Rode a Vstrom 1000 today

[4 Paws_imp]

Rode a 1000 and 650 V yesterday in addition,to a Honda CB500x. The vstroms are a lot of bike, sit well with a decent engine. Felt top heavy to me and were more bike than I was looking for.
Nice bikes with a large following.

[Papa Weeley_imp]

Rode a 1000 and 650 V yesterday in addition,to a Honda CB500x. The vstroms are a lot of bike, sit well with a decent engine. Felt top heavy to me and were more bike than I was looking for.
Nice bikes with a large following.

I looked into the same bunch. Bought the CB500x. Great little bike, very lightweight, handles amazingly well, and doesn't feel like it's carrying 350 of its pounds 4 feet off the pavement like the VStroms. The Vs are no doubt much more powerful, but the CB5 fits me perfectly, and has ample power for what I use it for.

[4 Paws_imp]

Trying to locate a cb500x used around here. Want something to do a little off road riding, emphasis on a little.

[rboe]

If "a little off road" means good dirt and gravel roads, ANY standard bike will suffice. Some cruisers are a wee bit iffy and some sport bikes will do fine too. If you make a habit of it there are tires you can use that work better in "a little off road" and still do very well on the road.

Shoot, when I started out not all roads were paved so your bike - and you - just rode on whatever was under the tires, and didn't think twice about it. We didn't know any better.

[Capo]

We had both a VStrom 650 and 1000 as part of our rental fleet on the Isle of Man last week. Both capable bikes, no problems handling everything from the Mountain section at spirited speeds and light off road duty. The renters, however, are KTM 1190 and Aprilia Caponord owners, so they were not impressed with the Suzukis overall, more like grudging acknowledgement of their competence for the price. And quite frankly, that's important....the Strom is a good, solid machine for decent money, and you'll get a decade out of it with little drama.

[TINK_imp]

Loved my 650 Wee Strom.
Sold it when I got the VFR, no room at the inn (garage).
My Wee was a 2004. If I got another (... thinking about it) I'd get ABS for sure. When pushed, the rear of the Wee would get light and HAPPY



The Wee, however, is no silky smooth ST1300...

[dwcurton_imp]

I bought a 2006 Wee-Strom brand new, been driving it for 10 years now. I quickly got over all that "adventure" nonsense and saw it for what it was, an excellent value for the money. It's a darned good commuter, and large enough with enough power to be a decent highway cruiser. Good wind protection, decent aftermarket support, and a rock-solid engine. It takes a little time to get used to how high it sits (I lowered my 1") but once you get used to the balance you can confidently throw it into corners and roll full throttle on exits. In fact, at that power level you can roll full throttle quite often - which is not something I'd do on a true sports bike. I also changed out the windshield to improve air flow and modified the seat some for couch cushion comfort. Added a top box to carry my lunch.

But it ain't pretty, that's for sure. So I never washed it. Usually just leave it sitting out in the rain occasionally to knock the dirt off. She doesn't complain, and after 40,000 miles still runs strong. The CB is my new baby, but the Wee-Strom is still there and ready for duty.