06 F650 GS PD vs Wee/Vee Strom

[bcp858]

Hi - Looking for some advice here. I currently have an R1150RT and love it. I am looking to expand my adventures to more off road outings. My off road skills are minimal at best so I am looking for a forgiving dual sport. My plan is to attack dirt/fire roads while racking up some highway mileage. I have ridden mostly cruisers when I stumbled into a R1150R and got hooked by those devious Germans. I was toying between two bikes an 06 F650GS PD and 05,06 Wee/Vee Strom. My riding will be 2 up with gear. My budget is maxed at 9 for bike two. Any thoughts or input is appreciated.

[David]

I have a fair amount of time on both, and currently on the Suzuki.

 

Two-Up: both are okay, but V-Strom better.

 

Highway cruising: V-Strom significantly better.

 

Mild Offroad: BMW better.

 

More Significant Offroad: BMW lots better. The thought of doing much off-road with the Suzuki gives me the willies. I know this'll sound strange, but I'd almost be more confident on my 12GS.

[Richard_D]

I have an R1150RT also and just bought a 650 GS Dakar. I absolutely love it. Great on the street ( not highway until i find the right windshield) and plenty good for dirt roads.The only mistake i made was not getting Continental TKC 80's so I could have more confidence in the dirt.I never owned or rode a v-strom much but don't think I'd feel as comfortable in the dirt with it.

[bcp858]

Thanks for your input. I never really had a warm and fuzzy with the Suzuki off road. My budget does noto include a 1200 GS at this time. I like the comforts that a Wee would offer however; I think the 650 would offer more forgiveness for my needing to learn.

[baggerchris]

When I was looking to buy my small adv. sport, the two Suzuki dealers in my area would not let me test ride a wee strom. I walked into both Beemer dealers and each one offered me a ride on any bike or bikes in the house complete with atgatt if I wanted. Both Suzuki dealers told me: "put a deposit down and you can ride it" No thanks. I have been riding for over 30 years and will not buy any bike I cannot test ride first. One Suzuk dealer said when I complained: "get a friend to let you ride theirs". That insulted me.

[FlyingFinn]

I currently own both and also plan to keep both.

 

Like others have said before me, the Dakar is far superior on dirt to the Strom. Mainly due to lower weight and especially lower CG. The Strom carries its weight very high (relative to ground clearance and seat height).

The high CG makes it less confidence inspiring when going gets tough.

 

But on pavement and easy (=fast) dirt roads the Strom simply rocks. That motor is pure marvel.

Gobs of torque, spot-on "carburation", it simply always wants to GO. It is actually very fun bike to ride.

 

I was planning to sell the Strom after I got the Dakar but I won't. They are different bikes and have different strong points.

 

Oh, changing the handlebars on the Strom made a huge difference for me. It completely transformed how the bike feels to me. And riding motorcycles is all about the feel...

 

--

Mikko

[smiller]

My off road skills are minimal at best so I am looking for a forgiving dual sport.

Neither the F650 or the WeeStrom is really that, and I don't think either would make a very good off-road bike for a beginner. If you will be racking up a lot of highway miles then that may have to be a consideration as well (depending on how much highway mileage you are talking about), but just saying...

 

Edit: Nevermind, I just saw the 'two-up with gear' part...

[bcp858]

Thanks for all the input. I found an ad for an 01 1150GS for a good price I am considering. I dont plan on going 2 up plus gear till my skills improve. I think it unwise to torture another while I learn. My goal is to get a bike with some longevity and that will grow as I do. I have had alot of reccommendations for the KLR - bullet proof motor and tons of fun. Any thoughts on a good beginner bike for dirt?

 

I have read alot of good things about the wee. The wee is stated to be more fun than the Vee. I like the bike just not sure its the one I should use as a starter.

[smiller]

Any thoughts on a good beginner bike for dirt?

I can only say that my research (in a similar situation as you, looking for a good learner dual-sport bike) led me to the Suzuki DRZ400S. Excellent off-road performance (at least for the beginner to intermediate level), reasonable on-road capability (you're not going to Alaska on the thing, but a couple of hours/few hundred miles is no problem), and the enormous amount of accessories available for this model will allow you to customize it for almost any use, within reason. Certainly not as elegant (or comfortable) a solution as a F650GS, but a lot simpler, cheaper, and better off-road. The KLR is also an excellent choice for all of the above reasons, although you trade a lot of dirt capability for more roadworthiness.

 

I wouldn't call any of these good two-up bikes though (especially the DRZ)... the WeeStrom would be night-and-day better for that... but as David mentioned, also far from an ideal beginner off-road bike. This is a segment where you need to give a lot of consideration to the type of riding you will be doing, unfortunately no good 'one size fits all' choices here.

 

And I sure as hell wouldn't choose an 1150GS as a beginner off-road bike. You'll be too scared to learn anything (f you're doing anything more technical than fire roads), or at least I sure would be. I think it would be pretty difficult for a neophyte dirt rider to learn proper technique on a bike that heavy. I wish even my DRZ was lighter!

[chrisolson]

Hi - Looking for some advice here. I currently have an R1150RT and love it. I am looking to expand my adventures to more off road outings. My off road skills are minimal at best so I am looking for a forgiving dual sport. My plan is to attack dirt/fire roads while racking up some highway mileage. I have ridden mostly cruisers when I stumbled into a R1150R and got hooked by those devious Germans. I was toying between two bikes an 06 F650GS PD and 05,06 Wee/Vee Strom. My riding will be 2 up with gear. My budget is maxed at 9 for bike two. Any thoughts or input is appreciated.

I have an '06 F650GS. Just did Alaska on it. With a high Wunderlich shield, its capable of 75-80 without significant buffeting ... so long highway cruises are possible ... with the addition of TKC 80's it also negotiated 500 miles of dirt on the Dempster Highway going to the Arctic circle very, very easily. If you have any significant highway riding to get to the dirt - the F650 is hard to beat. It ain't no full blown dirt bike - way too heavy - but if your interest is initially fire roads / trails it'll do just fine and I believe it is very easy/forgiving to ride.

[bcp858]

I joke with my friends that the FL in Florida stands for FLAT. The few places to ride around here charge entrance and are tracks. A few hundred miles north in Alabama has some nice riding. Cheaha State Park was great. I have every intention of riding every non paved road I can find around here. I appreciate the advice on the old GS. Started looking for more bikes in the 400 - 650cc thumper range.

[Bud]

When I was looking to buy my small adv. sport, the two Suzuki dealers in my area would not let me test ride a wee strom. I walked into both Beemer dealers and each one offered me a ride on any bike or bikes in the house complete with atgatt if I wanted. Both Suzuki dealers told me: "put a deposit down and you can ride it" No thanks. I have been riding for over 30 years and will not buy any bike I cannot test ride first. One Suzuk dealer said when I complained: "get a friend to let you ride theirs". That insulted me.

 

I agree with you completely regarding test ride.

 

I guess they have more customers than they have bikes?

 

Doesn't seem like a good way to start a relationship. If as a prospective customer they won't let you try the bike, how would they treat you after the sale.

[bimmers]

ok I just posted a new post and find some info here for that. The test ride is really a bummer with japan inc. tried to test a KLR and no chance without paying 80 bucks. Refunded if buy otherwise gone. No dice.

 

h