only had the chance to take the new Wee for a short spin, I didn't have time to play around with the LCD features.

Are there only one average fuel consumption calculation or one for each of the two trip meters?
Is it possible to choose between km/l and l/100km?

Don T

[Adv Grifter]

I got to see both new Vstrom's at the IMS in San Mateo last weekend. I was quite impressed with the new Wee. IMO, looks better in person than in pics.
They had the standard version and the Adventure version. The seat feels much better than previous Wee Strom, firm, well shaped, a serious seat it would seem.

After viewing the new Triumph adventure bikes (T800 and Explorer 1200) and the Yamaha Tenere 1200, the DL650 Wee Strom was a sort of breath of fresh air. Simple, clean lines, not a lot of clutter ... and the Wee feels smaller and more compact than both the Triumph Explorer and Yam Tenere. Interesting.

The minor styling upgrades are quite good. But like others I would have liked upgrades in other areas. I'd bet Suzuki could squeeze another 10 hp out of that 650 and maybe even shave off a few kgs. Brakes should be upgraded as well ... and better suspension with an inch or two more ground clearance would not hurt.

But the reality is ... for most riders ... the bike will be perfect as is. With costs of BMW, KTM, Triumph and Yamaha gone through the rough ... the Wee is a relative bargain at under $9000 MSRP. (Deals will be had on this one)

[stoked steve]

Thanks for the great review Mojo, I'm really looking forward to seeing it in person, a few more months here in the states.

Sounds like the bike is all it is designed to be, and not what it is not. For the price, it seems like a great platform to build on...

I love the white, we're only getting the black and orange here.

Enjoy the ride!

[SpaceManSpiff]

Thanks Mojo!

Nice review --seems like Suzuki kept the core competencies in place...and improved on others.

How do you feel about the instruments? I like the idea of the digital speedo instead of analog. Are they legible? How do they look at night?

[eye.surgeon]

Thanks for the review. I have an 09 Wee and it's been a great bike. The new one tempts me as I hear more positive reviews.

[amk]

Originally Posted by Pecha72

^ And when news of this 2012-change came out, so many seemed disappointed, because it wasn´t "fully new".

I think it could in fact be a lot worse, if it was fully new. It has improved in many key areas, with subtle, but still notable changes.

One of the best seats of any Suzuki for a long time, for example. The stock seat on the previous model definitely needed some upgrading.

And the tank size being cut down 2 liters - well, according to reports, this model does use even less fuel than its predecessor, so the range is just about the same.

I disagree. Suz has not touched anything that riding/ handling depends on: weight distribution, COG allocation, huge wheel base, poor suspension/ ground clearance.

They improved the look, fixed what has not been broken and did nothing to the core.

BTW, even BMW can be had without ABS.