Vstrom 1000, and me

[mattness]

so ive had this vstrom 1000 for a while now. i ride it to work every night and run errands on it. all my joy riding is on my max. (duh)

it gets 32-37 mpg. nothing crazy, but it does have a 5.3? gallon tank so it will go 150-170 miles no problem.

it has good low end if you can keep it above 3k rpm, because the clutch basket rattles and shakes below that. itll cruise uphill at 4k rpm with a passenger and luggage like it dont even feel it.

the 6th gear is nice, but wont pull the bike past 5 or 6k with me on it, its just for interstate cruising. if i recall correctly 75 mph is only like 4100 rpm

it revs to 10k, and if youre good at shifting and keeping it in the powerband, it can be sporty. you cant just drop it in 5th and chug it there the whole ride.

the bike is very comfortable. pegs below you, handle bars in front of you, very natural. i sit more upright than on the gen 2.

i have a lee bailey 4 ft tall windhsield to keep the wind off of me so im not straining against the wind, and the overall weather protection of the bike is excellent. when its raining it creates a force field around the bike and you can see it warping around you. pretty cool.

the build quality isnt at a vmax standard, but the ride makes up for it.

it does handle well if you can get used to the 6ft off the ground feeling.

yes it CAN go off road, i do it all the time, chasing rabbits, picking up ballons, chasing cats, exploring, creek crossing, BUT it is VERY heavy, if you start to go down a slope and the bike isnt aiming straight down it, youre goin DOWN lol.. ive had some close calls.

it does wheelie kind of easy in 1st gear with stock gearing, i was pulling onto the street one day from a sideroad and punched the gas, ive never been so scared in me life. i was wheelieing sideways, when i left off the gas i muscled it upright and landed it somehow.

theres nothing exciting about the bike, but it just does everything. i think if you had to have a bike and get rid of your car, this would be perfect. to be happy with this bike you have to quit thinking about how cool your bike is, and start thinking about how cool RIDING is. its definitely not for posers and sport bike kids and cruiser guys just dont GET it.

 

[mattness]

the only "problem" ive had with it so far is after riding it for several miles at a constant throttle position, like when im using my vista cruise control, when i come to a stop it wont idle and it acts like one cylinder is flooded and it spews gas out of the pipes. it happens when it is warm out and is apparently a problem with all vstrom 1000s.

its supposed to be a throttle position thingy getting stuck or not resetting properly, and apparently there is no fix, because when you replace it... you replace it with..... thats right, another faulty part

just let the bike sit for a while and itll start again like nothing happened

 

[RaWarrior]

I get it perfectly fine....if that translated to the world of cars, everyone would either drive a minivan or a Corvette. There's got to be some happy medium that's practical but yet still enjoyable.

Suzuki seems to have trouble with fueling...buddy with a M109 has a problem where if you coast for a while, engine spinning up but no throttle on, when you pull the clutch it it'll stall out. If it idles for more than 10-15 seconds, it kind of loads up, and when you go to take off, it stalls out. It also doesn't like to go wide open for long periods...after about a minute at wide open, it starts to run weird and lose power. Dunno if it gets too hot internally or something. My Vmax has been at WOT 120+ for over 5 minutes straight and it never missed a beat...temperature rose by about 10 degrees, that's it. Normal is about 180 on the highway, it worked up to 190-195 spinning 8000+rpm at WFO.

 

[4gasem]

Have you set the TPS on it yet Matt?

If not, you need to. It'll make a HUGE difference if it's out.

http://www.sv-portal.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9111&highlight=throttle+position+sensor

Glad you like it. I still prefer the power of my SV over my max. I like the instant on and low end torque. My SV dyno'd at 104 and 68 some time ago. Not a lot of power, but the graph speaks volumes. Comes on low and stays flat. It's perfect for the street!

Chris

 

[mattness]

i need to do that. its smooth in first gear around town but in 2nd it does get sloppy when coming to a stop or slowing down. anything 3rd gear or higher accelerating from 2k rpm-4k rpm it makes some .... unhealthy... metal clanking sounds.. very clunky.

my gen 2 has spoiled me a lot though im sure. i can cruise in 5th gear from 1200 rpm to 10,100 rpm and theres no clanking or jerking at all

but it doesnt turn me off from the bike, its just something to get used to. it needs shifted a lot.

like i said, the ride makes up for it.

am i a suzuki fanboi? lol no. i think if yamahama made a vstrom it wouldve been a lot nicer. i kind of see this one as a tupperware experiment. it rattles a lot, but you get used to it. the shifting is tight as well as the clutch and braking, thats all that matters

 

[4gasem]

It's a twin... That's what I love about it... The twin sound and feel... Open the intake and exhaust and listen to it breathe! My SV redlines at 11,000 and I have no clanking or jerking. Just Vtwin grunt from bottom to top.

I believe there's a fix for the VStrom clutch rattle. The tune for mine made a HUGE difference in the smoothness dept. It's got instant on power and doesn't like the front wheel on the ground. Granted, mine is lighter being that it's more of a sport oriented bike and has more HP as well. Throttle body syncing is a good idea as well.

 

[max_caper]

theres nothing exciting about the bike, but it just does everything. i think if you had to have a bike and get rid of your car, this would be perfect. to be happy with this bike you have to quit thinking about how cool your bike is, and start thinking about how cool RIDING is. its definitely not for posers and sport bike kids and cruiser guys just dont GET it.

+1 on your VStrom experience. I considered a V-Strom as a replacement for my Vmax in 2008. I had one out twice on demo days and it is truly an all-around great bike. I would have to say that the build quality on the ones I drove was above Gen-1 VMax standards. The EFI on mine worked well with no glitches and the controls were well laid out and highly visible.

I decided on the 1250 Bandit over the 'Strom mostly because I liked the Bandit's power delivery over that of the DL1000. EFI works well, it has hard luggage for touring, decent handling, and a range of about 195 miles riding 2-up. Also, if I ever decide to mess with it, there's enough aftermarket go-fast goodies available to help it run with many Gen-1 Vmax's!

Blaine

 

[Sauron]

I'm fairly certain that a V Strom will be my next bike. It does everything-plus, it has that V Twin, which I've yet to experience.

 

[naughtyG]

i think if yamahama made a vstrom it wouldve been a lot nicer. i kind of see this one as a tupperware experiment. it rattles a lot, but you get used to it. the shifting is tight as well as the clutch and braking, thats all that matters

What about the Super T?n?r? 1200? Is that available in the US?

 

[Redbone]

What about the Super T?n?r? 1200? Is that available in the US?

It is available, by special order (like Vmax), colors are blue and black. Go to this site, it's a pretty good forum with good info, lots of modding going on already with this bike! I want one as a second bike for sure!
There is a bloke from Perth(Wasp) that has done some nice mods to make it better off road, lighter/ more hp exhaust and improve on it's touring ability.
Thread on ADVrider that will tell you tons about the ST. http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=630631

 

[naughtyG]

Good info, thanks Brian! Shame it's another slightly overpriced bike, as I do kinda like it.

I actually bought a brand new Super T?n?r? 750 back in 1990 (my only and prolly last brand new bike ever).

 

[Redbone]

Yes it is pricey! If was below $10G I would have seriously thought about it. Sunce it's a Yamaha so it'll be cheaper to maintain and buy than a BMW. The BMW has been around forever and has up to this point owned this segment but with the Super T on the market now this segment is heating up, look for Honda's new v-4 soon!
I'll just wait and a Super Tenere will fall into my price range and I'll be telling you guys all about it!!!:biglaugh:







I can dream, can't I!!
:rofl_200::rofl_200: