This is my review of the Suzuki v strom 650 XT 2017/2018 after 5000 miles. I think it is a fantastic bike and the v strom 650 is a perfect all rounder bike for one person.
Mate absolutely loved your review! I literally just ordered a brand new 650XT 2024 model with the lower seat, adjustable wider pegs, rear case and the mirror extension set. When they call me from the dealership i might also opt in for the crash bars. Watching your video has got me really excited to get mine. Can't wait. Thanks for sharing my friend.
Just got to the end and you said your first bike review, I wouldn’t have thought that was the case, very good review, well presented, I am looking to do my test this year, 50+ years old, CBT on Tuesday, can’t wait 😊
Thanks, and awesome! I met a guy today who was telling me he got his license last year when he turned 60. He was on his second bike - got himself an Indian chieftain and is loving bike life, wishing he did it sooner :) you'll have a great time I'm sure. If you get on well with the cbt I'd suggest doing your direct access straight away as the focused training sets you up right I think. Good luck!
Nice review. Had my vstrom650 18 months from new, goes in for its 15,000 mile service next week. Great bike for commuting, service intervals are big at 7500 miles and I average 67 mpg. Super engine and good comfort, I’ve fitted the lower seat, love the large tank range. Negatives are the finish, the winter has taken its toll and the brakes are not great. Front suspension is average but it’s built to a price. Took it off road on some Peak District trails once, performed very well. Overall highly recommended.
I'm watching 4 years later! Excellent review Tommy. I got a nearly new XT 2 days ago and have been having a blast on it on Scottish B-Road twisties! All the best.
Tommy, I have a 2017 black 650 XT exactly the same as yours. I love it. I have done over 20,000 km since I purchased it new in April 2018. I am 76 years old and I find it very easy to ride. It is a tall bike and I would not recommend it for shorter persons. It is a daunting prospect to remove the tank to change your air filter. I have done mine. I watched Doctor VStrom on utube. He has videos to remove and replace the tank on the 2017 model. He is brilliant, very good explanation and video instruction. It is not hard once you watch it being done. My filter was quite clean, if I had known that I would have left it and changed it at 25,00km. I don't use it much off the bitumen though. It will save you a lot of money if you learn to take the tank off yourself. The 2017 model seem to blow the low beam headlight bulb at about 20,000 km so keep your eye on that. I changed the bulb myself. Four little round fixings. Press the centre with a small Allen key gently until you hear a little pop. Lift them out and gently unclip the dash out and move it back. Then it is easy to change the bulb. Clip the dash back in, and put the four round fixings back in with the centre sticking out about one eighth of an inch. Gently press until you hear a little pop , and that's it. The other piece of advice I would offer is subscribe to Canyon Chasers on u tube. Watch Dave's videos and your skills will improve a lot.
Thank you for being responsible for me ordering my one today. Delivery next week and can’t wait. Your excellent review swung it for me big time so thank you 👍
Thanks! It's an awesome bike and recently took it on a wild camping tour - not sure the versys would be able to handle that side of things. Though I do think the versys looks good!
Great video. I passed my CBT last week and have my big test next month. I'm hoping to buy a 650 soon after. This video has really helped me make my decision. Top man!👍🏻👊🏻
Awesome! Glad it helped! I'm actually filming an updated 40,000 mile review on the bike later today which I should be able to get upload in the next few days. Conclusion of the bike is zero regrets buying it and it's an outstanding do anything first bike. Good luck on mod 1&2 !
Great review and outstanding commentary very clear well done. We also own the same bike but yellow in Australia and we are 2 up when we ride. I have added the 37L Givi panniers and a 40 L Ventura top bag and it’s brilliant. Keep up the good work 👍
Hello from the US. Excellent video! Great review of the bike and accessories. I just bought a new V-Strom 650XT this year and I'm looking into the typical upgrades, so I found this review quite useful. BTW, I loved your comment about that dang sticker on the fuel tank.. it took me a week of picking at it each day to finally get it off lol!
Thinking about changing my C50 for one of these so it was good to watch you vid. I live n Sydney now but from Kent so nice to see some of my old stomping grounds.
Nice! I've actually just passed 50k miles on this bike so will be putting a long term review of it up soon. Suffice to say I think its a great bike and no regrets. Only area its let down is 2 up touring/long distance with luggage etc. It can do it just not ideal. Apart from that it's great
Hello Tom. Thanks for the video. About that tank sticker, you can get a hairdryer, point to it and let it get really hot. That should liquify the glue a bit, and will make it easier to get it off. As for the right mirror, you can get a bit of *Loctite* and apply to the thread. That will keep it in place. Happy riding!
Just bought a brand new 2015 model that sat forever on the dealer floor. Loving the ability to hit the dirt. I have never have the chance to have a dirt bike so this is really taping into the midlife crisis in me!
Man this is not a dirt bike, it's so heavy. 250 two strokes will be a good choise. Btw, I'm a big fun or vstrom 650 and also 1000. For traveling they are the best. M'y choise is oriented toword a new CB 500x. But one day when i will be free, i will get the vstrom 1000 to travel the World. Ride safe.
Great review dude, i pick my V-Strom up later today, i currently own a Triumph street Triple 675 which is a great bike but my wrists are a bit dodgy and i need something more comfortable.I test rode the V-Strom yesterday and was quite surprised with how nippy it is, like you said in your review it can pretty much handle all riding situations.
Over 20k on mine now, even handled a ride back from London in the snow when I got caught out over winter. It's a great bike, not as exciting as others, but a solid workhorse
Thanks! I think my next vid will be revisiting the V strom for a 35k Miles definitive review and Im planning on trying out a slightly different reviewing technique to see how it works. Always trying new stuff to see what works :) thanks for the comment 😁
@@number94 haha when I decided to do a review that was one of the big decisions - having the bike on show instantly. When I watched some reviews of the V strom before getting it I found it a little irritating it would take a while to actually see the bike. Good to hear you like that element
I have had a 2013 model for 9 years now. In 2018 I rode it 2 up around the world. 43,000 miles and no reliability issues. Did Portugal and Scotland this year.
Very nice vid! I have a 2017 Vstrom 650XT and I'm extremely happy with it. Handling is excellent and my mpg is averaging 60-61 mpg quite regularly. I've added T-Rex Racing engine guards and lowered the pegs (I'm 6'3" and I stand a lot). Otherwise just a stock machine that is, in my opinion, best in class. My bike came stock with a 12 volt plug for charging (comes out under seat) and has a 5 amp fuse (if I remember correctly). I wire one into all my bikes. Thanks for a great vid.
As someone else has said use a hairdryer on a low heat thats how i remove stickers any residue left from the sticker remove with a bit of WD 40 on a cloth.
I've had the '17 xt for almost 3 years.The right hand mirror comes loose because the locking thread goes the wrong way & makes it hard to adjust because it just comes loose.I put on a spring washer which gave it height & adjustability.
i looked at this bike before deciding on my z1000sx, but really, really liked the vstrom. my neighbor has the same one as yours and is in love with it. anyway, i enjoyed your video (your camera is excellent). enjoy and stay safe.
Thanks! I really quite like the z1000sx. I did a camping tour recently in Dartmoor and saw one parked up. Had a look round it and think they are really nice looking. Especially with the matching panniers. How comfy is it to ride?
I love the warning sticker comment!! I have the 2021 VStrom 650xt, just removed the sticker. Took patience. Soaking sticker in vegetable oil really helped! Saw that on another vid. 😆
Lovely video! Only remark I have is that I despise top boxes. They affect riding more than side cases IMO, you can really feel them. Top content, subbed! ;-) Ride safe,
Fabulous multi purpose bike. My 2014 one is about to reach 55k miles with no problems. Easy to work on. Tour, commute, scratch. It does everything well. Just get road pilot 5 tyres to make it more comfortable in the cold and wet... and heated bars.
Blew the orange fuse in under the seat it’s labeled and quite easy to find I’m color blind so it may be yellow I blew it using a pump as well ! It’s located in the main fuse box and it’s labeled as three amp accessory I think .
Very enjoyable and easy watching video I'm looking at my 1st Adventure Bike, but being vertically challenged, at 5ft 8 ins I thought the v strom may be a option. Keep up the Great vids
Thanks, I've met another v strom owner who I think was 5ft 5. Have a try of one and see what you think. I also found the bike seemed to sink a bit into the suspension after I'd had it a while
hey man, my tip for filtering is turn your big light on. people definately notice you in the mirror, even when not paying attention. also put the alarm lights on. works much better than a loud exhaust
I actually recorded some filtering in London yesterday but the audio messed up so decided not to upload. I'll get some more tomorrow though not sure I can talk at the same time yet!
Great review of real life riding and the DL650. I couldn't agree more. I went from a SV650 to a Street Triple because I thought I needed more power. 30 years later, and a couple of other bigger bikes, I'm ready to go back to an MT-07 (they don't have a Tracer 700 on this side of the pond) or DL650. I just haven't figured out which style of riding I want.
Haha I've just finished editing my 30k review of the v strom which will be online tomorrow at some point :) its a great bike with so much going for it. Like you say it really does depend on what you want a bike for. Eg I love the stree triple rs and it would probably be my first choice for a track day bike but I'd hate doing 30 minutes on the motorway with it!
Sorry I was hoping to have my 30k review up however noticed a problem with the footage that came up after editing. Re edited a few times yesterday but couldn't get rid of the problem so unfortunately I think I'm going to have to film again when the lock down is over. Sorry but it might be a while before I get the big review online. Personally I'd go for the v strom over the mt07. I've got quite a few other vids of the strom on channel which would be worth checking out. Commuting vid, adventure. I hope that helps and really sorry for the delay. Its a very irritating digital distortion which only happens after I export the vid, caused a lot of headache trying to sort yesterday 😅
Great stuff, thanks! How long have you been biking, and what is your experience with it, please (you mentioned being New to biking)? Continued, best wishes...!
Thanks! Since June so not long at all but have put down about 14000 miles now - various riding, countryside, London during rush hour, all wearher conditions apart from snow 😂
I’m collecting my V Strom 1000 in a couple of weeks so I was interested to hear what you had to say re: the 650. Useful info especially regarding the accessory socket & its load capacity (did you get around to improving it?). Have to agree on changing the can I’ll be doing the same, when you’re sat in traffic in a car the first thing you hear is the noise of a filtering bike, so it’s much safer with a louder can (plus the standard one looks bloody awful). Stay safe thanks for sharing!
Nice! I haven't had a go on the 1000 but I'm sure it'll be a great bike and the extra power would come in handy when fully loaded and 2up. I didnt bother changing the the power as I'm not confident with my knowledge on electrics and didnt want to overload any wiring. I only need the extra power for my compressor so instead I got a 12v socket that clips to battery like jump leads for when I'm doing my tyres. Works ok and the easiest option I think. I still havent sorted my exhaust out 😂 well over 20k miles now too and regret not making it a priority earlier. In traffic I'm not heard so take that into account when I'm filtering. There are more after market exhausts for the 1000 though so you'll probably find it easier to find something you like. Enjoy the bike!
Its a great bike, I'm doing my 55,000 kilometer review soon. Only real negative is the spokes. They're a pain to clean if you ride all year round and in all weather. If I could go back I'd get the standard version rather than the XT for that reason
Agree with you about the centrestand - every chain driven bike should come with one or be offered as an option. These bikes are huge compared to my CB500F or the bike I'm looking at CB500X.
These days even on bicycles you have to ask for the side stand to get it. It irritates me no end to see kids just dump their bikes on the ground. Here in the USA, Suzuki does offer a center stand - it's almost $300 USD which seems a bit much. On the CB500X it's a bit over $100 USD. But it makes maintenance so much easier.
Haha, yeah unfortunately when doing the reviews I tend to have to dump the gear if it's a hot day rather than put over the bike. Doesn't usually cause a problem however after 1 review I put my helmet back on after it had been on some grass and I then had an ant crawling round my face 😂
@@GroovyStyleUnbox haha, I have had 2 potentially serious instances recently... on hot days I'll ride with my visor up however i then have the internal sun visor down which leaves a gap. On 2 separate occasions I have had a bee enter the gap 😬 once I was only just setting off, another time I was doing 50mph on a country lane 😂 luckily both didnt sting me, or go in my mouth, or go up my nose
@@GroovyStyleUnbox cheers mate and will do. Quite a few more bike reviews etc on the channel if you wanted to kill some time. Lots more coming too with some adventures mixed in
I have been commuting on the 2015 650 XT and I find the handling to be very good with the factory Trailwings. The Bike gets its best fuel mileage 55-65 at most. Anything more than that and mileage plummets and the vibrations get old really quick on an hour long ride. My Concours 14 can cruise at 75 mph all day long and get 48-52 mpg without major head winds.
I'm tending to cruise at around the 80 mark. Vibrations haven't been too much of a problem however its my first bike so no point of reference. Interesting that you have a Concours 14 - I've spent the last 2 days watching videos of them! Really quite like the look of them. Maybe another bike to add to the ever growing lists of additional bikes I feel I need!
Yeah the yellow does look good! I decided to go with black as wanted good contrast on country roads. Have you thought about the getting the crash protector bars? They really did save my bike when I dropped it and would highly recommend them
I just bought my 2nd 650 strom & it was like saying hello to an old friend. Just a tip on the removing the stupid sticker; heat it with a hair dryer which will soften the glue. then use a new razor blade to lift the corner being careful not to nick the paint then peel slowly. Continue to reheat as needed. Finally, use wax &. Grease remover to get rid of the glue. Cheers.
Nice! Its an awesome bike, just had a lovely 7 hour trip today with the other half on the back, nice country roads, coastal roads and twisties with a good good stop. Life is good 👍 thanks for tip on sticker for future!
Great review! I'm a little bit nervous about the filtering though. Like when the filter suddenly get's clogged! Not sure it's worth it for me. But I guess it's good to have the option! Until you tap someones car.
Have an 06 650dL. Put a custom seat and put a 15 tooth sprocket in the front. Regularly ride 5-600 mile days. Love the bike, but recently thought I might need a little more engine for long hwy runs. Truth is, I've got exactly what I need. After my last road trip I realized I was trying to do too much each day. From this day forward, I'm planning to be content to run the marked speed limit... and enjoy the ride much more. I've ridden it all the U.S., on pabed and dirt roads with no real problems. It's a great little bike.
Nice! I've considered getting a seat as stock isnt great on long distance. What seat did you get? Re speed, yeah I find this bikes happy place is crusing at 70. You can push it, but the engine seems happiest just taking it easy, relaxed.
Sorry I know it's easy to criticise, but I try to be super careful with situations like at 15.44 with the lorry. It's hard to take control of the situation if the driver starts to move without seeing you (there's not really anywhere to escape) . Not trying to be a know it all just trying to pass on something from my own experiences. Enjoyed the vid, VStrom 650xt on my short list :)
Cheers buddy and no need to worry about criticism. When I was watching the video through before uploading I saw that bit and realised I was making a mistake there. Not sure why I went for the gap at the time as the guy was even indicating early on and positioned to move over. Glad you liked the video, get yourself a test ride, they really are great medium sized bikes.
Sports bike - comes with looks. Cruiser bike - comes with comfort. Street bike - good for short and weekend rides. Adventure tourer - take anywhere on trails, highway, road, mud and so on..... My dream from very beginning is go buy Yamaha R1 but now after realizing the purpose of life I'm going for tourer (adventure/sports).
Good for a weekend blast but probably not the right bike if you're worried about top speed. Up to 90 is good. Once in 3 figures it's kinda pushing the limits a bit. Tops out at 117mph, supposedly...
I think this will be my next bike; Are those tyres tubeless? I realize they're spoked wheels on the XT but understand some of the spoked wheels have Tubeless Tye capabilities/fitting
Blue Loctite on the mirror? And for the 12v outlet, I'd check the wiring was up to snuff then just drop a 15A fuse in there. I'd replace the wiring if it wasn't at least 14 gauge.
I think because it was the same engine as the SV650 You could have gotten away with buying a can for one of those, taking it to an exhaust place and getting them to make you up a joiner pipe, would have been much cheaper. Though it does sound good with the new one.
Hi..thanks for the review...how is the sitting position?do your feet go behind while sitting..are your knees bent and do you lean forward while riding? I prefer the easy riding position..please can you tell me
It's a very easy riding position. Knees are bent but feet aren't under my bum and no leaning forward. It's comfy for a number of hours. Have a sit on one and see what you think
TIP: you get the amperage by dividing the Watts by the Volts so A=W/V. It says there beneath the plug that is has 12 V and 36 W which means 36W/12V = 3A :)
I have always wanted a v strom and finally bought a 22 this spring . Love it on the highway but on gravel its really loose . I have an 87 transalp that i bought new and it handles far better . Maybe its the tires but the honda snaps to attention when you hit the throttle .
I'm looking into getting one of these (Trading in my Tracer 900 as it's too much of a hooligan bike, I want a more chilled commuter/adventure bike), Had a Suzuki SV650 years ago and loved that engine so the Strom should be very familiar in that respect. Could you answer a few questions? How's fuel economy in real world calculations, dash computers are usually poor for accuracy, I always get around 53mpg on my Tracer dash when in fact it works out to around 45mpg when I calculate with my trip meter and the amount of fuel I fill up with. Would be great if I could hit 60mpg on the Strom. Did you get an aftermarket exhaust and if so is the slip on exhaust easy to fit? I've looked at a few (Delkevic, Fuel) and the link pipe they provide makes me think it's not an easy job as it is a split pipe so it attaches somewhere near each header of the V twin engine. Also, is that an MRA windscreen, if so how good is it at reducing wind noise/buffeting on the head area? Vibrations, are there any, if so how bad? (They are bad on my Tracer) Many thanks.
Great questions though I don't have great answers for those yet. I'm going to be doing a follow up video at some point as I've passed the 15k miles point on the bike. Mpg - going on my dash it was 59 average last time I checked. I'm pretty sure this is going to improve as I've noticed a huge difference in range just by dropping from say 80mph to 70mph on the motorway. If the dash is accurate then think 59mpg with a motorway cruising speed of 80-90mph. Standard around town stuff, not racing off every light but not being a 'slow biker. I'll do calculations and work into follow up video. Exhaust, still haven't upgraded. Costs. I'm hoping scorpion bring something out. Those I've looked at say full system is needed, haven't come across a slip on. Screen - this is the one that comes with the option pack I got with the bike though have forgotten what it's called. Whatever the upgrade with Suzuki is. Screen is ok and I don't generally get buffering, I'm 6ft with normal leg length to torso length :) Vibrations haven't been a problem for me. I've changed the grips to the Oxford heated and the sport heated grips as preferred the feel. Vibrations for me haven't stood out and I tend to ride up to 2 hours a time. I hope that helps, sorry I can't be more specific on points. Ideally my update vid will come when I've gotten around to doing the exhaust which might be a few months. My only concern for you would be dropping from the 900. Was looking at a v strom 1000 today, not to upgrade, just was in the shop. Might be better option but I don't know. Worth test riding both :)
@@TommyBarnezTV Thanks for the reply. Good to hear about the vibrations (lack of) and the screen. I've had many bikes, including and an FZ1 (1000cc, 140bhp) and learned the hard way that bigger is not necessarily better, I think a lot of people see that as the end goal but come to a similar conclusion. Power there that I just never used, similar case with the Tracer. I'd rather the usable power of a 650 and also save on insurance etc. I actually had a CB500X and it was a blast for my commute and some weekend fun (sadly it was written off when a lorry hit it while parked in town) but could have done with a bit more power, hence the interest in the Strom. Regarding the exhaust, my mistake it was previous models you could get a slip on, looks like the new Strom will be a full system only, sadly.
@@TommyBarnezTV I'd say it's situational and not something you'd "need" most of the time. As someone somewhere said, choose the bike to match what you'll be mostly using it for and you'll be happy.
Thanks! Yeah akrapovic is a little too expensive anyway I think. I'm quite keen to see what scorpion come up with. From what I've heard they sound good and previous models of the strom
Squirt a bit of gt85 on it and let it soak in, 100% won't harm your paint but will shift the sticker in no time, used on my triumph Thunderbird and the paint on the triumphs is crap and it hasn't marked it at all.
I expect the reason for a 3amp socket is so people arnt running 5amp kit continuously and draining the battery or putting extra work load on the alternator/wiring, wouldn't be that hard to fit a socket under the seat with a 5amp fuse purposely for the compressor, i mean how many times would you need to use a compressor ? I love this bike, the only thing id love to see added is cruise control, considering these bikes are designed to do 100's of miles a day im surprised they haven't added them yet, Thanks for the great review and footage.
Thanks! Yeah I now just have a 12v socket I hook up straight to the battery when using compressor. Works ok. Cruise control would be lovely! Have considered getting a throttle lock to see what they're like.
As he said if you actually take it offroad, you'll probably use the compressor every time you do. Typically drop the tire pressure when you go offroad, then pump it back up again before you get on road. I'm planning to buy a VStrom, probably one of the first things I'll do is to run some 14 gauge wire to replace what's in there and put in a 10 amp fuse.
Keeping it :) I'm at nearly 40k miles now and no problems. Think it will be with me till it dies though will get additional bikes along the way. As a one up all weather work horse its pretty good
for the beak paint if yellow and get a horn that goes quack . Great video great bike but a little top heavy for me. for off road riding. Love the look of the yellow.
Just bought a V-Strom 650 and thinking about getting the Suzuki Vario touring windscreen added. The one you have seems to be the original one from Suzuki. How much more wind protection does it add compared to the original ? I'm 6 foot 1 (186 cm) and when I stoop down about 1 to 2 inches, the wind noise is considerably reduced (if I heard correctly in the video, you're 6 foot tall). Would fitting the touring screen be a good idea in my case ?
Hard to say, I didnt ever ride the bike with the standard screen as this came with the model I bought. Yeah im 6ft and works well for me. Bit of wind but my heads not bobbing about with it.
Love your video. I’m choosing between V-Strom 650 and Versys 650. Both of them are good bike. I prefer parallel twin engine on Versys, but I don’t like exhaust position and 17” front wheel. On other side, V-Strom have 19” off-road friendly front wheel, higher exhaust positions and lower seat high. But V-Strom seen a bit higher price over Versys. How about reliability and fuel consumption. Thump up
Thanks! I've not ridden the versys so cant give a direct comparison however hear they are good. In terms of reliability I've done about 26k miles on the v strom now and the only very very minor problem is that it took a little longer to start (about 4 second) something like 4 or 5 times. That's it. No other issues and still on the same sprockets and chain. Really pleased with it. If you see some of my other reviews you'll see that I prefer the tiger 800 xrt for an all rounder daily ride however it's quite a big price jump. I may get one at some point and will then keep the Strom as my winter bike.
Sorry fuel about 60mpg. I also use the premium fuel now as I think using the cheaper might have caused the starting stutters I mentioned in other reply. Like I said though, very very minor point
On your 0-60 test. Sounded as though hit 60 in 3rd gear. Approx how many revs were you doing in 3rd at 60 / how close were you to the red line in 3rd at 60mph?
Loving my 2012 650 bought in June 2012. Next set of rubber will be a pair of 90/10 Shinko tires... I’m mostly on the road/highway/street with the odd gravel road, hence the 90/10 tires. Nothing fancy. Just love riding this bike. 29” inseam so I bought a factory “lower” seat and have been super happy 8 years later (it’s 2020) on and right now I cannot think of any reason to part with this bike for my casual riding. Peace be to journey! Cheers!
