About the
Suzuki DL650 V-Strom Motorcycle

The Suzuki DL650 V-Strom Motorcycle

Introduction

1. The DL650 is a dual sport motorcycle. I mostly ride on paved roads, but sometimes dirt and/or gravel roads are the only roads available. You'll want to reduce air pressure in your tires for any significant off-road ridging, but the occasional sand, dirt or gravel is handled easily with the tires fully inflated.
2. The DL650 has a strong base of satisfied riders, and the online reviews almost unanimously recommend the DL650.
3. At 427 pounds dry weight, the DL650 isn't too big for a "new" rider like me; it's light enough for some off-road action; and you can pick it up if you drop it. The DL650's larger cousin, the DL1000, is a much larger motorcycle. Various sources on the internet, and even the dealer who sold me the DL650, report that the DL1000 is best used on-road only, due to it's weight.
4. The DL650 uses a standard riding position and has excellent weight distribution; providing excellent handling, cornering and maneuverability rarely matched by cruiser style motorcycles.

The Suzuki DL650 V-Strom is the perfect bike for the new or experienced rider who wants great handling on the road (and a little off road), at a very good price.

The stock Suzuki DL650 V-Strom fresh from the dealership.

Suzuki DL650 V-Strom Specs

Suzuki DL650 Aftermarket Upgrades

You may find yourself looking for replacement turn signals due to accidental damage. Or you might just want to upgrade parts of the DL650 V-Strom that, well, need upgraded. If you drop your V-Strom, there is a near 100% certainty that you will break the left or right turn signal. The stock turn signals stick out pretty far and can be the first thing to hit the road before the rest of your motorcycle. Having broken a stock turn signal and not wanting to break another one (they are expensive), I did some research on replacement turn signals and settled on a set of Lockhart Phillips Flush Mount III Marker Lights.

I also installed a set of Givi Engine Guards. Installation was pretty simple, but shortly after the installation, the guards started to shake and rattle insanely at around 6000 RPM. I found that some other V-Strom owners have experienced a similar vibration and rattling problem, so I tried the solution suggested on Aln's V-Strom 650 Info Site:

You may get a slight rattle from the join piece between the two bars. This double ended part fits into each bar to make sure they line up correctly and after some time this began to rattle even though the bolt below it was tight. To fix this I loosened the bolt below and placed some plastic tie wraps on the join part to act as a spacer or washer which when tightened later stopped the rattle.

I found that the join piece between the two bars of each side of the Givi Engine Guard was loose, even when the bolt below the piece was tight. I could easily move the piece between the bars, and this allowed the bars to vibrate, causing the shaking of the bars on both sides of the V-Strom. Meanwhile, the little piece between the bars shook all around, causing the loud and annoying rattling at 6000 RPM. I loosened the bolt connecting both bars, tightened a black plastic tie wrap around the middle piece, then re-tightened the bolt connecting the bars. I have had no shaking or rattling since, with over 500 miles ridden, so far. I expect the little plastic tie will eventually break, but at less than 1 cent each, I can afford to replace the tie if it ever breaks.

Givi Engine Guard - Update Spring 2009: Even with the "fix" for my rattling Givi Engine Guard, there was an annoying vibration at certain engine speeds. I removed the engine guard to see if the vibration was actually due to the engine guard, or if it was just a performance characteristic of my V-Strom. Well, after removing the Givi engine guard, the V-Strom runs smoother than ever. That is: there is no longer an uncomfortable vibration at certain RPMs. I'm leaving the Givi engine guard OFF! If I ever decide to take the V-Stom off road (after changing the tires, of course), maybe I'll check out one of the other motorcycle engine guards available for the V-Strom.

On my first long distance ride on the V-Strom Motorcycle, I quickly realized that the stock seat is a pain in the...lower region. I invested in a sheepskin seat cover from Alaska Leather. The cover makes for a much more comfortable ride, but still not perfect. So, I ordered a replacement seat from Sargent, which will be delivered in mid-September. Until then, my Alaska Leather seat cover will keep me comfortable to about 100 miles of riding before I need to "take a load off" for a while. I plan to put my Alaska Leather seat cover over my Sargent seat, which should provide about the best level of comfort you can have on a V-Strom (or any motorcycle) seat.

My fingers were very cold on my first ride over a mountain pass here in Colorado, so I invested in some OEM V-Strom hand guards, which have helped greatly. I have ridden over many passes, including several times over the continental divide with nary a cold finger since installing the hand guards. For even more hand comfort, I installed a set of padded handlebar grips. And, last but not least, I added a Cortech Magnetic Tank Bag to carry rain gear, my camera, and other necessities.

Sargent Motorcycle Seat for the V-Strom 650 - Update Spring 2009: The Sargent seat took nearly 3 months to arrive, but it is an overwhelming improvement over the stock V-Strom seat. I even rolled up my Alaska Leather seat cover and put it away for the next uncomfortable stock seat that I may see. The Sargent motorcycle seat feels solid, and actually fits onto the V-Strom better than the stock seat did. The seat looks great, but most importantly, the seat feels excellent. I haven't taken a ride yet where I felt the need to rest my "posterior". The Sargent Seat looks great, works great and feels great; the best investment I have made for my Suzuki V-Strom 650 so far. Pictures coming soon.