I just spoke to a dealer about an 08 VSTROM 1000. They dont have any but he offered me an 09. He said they already have the new model year info. It will be offered in Black with no noticable change. I owned an 06 and sold it. Now Im kickin myself with the Gas prices. I will be buying another as soon as I find one. I did find a new 07 (Blue), I need to see what kind of deal I can get before putting down money on an 09. Just thought you all would like to know The liter strom has not been discontinued. Mark
From time to time a DL1k wanders into Flea. There was one there a while back at a killer price (in ND, I think). Worth a look if you are in the market.
Buy used or buy a Wee as the '09 prices will be higher for the same bike and you will take the heavy duty depreciation hit on it the moment you ride off the floor.
I stopped into a multi-bike dealer in the Portland, OR area on sunday to look at bikes. They had NADA...not one dual sport bike available for sale...strangely all of the cruisers, sport bikes, and dirt only bikes were on sale however. My Dad is researching bikes to get back into riding and he wanted to sit on a KLR...couldn't find one...how about a DR...couldn't find one...we found a new XT250 - already sold, and a new WR250F - already sold, to sit on and look at. I stopped in a Honda/Yamaha shop (Utah) the other day and the only DS bikes they had was one new XRL and one new WR250X...another shop had only XRLs and a couple of WRs... One sales manager told us that Suzuki cut their orders across the board by 30% for '09 for all models and he said that he's only got 2 Vees and three Wees coming now on his '09 order...but at least they're coming!!! he also mentioned that he could sell all the dual sports in any size, and scooters for that matter...oh and the new Ninja 250...that's another one he can't find and has customers waiting. I also have two friends in Nevada looking for KLR's and can't find new ones locally....one found a Versys and snatched it up...the other is still looking. So...I guess if you live in the Western US and want a dual sport...buy it if you find it...they're in demand. Looking at ebay and some dealer web sites there are lots of bikes in the east still available. Interesting times...I guess $4 gas was the magic number....
Quote: <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=4 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">Originally Posted by Vstrom134 Just thought you all would like to know The liter strom has not been discontinued. Mark </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> Very good news. Wonder what changed in the engine when they made it compliant with the Euro emission standards. Quote: <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=4 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">Originally Posted by WestRider ...I guess $4 gas was the magic number.... </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> So it's like $1 per liter? Seriously, I'm moving to U.S. Regular gas costs almost 3 times as much around here.
Hey guys I'm new here and looking into getting a 650 Wee. I've never ridden before but my MSF class is in 2 weeks. Just to agree with you from Orlando also. The other weekend I went to ALL the local bike dealerships to look at and sit on bikes. I found one dual sport bike in all of Orlando (it was a KLR). They did have some street legal dirt bikes but they aren't my cup of tea. BMW had zero 650's and said they were actively looking for them. Everyone had sport bikes, dirt bikes, tourers, and cruisers.
I saw my first GS650 yesterday. It is a hell of an attractive bike. Looking at it, I can't but help feel the Japanese missed one more boat again. There is no reason this thing couldn't have said 'Suzuki' on the side. IMO, you'll have to marry a BMW dealer to have a shot at getting one they are that nice. I'll second the idea that both the idea of d/s and $4 fuel has shifted things quite a bit. The only kinda sorta d/s I've seen in a dealership floor lately has been a full sized GS12. As neat as these are, the $18k+ price probably puts many guys off. I passed through the floor of the local Tri / Duc dealer and while I didn't look closely, it seemed to me he had a lot of 'ricky racer' bikes and few standards. I guess the used market is where many need to be if they want a d/s sort of bike.
Start on something less powerful than the Wee unless you are a very big guy. The 500gs from Suzuki & 500 Ninja are much better beginner bikes IMNSHO
less powerful than a wee? What - a 50 cc scooter with a hole burned in the piston? That's pretty funny. Less powerful than a bike which feels like you're riding a turtle with weak knees.
As a Canada Safety Council motorcycle instructor for 3 seasons, I think I can safely say 65hp in a top heavy bike isn't the way to go for 99.99% of n00bs. Our school was the largest training school in North America and the head of the program also didn't think the DL or SV 650 were good beginner bikes. You are entitled to your opinion, but I'll disagree
meh my first bike was a wee, I dropped it once but other than that I was fine, and that had nothing to do with the weight really... Buy what you want and ride it responsibly I say.
I think wether vstrom is ok for a noob depends on where and how you want to ride it. In europes tight and cramped city roads it will be a handfull. Also its heavy so don't go off-road too soon. For starters stick with sideroads and drive with a buddy - so there's somebody to help you once you drop it.
What does physical size have to do with the power of the bike? Do you mean to say start with something "shorter" unless you're very big? The strom's are a bit tall, I'm 6'1", 34 inch inseam, and had no trouble with my '05 Wee--and it was my re-entry bike after 20+ years off two wheels. That's not to say I never dropped it--it's a Strom, you're required to drop it--but it certainly wasn't unmanageable. Great bike, wish I still had it as complement to my 12GS.
My first bike was a DL1000. The year was 2003 and the 650 hadn't come out. Dropped it doing emergency stops and low speed practice. Dropped it 35,000 miles later on a gnarly dirt road. Crash bars protected it both times. Would have happened with any bike. Size, dedication, physical conditioning, life experience, etc, all come into play. My 'one size fits all recommendation' is to take a motorcycle safety course. Discuss your situation with the seasoned instructor who just spent 2-3 days working with you. This process worked for me. My one regret was purchasing a new bike (something my instructor said not to do). Within two years of riding my DL1000 I wanted something more dirt friendly but didn't want to take the depreciation hit.
