Why I've been M.I.A. New Toy.. Me and Jolly Roger apparently

[snowtrooper1966]

T1000 voice ON

......Man, that is a nice bike!.......
Bart

T1000 voice OFF

Ya probably hate that movie too

[nfpgasmask]

T1000 voice ON

T1000 voice OFF

Ya probably hate that movie too

Terminator 2? Naaa, I like James Cameron a lot. T3 was kinda weak, but the ending made up for everything. I can't wait for the new one.

Bart

[Jolly Roger VX'er]

Thanks for the mention in the thread title..lol..nice looking machine you got there! Yeah, I haven't had a bike since '95 ('80 HD Sportster) and was looking to buy one for a few different reasons:

1) Alot more bikes on the road these days with alot of events to go to in the summer (bike nights, etc). Plus, so many people I know kept bugging me to get a bike!

2) Always wanted a "cool" dual purpose bike..not just a dirt bike with headlight & turn signals...something that could easily perform on the asphalt and handle traffic without being underpowered or uncomfortable. Also read that the V-Strom's are pretty good touring machines with bags available.

3) With gas prices most likely heading in the upward direction...can help cut down on the days I have to drive either my Dodge Ram (17 mpg) or VX (17mpg) into work which is a 60 mile round trip. My bike (V-Strom dl 1000) gets between 40mpg-45mpg depending how I ride. The V-Strom 650's supposed to get 50+mpg.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXYSl...eature=related

I was looking at the KTM 990 Adventure but it leans heavily in the dirt direction.


Crager34 here told me he had a V-Strom DL 650 but had to sell it to move.

I think if any of you VX'ers are looking at getting a dual purpose bike...you owe it to yourself to check out the Suzuki V-Strom's...In my warped mind there is so many parallels between this bike and the VX it isn't funny!

1) (I)suzu(k)(i)------> VehiCROSS, V-Strom
2) VX has cladding....V-Strom has cladding like plastic on sides.
3) V-Strom's dual headlights resemble the VX's and shine really well @ night off to the sides...like the VX!
4) Both have the same Aircraft style Fuel Door's.
5) Both dual purpose machines. The VX is sports-car like on the road and The V-Strom sports-bike like on the road. My VX was comfortable to ride from PA to California and back...My V-Strom is a comfortable touring machine too!

If Batman (Dark Knight) can have a Tumbler & Bat Pod...I figure I can have a VehiCROSS & V-Strom..lol.
I bought mine with 3 miles on it and now have a little over 2,200miles!

P.S.----nice Ducati NocturnalVX!!!!!

here is my new toy!



To hear the Two Brother's Racing Exhausts, click link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL7sM...eature=related

[Jolly Roger VX'er]

http://www.revver.com/video/680317/t...rcycle-review/

http://www.tiger1050.com/




and for you Paris Dakar Rally 'o' holics: KTM Adventure 990


nice look'in bike nfpgasmask:

[taylorRichie]

Ha... Yes V-strom owners are just as fanatical about their choice as the VX owners.

Bart, the F800 is a killer bike, and that was originally what I was going to buy, it's just the replacement for the F650, but I honestly didn't LOVE the F650, it just didn't do that well on Road, but in all fairness, I never tried it with a better windscreen, which was my main complaint.

The F800 I would still consider, but I definitely didn't want to buy it Brand New, $10,000 OTD, because a 2007 650GS can be picked up for $5,000 with less than 2,000 miles (That's what I've been riding)

Then after buying the V-strom, I don't like riding the BMW (on Road) however, I can tell the BMW would dominate offroad.

Here's my opinion on how the bike split.

ON ROAD / OFF ROAD (performance)

V-strom: 85/15
KLR: 25/75
BMW: 60/40

KLR's are mean machines, but not good for touring, great for heading out into the desert and disappearing for a few days.

V-strom is great for heading on the highway to remote places and taking the dirt roads / fire roads etc. Off to even more remote places.

I personally plan on doing a trip up through Idaho -> Banff -> Vancouver -> Seattle -> Oregon - > home next year.

and here's a thread
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=156028

Of people who would argue everyone that the V-strom is just as capable offroad as the BMW's

[SlowPro48]

Oh, yes. The Wee-Strom is the shiznit!!! Embarrasses sport bikes in the twisties, doesn't mind a bit if you mix a dirt road or two in the route and you can ride it all day. Nice choice there, TaylorRichie!

Just be careful on those dirt roads! Well... be careful everywhere! But on dirt roads try to keep in mind that an adventure bike like the V-Strom has a lot more weight and a lot more paint than a dual sport. This is what it looks like when you forget:

[Jolly Roger VX'er]

Actually, I think a bath and a new turn signal (a few minutes to change) and she would be good as new...looks more dirty than anything else! Can't tell if there is damage to the oil cooler or not in the photo.

Just be wary of wet grass...especially on hills....this comes from personal experience..lol. The power 2 weight ratio I think constitutes to this! roughly 98hp and only about 425lbs for DL1000. (my new titanium exhausts supposedly shave 10 lbs off this.)

Also..on the V-Strom sites there is alot of advice on different tires for different situations. I feel that the stock tires (Bridgestones) are mostly a road tire to begin with and virtually worthless in the mud (yet another VX/V-Strom parallel...lol). There are other options for leaning more towards off-road.

I think your rating of the different bikes on/off road was dead-on. You can further break it down between the V-Strom's too. I'd say DL650 85/15 and DL1000 90/10 with tires tweaking it one way or the other. The DL1000 IMHO gives you a hair more latitude for 2-up touring with bags plus.......an extra exhaust pipe :-)