Help Choose a Bike

[nigel s]

jwal90
If you are looking to plug a hole in your stable the 650 will suit your needs better than the 1000.With a 675 for going mental and a FJR ,no matter the age ,for two up power .A 1000 is a bit too unwieldy to match the 675 and down on power compared to the FJR.
I got the  650  a year ago but tried all your demo bikes too.The 650 is a better commuter and much better on the trail,also with a few mods can be a load of fun where your present bikes would struggle ie bashing down a tight b road which is where the 650 comes alive.
As to power ,with a smaller front sprocket on(they are well over geared as standard) it is suprisinging how quickly it goes. The new ones are faster.
https://youtu.be/4uLIL59uInA?list=LL&t=785

[deecat]

For commuting the 650 is better on fuel and can do two up work.
I did the upgrade to four pot callipers and better fork springs on my 650 which did improve it but the bike did not put the smile on my face that the 1050 does.
The grunt, suspension and brakes are far better on the bigger bike.
From the cockpit view I find that the 1050 feels smaller than the 650 or 1000 but you can notice a slight increase in the weight when at a stand still.
Get a second go on each bike before making your mind up, we all like different things from our bikes.

[jwal90]

The strom will be replacing both bikes. I'm currently paying for storage on the FJR1300 which never gets used and I can't afford to have 2 bikes on the road at the moment. That's why the 1000 is more appealing currently even though the 650 is clearly the smarter choice!

For commuting the 650 is better on fuel and can do two up work.

That's just it, the 650 felt great to be on and felt immediately at home but it did feel like "just a bike" whereas the 1000 felt very similar only had added smile factor. Would I buy the 650 and regret not getting the 1k??

[nigel s]

"the strom will be replacing both bikes"
You could have opened with that ........garbage in garbage out.

[NellyP]

I just got a 1050xt, didn’t consider the 650, but did consider the guzzi 85tt, which I really liked.
For me the smaller bike would be fine for 99% of my riding, but didn’t like the thought if thrashing a small engine on the rate occasions on tour when you want 100mph cruising for  several hours. This, and simply not being ready for a little bike made the 1050xt an easy choice.
So far, over 50mpg, light supple handling, plenty of power, narrow for filtering, and imho looks great, a big part of ownership is aesthetics, and whilst undeniably subjective, the xt does it for me.
If you like the style of the 650 then it’s undoubtedly the sensible choice, but we don’t love bikes because they’re sensible

[timangus]

I had a 1000 and traded down to a 650, then rode it 43,000 miles around the world 2 up. Yes the 1050 is a better bike than the 1000, but when you are travelling every day, comfort and range are more important. Overall speed will not be much different in the real world and the point of such trips is to SEE the country, not dash through it. I had NO reliability issues and other than having it dealer serviced every 7500 miles, have done most mods myself. It does 70mpg, but get good crash bars and a steel sump plate if you are heading to somewhere like India. Even the footpaths have potholes!

[user650]

Fast White 650, covered thousands of miles both single and two up and with luggage. Regularly do 1000 miles a day rides, comfort brilliant compared to virtually all other bikes I've owned (lots). Don't usually do 100mph but great bike at most speeds when you ride it like a v-twin.

[Rusty Nuts]

What y'going to do when they stop making them in white, Paul?

[user650]

keep the two I've got now 

[Sea-Strom]

The 1050 is the 650 with a bit of hooligan thrown in. Many V-Strom riders are in the more 'mature' category. But even oldies wake up some mornings and remember why teenagers dream about speed and excitement..... I'm in my 70's and ride my ZZR1400 when I want to be reminded of this  However if I had one bike, it would have to be the 1050 - it's practical but I could still ride like a 'naughty person' when in the mood  . Many riders who have ridden litre or bigger machines find it a bit disappointing to go back. But if enjoying the scenery at a fairly brisk but sensible pace is your idea of bike heaven, I can recommend no better bike than the V-Strom 650  The 1050 also does this but has a 'naughty button'. Come to think of it, my Kawasaki has a 'very naughty button' so I suppose everything is relative. 

[NellyP]

Seems that loads of folks are dead happy with the 650, and plenty would only have ltr plus bike for their main bike. Recently been some great deals on the last of the 1050xt, to muddy the waters further!

[Phild]

I paid just under £10k for my pre-Reg 1050XT, with 4 miles on the clock.👍

[NellyP]

My final thoughts ; no one on here will ride the same as you, of use their bikes exactly as you will.
If you bought the 650 and the power etc wasn’t enough, would you kick yourself for not going 1050 ? Or happily like with it / trade up ?
Your pays Your money…

[jwal90]

Quote removed

Exactly, my only concern about the 1k is the higher MPG but I'm sure they'd be similar at cruising speeds on long distance.

Also heard someone else mention that the 1k needs a higher octane fuel??

[Rixington43]

The one thing you can safely say is that nobody on here regrets buying a V-Strom, whichever capacity they've decided is for them.
The MPG on the bigger bike will never be what it is on the 650 so those sums are down to you and the number of miles per gallon vs smiles per gallon you think pays off for your use (55mpg vs 70mpg is £250/year at 10k miles/year).
The 650 will be all the bike you need but will it be all the bike you want, only you can answer that.

* Higher octane fuel, happy to be proven wrong but very unlikely either won't run perfectly happily on E10.

[Dicky]

Bought a 2004 650 V Strom four years ago when we came to Hungary from Turkey. I needed a bike and didn't want to spend much money on one. It didn't thrill me much having come from Gold Wings, cruisers, Pan Americans (both styles) BMW GS's and numerous dual sport bikes. I used the V Strom as a runaround and a stop gap until I got something more exciting which turned out to be a 2004 R1150GS in pristine condition with all the gizmos.

The Beemer let me down on the first long run so, semi-reluctantly, I transferred all our gear onto the V Strom and off we went. Well I might as well have been on the road to Damascus for the moment I experienced! The little 650 performed flawlessly two up with luggage and was great fun to ride . I had just never given it the chance to show it's true qualities.

Since that first tour I've treated the V Strom to some decent luggage, crash bars, hand guards and a valve check and throttle body synch. She's taken us all round Hungary, Bosnia, Montenegro and Romania. We're off to Serbia for a few days from tomorrow.

As an aside; the reason I bought the GS was because I had one 20 years ago and loved it. For context I'm 63, the wife is in her early seventies and she finds the Strom to be extremely comfortable over distance, especially with the Airflow seat cover. Our days of 120mph down the autobahn are behind us. Anyway, the speed limit on national roads where we tend to travel is 90kph, 130kph on motorways.

Good luck with what you choose.

Cheers,

Dicky.

[jwal90]

Funny you should say that Dicky.

I've just come back from my local BMW dealership and taken out a GS850 Adventure and it's thrown a real spanner in the works.

For the same price as a 1050XT, I can buy a one year old GS850 fully kitted out with a 2 year warranty.

The GS immediately felt much more "fun", lots of low torque and a great sound. All the gadgets really impressed me and the suspension was incredible.

Really made this decision much harder now. Suzuki has the bullet-proof reliability factor but I felt like the BMW had it beat in most other departments and I feel like it would probably be more capable off-road.

I know this post is going to make me very unpopular on a V Strom forum 

[NellyP]

If off roading is now a factor then yeah, the 850 gs will be better option.
Take a decent test ride thougj, last BMW F I road had dreadful low down fueling

[NellyP]

“ I've also looked at the KTMs, BMWs and Triumphs and I wouldn't feel comfortable taking any of them long-distance. “

Price wise, 2 year old xt 3k full luggage, heated grips 9k

[kwackboy]

The GS850 is a nice looking bike however, I've seen and ridden a couple with very low miles and the engines sound like a bag of nails being rattled.
They both had constant issues bouncing back and forth dealerships who are waiting for their warranties to run out.

Their engines are made my Loncin who are a Chinese manufacturer of parts and complete engines. 

Just saying ... 

Not quite as refined as the 850 but the F800GSA up to around 2017 is probably the best all around bike that'll get you to work and around the world and back again ..