Thanks for the review guys. I think you undersold the 650, might just be relative to your regular rides though. Katoom and Bimmer guys always seem to look down their noses at Suzuki/V-Stroms, esp with comments like "If I was looking for a 10 grand bike, and couldn't spend any more, I'd have one of those in my garage". Plenty of people for which money is no obstacle STILL chose the reliable and fuss free Suzuki over the expensive "social climber" branded bikes, plus they don't have the negative connotation of being a Ravi Shanker, associated with said social climber bikes.......
I had the 650 and now the 1000 If you want to ride in city the 650 is better If you are a mpg fanatic the 650 is better If you only like to ride on weekends at 60/70mph the 650 is better If you ride a lot with pillion and gear the 1000 is better If you are a power fanatic the 1000 is better because you have to push the 650 to try to match the 1000 performance at mid range That is it For most people the 650 will be more than enough, for some people the 1000 will be spot on
I just love my Vstrom 650 I’ve put on over 100,000 kls on it . Some of my friends have 1000 CC bikes and they can’t believe how well my bike performs. Also how well the mpg I get compared to their 1000 /1500 cc bikes . And we ride very fast sometimes. Ride safe cheers.🇨🇦
Just had a full day taking both bikes out one after the other. I took the 1000 first and was not overwhelmed by it at all. It felt cumbersome and a bit lumpy. The 650 on the other hand felt sharp, nimble and something I could really consider buying and touring on....just goes to show that everyone has a different opinion...and they're all valid depending on your circumstances. Thanks for making this video though, it made me try the 1000 which ordinarily I probably wouldn't have done, and now I'm glad I did because for me it reinforced the fact that more cc is not necessarily always the best option for everyone. BTW my last bike was a 1200 so it just goes to show!
Ya same here. Liked the 1000 but I found the 650 to be a sharper ride and more than enough power. Easily picks up to 150kph with some room to go. Took wife on a 2000km ride right after the break in and she was comfortable with the back rest on the case I bought. Even at 470 pounds loaded on it cruised nicely at 130 kph on the 400 highways in Ontario.
As a 05 DL650 + 06 DL 1000 owner glad both new one s can be purchased with these options. Sure get my use out my V s . Would love to have these two! Sweet!
I had the previous model 650 (2012 fox orange) for 25000Km from new. Toured on it and loved it. Super comfortable and very economical. Certainly enough power one up. Traded it for the 1000xt (2018 yellow) thinking it would be the same with a bit more power, but no. The 1000xt has the benefit of more tech making it safer (ABS TC and IMU) but not as smooth (throttle sensitive at low revs) or economical as the 650. Just as comfortable, better brakes and better suspension but you do notice the extra weight especially when moving it around the garage. Ive had many Suzukis (GS500E, DR650SE, GS1200ss, M109r, DL650, UK110NE) and find them well built, very reliable, easy to maintain and better value than other brands. We are all entitled to our opinions and Im glad we share them. Safe and happy riding to you all
My friend and riding buddy rode a 1000 and when he rode my 650 could not believe how much better it was. While the 1000 was fractionally faster in real world terms the 650 was better in traffic and town riding and smoother on the highway. He is looking for a new bike and the 650 just jumped to the top of the list and in the meantime I have sold my litre bike(not a Vstrom) and kept the 650.
@@johnrocker2986 The little bike has more appeal to first time riders, female riders, and smaller riders, not to mention cash strapped riders. No surprise.
Tim That's possible but I feel the smaller more nimble version is better on the rough, more frugal and achieves everything the larger more costly machine does.
@@johnrocker2986 I respect your opinion, and you have valid points. I think the 650 does appeal to a wider array of riders. I think short riders, I am 5 foot 9 inches feel like the 1000 loaded with fuel could get away from a shorter rider on uneven ground or tight slow speed stops and turns. Ride On.
I have the 1000 and borrowed a 650 while mine was being serviced. I loved it - seemed smoother through the gears and easier to ride, had good acceleration in the low gears but was noticeably more sluggish on 50mph+ overtakes. The suspension on the 1000 glides over the bumps better than the 650. Really, I would love to have both in the garage :-))
I was looking at 650 but decided to buy 1000. I can’t be happier with the bike especially going the distance fully loaded and with a passenger on a backseat.
I'm debating whether to buy the 650 or the 1000 myself. My wallet says to buy the 650. My desire to take my wife along on a long tour says buy the 1000.
BelowZero, this is something that almost always gets overlooked in these reviews, two-up riding. Throw a n average weight of say 200/130 on a bike and it changes things, especially with panniers and top box loaded. I just can't see riding a 650 on a multi state or country ride with a passenger.
pinkiewerewolf most reviews seem to suggest that the 650 is more than adequate 2 up. I have just ordered the 650 because it is apparently better on gravel roads
did a lot of kilometers with my wife on brand new 650,, and cannot be more happy than I am... fantastic feeling, more than enough power, fuel usage is funnly low, average 4L, sometimes even less, which you cannot say about 1000cc, and many more pluses...
@@pinkiewerewolf My 07 650 carried myself and my wife with gear just fine. Never felt any lack in power, bike never felt strained, did anything asked of it without issue. That motor just pulls and pulls.
I had a 1200 bandit for 15 years, chopped it in the v1000xt. The only thing I actually miss is the turbine overtaking power of the Bandit on the motorway (but that is really down to the missing 2x cylinders), otherwise the V beats it in every other respect that matters. Now, if they could just put a shaftdrive on this thing....
Shaft drive eats up engine power at an incredible rate .. other than burning up more gas and power it is definitely a better system if you don't have a break down with it .. very costly
DL1000 would be just about perfect, if.... Suzuki went crazy and gave that 1,037cc engine a solid tuneup to make bonkers power. Suzuki upsized the fuel tank to 6 gallon. Suzuki utilized the onboard IMU to work the traction control rather than merely the ABS. Suzuki gave this bike ride-by-wire and cruise control. But as it is, it's the one bike I'd love to own anyway.
Yep I'm aware. I was just dreaming today of two things Suzuki could do that would be so totally relevant to the market currently. Bump their SV650 to an SV700. Then bring in an entirely new SV900 (with about 120 hp) to compete with everyone else and discontinue the GSX-S750.
2011 DL650. Bought as my son started riding with. Great bike for him and a very good and fun bike for me as well. My other bike is a 2018 R1200RT. I get to take the 'Strom down roads I'd never take the Beemer down.
Both bikes are a fantastic value and could be the best all-around bikes in the world for the money. I've owned a 1000 and now ride a 2012 650 with ABS. Now they throw in TC on the 650, and TC + lean angle sensing plus adjustable windscreen on the 1000 - sweet! Both are very comfortable, reliable, versatile, and economical. The 650 has the edge in MPG's, regular gas, weight, smoother engine, and price, but just lacks a bit of the 1000's grunt when the throttle is twisted. Get the 650 for solo city riding and commuting, and the 1000 for touring and hauling a passenger and bags. Great motorcycles for the rest of us. Nicely shot and edited, but a bit overexposed at times.
As duas motos são muitos parecidas visualmente, mais que as antigas onde é possível olhar para o escapamento e já diferenciar. A 1000 é uma moto que talvez seja melhor em viagens com trecho de asfalto porém para trechos mistos e onde exige uma condução aguçada a 650 é melhor.
thanks for taking the time to make this video, I have the 1000 and I think it's awesome, I kind of stumbled across this bike in Haslemere Motorcycles... hadnt really planned to buy it... engine has fantastic character... if you ride it hard the exhaust note is fruity and not too loud to annoy other users of the smaller back lanes I ride on.. seating position is excellent allowing great road visibility... I have the standard version and I think RRP is just over 9k... it is amazing value for money... couldnt be happier... the traction control works at just right the right level in the 1 position.. I too had to crank the preload up to something 2 in the front and about 16/17 clicks in the rear... added a good amount of rebound to stop it being too bouncy over the bumps and softened the front compression to allow the suspension to work... its a fantastic machine I'm really enjoying it.. top stuff from Suzuki.. historically they have never made a big deal over their motorcycles...it is the buying public who do this for them.. In my opinion the 1000 has the making of a legend ;-)
I will buy the XT version in March, dealer just called me and said the 2019 colors are coming in a month... Cant wait, I did not ride one jet, I had the old 2007 model and I trust that is a great bike.
650 is great on the highway up to 140, which is above whatever you get for posted limits. Although the mileage drops. Getting 65 + when riding conservative and 58 when pushing
i ride a VSTROM 650 and BMW GSA, and use the Vstrom everyday for commuting in San Francisco, very easy to ride around city and a great bike. The GSA is the king of adventure bike but so much more expensive
I have the 650 version ...I,m an all year round rider ...and having had big heavy bikes that ate tyres ,chains ,sprockets ,brake pads and discs ,I,m happy I bought the 650 ..fast enough and light enough .Bearing in mind the UK is now covered in CCTV and speed cameras , and having had 9 points on my licence in 9 months ,I had to take it easy
I tried the 1000 and the 650XT. I bought the 650XT. This review sadly seems to lean towards the 'you MUST have a big engined powerful heavy bike and anything less than 1000cc won't do...' stereotype. If you're touring, two up, fully loaded, then maybe the 1000 would be ideal. But for the vast majority of us, the 650 is more than enough. I use mine for day to day commuting, day and weekend touring and it is more than enough. The UK speed limits are fine for the 650. The range, mass, handling and all round use-ability of the 650XT are superb. Why do they think the 650 outsells the 1000 if it's so 'underwhelming' then, eh...?
I currently drive a Honda Deauville, I'm looking at the 1000xt but everyone's saying the DL650 is the way to go. So used to the Deauvilles seat so wide and soft when I sat on the V-Strom it felt like I was sitting on a bicycle seat. But that's not to diss the v strom just used to a diff seat.
I came from Pan Europian to a V-strom 650 in 2016 because of the weight difference,best move I ever made and I loved the Pan.I am now on my second V-strom 650,bought 2021xt model 4 months ago, my present to me for my 65th birthday.It,s my 25th bike since my first when I was 16..
@@mikejohnson9118 Definitely just a touring bike most I'd go off road is just gravel if you're looking to do dirt roads and back cou try roads definitely go for the V-Stron over the Deauville. Deauville is a fairly heavy low bike The Dl650 has more ground clearance better shocks and bigger wheel
Because he obviously has bigger is better syndrome they feel pretty much the same to me in height, comfort and weight im 6 foot 2 the 650 seems fine loaded and 2 up the 1000 is just a gimmick for egos that feels like the same bike with some added unpredictability.
I had both a 2005 DL 650 and a 2007 DL 1000. The smaller engine feels so underpowererd to the point where it becomes dangerous for touring. From the other hand the power of the DL 1000 makes it a whole different story in all levels. It is an alive and complete machine with great reliability for 1000cc: better for commuting and B-roads due to its torque, more safe due to its power, more fan, great also for touring around the world and finally a more rough and raw feeling with superb sound. Of course the DL 650 was cheaper, had better mileage and maybe a little bit smoother - but this isn't exactly an advantage, it's probably a matter of choice and preference. But it was still a weakened stripped out 1000. In short, I believe that the Dl 650 is now, as it was back then, a compromised product while the DL 1000 is a more complete whole with 50% more hp and 60% more torque. If it weren't for the lower price and tax costs, there would be no reason to buy a big 1000cc sized beast (body-frame) with a 650 motor. Especially when it comes to a machine with almost the same weight (only 15kg or 6-7% difference in weight between my first gen. 650 and 1000). But don’t get me wrong; The Dl 650 still is a great buy for those who, emotionally driven, want the look of 1000cc but can’t afford one.
Thanks for the review. From my past research on these bikes the 650 seemed to be what most people went for after reviewing both bikes, but one thing that concerns me is the 1000 reliability. I read real life nightmares (on the UK V-Strom website) from owners who were having all sorts of problems on their very low mileage new bikes... Most of my riding will be with a pillion, so the 1000 is probably the best way for us to go but what about the previous problems on the thou, have they now been addressed and sorted on this new version? Cheers.
Personally never heard of such problems with either bike or engine. The 650 engine has a development from 1999. The 1000 engine has a development from the TL1000R in 1998. Both engines have been around in one form or another and been constantly revised and refined. There should be zero worries about reliability.
I own a 04 650 and just love it..it do it all...touring, back road,gravel, comuting and so on..l had som really high expektation over this new 650...but when l sat on it...nææææ...it felt so cheap..compare to the 1000cc it felt just bad...my old one feels so mutch better in comfort..but the 1000cc...yeah l really want it and im going to some day....
The 650 is a superb bike. I rode mine to the very top of Norway (Nordkapp) from my house in the Netherlands, and it never missed a beat. Check out my RU-vid channel for videos of the trip - 8000km in 3 weeks. I have ridden the 1000 but it was a bit too heavy for me. These v twin engines are super smooth and are super reliable. Mine is a keeper. I have a Triumph Speedmaster as well but prefer my VStrom
Hi Roger. We are uploading a load of segments this month so they can be put in playlist and into watch segments on the website, something lots of our viewers have requested.
Graham, you mentioned the 650 feeling a bit smallish. What is your size? Im considering this bike and am 187cm 95KG. I live in Africa so having a test ride is out of the question.
Check out cycle-ergo.com and see what the difference is. There is very little difference. Seats can have foam added or taken away. Pegs can be adjusted or replaced with adjustable units, bars can be changed.
In many countries 650cc is more than enough for half responsible street riding .. we keep falling into the trap of more horsepower is better .. it's just a way for the average person who feels inadequate to reign supreme in their mind ... until next year when the bigger badder bike appears .. guess that must be the sales gimmick
It tells you that a substantial number of people appreciate (1) The lower price (2) The lighter weight (3) The longer range (4) The better off-road (because of less weight) and (5) The overall better value of the 650.
When i heard he had a GS i switched off lol such a over rated bike, all the people ive known to own a GS sold it within a year, I currently have a 05 650 V-Strom, probably the best bike ive owned, and looking forward to getting newer models as i can afford them
It's been a quite while since this review got released but I'd rate it 10/10 just for not playing that EnglishbikerDan-style POV shit throughout the whole video. Shit just pisses me to no end. I'm here to watch the goddamn motorcycle in motion, not the dude's fucking dashboard.
