Skull 650V-Strom, Rides and tour pics. Regular updates

650Skull

Cockytoo
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Going to have a look at this tomorrow.
https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/cairns-north/motorcycles/suzuki-v-strom-dl-650/1270645611
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Forget about the price if your from the US as i know you could get one for $20.00 over there.

So your guys who have had one tell me your woes or go's... any niggles in amongst the good.

Had some upgrades to the suspension, a +, plus only 500klm on new tyres and less than 30,000 miles, 45,000klm's
 
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Just bought this 2013 two weeks ago, with only 3,800 km! All the research I did before buying said excellent bike and can’t go wrong. This one has ABS; upgraded exhaust; engine guard and top case. Had to put tires on it since they were 8 years old. Itching to ride it, still too cold though.
 
In my area there are lots of these bikes showing up for sale as spring is around the corner. I don’t think you’d find anything decent here for less than $3,000. Not sure what the market is like there. Lots of forums to sign up with, great community support too. Never as good as this site tho!

Not bad to work on from what I can see other than the hidden rear cylinder. Might not be bad once the fuel tank is removed. Haven’t tackled that yet. Good luck with the purchase!
 
Cheers bosco, been reading lots of reviews on different bikes for a while now. The V-strom has been in the for-front, waiting for the right bike at the right price. This is before the ABS model and these early ones did have stater problems but there was a recall. The only negative about the stage 1 was that some thought the seat a bit hard, others didn't....???........
 
Cheers bosco, been reading lots of reviews on different bikes for a while now. The V-strom has been in the for-front, waiting for the right bike at the right price. This is before the ABS model and these early ones did have stater problems but there was a recall. The only negative about the stage 1 was that some thought the seat a bit hard, others didn't....???........
Not sure if seats are interchangeable between generations, but there’s lots for sale in the used market for cheap over here. If they will swap out and you can’t find one there I could look for you over here and ship it to you. I haven’t ridden mine much at all but the seat seems super comfortable compared to the XS.
 
Not sure if seats are interchangeable between generations, but there’s lots for sale in the used market for cheap over here. If they will swap out and you can’t find one there I could look for you over here and ship it to you. I haven’t ridden mine much at all but the seat seems super comfortable compared to the XS.

Thanks for the offer. may take you up on it if its cost effective, haven't sat on it yet. Will cross that bridge if i buy it. sheepskins or a gel pad maybe.

I did hate the seat, replaced it with a Seargent, 500% improvement!
So yours was the last of the Generation 1 model, as is the one i'm looking at......

Thought this was a good review
https://advrider.com/f/threads/suzuki-v-strom-dl650-review-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly.1469258/
 
So yours was the last of the Generation 1 model, as is the one i'm looking at......

Yeah it’s funny, I had gone to the dealer that day to buy the new next gen model. They had one leftover 2011 model in the floor that they wanted to move out, they made me a smokin deal so that’s the one I bought!
 
Yeah it’s funny, I had gone to the dealer that day to buy the new next gen model. They had one leftover 2011 model in the floor that they wanted to move out, they made me a smokin deal so that’s the one I bought!

Must admit i can be a bit of an impulse buyer.........this bike does fit into the good deal though......it has only been on Trademe for less than 24 hours and a lot of interest. Apparently a guy from Brisbane, (1600ks away), was prepared to buy it unseen and have the money in his bank tonight. The owner is prepared to keep it for me to look at, as he would prefer a buyer to see it first so bumped me from third on the list to first. there is no commitment to buy it and he was prepared to give me a week to get there to see it. (Cairns 140klm away). Price is right if the bike is what he says........
 
I havent owned one but I was able to demo ride a 2005 WeeStrom650..for a few hours on a ride night with the Powersports dealership
's owner..A personable fellow he was...RIP now..But the DL650 was ahoot to ride..fuel injected..light weight enough to flick around good power great handling for two lane backroads...Did not go on the superslabs so I'm not sure how that would be..But a fun bike that is damn near bulletproof...If its been well maintained..you will love it...hope y'all get it..Good luck
 
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Found a good forum "StormTrooper" a lot of really good info on the bikes and maintenance and such.......

Seems the TPS can be problematic,but that is mainly the quality of the fuel. Another DL Wee-Strom came up for sale in Cairns yesterday as well. 116.000klm and a 2007 model. That guy is on his third TPS due to bad fuel.

Go for it, Skull! I owned the SV version of the bike for several years. It was fast, fun, reliable, and easy to work on. The only work it needed was routine maintenance, and the length of the service intervals shocked me.
Cheers Griz. seat is the only hesitation, and every thing i have read confirms what you say about maintenance, and they are good on tyres as well from what i have read.

View attachment 187549 What’s not to like. London,New York,Paris, Val-d’Isère. This in early June. Snow still being cleared over the tops.
I would be wanting to take a couple of long trips, Maybe down to Brisbane, (1600klm one way). Love the pic

Best comment I've heard on them is they are good enough that it's hard to justify upgrading to a fancier ADV bike. Reliable, fairly comfy, good handling, good power. If I hadn't gotten a good deal on my tiger I would probably be on a Vstrom.
Yes that comment come up all the time, Cheers

I havent owned one but I was able to demo ride a 2005 WeeStrom650..for a few hours on a ride night with the Powersports dealership
's owner..A personable fellow he was...RIP now..But the DL650 was ahoot to ride..fuel injected..light weight enough to flick around good power great handling for two lane backroads...Did not go on the superslabs so I'm not sure how that would be..But a fun bike that is damn near bulletproof...If its been well maintained..you will love it...hope y'all get it..Good luck
:thumbsup:
 
It’s nice to fire up the Vstrom beside the XS. Gives you perspective on how technology has advanced. Still can’t beat the looks of the XS though. I agree Stromtrooper is a good forum to join. I’ve been on it for about a month. Trouble is you won’t get super fast responses to questions. I guess we’re all spoiled by this group and it’s fantastic, knowledgeable members.
 
Go for it, Skull! I owned the SV version of the bike for several years. It was fast, fun, reliable, and easy to work on. The only work it needed was routine maintenance, and the length of the service intervals shocked me.
+1 on this comment. Currently daily a 2006 SV ex-track bike that was beaten and battered by the owner before me. Still bone reliable with ~15k on the clock and the biggest expense will be the tires and chain. I have about 5k trouble-free so far and I don't even own a garage, so it doesn't get the baby treatment. Perfect little engine for anything you'll practically need and the V-Strom forums are a great resource
 
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