Can you 'off road' with Vstrom? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Can you 'off road' with Vstrom?

bigpoppa

Well-known member
I'm usually riding on back country roads, and occasionally find myself being tempted by these gorgeous 'side roads' that are gravel, or dirt, or a combination of....
the ones that have signs that read 'equestrian' and have signs to look out for horses

they're not proper 'dirt bike' territory in the sense your not on a field somewhere, or on a trail, but as a new rider i dare not take the street bike over

Could the vstrom handle the territory, or would i be better off with just a pure dual sport or supermoto?(Street legal)

Ideally the bike should be able to do it all(including touring, twisties, and some 'oomph' when i need it)

Perhaps for the next bike....
 
1000 or 650? Either way, you can take it anywhere you can take a standard street bike. Depends mostly on rider skill and confidence. (years ago old Bob M. took his Wee into some sketchy areas, only concern was either the oil filter or cooler can't remember which)
 
Yeah, sure it can... but it can be tough going if you find mud and sand... the bike is a heavy beast. A good thick skid plate like the Enduro Guardian is a priority offroad... the oil cooler is in a bad spot on the pre-2012s, the oil filter is in a bad spot on the post-2012s, and you only have 6" of clearance so it is very easy to bang the bottom off rocks.

My Enduro Guardian skid plate has a couple very deep grooves scratched in it from rocks... I likely would have destroyed my crankcase if I didn't have this skid plate.
 
62_O0_Yrr.jpg


This was what my skid plate looked like after one particular trip to the Bancroft area where I started exploring some ATV trails. There was a sign saying a lookout was this way, and it was a fairly steep climb for the Vstrom... I ended up going up some rock outcrop that I shouldn't have... but once you are in the thick of it, you're kind of committed.... too hard to turn around. The way back down did this to the skid plate.

That centre groove might not look too deep... but I'd say it is more than 1/8" deep.
 
With crash bars and a strong skid plate, go wild. Make sure you get the skid plate though, not a lot of ground clearance on a Strom.
 
It really depends on what you consider 'off road'. Pictures help, if you have any examples of what you are thinking about. It sounds like you're just describing gravel or packed single lane dirt roads, which the VStrom is very happy on. You can certainly get through tougher stuff, but I just didn't find it fun at all. Too heavy, and really lousy traction on sand or mud with typical 90/10 style tires. And like mentioned above, it is a real problem if you are exploring an ATV trail that narrows and becomes impassible, because turning it around can be very difficult.
 
It really depends on what you consider 'off road'. Pictures help, if you have any examples of what you are thinking about. It sounds like you're just describing gravel or packed single lane dirt roads, which the VStrom is very happy on. You can certainly get through tougher stuff, but I just didn't find it fun at all. Too heavy, and really lousy traction on sand or mud with typical 90/10 style tires. And like mentioned above, it is a real problem if you are exploring an ATV trail that narrows and becomes impassible, because turning it around can be very difficult.

Will try to find some pictures, the roads i speak of are near the forks of the credit, as you head up north on Mississauga road, on the right hand side(I know it sounds vague) but the phrase "packed single lane dirt road" sums it up nicely



Ah here we go:
https://s17.postimg.org/4dbhqba67/20160418_180431.jpg


Roads like that^^
 
Yes the Strom can handle what you describe easily ....I suggest K60 tires, Bark Busters and a metal skid plate as the bottom isvulnerable to expensive damage but that's only if you are going to get into some rougher dual track.

What you describe is "off pavement" and theStrom is excellent for that. It is not suitable for actual off road riding, too heavy, front tire too small, too vulnerable - not enough ground clearance.

Some people do off the road the Stroms - I suggest that if you have ask then you shouldn't be one of them.
The backroads around the Forks are excellent and much fun..very pretty in the fall.

Be aware tho when you start looking at farm lanes and horsetrails that is illegal ...there are trail riding organizations you can join to find the legal routes. Check out the off road forum here.

To answer your question .....there is no one bike. KLR650 might be the closest but it only does everything so so. DR400s and 650s better in the dirt ....you aren't going twisty riding on knobbies.
 
Yes the Strom can handle what you describe easily ....I suggest K60 tires, Bark Busters and a metal skid plate as the bottom isvulnerable to expensive damage but that's only if you are going to get into some rougher dual track.

What you describe is "off pavement" and theStrom is excellent for that. It is not suitable for actual off road riding, too heavy, front tire too small, too vulnerable - not enough ground clearance.

Some people do off the road the Stroms - I suggest that if you have ask then you shouldn't be one of them.
The backroads around the Forks are excellent and much fun..very pretty in the fall.

Be aware tho when you start looking at farm lanes and horsetrails that is illegal ...there are trail riding organizations you can join to find the legal routes. Check out the off road forum here.

To answer your question .....there is no one bike. KLR650 might be the closest but it only does everything so so. DR400s and 650s better in the dirt ....you aren't going twisty riding on knobbies.

Illegal? For all vehicles or just for bikes?

And to put it in perspective, the KLR is direct competition with the Vstrom and the versys?
 
....And to put it in perspective, the KLR is direct competition with the Vstrom and the versys?

Maybe not direct, but somewhat close. KLR is dirt biased and the others road biased. But for all rounders and small adventure rides, close.
 
there is 'off the road' , then "off road" . as everyone has said, gravel roads and trails are fine, put a skid plate on so you dont wreck the oil filter which is in a really tough spot for protection and crash bars are pretty important is you ride much more than gravel trails.
The first time you get bogged in a mud puddle, put a foot down to discover the place where you want to put your foot is way deeper than your leg is long, your tipping over.
If you go riding rocky trails dont bang up the rims to badly, cast rims aren't very rock friendly.
 
With proper tires you can take the Vstrom anywhere, I would recommend TKC80's. I ride my CB500X through Ganny with those.
 
This was what my skid plate looked like after one particular trip to the Bancroft area where I started exploring some ATV trails. There was a sign saying a lookout was this way, and it was a fairly steep climb for the Vstrom... I ended up going up some rock outcrop that I shouldn't have... but once you are in the thick of it, you're kind of committed.... too hard to turn around. The way back down did this to the skid plate.

That centre groove might not look too deep... but I'd say it is more than 1/8" deep.

Have you had to weld that back together at some point?
 
Nope, it's not failed anywhere yet... I take it off when I do an oil change and paint over the scratches so it doesn't start rusting.

Sent from my LG-H812 using Tapatalk
 
Alright, I was just wondering about the bare metal on either end of that crossbar. Still clearly doing its job
 
Alright, I was just wondering about the bare metal on either end of that crossbar. Still clearly doing its job

Oh... that bit. Those are highway pegs that are bolted on there, and the bare metal is where they slide into when folded down. I grease that bit every so often so it doesn't seize up.
 
Oooohhhhhh.... that makes a lot more sense
 

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