New Member- Like to share some knowledge

[moliver]

Hi,

I have been a biker for the last 36 years. I bought a 2002 V-Strom 1000 a year ago as a bike for longer trips and have had a great time with it covering @ 6k miles. The bike had 37k miles on it when I bought it and I have used this site for various bits of info as a non member. I thought it would be good to share a few experiences/info from the last year. So here goes
1. Speed weave- I noticed the bike developing a slight weave at higher speeds, nothing too dramatic but still a bit unnerving. I fitted a fork brace and this has pretty much eliminated it. The brace was from ebay see http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/182115287805?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
2. Front brake judder- Bike had a mild judder as you braked through 55-50mph, new pads improved it but did not eliminate it. Checked front disc thicknesses and they were down to 4.3mm, service limit is 4.5mm. Bought some second hand SV1000 discs from Ebay with 4.9mm still on them and break judder is gone! The SV discs have 8 "float" buttons instead of the V-Strom 6, but the same bolt mounting pattern, so they fit. Discs cost me £90 for the pair from the US including delivery
3. Hot start issues/cutting out- Had a problem with this @ a month after I had serviced the bike. Read on here about throttle position sensor being the probable cause. However I also read a post about checking the spark plug tightness. I rechecked the tightness on the plugs and the sealing ring must have relaxed after I fitted them and I could put another 1/2 turn on them. Problems solved! Zero cost
4. Tyres- Put a pair of Avon Storm 3D XM on the bike when the existing Tourance tyres wore out. I am very impressed with these in wet and dry and would highly recommend. Pricing is good too.
5. Mirrors- Noticed quite some wind buffeting coming off the standard mirrors and swapped them for some recommended on this site. A big improvement. Available on ebay see http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/391377590222?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Hope these comments are of interest. The V-strom is a great all round bike and I expect to keep mine for a good few years.

Oliver

[Paul8]

Thanks for the heads up, some good information and resolves. Especially the mirrors, I've noticed a lot of wind buffering; others on the site have mentioned the mirrors being the problem. Nice to have link to the solution. Thanks Paul8

[Asmith61]

Hi moliver  yes they are a good all round bike.

[MartinW]

Hi Oliver and 

[barryw33]

Has my DL1000 for 2 months and this is my view. How can a company allow a bike to be sold with clutch issues and not resolve it is beyond me. The engine sounds like it came straight out of a tractor, the bike weaves at higher speeds and the outer build quality is shocking. The worst Suzuki I've owned . I'm going back to Honda.

[barryw33]

Traded in my DL1000 for a nc750x, perfect for what I use it for, purely commuting. I will give the vstrom one thing and that is, it's like sitting on your sofa watching the road in front come at you through a window, great weather protection and little noise. But at twenty mile an hour commuting, the vstrom was not the ideal choice. I originally went for the 1000 because the 650 felt like it was made from yogurt pots. So long Suzuki!