Question on Vstrom 650

[Jiggles]

My dad is currently riding a pregen 250. He wants something different, originally he was thinking about getting a cruiser but he hasn't had luck finding one he likes. He told me that he wants a bike that's a cross between a sportbike and a cruiser.... Uhhh what? Well apparently that is a Suzuki V-Strom. We headed down to the dealer and I showed him some cruisers but then I suggested that he try out the Versys and Vstrom, he liked the Versys and fell in love with the Vstrom.

I'm now looking for a used one for him but I was curious as to what the longevity of these bikes is. A brief search online is telling me to expect the bike with regular maintenance to last anywhere from 100k-200k miles. Anyone have some experience with this? I've found a great deal on a 650 on craigslist that has 60k miles. If we go ahead and get that should we expect another 20k or another 100k before the engine/tranny/w/e needs work?

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/mcy/3157476813.html

Not knowing anything about Vstroms I feel like this is a good deal

[lgk]

Not sure about the maintenance intervals, but friend has had good luck with his.

[Jiggles]

Originally Posted by lgk

Not sure about the maintenance intervals, but friend has had good luck with his.

Like what's he at on mileage right now? How many years has he been riding it?

[lgk]

Originally Posted by Jiggles

Like what's he at on mileage right now? How many years has he been riding it?

4 yrs, about 16000 mi
If i remember right.

He brought it for his son, but he ended up moving cross country.
I'll ask next time i see him at the club.

[Jiggles]

Well I would expect a bike with 16,000mi to not be falling apart lol

[Whiskey]

It's pretty much the same block as a SV650, which seem to blow engines more often than any other bike I've heard of (irish forum's for sale section usually has someone looking for an SV block)

60k miles sounds pretty high, you don't see too many bikes for sale with that mileage.

[Jiggles]

What do people tend to sell new (used) engines for?

I really like all the extras that this bike comes with, it's even coming with 2 sets of helmets gloves and boots which we could then sell. My dad is not a guy who rides a lot. Once a week would be a gross overestimation of how often he rides. Most likely he won't put more than a few thousand miles on this bike.

The plan is to sell the pregen and get a bigger bike. His out of pocket budget is around $1000-$1500 so this bike fits in well with that. If it needed a new engine in a few years and they aren't too expensive that wouldn't be a problem

[broken neck]

It's not in the original choice...

But one of my friends owns a BMW F650GS, a mono cylinder 650cc...

He absolutely loves it... I tried it, and it rides very well, very confortable and very nimble...

They're very reliable, and are often used as the bench mark in that segment.

Just a thought here...

[Jiggles]

So like 100k reliable? 200k reliable?

[broken neck]

Well,

He's not nowhere near that, we live in Québec, so from October/November till March/April there's no riding.

But he went trail riding, "off-roading", got stuck up to the axel in silt (hope it's the right word), the bike still worked flawlessly. That's what I meant by very reliable. So I guess, if he was able to go there and back without a mechanical problem, I guess he shouldn't have too much problems just street riding.

Hope it clarifies things.

[Whiskey]

Originally Posted by Jiggles

What do people tend to sell new (used) engines for?

Breaking a bike for parts can get you more money than selling it on intact, especially if it's been crashed or has cosmetic damage but is running well.

On older bikes a cracked fairing panel or 2 can be an insurance write off.

[Jiggles]

Answer denied!

[lgk]

Originally Posted by Jiggles

Well I would expect a bike with 16,000mi to not be falling apart lol

yeah, he is not a good example since he does not ride regularly, but the bike runs well. he has had zero problems.

if this bike was maintained well, and all the extras work for your dad it could be a good purchase.

[Jiggles]

I still haven't heard back from the guy yet, I think he's still on the 4 corners USA tour with the bike, which if he is speaks to the reliability

[BRad704]

Slow day at work... so I'm reading through the depths of the forum...

Did your dad ever buy a Strom?

[Jiggles]

He's looking into a vstrom or some kinda Beamer right now. And by "he's looking" I mean every day he asks me "any good deals on a Beamer?"

He hasn't ridden his ninjette since December, I'm not so sure he even remembers how to ride

[BRad704]

Well if he buys a Weestrom, and then doesn't ride it... I'll trade him an 08 250R for it.

I've been looking at them myself as a replacement for the VFR that I've got. I like the idea of an adventure style sport tourer and the VStrom 650's seem to have a good price and there are certainly plenty out there.

[astricklin]

I have considered getting one once I have more experience, and the funds to purchase another bike.
From the research I had done in the past, they are supposed to be fairly reliable. I believe the most annoying maintenance is the throttle body sync. I have read reports of people driving them all over the country, including trips from the southern U.S. all the way to Alaska and back.

I am not a mechanic, but I don't see how any modern, 4 stroke, engine would not last 100k miles with proper maintenance.

Maybe hit up advrider or stromtrooper for more info