Playsatan - you obviously share my dad's attitude to both his bike (and his car): it is his slave, not the other way round, and good luck to you. Nice to see a bike that gets used properly, not just the "average" 3,000 miles a year. Mine is also transport, but I feel guilty not trying to keep it in reasonable condition, at least for the first few years. (I did give up on my CBF1000, but I never really 'bonded' with that, unlike my earlier CBR600 which was bloody superb). The V-strom makes me smile when I open the garage door, so I sort of want to look after it a bit. For now.
Tomcat- I disagree. The answer to how often you NEED to clean your bike is: NEVER! (Respect to Playsatan - I like your stance)If you want to keep it pretty, then probably every week or two, with a bit of (lot of?) ACF50 and/or GT85 but aparently not WD40 (which is good though for getting chain lube off the rear wheel). Which leads on to:
Is a Scotoiler a cheaper/more effective chain lube system than lubing your chain each week and having to replace it every 15,000 rather than every 30,000? (Cost of chain and sprocket replacement + squirts of lube vs cost of Scottoiler and 1 or 2 bottles over the year). I've always had one and enjoyed long chain life, but for the first time, need to actively opt in to putting one on my Wee. Wondered if it was really needed - after all, it's not the most powerful bike on the road...