650 or 1000

[staningrimsby]

Hi Everyone,

Well I have decided in principal that the V-Strom is for me :-) I will have around £3500 to spend after selling my Varadero, as there are 2 versions of this bike I have realised I can get a newer 650 than a 1000 but would like a bit more info please.

I am 6' 5" so like the idea of the higher seat on the 1000, I also like the look of the twin cans (all though I am old enough to agree that if the 650 is the better bike then bugger the twin cans). The bike will only be used for road riding and as it will be my first big bike I am not any form of road racer.

I will however be attending a course that teaches you how to correctly carry a pillion as the missus will be joining me from time to time, as we both work at a school we get a bit of time off and next year plan on touring France so would the 1000 be better for this or is the 650 just as capable ???

I do appreciate that the 650 has better fuel economy but I have also read MCN reviews that say the 1000 is the better bike...

Please help
Stan.

[frez]

Don't trust a thing MCN writes, or rather take it with a huge pinch of salt.

I believe either bike will work for you, so find the one in best condition for the money.

[Jay2]

I've only had a 650 mate, but find it a great all rounder, good mpg, can ride it in all weathers without it trying to kill you, will sit at 60mph all day long whether solo, with pillion or pillion and luggage, fairly light if like me you have to get your bikes passed side gates, car on drive, etc.

But if fully loaded up you do have to plan your overtakes and it really doesn't like 70mph+ with luggage and pillion for long periods of time.

Cheers

[MartinW]

Put a Wee seat on a Vee. There are a lot of a Wee riders on here who are 6'5" or taller.

[james.t]

if you have a wee you can carry a toolkit/ spare fuel the other side to fill the gap where there is a exhurst on the 1000 model .
j

[Gassoon]

As someone said, when 2 up, with luggage etc you do have to plan your overtakes sometimes on the 650 (I have the older version), but as this situation might constitute less than .05% of your annual time on the bike (the overtaking bit), then what the hell!
The 650's (Wee's) are probably more reliable (ooh - controversial!), definitely better MPG, and fit a frame your size just as well as a 1000.
Mind, a bit more ooomph is always welcome at times, and the 1000 (or 'Vee') has that

[timangus]

I used to have a V and now have a Glee. Just got back from a trip in France, two up with luggage and the Glee was great. Don't really miss the extra go of the V. The better low speed control, mpg and ability to throw it around more than make up for it. Getting 63mpg also.

[cabra]

Ain't nothing beats cubes. Easier on you, your pillion & the bike.

[jabmotorsport]

Hi Stan

I had a glee (newer shape 650) for a couple of years and did 17000 miles on it .. I thought it was a very good bike .. incredibly well balanced and I caught the girl friends toes a lot of times

With regards to poke .. the only way for you to know for definite is to ride both .. however I understand from your other post this might not be possible .. I'm not the best rider in the world but I often could get the rear wheel spinning up with both me and our lass on the back... the 650 is a cracking bike and I feel a bit underated .. I can see the attraction of a bigger bike as I swapped to a super tenere but to be honest I have to ride the 1200 a lot harder to be as spritley as the 650 and it does no where  near as well on juice and is a lot heavier!!

Hope we are helping in some wierd way

Look forward to riding with you whatever your decision

Josh

[staningrimsby]

Thanks for all the help everyone,

I am going to a bike shop tonight with my eldest who wants a brand new Yamaha YBR 125, they have an 06 650 Strom so will have a chat with them and see what they say.

Is there anything that I should be aware of with the strom any of those niggly little things they might have ??

[mr_diver]

yes... fuel use... they allow you do spend loads of money on fuel, as you'll want to do loads of miles on it. (50-68mpg depending on year/model)

I have a 650 K6 (2006 model) on a 07 plate. the k4-6 models have a 16bit ECU and one spark plug per cylinder
later years have 32bit ECU and twin plugs.

earlier models are hence cheaper to service, and can take an after market end can after sawing off a section of the OEM exhaust, all later models have to have a 3/4 or full replacement. but that's only if you want a noisier can.

I've done a fair bit of touring 2up and over loaded (Scotland this year, 2up and 65kg of gear) and the bike handles it fine... she'll still be fairly relaxed holding at 95mph (autobahns   )
The engine is a peach, very flexible and usable. will pull from low revs, and scream the nuts off it to the 10,000rpm redline.
fact of the matter is: There is not a bike out there that does what the V-Strom 650 does for anywhere near the money. Oh and be reliable too.

Don't be put off by higher mileage if the price makes it worth it, 55k on mine and still going strong.
The 1000 has a badly designed clutch basket and a few fuelling issues that can all be solved but are a pain.

By a 650 and ride.

[tallpaul]

I have a k9 650 and have frequently ridden my brother's k6 1000 back to back. The thousand is a meaty beast but the power advantage really only becomes apparent at illegal speeds. It is also rather 'lumpy' at town speeds. The 650 is a lot smoother and gives little away in terms of performance in real world riding and the fuel consumption of the 650 is superb even without trying to be frugal. Yes, if you are a big heavy lump like me (I.e. 6'7" and 22 stone) and always ride two up and fully loaded then the 1000 may make more sense but if you are a lightweight with occasional two up touring in mind then the 650 wins every single time. I certainly wouldn't swap mine for the 1000 but if you go the 650 route I would recommend the twin plug model, purely because of the fuel economy. Which ever you get you will enjoy it, so best of luck!

[Juvecu]

Don't ask the bike shop what they think, they just think they want your money.

As for first big bike, don't get the 1000, it's a rough engine that's leaned out too much due to emission regulations. The clutch chudders (shudders and vibrates) on many and they are even heavier than the 650 with the same brakes as the 650, which aren't all that good if you are two up or when you need to do slow speed manoeuvres. You're much more likely to drop a heavier bike with a pillion on the back than a lighter one. You'll be wanting to upgrade the fork springs and rear spring if you ride a lot with a pillion if your pillion is anything over 6 stone.

That's unless you can get one that's had it's fueling sorted and doesn't have clutch issues, both easily fixable even if they haven't been done. The weight can be managed by using a lower seat and possibly lowering the bike (if you're vertically challenged), the spring upgrade is not a big issue, and the brakes can be upgraded. You can get all the advice here, but it's better knowing that there might be things that need doing than finding out after you've bought it. On that note, only buy a Vee that's got an adjustable screen, the chances that you get serious buffeting is good and you and your pillion will hate it at anything over 40mph. At least with the one that has an adjustable screen (K4 onwards) you can fit a Madstad bracket and sort it out.

The argument that you can overtake easier on the 1000 bike is valid if you're always in a hurry, can't be bothered to plan ahead properly and 5 minutes shorter journeys is worth a significant drop in MPG (queue big bike riders getting angry ) Two up I don't want to be in a hurry anywhere, I'm happy to over take when it safe, not because I can tear arse past everything easily, and I don't really care if it takes a bit longer to get where I want to be.

Warts and all, so you know what to look into before you get talked into buying a 1000 too easily. The 650 is by far the most popular bike for many reasons.

[mr_diver]

+1 -     I'm with Juv on that one

[frez]

The argument that you can overtake easier on the 1000 bike is valid if

you're always in a hurry - TICK (well, mostly in a hurry)
can't be bothered to plan ahead properly - DOESN'T APPLY TO ME
5 minutes shorter journeys is worth a significant drop in MPG - WELL 10 MINUTES, BUT TICK

Don't forget...

- Being able to overtake several vehicles without worrying you may need to find a gap (safety)

- Being frustrated because you are stuck behind vehicles longer than you need to be because you need more time/space to get passed (goes back to the in a hurry unless you start making marginal overtakes, then its safety)

- Having a really large penis

[UK_Vstrom650]

Don't you just gear down to pass easier  

I've never had issues planning/overtaking on the Glee. My previous 600 Fazer produced more power and I found myself wanting to overtake rather than needing to, which often made me inpatient and feel frustrated for being stuck behind a vehicle when I had power to pass quickly. I actually think my Glee has made me a more patient and therefore possibly a better rider?

As for the original question, if you're doing lots of motorway miles or plenty of long touring around Europe then a bigger cc bike may well suit you better. If you don't do regular motorway/high mileage/touring then the 650 may suit you more. I went to south of France fully loaded (52L, 46L & 33L boxes, inc tent on top of top box) 2 up and the bike would happily sit at 130kph (80mph) all day with enough power in reserve for overtakes etc.

I'd suggest the only way to know is to test ride both and see which fits you best.

[Yoyo]

I'd buy a DL650 and I own a DL1000! I rode a mates 1000 and loved the grunt and pull from low down, the extra power is there all the time not just at higher speeds but the trade off isn't worth it. The fuel economy is so bad I use the car to commute, 30 to 40 mpg when my golf does 50+. I've had to change, screen, mirrors, extenders to sort the buffeting, I did fit open cans that sound mint but that made the fuelling worse than it already was so I bought a power commander to fix that. The clutch chudder is a real problem that will be fixed over the winter, would I change it for a 650? Nope, if I change it it'll have to be a different bike altogether (S10 maybe). Good luck with the hunt

[Brucey]

The argument that you can overtake easier on the 1000 bike is valid if

you're always in a hurry
can't be bothered to plan ahead properly
- Being able to overtake several vehicles without worrying you may need to find a gap (safety)

1) Always in a hurry: I agree completely that this can be caused by having huge shove available all the time. I've gone from a faster 1000 to a Glee (650) and have become much more relaxed arriving. I've not actually slowed down, I've just stopped tearing the arse out of the bike only to get held up by 40mph merchants or traffic lights.

2) Sometimes an unexpected opportunity becomes available e.g. after rounding a sharp bend. A 1000 will enable you to immediately take advantage of it, but knowing you have the poke can lead to iffy overtakes. I'm a safer rider on my Glee as I only do overtakes I know are there now.

2) Sometimes cars don't want to be overtaken and deliberately speed up. Again, a 1000 will deal with this easier than the 650, but as in 2) above, my overtakes tend to be more secure, and once you get used to doing them over 5,000 revs, the shove from the Glee really is good.

If you're a heavy 6'7", you may find the 1000 is the right bike, if you're not, then you may well find that the Glee is best. The fuel consumption, (I get 65 mpg easily) comfort, smoothness and torque of the engine (especially the choice of gears at low speed) and road presence of the Glee are superb. Plus everything is accessible, so servicing yourself is easy.

Test ride both bikes (definitely two-up as well) and the best bike for you will become quickly become very clear. Good luck and welcome to the V-Strom. I'm genuinely staggered at how capable my bike is.

[Abercol]

I'm a heavy 5'9....I love the 1000 I have. I live in Scotland, so the roads are good and mostly empty...so I use a lot of the power a lot of the time. Overtakes are often necessarily quick as most of the B roads don't have lots of straght stretches.

Do I need 1000cc for touring? no, no-one does. I spent 7 weeks and over 10,000 miles in Europe 2 up camping on a Z440 twin...40hp on a good day when new, mine had 39,000 on it when we set off, so it had had all its good days already! But it still sat happily at 80mph all day long if needs be.

I also have a heavy pillion (thank god she's blind and can't read this!!). That really sucked on the Strom, the brakes were not up to the 35-36 stone combined weight & the handling at low speed was a disaster. I've fixed that by buying a 1300 Pan Euro, goes well, stops brilliantly and (just) deals with the weight no problem while still letting me do the multi car overtakes when I need them.

Now..the only problem is...I've never ridden the 650 so don't know what that's like....

[staningrimsby]

Well after a trip to Skegness today I finally managed to get a test ride on a 2006 650 with 22k on the clock, got to say after all the anticipation of wanting to ride this bike it did not disappoint :-)

My initial thoughts were regarding its size, as I am 6' 5" the massive frame was fantastic for me I loved the way it felt and its presence, I started her up and dropped her into first gear slowly releasing the clutch and pulling away. Whilst I was getting used to the bike I was taking it nice and easy for about a mile or 2 until I reached a national speed limit road :-), I opened the throttle and whilst not R1 power I felt it was enough for me especially for a first bike, all in all I was really happy with the bike but still think I need to ride a 1000 as well before making a choice so that's the next step try a 1000 and see which I prefer :-)

But I can honestly say that in the short time I have passed my test I have tried the following;

Kawasaki ZZR 1200 - Horrible riding position and wrists hurting after 30 mins
Yamaha TDM 900 - Had more fun watching grass grow
Triumph Sprint ST 1050 - Lovely bike but not quite big enough for me
Honda VFR 800 - Did not like the riding position
Honda CBR 1300 - Really nice bike but no protection from the elements
Suzuki V-Strom 650 - Loved it from start to finish :-)

Can honestly say I will be joining the V-Strom brigade :-)