mike884 Posted June 12, 2013 Report Share Posted June 12, 2013 I have a 650 but it's taken a few years and lots of tweaking to get it just right... Played with suspension, screens, seats, power adders... Etc.... My bike is now pretty quick, and very comfy... I've mulled selling it for something else... Bt for the money and the custom tailoring to me...it can't be beat 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeefZah Posted June 17, 2013 Report Share Posted June 17, 2013 Like you, I had a 2002 FZ1 also, put 50,000 mi on it. Great bike. That said, I was always getting in some sort of low level trouble with it, got stopped constantly for speeding. I began to look around for a 650-ish bike to replace it, thinking that if I couldn't regulate my right wrist I'd get a bike that would limit it for me. At that time, I was also starting to expand my interest into dual sport riding, gravel roads, that sort of thing. Eventually, I came to get a new 2007 V-Strom 650. That bike was / is absolutely phenomemal. It is hands down the best bike I have ever owned - and I've had a few. It's incredible on rough roads, gravel, light dirt / 2 track type stuff; and it's also great on twisty pavement. It was mostly trouble free (only issue I ever had, in 70,000 mi, was the wiring harness chafed and caused a short which would cause a stall condition... this was an anomaly as I have never heard of another Strom doing this). With some basic mods it can be very comfortable (gel seat, handlebars, Madstad windshield bracket, etc. based on personal preference). I ride a lot, and think I'm decently fast and fairly agressive; but I really am not a connosieur of things like suspension, tires, engine / air / fuel mods, etc. I never found the OEM suspension to be lacking, even on rough gravel and potholed roads. I also run cheapy dual sport Shinko 705 tires, which based on another thread on this site should have killed me long ago. I don't do any "performance mods", because in my mind the what are you gaining, really? Even a standard, basic 650 cc offers way more motorcycle than most people can fully use; mods are really unwarranted unless it's to make the bike more smooth, and the standard 650 Strom is probably the most smooth twin I've ever ridden. I ended up getting my wife a 2004 Strom, because she rode mine and liked it exponentially more than her KLR650. That bike we bought used, with 48,000 mi. She has had no issues with it, either, and reports essentially what I described above: smooth, comfortable, very competent all around bike. In a seriously fucked up decision making process, I decided that bigger had to be better, so about 10 months ago I gave my wife my 2007 Strom, and we sold her 2004 Strom. I then bought a new Super Tenere, which I struggled to start to like over the past 10 months of ownership. I never fell in love with that bike, and so I recently decided to buy a smaller, more nimble bike... and the Strom was at the top of my list. I looked at several similar models of motorcycle, did the nerdy research thing, and ultimately wound up with another Strom 650 - a 2013 white one. I'm happy to report that I am totally in love with this one, and buying it (again) was a solid decision. Everyone's preferences are different, but for me - and for a lot of guys who ride like I do - the 650 Strom is about as good as it gets. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpoppa Posted June 17, 2013 Report Share Posted June 17, 2013 I saw this the other day. A like new Triumph Tiger with hard bags. http://cleveland.craigslist.org/mcy/3875355977.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casper Posted June 17, 2013 Report Share Posted June 17, 2013 a 2013 white one. Ah white, the fast color. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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