Bandit vs. V Strom

[gtbandit]

I have a '99 B12 and an '03 DL1000. For the kind of riding you describe, either one would do just fine. The Bandit has a little more sporty riding position and geometry. The DL sits me a little more upright and has more leg room, but aggressive cornering will have the footpegs grinding a little earlier than I like. The Strom also requires a little more effert to turn in and hold a cornering line. With an aftermarket windscreen, the Bandit keeps most of the wind off of my torso. The wind that reaches my helmet is noisy, but there's no buffeting. The Strom has a lot aftermarket screens available in various sizes. The biggest problem with it is finding one that doesn't buffet your helmet. This is mostly because of the distance between the rider and the shield. The BMW-GS and other bikes have this same problem. Both bikes have plently of power and torque with the Bandit edging out the Strom. The V-Strom is deceptively fast though. When I first rode it after jumping off my KLR, I found myself going a lot faster and accelerating alot harder than I thought I was. I do like the character of the Bandit motor a little more than the big v-twin, but I've read posts on the V-Strom boards stating the opposite. But, I think the 650 v-twin has more character than it's bigger brother and a lot of magazine testers agree with me on this point. Still, I'm happy with both. Both motors need an aftermarket exhaust to really excite viscerally, with the Bandit being cheaper to upgrade with it's one muffler. The big Bandit also responds better to an aftermarket muffler (makes more power). As mentioned previously, the big Strom does stutter between 3-4000 rpms. This is caused by a fuel-injection glitch in all year models, that got worse with some of the '06 models. There are aftermarket fixes for this. Some of them relatively cheap. Read up on it on vstrom.info. (The DL650 has no fuel injection issues and neither does the new 1250 Bandit.) In the 2002 and early 2003 models there was also a problem with the clutch basket causing "chudder" in the same rpm range. My bike had both problems. A power commander made it better, but the clutch chudder is still there although I don't find it annoying enough to spring for a later model clutch basket. Also, many people, including me, found the stock handlebars on the Stroms to be angled too far back causing discomfort in the wrists.

Which one to get? Which ever one excites you more. The Strom is more versatile with respect to the kind of terrain you can travel and can be more touring friendly. It does, however, have a few more quirks to sort out than the Bandit. But, if you know that going in, it not a big problem. The Bandit can be set up a little sportier or can be made to ride more upright depending on your preference. Hope this helps.

[gtbandit]

Yeah, rum & coke.   Still the KLR does appear to indeed be an unintentional V-Strom. And yes, the DR 650 has nothing to be ashamed of compared to the KLR, methinks. I think if you're going to do some rough and tumble traveling, the DR and KLR would be better machines than the V-Strom, although time may tell if the V-Strom may make it's own mark on such territory.

The KLR is definitely the better choice to tackle rough terrain , but I wouldn't call it an unintentional V-Strom. The KLR is a very good compromise between dirt riding and street touring and not a half bad pavement scratcher. The DL is a great street/touring bike that you can take off-road. Last September, a buddy and I rode over 4000 miles of dirt and highway. Me, on my KLR650 and he on his DL650. The DL650 makes way more power than the KLR. At speeds above 70 mph with stock gearing, the KLR is working hard. While I normally average 50 mpg around town it dropped into the low 30s at sustained speeds of 70 and above. (It was better on a previous trip with a 1-tooth larger front sprocket.) The V-Strom returned much higher fuel economy at those speeds; high 40s into the 50s. We tackled some really rough jeep trails, traversed extremely slick desert roads during and after rain storms and crossed many arroyos. My riding partner with limited riding experience and his V-Strom handled everything me and my KLR could handle. Although, he didn't like the really rocky terrain where his bikes lack of ride height made itself clear and his front fender caked with enough mud on the wet desert roads to lock up the front wheel making forward progress really difficult. Out on the two-lane mountain highways is where the DL650 really shined though. Where my KLR would struggle to pass slower traffic, the DL had plenty of passing power to quickly and safely overtake traffic (as does my SV650). Still, with a Corbin seat and the stock windshield, I was comfortable aboard the KLR and was able to do the whole trip on a set of 50/50 tires. There are no 50/50 tires available for the Strom (or BMW-GS for that matter). You can throw on a set of Continental TKC-80s to tackle the mud and sand, but they won't last very long on the pavement. (Our original plan was to ride over 6000 miles.) While others have done it, I wouldn't dream of taking my DL1000 on really rough terrain. While I didn't ride his DL650 on any rough terrain, it feels considerably more confidence inspiring off-road than my 1000.