Took the V-Strom plunge!

I picked up a 2013 DL650 with ABS around 12 months ago. Mine is the Tiger Eye bronze colour with the Givi screen and a top box and it has travelled around 14,000 miles. I am really enjoying riding it as it is a very capable motorcycle.

I installed a Pirelli Scorpion Trail 2 on the rear earlier this year which replaced a very noisy Metzler tyre.

Enjoy the ride.

Seagrass

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Very striking color, Seagrass! Unusual on any motorcycle in my experience. I like it.
Rich
 
Anakee 3s did quite well on the 2013 I had... the light weight was great and had over 10k miles on the rear when I sold it.
I am running Anakee 3s on my Wee. Very good road tire and allows for a bit of easy off roading. I ran Shinko's for years but at my stage of age I think the Anakee 3s work the best for me.
 
Here is a pic or two of my 2013 V-Strom. Of course it came in Gray color but I changed it to Red. If yours has the Suzuki crash bars on it you will notice a harmonic vibration around 4 to 5k rpm. Solution for me was the replace with Givi crash bars. They mount a little bit different.

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The Vstrom is a great bike. The Strom troopers forum is full of nice folk. The new one has morphed into a parallel 800 twin (EU emissions?) But I like my 2017.
 
Here is a pic or two of my 2013 V-Strom. Of course it came in Gray color but I changed it to Red. If yours has the Suzuki crash bars on it you will notice a harmonic vibration around 4 to 5k rpm. Solution for me was the replace with Givi crash bars. They mount a little bit different.

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Odd. I don't get that vibration. The smoothness of the engine is a big plus.
 
Here is a pic or two of my 2013 V-Strom. Of course it came in Gray color but I changed it to Red. If yours has the Suzuki crash bars on it you will notice a harmonic vibration around 4 to 5k rpm. Solution for me was the replace with Givi crash bars. They mount a little bit different.

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The gray bike is the spittin' image of mine down to the top box. Now, several questions..... Are the panniers water tight? What is involved in replacing the headlamp bulbs? The license plate lamp looks harder to replace than it should be. The Heidenaus looked rugged but man do they create a vibration at highway speeds. I really never intend to do any off roading so that's why I'm probably looking back at the street tires. Those Dunlop Mutants do have a mean look about them though.

Mike
 
The gray bike is the spittin' image of mine down to the top box. Now, several questions..... Are the panniers water tight? What is involved in replacing the headlamp bulbs? The license plate lamp looks harder to replace than it should be. The Heidenaus looked rugged but man do they create a vibration at highway speeds. I really never intend to do any off roading so that's why I'm probably looking back at the street tires. Those Dunlop Mutants do have a mean look about them though.

Mike
Never had my boxes rained on and I have only used them a couple of times. To change the bulbs I remove the complete faring as a unit to be able to easily get to the bulbs. Some folks say it is possible to change them with out removing the faring. Each to his own. I have fat short athritic fingers. Faring is easy to remove after you take off the side covers. Once the side covers and the little center piece is removed, the faring comes off with two fasteners on the tank and the two bolts on the faring stay that hod it to the frame. and the three connectors on the left side inside of the faring.

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Thanks, Chuck. I will look into installing LED headlamps. It seems much less tedious than the NT to get the tupperware off. That license lamp looks like a dickens though.

Mike
 
Thanks, Chuck. I will look into installing LED headlamps. It seems much less tedious than the NT to get the tupperware off. That license lamp looks like a dickens though.

Mike
If you have not already, Check out stromtrooper.com forum. Also If you are not going to do serious off road check out Weld 86 for a skid plate. It is nice and sturdy but not obtrusive looking.
 
I will do so later today. I was out of town for a week visiting friends.

Mike
 
Finally, some pix. First the view from the cockpit, left side view, frontal view and rear view showing the aggressive Heidenau street knobby. Now, I'm trying to come up with a name.... I'm leaning toward "Reckless" after the US most famous war horse. You all will note that the pix are in my garage where you will find the appropriate amount of clutter...... like God intended!
:thumb:
Mike

In hindsight, I should have taken the pix without as much background clutter...... HUSH!! Chuck
:D
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Mike, I’m searching for the right name also. A few possibilities, nothing set in stone yet. My yellow and blue color leads me to something like “Yellow Rose”, or “Sunflower”, maybe even “Tweety bird”. Too bad “Blue Angel” is already taken. Still thinking.
 
A cup holder?! How’s that work with your helmet? Looks big enough for a “Big Gulp”!
When I try to shoot a closeup with my camera, it distorts the pic tremendously. It is just a standard Ram mount cupholder. I have a modular helmet so when I take a sip I just pop the faceshield up for a moment. It keeps me hydrated on long, hot rides.

Mike
 
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