Finishing off my Stable

[Rednaxs60]

MBS is an syndrome that cannot be treated. Adding to the stable - here's what I have presently, my KIA, '85 GW and '95 GW:

Have been looking at these style of bikes for some time now, the adventure sport touring. Has some advantageous over the GW, not much but some. Bought a 2012 Suzuki 1000 cc VStrom with 56K on the clock. Never been off road as it is in Toronto. An older gentleman has owned it and taken good care of it. Has a few amenities I like. He is a taller chap so the bike has mods to fit his stature.

Took a 2018 1000 cc VStrom out for a test drive the other week and found it to be a nice ride once I got use to the less weight, shifter position and other aspects. It was tricked out as well, but I would have had to do a few mods to make it fit. The new 1000 cc VStrom uses high test instead of regular gas. Not a big issue but having traveled in the less populated regions, premium gas is at a premium. In these areas you may find premium gas with a price to match; however, it has been known that out of the way gas stations have put regular gas and sold it as premium. Not a common issue, but it has happened.

Here's a picture of the new bike:

Did quite a bit of research on this bike, and others as well. Bang for the buck I feel this is a good choice. Will definitely know by the time I get it from Ontario back here to Victoria. Here's a list of some of the accoutrements:

Sargeant touring seat for extra long days
Oxford heated grips and mirror extenders ,blindspot convex mirrors
Front peg lowering kit and bar risers for taller rider ( these can be easily removed and sold by shorter rider)
Headlight/ highbeam re-wired and switch installed to run both lights at once with dual element bulbs
K&N air filter
New Iridium plugs
Givi Engine Guards
Madstad Engineering dark smoke windshield with Madstad fully adjustable bracket
Givi full size 36 litre touring bag upgrade from lame football shaped useless stock bags
Tank bra tank protector
Only 1,000 kms on new Metzler tires installed last year

Going to be an interesting ride.

Cheers

 

[GTC@MSAC]

Lol! Your Post Title sounded like you were putting them all out of their misery! My stable, on the other hand, should be on a locomotive turntable, it's not ever completed!

 

[joedrum]

Nice bike

 

[Ansimp]

Nice bike. It will probably run fine on regular gas just not up to it’s full potential and I would always run premium or an additive where possible.

 

[Rednaxs60]

Will be giving both premium and regular a try. There are places in northern Ontario where there is no premium gas, and this also applied to the trip we just went on. Nice to know that the bike can use both.

I also have an issue with using premium when the bike is designed for regular. Higher octane fuel does not mean better operation as the higher octane fuel does not burn as readily/easily as regular, and as such you can actually be wasting fuel and getting worse fuel economy. I do believe that in hotter climates it may be necessary, and if an engine designed for regular gas starts to get hot and you have pre-ignition.

Cheers

 

[Ansimp]

EFI in Vstrom should be able to maximise performance from the fuel you use. I have had only a few late model vehicles which don’t perform better on higher octane fuel. We have 3 fuel grades down hear 91, 95 and 98. 98 only performs better in late model EFI systems as it achieves it’s higher octane rating by burn modifiers which only get maximised by timing and fuel calibrations.

 

[julimike54]

Congratulations on the new ride!

 

[detdrbuzzard]

I like your stable!! I looked at the v-strom 650 and 1000 but got the BMW r1200 GSA. I can't say its a better bike than your v-strom but I love that 8.8 gallon gas tank

 

[Rednaxs60]

detdrbuzzard » Today, 8:35 am[/url]":3o6cmzgb]
I like your stable!! I looked at the v-strom 650 and 1000 but got the BMW r1200 GSA. I can't say its a better bike than your v-strom but I love that 8.8 gallon gas tank

Was at the BMW dealer this morning, it was having a scratch and dent sale, provided breakfast as well. Had a good discussion on the adventure bikes, small and big. My friend is considering one.

The GSA has more bells and whistles, but that is how Suzuki has kept the price of the VStrom down comparatively, and besides they all go from point A to B hopefully without issue.

Cheers

 

[detdrbuzzard]

Rednaxs60 » Sat Jul 27, 2019 2:48 pm[/url]":1i8n0uu8]

detdrbuzzard » Today, 8:35 am[/url]":1i8n0uu8]
I like your stable!! I looked at the v-strom 650 and 1000 but got the BMW r1200 GSA. I can't say its a better bike than your v-strom but I love that 8.8 gallon gas tank

Was at the BMW dealer this morning, it was having a scratch and dent sale, provided breakfast as well. Had a good discussion on the adventure bikes, small and big. My friend is considering one.

The GSA has more bells and whistles, but that is how Suzuki has kept the price of the VStrom down comparatively, and besides they all go from point A to B hopefully without issue.

Cheers

the BMW dealer closest to me sells most of their GSA's fully optioned too, tell your friend to ask if they can get him one without all the options or check with another dealer

 

[Rednaxs60]

Time's a fleeting, starting to get stoked regarding my new purchase. Been doing a lot of research - go figure - on these 1000 cc VStroms. Interesting lineage and lots of chatter regarding these bikes on the forums. I think I have picked a good one because I found a thread where a fellow fitted an external alternator on his 1000 - https://www.vstrom.info/Smf/index.php/t ... 655.0.html. He did a great job, and it addresses a power issue these bikes have, or is perceived to have. Can anyone say project.

Also looked at the Triumph Tiger 1050 because a friend of mine just picked one up. Nice bikes, like the triple. An issue I would have with this bike is the rear brake caliper is on the roadside of the rotor and to the front instead of on top. Too close to the road for my liking. Here's a picture to illustrate:

You can see the rear brake rotor just forward of the rim centreline and under the swingarm. Did find one in Ontario (roadtrip) in white. Like the colour and submit that a white bike is easier to see than a black bike, especially at night - tempting, maybe next year? The second is the fuel load, 20 litres - quite small. Filling the tank is not as per what I am used to, can't see the fuel level. Can always find something. My friend is very pleased with his, has started web shopping for accessories to make it fit better, he's almost 6'6".

As an aside, have been working on the 1200. Located a suitable fuel pressure regulator, 39 psi setting. Connected the fuel pressure gauge to the system. Static pressure was 36 psi, engine started 35 psi. Went for a ride to check the dynamic pressure, went up to 40 psi on acceleration and settled at approximately 36 psi on coast or deceleration. Specs are 36 static, 28 to 34 engine started at idle.

Looking into new fuel injectors. Pulled the plugs last week and one side was wet after having sat for a couple of days. Have noticed that there is no fuel pressure in the fuel manifold after sitting overnight. Fuel has to be going somewhere, either back through the fuel pump, or leaking out an injector(s). Plugs should be dry.

Finding a suitable injector has been a challenge. The OEM injectors specs are apparently 280 cc/min - 26ish lbs/hr. Have found a 280 cc/min injector - 195500 1070, but cannot cross reference it to any autos. Have found a 220 cc/min injector and it cross references to an '88 Topaz, or Mazda 323. Get through Rockauto, $100.00 CDN delivered. Reading various FI conversion threads indicates that the OEM injectors for the '85 LTD are oversize so the smaller 220 cc/min injectors will probably do well. These smaller injectors are low impedance as well. Want new not refurbished.

Cheers

 

[Rednaxs60]

Almost time to head east. Have had a change of plan, in that I will now be driving across to Ontario from BC. Talked to Mom and sister the other day and found out her car is full of rust and cancer, and the longevity is questionable - not to mention Mom rides in it, she's 87.

During the discussion I mentioned that I would find them a new vehicle, sister wanted a van like the Grande Caravan. I further offered to find it and drive it across, timeline wasn't established. We settled on a budget, and I looked at what was available. We settled on a 2007 Nissan Quest, mostly loaded - heated seats for Mother considering the cold winters in northern Ontario. Got it within the budget, and the body frame is in great shape, only 118,000 Kms on the dial.

Have had to rejig the schedule to pick up the bike on the other end. Money and ownership has been exchanged so I now own the bike. My sister met with the owner, Chris, had a good visit. He's a drummer and plays locally in Toronto, my sister appreciated this.

Expect to be on the road 20 August, approximately 4-5 days to Mom's. Couple of days for laundry, take down a tree, then off to Toronto area to pick up the bike. Will be back in Victoria by 15 September.

Lots of driving coming up.

 

[Ansimp]

Looks like a nice purchase. :good:

 

[Rednaxs60]

Leave tomorrow morning for Ontario. The van is quite comfortable. Will have sufficient time to get rested up for the trip back. Sister and mom should enjoy the van.

 

[joedrum]

Have fun

 

[Rednaxs60]

Have not been neglecting my duties on this forum. Check in all the time and make sage comments when required - just turned 65 so I can now say I'm officially an old fart. :music: :music:

Have been busy since I got back from Ontario with the new VStrom. Had a good familiarization ride across Canada, and now understand the attraction of these adventure sport bikes. Had the opportunity to ride the bike in a variety of different conditions from wet to dry, head/cross winds, good/not so good roads, even some poorly maintained dirt roads. Was suitably impressed all round. Got good fuel economy, and the ride was not unpleasant.

Ansimp - it was a good purchase compared to a lot of other similar types out there. It got me involved in a totally different world than the Goldwing, but there are lots of similarities such as removing plastic parts to do maintenance, not as much, but just as annoying. To work on the engine have to remove just about all the plastic, remove gas tank, drain coolant and such. Miss having hydraulic valve adjusters, and a shaft drive, but that is what these bikes are all about. Good, inexpensive value for a bike that does a lot quite well, not great, but quite well.

Learned about the issues regarding the clutch basket rattle or "chudder" as it is better known. Have replaced the clutch basket and it has made a huge difference. Put a fuel tuner on, Holeshot Supertune Tuner, and the throttle response is much better. The fuel mapping on these bikes as on others, is quite lean to meet the fuel emission standards. Miss self-cancelling signal lights so I'm going to install the Smart Turn Signal unit. the speedometer was out about 8 to 10 KPH, so I installed a Speed Healer, dialed it in and all is well.

Checked the rotor magnets, another issue with these bikes. Suzuki did encapsulate the magnets on the 650, but not on the 1000 for this year. I do believe the rotors for the 1000 are now encapsulated. To keep the magnets from moving, a JB weld mod has been done. Clean between the magnets, then lay in a bead of JB weld between the magnets filling the gap between the magnets - use the 24 hour curing type - not the quick set.

Other than these two major issues the bike was/is in good nick. Have done pretty much all the maintenance with the exception of the front fork oil change. The rest, if anything is done as a nice to have such as voltmeter, driving lights, LED headlights and tail/brake lights, and such.

Still riding the GWs, but this one is 350 lbs lighter than the 1500 and 250 lbs lighter than the 1200. Since I'm over 65, this is a good bike for around town.

Sonya came for a ride just after I got home. She was pleased with the ride and room on the VStrom. Lots of power for two up riding. She made a comment that this will be a good day/weekend touring bike, but cannot replace the GWs for long range touring. Good for me, get to keep all three - for now.

The bike is now up to where I want it. Time to ride it as I have some maintenance/work to do on the GWs. Never ends.

Cheers

 

[saganaga]

Rednaxs60 » Today, 9:32 pm[/url]":1ag99bfn]
Have not been neglecting my duties on this forum. Check in all the time and make sage comments when required - just turned 65 so I can now say I'm officially an old fart. :music: :music:

Have been busy since I got back from Ontario with the new VStrom. Had a good familiarization ride across Canada, and now understand the attraction of these adventure sport bikes. Had the opportunity to ride the bike in a variety of different conditions from wet to dry, head/cross winds, good/not so good roads, even some poorly maintained dirt roads. Was suitably impressed all round. Got good fuel economy, and the ride was not unpleasant.
Cheers

I feel like this almost needs an obligatory link to the infamous videos of people taking Goldwings offroad.

 

[Rednaxs60]

Not really, the VStrom is not a Goldwing. My 1200 does just about everything the VStrom can do. Cheers

 

[Ansimp]

Nice to hear that your “other brand” is settling in nicely. :salute:

 

[desertrefugee]

Yeah, never too much "sage" advice to go around...