10-03-2015, 01:39 PM
I am on my 2nd V-strom 650. I had a 2006 I bought in 2009. I sold it in 2014 and bought the CB within a few months. I missed the comfort, versatility, wind protection, and not caring as much if it gets dirty, wet, scratched. I bought a 2013 in January and have enjoyed it a lot.
The newer generation (2012+) has just enough refinements to make it noticeably different than the old bike. The stock suspension is a lot more appropriate to full-size (i.e. beer and burger loving) men. I had installed heavier springs on my 2006 which was a bandaid fix without increasing the rebound damping capabilities (I did put heavier fork oil in which helped, but also messes with your compression damping). This 2013 just feels so much better out of the box. I have no need to upgrade suspension bits.
The engine is now based off the Gladius and has a slightly more low and mid range power than the old SV based mill. It's a bit smoother, too. I noticed the engine is a tad more revvy now that I have switched it over to full synthetic oil. It has the slightly lumpier cadence that a twin does, but it is quite happy sitting at 6k rpm and cruising at 80 mph.
If you get one, I recommend some basic farkles: centerstand, skid plate, and engine guards. Any bike with a chain needs a way to lift up the rear end for cleaning and service be it a paddock stand or center stand. The skid plate may look overkill if you don't plan to go off the pavement, but that oil filter and exhaust header is just too vulnerable down there. Givi makes a pretty light weight plate if all you need is protection from road debris. Engine guards will also protect all the plastics in case of a tip over. There are a ton of other things you can buy for these.
There are two complaints I have about the bike. The biggest are the brakes. I love having ABS, but these need more bite. I need to try and bleed mine just to make sure I don't have any air in the system. My 06 was this way and I read that they just have a bit of mushiness at the lever. There is a lot of lever travel before you feel them bite. I am also going to try some different pads. Some like upgrading to stainless braided lines, but I think modern OEM lines are pretty stiff. A lot of the perceived performance gain could be from having freshly bled brakes.
The other is wind management, or buffeting. I have a Givi Airflow adjustable screen and that is nice. Some get some buffeting from the stock mirrors and a common upgrade is the Aprilia Tuono mirror (around $50 for a pair) as well as brackets that space the mirrors out. I have found a lot of air coming around the top of the fairing, flowing around the gas tank plastics, and then the current turns up at my torso and buffets the helmet from the bottom side. There is a guy on the Stromtrooper forum that makes a set of wind wings to address this. I ended up making my own and was pleased with the results.
If you really are considering getting one, don't hesitate to reply here with questions or send me a private message.
The newer generation (2012+) has just enough refinements to make it noticeably different than the old bike. The stock suspension is a lot more appropriate to full-size (i.e. beer and burger loving) men. I had installed heavier springs on my 2006 which was a bandaid fix without increasing the rebound damping capabilities (I did put heavier fork oil in which helped, but also messes with your compression damping). This 2013 just feels so much better out of the box. I have no need to upgrade suspension bits.
The engine is now based off the Gladius and has a slightly more low and mid range power than the old SV based mill. It's a bit smoother, too. I noticed the engine is a tad more revvy now that I have switched it over to full synthetic oil. It has the slightly lumpier cadence that a twin does, but it is quite happy sitting at 6k rpm and cruising at 80 mph.
If you get one, I recommend some basic farkles: centerstand, skid plate, and engine guards. Any bike with a chain needs a way to lift up the rear end for cleaning and service be it a paddock stand or center stand. The skid plate may look overkill if you don't plan to go off the pavement, but that oil filter and exhaust header is just too vulnerable down there. Givi makes a pretty light weight plate if all you need is protection from road debris. Engine guards will also protect all the plastics in case of a tip over. There are a ton of other things you can buy for these.
There are two complaints I have about the bike. The biggest are the brakes. I love having ABS, but these need more bite. I need to try and bleed mine just to make sure I don't have any air in the system. My 06 was this way and I read that they just have a bit of mushiness at the lever. There is a lot of lever travel before you feel them bite. I am also going to try some different pads. Some like upgrading to stainless braided lines, but I think modern OEM lines are pretty stiff. A lot of the perceived performance gain could be from having freshly bled brakes.
The other is wind management, or buffeting. I have a Givi Airflow adjustable screen and that is nice. Some get some buffeting from the stock mirrors and a common upgrade is the Aprilia Tuono mirror (around $50 for a pair) as well as brackets that space the mirrors out. I have found a lot of air coming around the top of the fairing, flowing around the gas tank plastics, and then the current turns up at my torso and buffets the helmet from the bottom side. There is a guy on the Stromtrooper forum that makes a set of wind wings to address this. I ended up making my own and was pleased with the results.
If you really are considering getting one, don't hesitate to reply here with questions or send me a private message.