What bike is better or equal to a V-Strom 650?

<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <wunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <wontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> That is winter here in Alberta, Canada. About 20 cm. of snow, temperature is fluctuating around -10C, the bike (DL650 K7) is parked till after the snow melts, April, next year. There is a lot of time for useless thinking and mind bending exercises.
Here is an example:
What bike is better or equal to a V-Strom 650?
Comparison’s criteria are:

• More than 1 pot
• Upright relaxed sitting position
• Curb mass 220 kg or less
• Comparable reliability, no “known issues”
• Some wind protection
• Central stand is available
• 400 km. range or more
• Runs on standard
• 5 l/100 km or better
• Price is equal, OK, may be 10% more

A bike has to meet all criteria simultaneously.

It might be not from current production lines, but has to be readily available. For example Honda transalp is rare and old in Canada, like 20 years old, so it is out.

f800, triumph 800 and the like, versys do not meet the criteria above.

Honda NC700 is excluded due to its strange design and pervert nature.

Does that belong to Jo momma?
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The only possible option left I can think of is a (04-06?) Triumph Tiger 955i. It may require premium though. The Versys is pretty close.
For all the reasons you listed is why the 'Strom is so popular. I think it may be the best value around. I almost traded mine in on an '05 Tiger, but couldn't bring myself to do it.

Ryan

Maybe. It's your definition of better. What bike is better? Every single one, just by setting different parameters. Which meets the criteria you have set? No idea and I don't care because the DL650 rides like crap compared to my Tiger ...

But, I can at least try: the new 500cc series from Honda looks promising. The F700GS isn't too far off in price. Some used bikes are interesting. Depends on your taste.

Other than that: a used Honda Civic is probably closest. But that could be more exciting, so be careful ...

Okay, jokes aside, the DL650 is a great bike, I had a 2006 for a while, but to me it plain doesn't hold a candle in riding experience to most of the other bikes in the same class. It's also 2k or more cheaper. So, get a newer V-Strom for your taste and important features and be happy with it.

Well, I own both a 2006 Wee Strom and a 2011 Triumph 800 XC.
Wee is a great bike.....The Triumph is just a better great bike. Suspension is the biggest difference.
Seat is much better on the Triumph.
Gas mileage is better on the Wee.
Love the V twin off the line. After that, the Triumph again wins.
Wee is too low for me. Both seat and ground clearance. (I'm 5'10")
I can sit on the XC and have both feet touch the ground but it has much better ground clearance.
Both are great pavement runners. The Triumph 800XC is much better once the pavement ends.
Triumph is a better Adventure bike, IMO
It all depends on what you are going to do with the bike.

Take 10% of the price of a wee and put in into the suspension and you'll have a bike that's about 20% better.

nothing

I was looking at getting a wee until this popped up....



It's an '05, I've got less than $5 grand in it, it's an awesome bike that's been a hoot to ride.

Almost bought a new Tiger in '05, but got a GS instead, so the Tiger remained on my motorcycle bucket list. Now that it's checked off, I'm glad I got the GS then, but happy with the Tiger now considering my circumstances.

Unlike you (if I wasn't 6'4" 330lbs) I'd be all over that new Honda 700x. Although I'd have to take a hard look at a Scrambler too, and, and, and...

It's a great time to be in the market for a motorcycle, new or used...

Easy (except the 10% more bit maybe):

2012 Wee ABS.

I own a DL650 2007, and the new one. Both are good bikes for my use (touring, twisties, city, tarmac mostly) but the new one has definitely improved in many small but noticeable areas. And it uses less fuel.

Yes, I aware of that. I meant something other than DL650, old or new. I have tried the new one - it is different but still the same.

I finally taught myself to skid into a corner on a car tire, so getting a new model will mean I pay for ABS which job is to prevent me doing that. Besides, I am not sure what is uglier, my oil cooler underneath or the hoses mess at the same place on a new one.

Pretty well every Adventure Bike is better than the VStrom/WeeStrom except in price. VStroms are budget bikes that work great overall but arn't in the same catagory performancewise. A good bang for the buck till you try some of the others.

Interesting responses. I just bought a 2004 Wee 3 days ago. I really thought I wanted a Tiger 955i. Rode one. Nice bike, but something about it just didn't gel for me. I wasn't comfortable with it. Rode the Wee and loved it in the first mile. Triumph was smoother and more powerful but I felt I would have to adapt to it whereas the Suzuki just felt right. You can read all the specs, opinions, etc until you're as nutty as I was but until you throw a leg over one you really can't make a intelligent decision.

proven reliability and no known issue and cheap on-going maintenance cost - that's its trump card

- it's not just a cheap bike -



2012 model is a much better in the suspension department without being great.

It's a very well engineered bike that can cope with dirt roads.

If I was told to pick a bike that I had to ride around Oz with no support, it'd be the DL 650 - 'performance' don't amount to shit if you are 200km from nowhere and it doesn't run.

Pete

Ultimately, it all gets back to your needs -- how you plan to use the bike, your budget, your ability to handle more/less weight, etc. When I bought my V-Strom, I had a list of requirements based on my needs. Water cooling so that it would remain cool while sitting in summer traffic, not too heavy so that it would work well in a daily commuting environment, comfortable enough for long trips, ability to add hard luggage, fuel injected so that it would provide trouble-free starting in the winter, wheel sizes that would allow adventure touring tires for dirt/gravel fire road riding and cost was a factor. (I have three children that all expected to get a college education.) To date, I have ridden my 2006 over 77,000 trouble free miles, both on tarmac and dirt/gravel fire roads -- including one stretch of 70 miles of dirt roads through the mountains in Montana. Have maintained a regular schedule of oil changes, air filter, tire replacement, chains/sprockets and have had the valve adjustment checked every 15,000 miles (they have never had to be adjusted). The only problems I have experienced was a hairline crack in the rear spark plug cap that caused it to miss a little after washing the bike and the reset button on the trip odometer quit working when the bike was new. Suzuki replaced the whole speedo/tach/odo housing under warranty when the bike had only 5,000 miles on the clocks. No other problems. I guess the most telling factor is that I've kept this bike longer and accumulated more miles on it than any other bike I've ever owned, including each of the four BMWs I owned before my V-Strom. It's a great bike!

Just sold my 2004 Wee with 44K+ miles on it and bought a 2013 Tiger 800XC. Is it a better bike? For my riding style and planned trips and such, YES. For your situation? Only you can decide...

I just bought an 04 wee with 9000 miles on it recently for $3000.00. I'd love to have a new bad ass Triumph but I just can't justify spending the money for what I'd use it for. I've got a Buell Uly XT for blasting around the southwest U.S where I live but I wanted the cheapest most reliable bike I could find for the money to cross the border into Mexico or other out of the way places. When I'm in the middle of nowhere I'd don't want to have to find a Buell or Triumph part . I'm looking for inexpensive reliability. Peace of mind. What other motorcycle gives you that for the price? This bike isn't a dirt monster, but it will get you down and back any reasonable dirt road for damn near as far as you want to go. So I can't think of a single motorcycle that could compare to the wee based on that criteria.

Well a close second cousin and maybe have $2K into it.

Junkyard SV650

1982 GS650..

At the same price point, there isn't really anything better or even the same as a V-Strom. I am sure a Triumph, BMW or others are better in certain areas but they also cost more. It's like comparing a Honda Accord with a BMW 5-series at twice the price. You can buy a well used (and abused) more premium bike at the same price you can a buy a brand new Strom. I like new.