Sunday, May 28, 2006

Suzuki V-Strom 650

Yesterday I traded in my 2002 Suzuki SV650S for a new 2006 Suzuki V-Strom 650. Though I loved the SV650S, the riding position was not comfortable enough for long rides. After an hour or two, my knees, wrists, and back would start to get sore. The V-Strom is much more comfortable. The stock windscreen was absolutely horrible though, it directed all the air right at my face and created an incredibly loud turbulent sound even with a full face helmet and earplugs. I immediately replaced it with an optional wider, taller windscreen (shown here), and that completely fixed the problem. The fuel injection makes it easier to start, and the power delivery seems much smoother. Honestly, I still think the SV605S looked better, but the V-Strom is much more practical.

My first ride on the V-Strom was a 35-mile slog home from the dealer in pouring rain, which was more fun than it sounds. I went for another ride this morning, also in the rain. It works great in the rain but I'm looking forward to better weather.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ah, I see that the Japanese still don't know how to spell very well, and that they still don't know about proofreaders or spellcheckers: the V-Strom?

Unknown said...

Yes, it is an odd name. The "V" refers to the V-twin engine, and "Strom" is German for "current" or "stream." I think it is supposed to remind you of "maelstrom" or something like that. The problem is that in English it looks like a typo for "Storm." There is an online group for V-Strom owners called "Stromtrooper."

Anonymous said...

"supposed to remind you of 'maelstrom' or something like that." Oh, something like Strom Thurmond?

Ginger Mayerson www.hackenblog.com said...

What? No picture?