Bandit Alley
GENERAL MOTORCYCLE FORUMS => GENERAL MOTORCYCLE => Topic started by: skyrider on May 08, 2007, 06:59:01 PM
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Anyone ridden both? What are your thoughts. The kind of riding I'll be doing on the Bandit, if I decide on it, is commuting and short day-tours. I currently have an 06' DR 650 thinking I'd spend some time off road...hasn't happened. So, looking for something more geared (not the sprocket) to highway riding.
When ya'll refer to B12 or B6, are you refering to model years of the Bandit...I need the lesson.
Sky
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B12 = 1200cc model
B6 = 600cc model
I owned a 650 V-Strom before I bought my B1250 (the new '07 1250cc) and I loved it. It's got plenty of power for a 650, handles dirt and gravel roads really well, does great in the twisties, and gets good gas mileage.
I would have kept it but my SO didn't learn to ride her own bike, so I needed a bigger bike for two-up. Can't afford two street bikes. I think the V-Strom 1000 would be an excellent two-up bike though.
The new Bandit just looked too good to pass on... and I'm real happy with it. It suits me better... just an old muscle-bike guy. :bandit:
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I agree, I have read and heard nothing but great things about the V-storm 650 as to its lighter wight, agility and economy. Conversely I have heard mixed reviews about the V-storm 1000. What seems to hurt the 1000 is the wight and higher center of gravity with weak-comparable power to any of the in line 4 standards. At least that is what I have read and heard.
I think a V-storm 650 would be a keeper in my book in addition to anything else I would buy or sell off.
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I owned a 2002 DL1000 and now own a 2006 DL650 and a 2007 Bandit 1250S. I loved the DL1000 but it was jerky at low revs and even spit a throttle body one time. after spending a lot of money trying to fix the hiccuping problem around 3800 (custom-mapped PC III) I finally sold it. It was not an around -town bike. The 650 is a good all-around bike with character and is my favorite ride. The Bandit is a hell of a lot faster and could assume "favored bike" role for me with higher, more rear-set bars, better wind protection, and a tail rack, but the 650 would still be the more practical choice. If I were still touring, it would be my choice for that activity. I should point out that the 650 has been modified for comfort and convenience and the Bandit has not (yet).
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>>I currently have an 06' DR 650 thinking I'd spend some time off road...hasn't happened. So, looking for something more geared (not the sprocket) to highway riding.<<
I was under the impression the DR is Kawi's unintentional V-Strom. If you've ever read "Motorcycle Touring: Everything You Need to Know" by Dr Gregory W Frazier, he's indirectly laying claim to that bike being the ultimate road warrior, and he should know.
That said, the V-Strom is definitely more of a street bike with some off-road capabilities. I've been talking to a few 650 and 1000 owners about them too, as I've been mulling them along with a few other bikes for a sport tourer.
They mentioned a site, http://www.stromtrooper.com, where you can get all the lowdown you want on the bikes from Strom owners.
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CW magazine even did a comparison story on the V-storm 650 vs Ducati 650. The results were, for much less money the V-storm is performance competitive to the Ducati and much more maintenance free. Yup if I ever find one with couple of years on it for a real bargain, I will defiantly scoop it up.
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I was under the impression the DR is Kawi's unintentional V-Strom.
:headscratch: huh? The DR is a Suzuki dual sport.
From what I've read, the DR650 is a better street bike than the Honda XR650L and a better dirt bike than a Kawi KLR650. Now, I could see how the KLR might be considered an unintentional V-Strom. Kawasaki did had a short-lived intentional V-Strom in the KLV1000.
(http://www.motoplanete.com/kawasaki/KLV-1000.jpg)[/list]
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I was under the impression the DR is Kawi's unintentional V-Strom.
:headscratch: huh? The DR is a Suzuki dual sport.
Yep, I caught that too... but I knew we could count on "The Vulture" to set things straight. :stickpoke: :lol:
Kawasaki did had a short-lived intentional V-Strom in the KLV1000.
(http://www.motoplanete.com/kawasaki/KLV-1000.jpg)[/list]
Yep, only available in the UK and Europe, correct?
I always thought that was a strange one... did Kawasaki build that bike using Suzuki components or what? Everything is interchangeable with the V-Strom, unless I'm mistaken.
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It's simply a Suzuki with Kawi badges and color scheme unique to the KLV. It was part of the short-lived bike/tech share program where a few models from one company ended up in the other's line-up. Suzuki got a DRz version of the KLX110 and version of the Mean Streak cruiser. There were some quads involved in the sharing, too. No sport bikes ever crosssed lines though - and that was agreed up front. The KLV never made it in the US, but I think it was the only shared model that wasn't offered to us. Shared models were built in the parent company's facilities, so Suzuki workers somewhere were slapping Kawi markings on their product and vice-versa.
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The share program also included the DRZ400/KLX and the KX100/RM (incredible little bike). When the MVD in AZ registered my Suzki RM100 they actually asked me why it was called a Suzuki when the computer VIN info said Kawasaki heavy industries.
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I have 2 good buddies with DL1000's. One ('06) tours a lot with his main squeeze on the back.....or a bunch of camping junk if he's with the guys.....and he's quite pleased with it overall for what he want to use it for. His previous ride was an early 90's ZX7.
The other ('04) always rides solo and he owned a '99 B12 previously so he's ridden them both. He likes the DL for the torque, especially when carrying camping gear. Both these guys are 6 feet tall and weigh 200+ pounds so I guess that says something for the DL, although I'm not sure what....
I have NOT ridden a DL because I'm not a V-twin kinda guy... but I suppose I should try to throw a leg over one at the next ride 'em days at a dealer, if possible, just to see what they're all about.
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The problem is that pretty much all the new bikes are darn good these days to the point that we measure performance now on graphs to be able to detect it or have to put a bike to extreme paces to feel it. This is probubly the best time in history to own and ride a motorcycle because from here on out performance will probubly be measured in fuel economy as the price of gas will only continue to rise to $8 a gallon by the end of the decade.
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>>huh? The DR is a Suzuki dual sport<<
Yeah, rum & coke. :grin: 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.
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I've owned both a DL1000 and two 1200 Bandits. The DL has one of the best stock seats around. Bandit does too, for me anyway. If I got another DL it would be the 650 for lighter weight and lower seat height. Neither DL's would be good off road, though the 650 would be the best of the two. My Strom also had a hiccup problem. It never spit it's throttle bodies though. Only rode it 5000 miles and sold it. Some people don't like the looks of them much. I had terrible wind buffeting problems on my DL. There are fixes like windstrom.com.
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Last year I demo'd the Bandit 650S and 650 VStrom. I found the rides to be very different.
The VStrom feels top-heavy at a stop and doesn't pull as hard. It also seems to top out earlier.
I'd have to say the seating position of the VStrom is probably even nicer than that of the Bandit... just slightly more upright.
I preferred the 4-cylinder Bandit to the VStrom twin.
If you're planning on adventure touring, I'd bet on the VStrom, but if you're staying on the pavement, Bandit all the way :bandit:
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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.
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Yeah, rum & coke. :grin: 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.