Motorcycle.com

V-Strom 1000 - exceptional value, good all around bike, I would buy it again

SUMMARY: Fun to ride, comfortable, great performance, OK mileage, can carry lots of stuff, reliable, good value, better for taller riders, ride any road - even unpaved roads, great in both curves and for long interstate runs. Not for beginners or shorter riders.



TECHNICAL SUMMARY: Modern, reliabl...e, fuel injected 996cc liquid cooled 90° V-twin. Chain drive, 100hp, 42mpg, first major service at 15,000 miles. Engine proven in other models prior to use in V-strom. Runs on 87 octane fuel. About 500 lbs wet.

DETAIL: This is a great all around bike - especially for the money. One of the few bikes that is more suited to someone over 5'8" tall (I am 6'3") than someone under. It suites my riding mix well: 75% ride for fun on weekends away from the city, 25% ride it to work or other errands in the city (especially when gas prices are high). I do 90% pavement and 10% off-pavement. Very good on unpaved gravel roads. Very good going 80mph all day down the interstate. Super fun on curvey roads - most fun on sweepers to tight sweepers, good fun on twisties too - but not due to the ride height/high center of gravity, this is NOT a beginner bike or a good choice for a first bike. Not a good choice for mud/snow or real off road dirt riding. Stock tires are OK on pavement, but not great. They slip in gravel at the recommended pressure - air them down to 20-24 psi for gravel and pump them back up when you get back to the pavement. Coolest feature: You can adjust the rear suspension pre-load by turning a knob on the right side of the bike (no tools needed). Mileage: expect 42mpg average for mixed riding after break in. Expect 45-48mpg if you are on the highway and actually ride to conserve fuel. Expect 38mpg in the city. If you do mostly city riding, consider getting the 650cc version of the V-strom as it is easier to handle in traffic and gets about 10mpg better mileage in all types of riding than the 1,000. Performance is great! Pleanty of torque and around 95-100hp on dynos in stock form. Easy throttle control at low RPMs, really gets up and goes when you open it up. Relatively straight torque/hp vs. RPM curves = no surprises. I got mine with the Kappa luggage and racks. These will work really well and hold a lot of stuff. Ride any road on this bike. There are no major downsides. Minor downsides: stock tires are just OK, stock windshied creates turbulance at your head for some riders/speeds (easily adjusted or replaced with a screwdriver and allen wrench), addition of some engine gaurds causes increased vibration at some RPMs, kind of looks funny to some people - my wife thinks it looks like a transformer and it might get up and walk away, air filter is hard to get to. Read Full Review