Anyone own a VFR and a V-Strom 1000?

As the title states, I am looking for input from anyone who owns (or has owned) a VFR and a DL1000 V-Strom. I am trying to make an educated decision before I make any decisions that I might regret.

I really enjoy my 01 VFR. It's in gorgeous condition, it's plenty fast for me, and I have a great time whenever I ride it. I've modded it almost just the way I want it. I am noticing a couple of drawbacks however, and they have me wondering about a Strom.

Of course, the best thing would be to own more than one bike. That's just not an option at this point in my life (3 kids with #4 on the way, and adding onto the house).

Issue #1: I live in the Chicago suburbs, where the roads are often in pretty sad shape. We have frost heaves. We have potholes. We have crumbling pavement. When I am riding, I am often feel like my VFR is getting beaten up by these lousy road conditions. From what I have gathered, the Strom is better suited to handle roads that are rough, smooth, and anything in between. I don't ride off road, but I do find myself on an occasional gravel road out on the country. The VFR doesn't really care for them much.

Issue #2: I have Heli Bars and BLS peg lowering blocks on my bike. I am 6'3" tall, and the combination works really well for a while, but I have to admit that I would like more leg room. When I'm putting in a 250+ mile day, my hips and/or knees are the only parts of me that start aching. The Strom has a longer seat to peg distance, and I don't believe that there is anything else I can do on my VFR to increase that distance (short of finding a much thicker seat that would put me up higher). I have done a few 400 mile days, and my hips and knees were the only places on my body that were complaining. I feel like just a little more room would make all the distance.

I love the looks of the VFR, but don't love stripping the plastic to change the oil. I love the SSA. I love the sound and feel of the V4. Yet, I'm still thinking about the Strom.

I have read about a few shortcomings with the Strom that are easy to rectify. The OEM windscreen buffets badly for almost everyone. The front end handling can be "wonky" without a fork brace. The FI may need tweaking to pull smoothly. Clutch baskets and drive rubbers wear out due to the power pulses of the motor. And some 1000's can shift roughly if the chain and sprockets aren't perfectly aligned.

I have not ridden a Strom yet, but I plan to do so once I find a used one for sale around here. I know the motor comes from the TLS superbike, and it has plenty of power. But will a Strom bore me in the long run? I've read things like "it disappears beneath you" or "it's not exciting but it does everything you need it to do".

It's ugly, but in sort of a cool way that I'm liking the more I look at them!

I enjoy "sport" touring on the VFR, but I don't often ride in all out sport mode due to road conditions and the local abundance of LEO's hiding over hills and around corners with radar guns. I wonder if I would better enjoy "adventure" touring - having the ability to confidently jump on any little side-road that comes my way.

So, to those of you that have seat time on both machines, if I changed over to a DL1000, am I going to be bored with it and kick myself later? I know this is a highly personal decision that I need to make on my own, but I am looking for educated opinions along with any other details that I may have not picked up on yet.

Maybe I'm nuts for even considering letting my VFR go! :crazy:

Thanks in advance!

 

i wouldnt consider the strom as an adventure bike. from what ive gathered its basically a tall ugly SV, dont count on going off road with it, its still designed for the streets.

 

I missed this post the first time through, and I do have seat time on both. You've probably decided by now but if you still have questions let me know.

 

I've been modifying the hell out of my VFR to get the seating position more upright back - it's very costly. Handlebar upgrade is very expensive, and the suspension is jsut too hard - you end up feeling it more in your but the more reaxed the seating position becomes. I'll have to work the suspension next and run a more comfortable sport-touring tire to match, but honestly, I know those V-Stroms have all kinda of options through twisted throttle, and I just seem a couple of guys stopping in at the state park last weekend on a 5500 mile trip from Charlotte, NC to Alaska and back again. They were gonna be on the back of two new ones for approximately a month!! So I'd imagine commuting in town couldn't be that bad.

 

I'm leaving on a 5,000+/- mile trip this coming Saturday. I'll be on my '98 VFR and my brother on his V-Strom 1000. We'll likely trade off periodically to punish muscles that each of our bikes misses so we can hurt all over by the time we reach Rapid City, SD.

Anyway, if you're still interested when I return, I'll post up my comparison impressions.

P.S. My brother says his Strom is incredibly comfortable for all-day riding. Very upright.

 

That's why I prefer my VFR for longer distances. Sitting upright puts all the weight of your upper body right on the bottom of the spine. Leaning forward slightly puts some of that weight on your arms and the angle itself reduces the weight on the base of the spine. I've put in long days on both bikes, and I feel a lot more tired after a long day on my V-Strom than I do on my VFR. Just my personal preference, I guess.

 

I set my bars back with a streetbar setup out of a handlebar upgrade. I can attest to the spine issue, but I also have about 5-10 percent more lean forward versus the FJR / BMW K1200 / Connie Riding Position.... so it's not all tailbone, a really good compromise. And the VFR seat is really good for moving around on - I usually slide forward and back every 10 minutes or so, and it keeps me good for a long while.

 

I agree, and I do the same thing. I'm always squirming around on the seat, standing on the pegs slightly to put all my weight on my legs, stretching, etc. Personally I think moving around is the key to comfort because I think being locked in the same position mile after mile is the key to discomfort.

 

i was considering a Vstrom for quite awhile but was afraid I would get bored with it....I ended up with a VFR obviously. Unfortunately there is no do everything bike. You either need more than one or you just need to deal with it.

 

Ultimately, which bike to choose is a very personal decision. My advice is to find a V-Strom to ride and base your decision on how you feel about it. If it feels right and suits your needs, go for it!

 

If your ever on some straights with no-one around, try the superman...hang your legs off your shins on the rear passenger pegs. Kinda fun. Works for going fast on straights for long periods of time. Here in Illinois it's common to go straight fast for 20 or 30 minutes without ever coming to an intersection.

But I think the biggest thing that works against the Interceptor is the wrist soreness. If your just commuting, it's not that bad. ..And the hand cramping from the small grips - which I used grip foam covers to completely rid myself of that - good riddens too!!

There's a lot you can do to modify both bikes. I know I call Twisted Throttle alot and whenever I am looking through the Catalog, they have tons of stuff for the Strom.