First Ride of 2008

[TonUp]

So I finally went out and took the V-Strom out off storage. A little icy and muddy getting it out the door. I let it warm up for a bit check the tires, lights, horn and gave it a quick inspection. Pretty warm out 52F.

I headed up to Shoreham had a cup of coffee and a peanut butter cookie. And went over to our shop and rinsed off the dirt and salt from last year. BAD TITO! I then rode to Orwell picked up a six pack of Molson and headed home. I only rode for 30 miles. Short and sweet. My new riding pants and jacket were very warm, I was actually sweating.

Tomorrow I will ride it to work. Longer rides to come. Yes I did TON UP 3 times (112mph)


Tito



Ton Up!

[JEnfield]

Glad you had a good time Tito and good on the only one cookie riding gear fits better LOL. Hey be careful till you get your wheels back under ya I know you can ride LOL>

Jimmy

[TonUp]

Jimmy!

It felt pretty good, refreshing, soothing, exhilarating, exciting and healing and I was cautious. My shoulders felt pretty good too.


Tito

Ton Up!

[bonnevillebilly]

Yes it does feel good after a long winters nap.
It wont be long now before we are out there in full force.
I am still working on getting every thing dialed in just right.
I can't wait till the bash so I can meet every one.

Bill

[bennybmn]

I took Hedge's bike out for a ride today to make sure his new lay-flat speedy bracket worked Works great!! Felt good too. Bonnie was nice n comfy with the lowered pegs.

[mark]

I picked up my brand-new V-Strom 650 on Saturday and ended up putting 240 miles on it this weekend. Awesome bike! I can't wait to finish breaking it in.

--mark

[bennybmn]

Must be tough holding back

Is the SV 650 kinda like the younger brother of the bandit? What's the difference?

[TonUp]

SV-650 is a great bike! One of the best deals out there. A great beginner bike, TRACK BIKE, Hooligan Bike with plenty of power out of a 650 liquid cooled V-Twin that puts out 75 horses art the rear wheel and weighs under 400 pounds. You will never out grow it.

It is very easy to ride and it absolutely rips on a twisty back road, capable of embarrassing liter sized sport bikes of all brands , at a very low price of just over $5,900 leaving you with plenty of cash leftover to buy a Bonnie!

The V-Strom is a Pack Mule, great for riding to work or cross country. It shares a slightly detuned SV-650 motor with 64 horses and more torque down low.

http://www.suzukicycles.com/Products/Pr ... n=OVERVIEW

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki_DL650_V-Strom


Tito


Ton Up!

[TonUp]

Rode to work yesterday, it was a little cool in the morning 28F, had to scrape the thick frost off the mirrors and seat. We still have a little snow on the ground and drivers are not quite familiar with motorcyclists this early in the season. Be Aware!!!

The roads are still very sandy and salty, I was able to TON UP for a few miles. From now on I ride pretty much everyday, Rain or shine, except when I have to take my son to school, he rides when it is nice out. No sense in getting him soaked before school.

Hopefully by next week I will start to venture out into longer rides. I am giving the roads a little time to clear. It is slippery this time of year, and we still get an icy patch here and there.

So far I put on the saddlebags only, I will put on the Tank bag next week. It's nice having all that room to carry my laptop to and from work and to pick up a few things at the local store on the way home, milk, bread, a movie, beer......

I have a few nice weekend rides planned for this year and some include camping so I best start gathering all of my outdoor gear.

Have a Great Day!

Tito

Ton Up!

[mark]

Yeah, I'm riding to work pretty much every day now.

Going to make a list of V-Strom accessories and prioritize it. I can't afford to buy all the farkles at once, so I need to figure out what's the most important to me and what can wait.

First long ride I've got planned is down to DC in May to visit the parents. It's a short enough trip that I can make do with tank bag and tail bag, so the side cases can wait till June. I'd also like to fabricate a skid plate before the Canada trip.

I think the first priority is going to be an accessory power socket and a shelf for mounting the radar detector.

--mark

[bennybmn]

OK so is it kinda like a naked Bandit? I've seen some Bandit 1200's for sale used with less than 20K for like 2500 bucks. Also a friend of mine picked one up and loves it too.

[mark]

OK so is it kinda like a naked Bandit? I've seen some Bandit 1200's for sale used with less than 20K for like 2500 bucks. Also a friend of mine picked one up and loves it too.

What, the SV650? Not sure how we got onto that topic, since no one mentioned it until you did.

The Suzuki Bandit series have all been naked sportbikes with inline-4 engines. They still sell the Bandit 1250; there also used to be a Bandit 600, and even smaller ones that I think weren't sold in the US market.

The SV650 is a naked sportbike with a Ducati-style 90-degree V-twin engine. Think Ducati Monster, but Japanese. At under $6k brand-new, it's probably the best new-bike value on the market.

The V-Strom 650 (aka DL650) is an adventure-touring bike with a modified SV650 engine. That is to say, it has the basic geometry of a dirtbike, with upright seating position, small windshield, and excellent luggage-carrying ability, but combines it with the awesome engine from the SV650 (retuned slightly for torque). Think of it as the same type of bike as a BMW R1200GS, but a bit smaller and half the price.

Pics:
Bandit


SV650


V-Strom 650


--mark

[bennybmn]

Oh ok so the SV is a V twin, and the Bandit is an inline... I gocha!! Plus a few other details I'm sure! I read a great article on "cheap used japanese bikes" a few months ago. I just kinda like the idea, and like I said the Bandits seem to go for cheap. I think it would fit me nicely

[mark]

Actually, I think the SV650 would be a better choice. Terrific bike -- there are lots of SV650 track bikes out there, because they handle great and have good low/midrange grunt for powering out of turns. And I'm constantly seeing excellent-condition used ones for around $3k. Also, aftermarket support for these bikes is huge.

The Bandit's a less popular bike, and I don't think aftermarket support is anywhere near as extensive. Also, it's more of a muscle bike and isn't renowned for its handling, as far as I've heard.

If you want more displacement than a 650, there's also the SV1000.

--mark

[TonUp]

So far I have ridden every day to work. Still a lot of snow on the ground. Brrrr! Ton Up most of the 15 miles to work.



Tito


Ton Up!