My brother is selling his Suzuki V-strom 650 soon.
And everyone is asking for more bike reviews.
So here it is.
The V-strom review, along with other owners comments,
known issues, fixes, and a brief history.
History first.
Suzuki's SV650 was introduced back in 1999.
This bulletproof sporty V-twin had great handling was a favourite with amateur road racers.
And it helped to establish the every popular lightweight twins race class.
In 2004 it was slightly detuned, gained a 19 inch
front wheel and immediately became a favourite with adventure riders.
It also became known as the 'Wee-strom' as it was smaller than its big brother, the V-strom 1000.
A wee bit of Scottish influence for some reason.
The 650 is definitely a favourite, and apparently outsells the 1000 model by two to one.
There were constant tweaks to the design, but generally there were three broad groups.
Generation 1 ran from 2004 to 2011.
Generation 2 got a higher seat, quieter gearbox, more power, more rear suspension, and was lighter.
Generation 3 gained a luggage rack,
ajustable traction control, and throttle assist to reduce the chances of stalling.
So what's to like?
Plenty it seems.
After lots of discussion, and reading dozens of reviews,
it can be summarised as the bulletproof budget priced all rounder.
Some minor problems were fixed in the early years and the reliability of the twin engine is famous.
Along with its competitor, the Kawasaki Versys, it's the cheapest mid-sized twin
cylinder adventure bike available that's also comfortable for riding two up.
And the handing characteristics make it equally at home for commuting,
carving through the twisties, or roaming easy dirt roads.
And unlike many Japanese bikes, nowadays, it's still actually made in Japan.
Anyway, there are plenty of rave reviews out there,
I want to focus more on the known issues and problems, something most reviews don't cover.
The only problem was there almost aren't any.
And it took heaps of digging to find them.
On very early models, failing stators were an occasional issue.
Eventually Suzuki issued a recall and it was resolved a long time ago.
Another problem on early models,
on high beam the two lights used too much power through the switchblock and could fry the wires.
I suspect all old models would have been fixed with a replay.
So what about the modern versions?
The front forks use the old rod style set up.
While most owners find these acceptable, more spirited riders will find their limit quickly
and may want to fit Plex valves, intiminators or emulators to mimick a cartridge fork.
The V-strom is on the heavy side.
It's 10kg heavier than its closest competitor, the Kawasaki Versys 650.
And comparable to the weight of most adventure bikes around the 800cc mark.
I can't find any cases of anyone actually damaging their oil filter but it does look quite exposed.
As does the exhaust pipe.
Many fit a skidplate or pan plate if riding a lot of rocky roads.
After that problems become very subjective.
Average sized riders love the sitting position.
I'm very tall and found my legs felt a bit cramped,
I would want to lower the pegs or raise the seat a bit.
Conversely, very short riders can have trouble reaching the ground
and may want to cut the seat down.
Most riders find the seat very comfortable.
But some say they feel themselves sliding forward toward the tank too much.
I felt this, my brother didn't.
So it's probably height-related.
The windscreen falls into a similar category.
Most love it, some hate it.
I think it just depends on how freakishly tall you are.
I was really scraping the barrel to find negative comments.
Some riders feel the ignition key is too big.
But oddly enough others like the size as its easy to find.
Go figure.
That's it guys.
If you are chasing a cheap rock solid twin cylinder mid sized adventure bike,
it's hard to go past the V-strom.
Looking for something a bit smaller and not carrying a passenger?
Check out our Honda CB500X review.
Let us know your comments, especially if we missed anything.
As always, we put important notes in our pinned first comment on the Youtube video.