convince me to buy a wee-strom

ReubenRN,
After doing extensive reading, there is no one bike that fits every desire/need etc. However, I think the K12 wee/glee is the best bang for the buck. Would I prefer to have a Tiger 800XC, of course if someone sold it to me for what I paid for my Glee. By the time you spend $13K for a Tiger then $3K in accessories, many have exceeded their budget. Now if price is not limiting then of course the Tiger. I personally have many expensive interest and have to be mindful of how much is this interest going to be apart of my everyday life. Also, will I need to give up in some way a different interest, not to mention taking up all the family resources for something that is essentially for my enjoyment. BTW, I noticed you put RN at the end of your sign on. I am an RN myself and have limits to what my income allows. Given a budget, I think the Glee or even a KLR 650, are two great values.

I agree a lot with this, and I am in a bit of a quandary myself. I like the new V-Strom 650 very much. It seems to have enough power, is more comfortable than most others in its class (particularly for 2-up riding) with the most wind/weather prtection, has a huge aftermarket, proven reliability, and can be had for around $7,500 ($9,000 for the Adventure model). The problem, for me, is that I kind of fell in love with a KTM 990 SM-T that we sat on the showroom floor. It costs more (around $13k+), has less weather protection, and probably just a smidge less comfort,....but is has that motor. It has that light weight chassis. It can snap up 3rd gear wheelies, without feeling like it has to be beaten into submission.
The practical side of me says "Buy the V-Strom 650. It is plenty for what you want to do. If you get sick of it 3 years from now, you won't take such a financial beating. You're probably not going to be snapping up 3rd gear wheelies much anyway...that is what your dirt bike is for...", but my heart says "Just look at that KTM! It's only a few grand more. Once you spend it, you'll never even think of it again, and you know it. If you buy the V, you will regret not buying the KTM!"
A bigger windscreen for the SM-T? Nope. Seat options? Maybe if I send it away for a few weeks/months for a custom job. What about the gauges filling with rain water? or the fuel tank swelling up so that the cap doesn't fit anymore? or the tea bag fuel filter that can clog at the weirdest times?
The V-Strom has none of these issues, but it won't snap up a wheelie in 1st, either, never mind 3rd! I find myself leaning more and more towards the 650 every day. I guess I am willing to give up huge, crossed up wheelies on the street.*Sigh*
I just have to bite the bullet, and pull the trigger. Soon.
Edit: Complicating the matter even worse, is the fact that my dealership just offered me a new V-Strom 1000 Adventure for $9250. What to do...indeed.

Gplassm,
If you can, I strongly suggest you go ride a Triumph Tiger 800. You can get the "road" version for like $11,000. Wonderful power (compared to the DL650), good mileage and reliable. And smack in the middle, price wise!

I think the whole "what bike should I buy?"-thing on the internet is just BS. For the simple reason, that people appreciate & value very different things. What works for you, may not work for him or her. And so on. Ok, if your a beginner, then sure it may feel like a nice idea to get feedback from others. But it still may not be fully useable FOR YOU, and some comments can also be very misleading. Decide a budget, find what's available, ride 'em all, then buy and disregard what someone else thinks of it. There's always the chance you find out that it wasnt the right choice for you, no matter what you spent, and how good the reviews were. That's not the end of the world.

I hear ya, and I don't bathe in money myself, but some features like ABS, traction control, better suspension and such, provide an extra layer of protection. Can these safety features save you a couple days of hospital stay? Of course, better judgement can do all that at a lot less $$

Being an RN we realize how fragile life is and random stuff happens to random ppl everyday, I would skip the "best bang for the buck" and go directly to higher performance stuff.

What I did was getting the Vstrom, kept it for couple of years then upgraded. Not worth the $$ from a financial POV, but definitely much better performance.

Ride safe, ride often and stay on the good side of that stethoscope!

While your partly correct, there are those of us that live in rural areas (even those like me that have ridden a long time) & riding all those bikes isn't logistically that easy. It's simple practicality to ask questions and toss around various aspects of a bike brand/model before going a long way to a dealer. As an exp. rider I actually get more, not less, from these online discussions, than a newbie rider & I still! value the opinions of other riders. I'm reading Strom threads & websites for a reason as I hone in on my next ride choice. "Ride em all" sounds fun and logical in a manner of speaking but I live a long ways from most dealers.

That and bike shops that allow test rides are rare these days.

Bikes are dangerous.. All the traction control, and abs ain't worth a damn thing. Staying alive on a bike is a combination of skill, luck, and experience. Now they are going to start marketing bikes like suvs and tout all the "safety" features. Like soccer moms driving suburbans we will be on 700lb adventure bikes that cost 24k. Ask yourself how you really intend to use this bike and will a Vstrom meet those needs or are those needs only met by spending 5k more for so called "character" and "safety" features.

I'm a regular on the Stromtrooper forum and over and over I see people upgrade from a Strom. Be madly in love with the new bike for 3 months then start to get annoyed with the new bikes various issues or realize that the extra money they have spent wasn't worth it.

The strom isn't a great bike because it's cheap, it's just a great bike.

reubenRN

I think we all struggle with the concept of more power/safety features etc. but buying more bike doesn't always achieve the goal you are looking for. I usually shop for most things by starting with the top drawer then working my way down to something that fits my needs/desires and budget. Many times I find no substitute for "top drawer" but it usually relates to cost. I just bought a new car this year and drove Audi/BMW/Subaru/Buick/VW and ended up buying another Camry not because it was the most exciting/powerful/capable vehicle, but because it offered the most for the money and had a sporty look "SE model". Maybe this is my personality and age that effects my decision making. When buying a bike, my first choice was a Tiger or KTM 990, both great bikes but twice the price. Value added was more capability, but considering my own personal needs/ability, the Glee strom fit what I was looking for. I did have to stave off desires to buy a 3rd gear wheelie machine, which I could envision, but reality is, I would find more trouble (legally and physical harm) than I wanted to assume. I'm sure the "safe" choice was the Glee. Reuben you are right, I have seen for years the results of poor personal decision making in regards to trauma or drinking while recreating. That does not mean I want to live in a bubble and forgo hobbies that I truly enjoy. The forums are a great place to learn from others experiences, but the decision is still personal, but with reading, can be an informed decision. Cheers.

From their site:

VStrom Owners -11/21/12 : Due to the fact that the election didn't quite go as expected, Pirates Lair is being forced to streamline our operation in order to survive the upcoming 4 years. Our slow selling products will simply have to be dropped from the menu and unfortunately this backrest is one of them. Combine that hard reality with the fact that many (not all) of the 2012 and 2013 VStroms now have a new rear rack (which isn't compatible with our backrest).. we're going to discontinue them as soon as our current stock is exhausted. I honestly hate to do this as I am very proud of the design.. It's not personal. It's mathematics.

The backrest on a givi topbox works well.

Don't let anyone scare you about the power of the wee. The redline is 10,500 if you like to shift at 6,000 or less you will notice you need more time to pass and accelerate when fully loaded but that is what those extra 4,500 rpms are for. I've ridden mine 2 up with wife and me and we were nearing the GVWR and it still out accelerated my Ulysses with the same load and it was a 1200cc bike.

Exactly right.

I think this exact point is what compelled me to buy the Glee. Power in the upper rev band to pass or power up a hill loaded. Having the rpms nearing 10k I find exciting. Reminds me of riding a sport bike, oh that's right, this is part sport bike. Another plus

Hey, Shadowtrekkor here,
I pulled the trigger on this thread. AMAZING I just got back into riding, On the back of an 86 XL600R. With two girls in college, and a pay freeze, riding has become a necessity well, it sounds goodI saw the wee at a shop and their mechanic rides one. This would be a huge jump from the old XL. I have really learned from all the posts. I most definitly have decided to keep the XL. For more dirt experiences where I won't cry when it bites the earth. The wee has been spoken of so highly. That's going to be the next level for this rider. Now I need to figure how to make it happen.
Maybe Ishould start a thread on how to make money and get ahead

Maybe I misunderstood something, but that sounds like a bit of a bizarre claim. For one thing (and please correct me, if I´m wrong) the new 2012-> Wee has ABS as standard, all around the planet? I do agree though, that ABS is a great safety feature for riding on pavement or nice gravel. In fact the 2012 got a new ABS unit compared to the 2011.

I don´t see how you´d get substantially better “high performance” parts buy getting a Tiger 800? The bikes in this class are all built to a price point. A bit better spec, maybe, but not much. So much better, that they´re in fact safer? No way, not buying that one at all. No real change on that, even if you buy a S1000RR or GSXR1000 (though these will have “high performance” parts).

Safety comes from knowing your bike inside out, not exceeding your own abilities, being alert, and finally out of experience. When talking about safety & modern motorcycles, the exact spec of the parts matters very little compared to any of those areas, that are all related to the rider first and foremost.

Just my 0.02 of course.

The 2013 models are 200.00 more expensive. No changes other than price and colors.

That is the lamest excuse in all time for someone to walk away from a Strom.

So the ABS on the Strom will not save your life but the one on a Tiger or BMW will? what bollocks!


if better ABS, traction control and suspension made safer bikes then we should all buy prototype MotoGP bikes. they have the best of all what you mentioned. they must be very "safe"?

hilarious

The best reason to walk away from a VStrom?

You just parked it after a great days riding

If you run a top box then simply cut a racetrack shaped longish oval of thinner plywood,drill two mtg holes with countersunk screws, also cut same shaped foam & cover with a small piece of black vinyl wrapped around and contact glued to back of ply wood, then fasten to predrilled holes in case with sealant around the holes. Easy to make & cheap & works better than the poorly padded mfg versions and moves with the case.
As to ABS, while I've never had it I have discussed it with true bike experts that teach police & public riding skills at a high level & they say it truly can save your life on the road. Riding many bikes since 1963 w/o ABS I hope to own my first new bike soon & it will have ABS. The Wee is the front runner so far. The man that writes on of the tech columns for the BMW MOA ON magazine said, that after riding the wee in NZ on a tour, that if(probably a big if but...) all their bikes melted into a puddle from a fire he might just go buy a wee as the one replacement bike as they are a sweet ride. My test ride confirmed it to be a good choice for me but too tall & thats fixable.