So during the past two years, I've had the opportunity to take some long weekend rides and discovered that motorcycle journalists do know what they're talking about. Don't get me wrong, I've always accepted that they did, but my direct experience now fully supports what they've written about the Ninja 650R. Almost every article I read about the 650R said that the bike is a bit cramped for people who are six feet or taller. I simply filed that factoid in the back of my brain and went about my business. Prior to 2011, I would have said that it was not an issue, but before then, virtually all of my riding was short day trips with frequent stops. So what happened?
Well in August 2010, my buddy Erik decided to give motorcycling a try, took the MSF course, and bought a 2009 Suzuki V-Strom 650. I now had someone to ride with, which meant more saddle time, and eventually longer rides. After he had gained confidence in his ability to handle the Wee, which is a tall bike, our rides gradually got longer and longer, finally culminating in my first motorcycle road trip -- a weekend run to Austin, Texas during the Winter Solstice. This was great! The following year, a group of us trailered our bikes up to Arkansas to ride the Ozarks for the weekend. This was even better. Unfortunately, it caused my brain to dredge up that little factoid it tucked away. These long trips exposed the cramped nature of the 650R. My knees would get very weary from being so bent for so long. Sitting on Erik's Wee, I could tell there was more distance from seat to foot peg, and the pegs were situated a little more forward for a more relaxed posture. Now mind you, the 650R's seating position is very upright as well, but it still leans towards the sporty side of things.
I started looking at motorcycles with more leg room, and Erik's bike was the most immediately available to sample. I sat on it and found it to be quite roomy. I've always wanted a Triumph, too (love the triples), and looked at the Tiger 1050. Then Triumph released the Tiger 800. The Tiger 1050 was getting a bit dated, and to be perfectly honest, a bit out of my price range. The Tiger 800's design didn't really do a lot for me, and by the time you add ABS to it, you're getting into the Tiger 1050's cost neighborhood. The Kawasaki Versys looked like it fell out of an ugly tree, hit every branch on the way down, and decided to climb up again and have another go. That brought me back to the Wee. Let's face it, the Wee is a bit of an odd duck aesthetically as well, but it did meet the things I was looking at in a new bike -- comfort, not heinously expensive, has ABS, great after-market support, and reliability. Then Suzuki announced that it would redesign the V-Strom for 2012. When the first pictures and specs came out, I was hooked. I kept going back to the Triumphs, because that was an emotional itch I wanted to scratch, but I just couldn't justify the cost.
After a year of fulfilling some self-imposed domestic obligations surrounding the remodel of a certain office in the home, I traded in the Ninja 650R on a 2012 V-Strom 650. The Ninja 650R served me well. It was a great first bike, which I would not hesitate to recommend to anyone, and I learned a lot from owning it. I was sad to see it go, but I firmly believe the V-Strom (or Glee, as some like to refer to it due to its engine being sourced from the Gladius - GLadius + wEE = GLEE, get it?) is a better fit for me now, and probably for some time to come.
So with that, I am closing this blog, and starting a new one to follow my experiences with the V-Strom. I still can't bring myself to call it a Glee...
For those of you actually following this despite its infrequent updates, I thank you and hope to see you on my new blog. I'll add a link when I get it set up.
UPDATE: And here it is... My 2012 Suzuki V-Strom 650 Page
Keep the rubber side down!
No comments:
Post a Comment