1st Ride DL 650 ABS

[twowheelnut]

My initial impressions:

Motor: Holy Multiple Shiftosis, Batman! Little motor, short on honk - was expected. Very smooth and quiet. Perfect for around town running. Ain't too bad on the interstate, but I ain't gonna be seeing triple digits on this thing too often. Hmmm, that might be a good thing for my driving record. Dang, they've got the FI dialed in. Nice.

Trans: This should be the bench mark of all MC trannies. Smooth, precise, perfectly spaced with a snick-snick short throw. Easiest found neutral I've ever experienced. Oh, yeah - a sixth gear! Funny thing though, I still went for seventh. :blink:

Suspenders: Think 'your father's Oldsmobile', except taut. Didn't get into the twisties owning to the fresh tires. Frame is very, very rigid with zero twist.

Ergos: Except for peg height, muy comfy. I'll drop the pegs and have Rocky raise the seat some, too. Holy seat suckage. Ouch in less than 40 miles. Wassup wit dat?

Protection: Wadaya know? It has more upper body/head wind blocking than the FJR... None for the legs, though. I just need to raise the stock screen a bit and I might be good to go after I add the hand guards.

Steering: Will qualify when the tires get scrubbed in, but dang! Think-turn. Sweet!

Brakes: Erm. Scary weak at first, then I realized the pads are still seating. Getting better, but I can tell stainless lines will be needed for my liking. ABS? Didn't activate yet. I'll hit a parking lot Saturday or Sunday and give 'em the what-for.

Farkle room: Holy crap! Space everywhere! Under seat space is massive as is the front, upper fairing on both sides.

Hey, guess what they put under the seat? The friggin' battery! How brilliant is that?!

Me and JDog are going to terrorize Hwys 33 and 58 on Sunday. Will post up more then...

 

[Scab]

Just rub our noses in it.

*******.

 

[Feejer/Weejer man]

Hey most of the same observations as I had. It ain't no FJR but very smooth and the ergos are great. I have better winshield protection on the Wee than on the FJR, Madstad bracket and Givi windshield. I have been alternating one then the other in the commute. Gotta be careful when lane splitting and passing, not the same power or braking. But it is comfy. The BMS is way cool and comfy and keeps the look of the bike. Uh, suspension?

 

[BlueStreak-1]

:clapping: You be 'Stromin" now... Welcome to the 'club' :yahoo: Congrats on yur new machine... Your the 3rd person that rode mine and went out and bought one... LOL y'all been warned....

ya the stock seat sucks... Rocky did a great job on mine... He'll fix ya up. Wind shield suck for me as well. Look on my "farckle" list for the Givi with the Mastad set up. Real sweet.

Grandkids coming over this weekend so I can't make the ride. How about next weekend?

Enjoy...

 

[Toecutter]

So, when ya goin' off-road? We don't need ta hear 'bout no stinkin' highways. We got highways cold!

I'm not envious, I'm not envious, I'm not envious, I'm not envious, I'm not envious.

Believe it yet?

 

[Geezer]

Sounds like a lot of fun. I'm curious why the wee is so much more popular than the liter size strom. My daughter rides an SV650S and it too is light and fun on the right roads, but I miss the torque and hp of a bigger engine when I ride it.

 

[zzzzip]

Watch it in cross winds-- it really wants to move around a lot.

B)

 

[Feejer/Weejer man]

Its Wee outsell the V by a huge margin. The Wee is almost $2000 cheaper, fewer problems, a bullet proof motor and better in off road applications. Plus a lot of the Wee owners have better road bikes than the V say like the FJR so who needs the DL1000 when you have other bikes way more capable. Its just a total kick though to ride the Wee. JMHO after a month of ownership of the Wee but spending days upon days of research on the V-Strom sites taking in others opinions and reports.

 

[Scab]

And about the topic title: "report in brief"

How 'bout you put you pants on next time? That's just nasty.

 

[donaldb]

I test rode the DL1000, it just didn't do anything for me, I found it did not excel in any one thing--for me. There was no thrill factor. After the ride, my response was kind of ummph-------that was fun.

I have not ridden the DL650 yet, but my neighbor has a F650 and I have ridden it several times, and if the DL650 is anything like the F650 and I had to have a D/P bike, I can understand why the 650 would be more popular than the 1000. The neighbors F650 is just a good all around bike, light, comfy, easy to handle, responsive, ABS.........but still lacking the fjr thrill factor. If my bank account could handle another bike, I'd likewise give the DL650 some serious consideration, it would make a good stable mate for the fjr........but never replace it.

 

[huchieglide]

Watch it in cross winds-- it really wants to move around a lot. B)

+1, really enjoyed my dl1000 but it was a white knuckler in crosswinds. That said, a 650 is at the top of my wish I could afford another motorbike list. Enjoy.

 

[twowheelnut]

So, when ya goin' off-road? We don't need ta hear 'bout no stinkin' highways. We got highways cold!
I'm not envious, I'm not envious, I'm not envious, I'm not envious, I'm not envious.

Believe it yet?

I'm thinking I'll run Soda Lake Road while Dog keeps to the tarmac on 33, then hook back up with him on 58. That'll be about 20 miles of gravel, IIRC.

Watch it in cross winds-- it really wants to move around a lot. B)

Funny, I rode bluestreak1's in some moderate crosswinds... all was good. :dntknw:

And about the topic title: "report in brief"
How 'bout you put you pants on next time? That's just nasty.

I know how much you appreciate a good visual. Pervert.

 

[Feejer/Weejer man]

I was gonna upgrade my FJR this year The way it is set up I couldn't afford the difference in price between mine and a new one plus all the bling in the farkle dept. So the Wee was half what it would take me to upgrade my 03 and equip it with all the stuff. Now I have the ultimate sport tour and the ultimate play bike. One of the magazines rated the DL650 the ultimate all around bike. Whatever I love riding mine but in all reality doesn't replace the FJR.

 

[madmike2]

Sounds like a lot of fun. I'm curious why the wee is so much more popular than the liter size strom. My daughter rides an SV650S and it too is light and fun on the right roads, but I miss the torque and hp of a bigger engine when I ride it.

The differences are much more than the size of the engine. The DL1000 carries its weight much "higher" than the DL650. Sure, it has more "horsies" and torque, but on a more top-heavy bike that wouldn't bode well once off the pavement.

The "Wee-Strom" has ample torque and is much more "friendly": Its lighter and the center of gravity is lower.

Plus Timmy er Mikey khud pick 'er up by dems own-seff if'n dey hasta cause'a dem mean-ol'-bad dirt rodes. :dribble: Dem ain't no scratches, dem er experience scars!

 

[twowheelnut]

Well, I'll tell you what... This this goes like stink in the twisties! Weeeeeeeeeeee(!) goes the Wee! What a hoot! Also, the ABS is damn near invisible... Just the slightest bump to the pedal and lever. Very nice.

Got my heat gun out and denuded the bike of all the warning stickers, but should I nix the stripe on the tank, too?

 

[beerme]

Got my heat gun out and denuded the bike of all the warning stickers, but should I nix the stripe on the tank, too?

I wouldn't, but that's just me. I see you didn't get the deluxe version... you need one of these under the VIN sticker:

Maybe I'll bring ya the upgrade package to Park City.

 

[charismaticmegafauna]

Yea, but....but....it ain't a BayEmVay (sniff-sniff)...!

'Course, I'm not aware of any 'Strom 'secret-handshake', either.

Seriously, you guys done good -- the DL650 seems to be right square in the middle of the 'adventure touring' crosshairs.

 

[twowheelnut]

Got my heat gun out and denuded the bike of all the warning stickers, but should I nix the stripe on the tank, too?

I wouldn't, but that's just me. I see you didn't get the deluxe version... you need one of these under the VIN sticker:

Maybe I'll bring ya the upgrade package to Park City.

There are two of Santa Barbara's finest parked outside of the Taco Bell across the street... I think I'll take my heat gun and a long extension cord! :lol:

 

[UweRoss]

have Rocky raise the seat some, too. Holy seat suckage. Ouch in less than 40 miles.

The Wee has a 1" thinner seat than the big 'Strom. I suppose Suzuki wanted to make the seat height less intimidating to those with shorter inseams. But the seats are interchangeable. My personal recommendation: Get the factory gel seat and top it off with a piece of sheepskin for breathability. The gel seat is about the same height as the big 'Strom's stock seat, but a bit wider and very comfortable for long distances - I spent a solid month on my big 'Strom last summer and had no complaints at all with that seat setup:

-Uwe-