Former Winger Checking In

Hi guys, its been about a year and a half now since I sold my S-Wing and wanted to check in with everyone and say. I purchased an 08 Suzuki V-Strom 650 which I have grown to love very much. With that said, there are many things that I miss about the Silverwing as well. Even though my V-strom 650 is a bit faster, I'll still run quicker at Deal's Gap on the Swing since I can focus on the riding and not the downshifting. Upshifting is a breeze. Downshifting in multiple tight corners when your trying to ride with some gusto is something that I haven't mastered yet. I also greatly miss the underseat storage. For the Strom, I have to run down stairs and go get the Givi box if I want to haul something. The Swing also has better wind protection. The Strom though is a great bike as well. It handles beautifully with sport touring tires and is quite comfy (not quite as comfy as Swing with stock seat) on long trips and has a range of 250-300 miles with a 5.8 gallon tank depending on riding conditions. I also miss the floor boards and having multiple options to place feet during a long trip. The suspension on the Strom handles a wider range of terrain and I feel more comfortable on gravel and rock with the Strom tha the Swing which is nice when I see a road to a waterfall thats off the beaten path. I still have a special place in my heart for the Swing though and wanted to take a moment to jump on here and say hello to everyone.

Hi Ron its good to hear from you! We hear your sentiments from a lot of folks who have moved on from the SW. The Strom is a great bike and offers a wider variety of terrain for those that like to explore that occaisional fire road or path as well as serious road riding. Good luck with the new bike and stop by an say hello every now and then.

Ron,

Welcome back and I'm glad you enjoy your Strom. I hear they are really nice bikes. And I know what you mean about gravel. I had to take my SWing on a gravel road for about 1 mile and I found out real quick it isn't made for that at all. I did a lot of dirt riding and things when younger and thought with that experience it would be just fine. But it was very unsteady.

Thanks for the update and the range is really good on your bike. Check in anytime when you find the time. Take care.

have you tried it offroad yet? i looked at the vstrom as well cause i wanted to replace my klx250s and it did seem like a good replacement. glad to hear your enjoying your new bike from all ive read on that bike is it has a great reputation for reliabilty. if you can post some pics of her itd be cool to see what everyone rides.

Ron, Glad to hear you're happy with your new ride. The latest Rider magazine has an article by a man who who took his V-Strom 1100 to the end of the haul road (not the Al-Can) in Alaska. Now that is a ride that is not on my bucket list, but it was an interesting read.

Nice to hear back from you Ron.

Now all you've got to do is farkle up your 'Strom a'la Dr Greg Frazier and then take it for a nice ride up the Trans Labrador Hwy.

No doubt that ride report would make a few of us here a bit jealous.

Hi Guys,

I've not done any serious off roading with it. Living in Northeast, TN has given me ample opportunity to get off the beaten path a bit If I would choose to do it. It does a really nice in gravel compared to the S-Wing primarily due to the 19 inch front wheel and I do that from time to time. It would do better than even most standard bikes because of the front wheel size. But it isn't quite a dirtbike either. I've hit quite a few gravel roads with the metzler tourance tires which are primarily a road tire but have enough chops to do a good job on gravel, and I can ride with a bit of gusto quite confidently on gravel but my riding is 98 percent asphalt. I've been adding quite a few farkles to it. I've got a new spring, fork valves, fork brace, Cee bailey screen, full set of givi luggage, crash bars etc... I've even managed to take my wife on it to the ozarks with a tent, 2 sleeping bags, and chairs (mini fold-ups made for back packing). It is amazing what you can get on one of these things when you get creative. I will say this, if your going to ride 2 up and tour long distance, the 1000 is probably a better bike with the extra 30 ponies as the 650 doesn't feel so quick with the added weight but if you're riding by yourself, it is plenty quick and handles very nice. It will never bog down on you or anything like that but it just won't give that "holy cow feel" you get when you roll on the throttle like you do when your riding solo. If you are looking for a motorcycle in the adventure touring theme that is practical, extremely reliable, and has good peformance at a good price, the 650 Strom is highly regarded my most to be the best for this task and affordable. I will say this though... It sits a little high and takes a little getting used to (There are some lowering options up to 1 inch that won't compromise the performance of the suspension hardley at all). I don't reccomend it for anyone under 5"8'. The New 2012 Strom (mine is an 08) has been refined and even has an air temperature gauge which I would love to have. BMW has some nice looking bikes and good engine combos but too much $$$$ and not quite as reliable from what most say with problems popping up and fewer dealerships. My buddy has a Kawasaki Versys 650 (another highly regarded bike that is well priced) and we are going out west in July to the Rockies west of Denver, Yellowstone, Glacier, and the Black Hills of South Dakota. It'll be a 2 week trip so we'll have to stay on a tight schedule to get all the sights in. I don't know if my bum could handle that Alaska trip but it is something I'd sure love to do though. Here is a link to my ride on Youtube with some of my lighting farkles. I'll tell you though... I do miss those floor boards on a long trip. That really helps out a lot on a long day's ride.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqfFFjmS7gU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mcPVy_YgVE&feature=related

dang that sounds like the ticket there im only 5'7 so seat height is a prob for me but a inch or so would help out somewhat. i really like the yellow and those light mods really look like they would help out alot,the stingerz looked super bright even on cam. great looking ride too,if u get the chance post some trip vids too as u get time.