Crazy idea, trade FJR with DL 1000?

[ndivita]

This is bound to strike some as heretical, but the thought crossed my mind today to trade my stalwart '05 FJR with 36,000 miles for the bike (Suzuki DL 1000 farkled beyond belief with only 4100 miles) described in the attached ad and for sale at my dealer.

Don't get me wrong. I love my FJR but change is good (sometimes). The FJR has never let me down but sometimes I think, maybe it might be good to own something different for a while? No, I cannot keep the FJR and get the V-Strom. If I did anything it all, it would be an even trade.

What do you folks think of this? What is the reputation of the V-Strom?

When I ride my FJR, it is for wide open long rides out west, maybe twice or three times a year.

 

[zzzzip]

I've done almost the exact same thing-- '06 with 35,000 miles--'07 DL1000 9,000 miles.

In a couple of months I really missed the smooth quiet power of the FJR, plus the wife preferred it to ride on. So I found a used '07 FJR and sold my DL650 because there was little interest in the 1000.

The 1000 is noisier motor wise, but easier to use around town-- the 650 even better. I've done a couple of hundred mile rides on the 1000 (couldn't go further due to still healing up from surgery) and I could see if I really wanted to reach out and touch someplace, I was going to miss the FJR.

I too like the rides out west. If you plan mostly local riding, I think you;ll like the 1000, but if you plan a lot of long distance riding, or have a wife who likes her comfort (and mine is not picky about motorcycles, but she knows what she likes and doesn't like) you will probably be looking the classifieds over for an FJR in a few months.

Now I'm stuck with a DL1000 and an FJR. Bummer.

 

[ScottyUSN]

Those miles were riding to motorcycle stores to buy the farkles only?

I came from the WeeStrom. If your going to play off pavement, go for it. If your miles will be paved, my guess is you will soon miss the FJR.

 

[user 6393]

I have friends that own both a Wee and a DL

The Wee isn't bad, but the DL is one top heavy son of a...........

I always bug Dan about his "tractor"

I, for one, don't see it as being as nimble and "yeehaw" friendly as the FJR.

My 2 cents, which ain't worth ______#%$#

 

[MCRIDER007]

What do you folks think of this?

I have had a FJR and a DL1000 in my garage for the last 6 years and if one had to go, it would be the DL1000. The DL1000 is reliable, pretty smooth, comfortable with after market suspension but is not nearly as good of street bike as the FJR and the only reason to pick it over the FJR would be if I was planning to do a lot of off pavement riding. Change is not always an inprovement.

 

[FLFJRS]

I just traded my '05 DL1000 for a '10 FJR and have not looked back. Apples and oranges as far as bike go. No issues witht the Strom, just the FJR has shaft drive vs the chain on the Strom. The motors are way different, with the FJR being the picture of smoothness. My Strom ran great above 3500 rpm. Below that, it would not run well at all. It really hit hard about 6000 and blasted down the road, throwback to its superbike heritage. The Strom was tall also, I used the 650 seat because my legs are short for my height. Just some of my thoughts on the trade for you to consider. The StromTrooper website is great. Check it out at https://www.stromtrooper.com/

Great folks with lots of advice and knowledge.

 

[dcarver]

I have the girlie strom and 06 feejer.

If one had to go.. man, I hate to say it..

but the Feejer is closer to the block than the Wee.

I can do 1,000/24 SS1K's on the Wee. Not as nice, no.

Not as fast, no.

Not as comfie, no.

But when the dirt road shows...

like the little piggie in the car commercial says

weee-wee- weeeeeeee - weeeeeeeeStrom!

:lol:

 

[ndivita]

I have the girlie strom and 06 feejer.

If one had to go.. man, I hate to say it..

but the Feejer is closer to the block than the Wee.

I can do 1,000/24 SS1K's on the Wee. Not as nice, no.

Not as fast, no.

Not as comfie, no.

But when the dirt road shows...

like the little piggie in the car commercial says

weee-wee- weeeeeeee - weeeeeeeeStrom!

:lol:

I never ride off road. Sounds like I should keep the FJR, which is what my instincts were telling me, but my word is that V-Strom low mileage, in great shape and farkled to the hilt. The sales guy told me it had $11 worth of add ons and modifications. I did not bother to do the math, but it is quite a list.

 

[Crash Cash]

I traded my DL650 for my FJR, and I don't miss it one bit. I don't miss the cheap build quality of the plastic, the front suspension that felt really remote, the incredibly uncomfortable stock seat, the uncomfortable Sargent seat, the buffeting from the windshield, the chain, and the real lack of get-up-and-go. Also, if you dropped it w/o engine guards, you instantly trashed the radiator. End of day.

When they moved the engine from the SV-650, they detuned it 10hp then added 40lbs to the bike. Not a winning idea.

You have to spend a chunk (and I did) to make it comfortable and fix the bargain-basement suspension.

 

[Khunajawdge]

This is bound to strike some as heretical, but the thought crossed my mind today to trade my stalwart '05 FJR with 36,000 miles for the bike (Suzuki DL 1000 farkled beyond belief with only 4100 miles) described in the attached ad and for sale at my dealer.

Don't get me wrong. I love my FJR but change is good (sometimes). The FJR has never let me down but sometimes I think, maybe it might be good to own something different for a while? No, I cannot keep the FJR and get the V-Strom. If I did anything it all, it would be an even trade.

What do you folks think of this? What is the reputation of the V-Strom?

When I ride my FJR, it is for wide open long rides out west, maybe twice or three times a year.

I am very satisfied with my "new to me" K2 DL 1000 v-Strom. It ain't new, it ain't pretty, it has been mechanically kept up, but WTF besides me cares? It grumbles like a champ!

I was one of those sitting on a fence, trying to decide whether to sell my FJR1300 with nearly 60,000 miles on its clock, and go for the PDP on a new Yamaha Tenare. Reason finally prevailed. Influenced by a great deal on the used "Vee", and what I read on the DL Forums, I sprung $3K for it. Now I have an investment in both worlds. A super duper Sport/Tourer for mileage + trips (The "05" Yamaha FJR 1300), and the stalwart Adventure Tourer/'02 Suzuki V-Strom which I have been modding out for the past 3 months to get it ready for a ride to Cabo San Lucas (planning over 3000 miles/RT . I am almost ready to go, and so far the Suzuki has not disappointed me. In fact it has surprised me. I wish I had discovered this bike 5 years ago.

DefinItely different grunt than an FJR. It's a bike for a longer inseam, and I'm a 34. For me it's more leg comfortable than the crowded FJR ever was. Can say that the fun factor IS definitely there? Two cylinders are not as silky smooth, but I like to camp outdoors and ride some dusty roads, and the DL is gonna be just fine as a second bike for me. After some recent comfort mods, my wife is beginning to like the pillion seat on the FJR, so the DL is going to become my solo unit.

I'm keeping both of them.

Just my CO2, exhaled into the internet.

PS. I "will" post a ride report in late March 2011 for those who read these things(?) about the DL 1000's performance on my future ride to Cabo, here on the FJR 1300 Forum.

 

[dcarver]

This is bound to strike some as heretical, but the thought crossed my mind today to trade my stalwart '05 FJR with 36,000 miles for the bike (Suzuki DL 1000 farkled beyond belief with only 4100 miles) described in the attached ad and for sale at my dealer.

Don't get me wrong. I love my FJR but change is good (sometimes). The FJR has never let me down but sometimes I think, maybe it might be good to own something different for a while? No, I cannot keep the FJR and get the V-Strom. If I did anything it all, it would be an even trade.

What do you folks think of this? What is the reputation of the V-Strom?

When I ride my FJR, it is for wide open long rides out west, maybe twice or three times a year.

I am very satisfied with my "new to me" K2 DL 1000 v-Strom. It ain't new, it ain't pretty, it has been mechanically kept up, but WTF besides me cares? It grumbles like a champ!

I was one of those sitting on a fence, trying to decide whether to sell my FJR1300 with nearly 60,000 miles on its clock, and go for the PDP on a new Yamaha Tenare. Reason finally prevailed. Influenced by a great deal on the used "Vee", and what I read on the DL Forums, I sprung $3K for it. Now I have an investment in both worlds. A super duper Sport/Tourer for mileage + trips (The "05" Yamaha FJR 1300), and the stalwart Adventure Tourer/'02 Suzuki V-Strom which I have been modding out for the past 3 months to get it ready for a ride to Cabo San Lucas (planning over 3000 miles/RT . I am almost ready to go, and so far the Suzuki has not disappointed me. In fact it has surprised me. I wish I had discovered this bike 5 years ago.

DefinItely different grunt than an FJR. It's a bike for a longer inseam, and I'm a 34. For me it's more leg comfortable than the crowded FJR ever was. Can say that the fun factor IS definitely there? Two cylinders are not as silky smooth, but I like to camp outdoors and ride some dusty roads, and the DL is gonna be just fine as a second bike for me. After some recent comfort mods, my wife is beginning to like the pillion seat on the FJR, so the DL is going to become my solo unit.

I'm keeping both of them.

Just my CO2, exhaled into the internet.

PS. I "will" post a ride report in late March 2011 for those who read these things(?) about the DL 1000's performance on my future ride to Cabo, here on the FJR 1300 Forum.

KJ, words well spoken..

 

[10-95]

I've got a 2006 DL1000 for sale. Come fly down to Texas, I'll pick you up at the airport and you can ride back. You'll still save money. The price is a bit high on that '03.

No comparisons between the bikes. I've ridden mine from Texas to Canada and back three times. It'll do whatever you want, short of stuff you'd ride a dirt bike on and will keep up with just about anyone in the twisties. Only about 40lbs heavier than a wee so all those people who say it's heavy must think the FJR is a total pig. Farkles galore available and a cult following.

If it's calling your name go get it.

 

[CHRIS_D]

Ok so I kind of did the same thing!! :yahoo:

I been riding 20 years street but just started doing this DS thing about 2 years ago by purchasing my Big 'o' Gurl (KTM 990 ADV). This is my first so called dirt bike that I have every own. :lol: Little did I know at the time buying this that riding in the dirt on an overweight pig is not easy (especially for a noobie)!! I will say it was a big learning curve and I USED & ABUSED this poor 'o' Gurl. :blink: However I have learned a lot and just can't get enough of riding offroad.

Sooooooo Last Tuesday I traded in my 07 FJR with 35K miles in for this 2009 KTM 690 Enduro R

All I can say is she is 140 lbs lighter than the 990 and BOY what a difference off road. :clapping: So now the Big 'o' Gurl has been promoted to mostly street!!

 

[03HiYoSilver]

Chris,

Congrats on your 690 purchase... she's a looker!

 

[Bounce]

Just IMO. I've known people who like their Stroms. I also know some that are very self-sufficient wrt motorcycle maintenance who have had either a V or a Wee and had enough frustrations with the bike to not only swear off Stroms but Suzuki "forevermore". That would leave me with the option of either keeping the FJR and adding the Strom or doing without the Strom.

 

[Big Sky]

I have an FJR and a DL 1000. Last year I rode the Feej 12,000 miles and the Strom 2,000, which I think demonstrates more about my riding preferences than the bikes. The 2,000 I did on the Strom were fantastic, and probably included 750 miles of gravel and done two-up (wife approves of the pillion). Those were trips I wouldn't have done on the Feej. In the ideal world, have one for each distinct purpose. If I could have only one, it would have to be the FJR.

 

[Fred W]

I own an '05 FJR and (since just this past fall) an '04 V-strom (yes, the man size DL1000).

Let me start off by saying I would never trade my FJR for any 'strom (either wee or vee). Although there is some overlap of functionality on the road, they really are apples and oranges. In the cool months of early and late season, the weather protection of the FJR is head and shoulders above an adventure bike's puny windscreen. The adrenaline rush you can get from the FJR will not occur on even the 1000cc version of the v-twin. Yerah you can take it lots of cool places. And I like my 'strom a lot, as a second bike!

That particular '03 is overpriced. I paid less than 4k for my '04 in good rideable shape. Granted mine had more miles than that one but that is not a big deal for these bikes. Like FJR's they are pretty reliable and have longevity.

An '02 or '03 are not the model years that I would seek out on a DL1000. They made some pretty significant changes in '04 so from that model year on is more desirable.

In the words of the semi-immortal, but always immoral, Reno John: "The V-strom is the funnerest bike ever."

But I still wouldn't get rid of my Feejer for it.

 

[Mr Bill]

Sooooooo Last Tuesday I traded in my 07 FJR with 35K miles in for this 2009 KTM 690 Enduro R

Nice bike! I took mine out new years day and remembered why I stopped riding in the snow 36 years ago. These mud tires don't work well in deep snow!

 

[CHRIS_D]

Thanks Mr Bill!!

Those tires look as new as mine! Did you just get her? I only had mine over a week and have already spent way too much money on farkles. :dribble:

Ndvita, Congrats on your DL purchase!!! :clapping: