V strom owners? Opinions? | GTAMotorcycle.com

V strom owners? Opinions?

Iceman

Iceman

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The vstrom 1000 is on my short list for my next bike, along with the tiger 955i, and fz1, mainly those 3 I think.
Anyway, I'm looking at a very nice 03 right now, nice bike, decent mileage, what worries me is the whole clutch thing. Is this as common as it seems? Am I guaranteed to be replacing clutch basket etc, frequently? I do have the skills wrenching to do the work required, just not sure I want to if I'm going to repeat it every 10k.
Any thoughts or opinions on the other bikes welcomed.


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Iceman said:
The vstrom 1000 is on my short list for my next bike, along with the tiger 955i, and fz1, mainly those 3 I think.
Anyway, I'm looking at a very nice 03 right now, nice bike, decent mileage, what worries me is the whole clutch thing. Is this as common as it seems? Am I guaranteed to be replacing clutch basket etc, frequently? I do have the skills wrenching to do the work required, just not sure I want to if I'm going to repeat it every 10k.
Any thoughts or opinions on the other bikes welcomed.


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I had a 2006. My friend currently has a 2006. I was a member of the Strom forums.

What whole clutch thing are you talking about? Because I have not even heard of it.

So much for common eh?
 
Yeah, a google search of the 02/03 models comes up with clutch issues, how common is it, internet makes it sound bad. I believe they ironed it out by 04.
Sometimes you read about these huge issues online, but nobody local in the real world has had any problems.

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That's the power of Internet ... you have to take the good with the bad ... if everybody cared seriously about every post with problems nobody would every buy a bike at all ... Imagine the times before Internet and people still managed to buy bikes and cars and run them for years ....
 
A buddy of mine has had an '04 since new and has had no troubles with it and he LOVES it. If it weren't for the seat height, I would have bought the 650 strom instead of my Bandit. My buddy is 6'4" and doesn't have that issue.
 
I have a 650 and have never had an issue with it. The clutch issue appeared only to be 1000 '02 & '03 and was a warranty repair. Looking at the ADV threads on the issue it looks to be a one time $250 fix.
 
skip said:
I have a 650 and have never had an issue with it. The clutch issue appeared only to be 1000 '02 & '03 and was a warranty repair. Looking at the ADV threads on the issue it looks to be a one time $250 fix.
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I have a lot of experience with both the 650 (I had a 2006) and the 1000 (I still have a 2004).

The 1000 is a very good bike - do not hesitate to pull the trigger if you like what you see. Some tweaking makes it a great bike.

Great community, great aftermarket support, great value for money.
 
Awesome. Thanks guys, appreciate the feedback. The bike I'm looking at has a few km on it, any extras are proper the bike, not bling. Appears to be a well-sorted, well maintained bike. I really like the v twin engine characteristics on the road, torquey where it needs to be. I had an 02 sv650s, sweet motor, hated the ergos.


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mxs said:
That's the power of Internet ... you have to take the good with the bad ... if everybody cared seriously about every post with problems nobody would every buy a bike at all ... Imagine the times before Internet and people still managed to buy bikes and cars and run them for years ....
Click to expand...

Totally agree. A bike catches my eye, ask around a few locals say it's great etc. check reviews online and it says that every blue model made in 05 has bad pistons, bad 2nd gear, bad clutch, insert favourite here. You really gotta sort through the bs to get to the guys with any real knowledge.


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Iceman said:
Awesome. Thanks guys, appreciate the feedback. The bike I'm looking at has a few km on it, any extras are proper the bike, not bling. Appears to be a well-sorted, well maintained bike. I really like the v twin engine characteristics on the road, torquey where it needs to be. I had an 02 sv650s, sweet motor, hated the ergos.
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Both the 1000 and the 650 are well sorted machines. 1000 I found to be a bit nicer 2 up on the highway (more low end grunt). Currently have a 650 and am very happy with it. I commute about 120km a day on the thing through the GTA without any issue. Starts and runs as it should. Started commuting again this week. Pop'ed the battery in and fired right up without any fuss.
 
skip said:
I have a 650 and have never had an issue with it. The clutch issue appeared only to be 1000 '02 & '03 and was a warranty repair. Looking at the ADV threads on the issue it looks to be a one time $250 fix.
Click to expand...

Actually, the clutch 'chudder' carried into much later models of the DL1000 and no warranty coverage.

I know as I have an '02 model and just changed out the clutch basket recently. The new basket will not fail after 10k.

Parts and labour amounted to $500 but considering that I had no problems with the bike for the last 12 yrs, it was a nominal cost. Of my four bikes, the Vstrom will be the last to sell.
 
Bought at 2012 650 last year only put 900 on it. Its great for touring and the wife loves it for 2 upping. Careful if you on the shorter side like i am its difficult to flat floot from a seating position. Im thinking abut lowering it.
 
Two50noob said:
Im thinking abut lowering it.
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You could also try replacing the stock seat first. The gel seat is suppose to be lower then the stock seat (it is on the first gen that is what I am using). The seatconcepts.com conversion package is also suppose to lower it and I have read good reviews from riders with it.

Just remember the 2012-2014 seats are different then the first gen.
 
If you are going to lower it - I highly recommend Soupy's lowering links and adjustable kickstand - http://soupysperformance.com/ . There are lots of lowering options, but one thing people forget about when they're lowering is the kickstand, and they can be a real pain to cut and weld. Their adjustable kickstand is good stuff.
 
oomis said:
If you are going to lower it - I highly recommend Soupy's lowering links and adjustable kickstand - http://soupysperformance.com/ . There are lots of lowering options, but one thing people forget about when they're lowering is the kickstand, and they can be a real pain to cut and weld. Their adjustable kickstand is good stuff.
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im defiantly going to cut the rubber on my seat first and see how i fair before i make that choice to lower but yea i probably would go for the adjustable.
 
Stroms are great bikes.. my 2006 DL650 has over 202,000 km and my 2012 DL650 has over 84,000 km. My bike is my main vehicle from March until November/December.

There is a guy on Stromtrooper that has a fix for the Clutch Basket issues on the DL1000. You should join Stromtrooper (if you aren't already a member) as there is a ton of great information on it about the Stroms.

..Tom
 
To the OP:

I hope it was not the Vstrom in Elmira you were coveting. My buddy just bought it!


High mileage bike but very well maintained.
 
Timing is everything. I just lowered my friends 1000 YESTERDAY. It took 15 minutes and he can now flatfoot the bike (a recent ankle injury forced him to make the change). The bike seems to still handle fine and the slightly diminished clearance may not be relevent. At least wheelies will be easier. :)
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