r/Vstrom

So I am going to do my best to describe the issue but because it happens when I am riding it's a bit harder.

Basically when I come to a stop, and pull in the clutch, and down shit to first, the bike will make a clunk noise on the bottom left side, sometimes loud enough/hard enough of a clunk that I can feel it in the foot pegs.

Any idea what this could be? When I turned off the quick shifter it almost stops entirely, but still happens on occasion.

What usually causes it is slowing down, clutch in, downshift to first at a stop, and then as I'm slowing I apply the breaks and RIGHT as I stop all the way, CLUNK. it's almost like it's finished sliding into gear? If that's even possible?

The bike still performs great, no issues on anything at all, but this noise started happening about 500miles ago after a weird downshift with the quick shifter, it almost sounded crunchy, but it didn't affect anything as far as I could tell?

Either way I stopped using the QS because it's not that great...

Any information on what would be causing this would be great, because it's very confusing and as far as I know I've been very friendly to the machine.

2800miles on the odo, never missed any oil changes or scheduled maintenance, 2024 model 800RE

I have the youngest sibling of the V-Strom family - the vstrom 250sx. I am short (5'4"), and weigh 54kgs. I manage the bike really well in Indian traffic, but when I have to move the bike to and from the parking lot, that is where I am facing some issues.

Because of how I am doing things, my left knees feel the weight of the bike a lot and my leg hurts a lot all day.

What can I do better? Also, are there any creators (YT) who explain these things practically?

Edit: I need tips to move the bike when I am off the bike. Going forward is easy, but going backwards and then moving around is difficult as the bike weighs 170 kgs.

Hello everyone!

I am 170cm (5’7 inches) tall. Looking into upgrading to a V-strom but I have doubts. Are there any short riders on V-strom? Do you think it would be manageable for me? Will use it for long trips with my wife.

Edit: Thank you all for the responses, I wasn’t expecting this many responses in this short amount of time. I am thinking of getting a 650Dl or XT 650 version. Given the comments, I will give it a try before finalising my purchase.

Hello,
Proud new owner of a 04 Vstrom DL1000. Picked it up from an older gentleman who rode it for quite some time (~73000 miles). I truly love this bike. I noticed an odd issue earlier today. I made a short trip (~5 miles) to the town down the highway and coming into the roundabout the bike began to lugg very aggressively. It felt like it was trying to buck me off. I stopped, gave it a stern talking to checked it over for leaks or loose things, started it back up and let it idle for a bit, and haven’t re created this issue. Just wondering if anyone else has bumped into this and if so, what’s going on?

Thanks in advance for any info

Hey guys does anybody have issues with trapezius muscles after a "long" ride - after 200-250km. I have been riding strom 650 for 2 years but the pain is here from the first long ride (up to two hours no problems)

Also

Changed the gearshift indicator after 1,5 years but it seems its gonna go again, any recommendations, is it a common problem?

I'm considering this 2008 DL650 mainly for a 40km commute (twice a week), in-town riding, weekend cruises and the occasional road trip, the bike has about 88 000KM on the clock.

Tell me what you think, does this particular bike look good for its age? or is there something off?

For the record, I'm 190cm tall and weigh 80Kg.

https://preview.redd.it/6ufrg42528kh1.png?width=1440&format=png&auto=webp&s=c70b32a8c9a062fbc450af7d9ae87815e722061f

https://preview.redd.it/ig1ymj6428kh1.png?width=810&format=png&auto=webp&s=6832d1f24b60badb566d10dd15b504b69d2a06d0

https://preview.redd.it/1xb7d1z228kh1.png?width=810&format=png&auto=webp&s=f8884de8f2c1136662b3c13e9c046839f6eeb82b

https://preview.redd.it/5y9wfzg128kh1.png?width=1440&format=png&auto=webp&s=c337d273eedf1a911a5b9f9f45e52f6bfb919640

https://preview.redd.it/wz9fgzv028kh1.png?width=810&format=png&auto=webp&s=7acfd64782cbbe2dddd626ba25156cb189c67bfd

2014 DL650 - So my front tire (and rear) was installed around 9500 miles, and I'm currently just past 28000.

Rear tire was replaced in December of '24 around 23000 or so, but the front still had plenty of life. I'm looking at it now and wondering if its time, or perhaps this can be adequate through the end of the summer.

https://preview.redd.it/wtl0nup6y5kh1.png?width=686&format=png&auto=webp&s=2d3f301d35b09c86b5d2051dee6d460bee2c1a76

All my riding is on the road

Also, my brakes are starting to feel a little soft, and I've never changed them though I ask for a yearly check. When does everyone begin to change them up?

I have a Vstrom 800DE and it is an absolute blast of a machine. There are just two things I'm noticing that I don't know of it's just my bike or if others have experienced this.

First is this very strange thing where going 32-40mph causes the front end to bounce up and down. It's not a violent amount and not a vibration. The front just bounces up and down about 3 or 4 times a second. Accelerating through it makes it non existent but when the speed limit is 35mph it is very annoying. I'm running Motoz Tractionator GPS tires but I had that same tire on a KLR650 and don't remember it happening on that bike.

Second is at high speed, such as passing on the interstate, the front end gets pretty squirrelly especially if there's a groove between lanes. Once at around 95mph while passing it started a death wobble but I was in the process of slowing back down and shifted my weight towards the front wheel and it calmed back down. Is this something a fork brace could solve? Are there drawbacks to using a fork brace? Also, where do I put the fork brace if it helps? Not a lot of room down there.

Thanks in advance to anyone that provides insight. I love this bike and just wish it would behave a little better.

Hi
Totally newbie as a Reddit poster.

I have a Vstrom DL1000 2014 that I’ve owned for a a couple of months now. It has approx 45000 km on the meter, of which I’ve done 2-3000.

For the last month or so I’ve started hearing an annoying sound from the rear. It comes and goes but at exactly 108-117 km/h (weird I know) it’s a quite loud singing sound. I would like to say it originates from the rear wheel area but hard to position sound at that speed.

I’ve given my chain a thorough clean and the rear wheel bearing shows no signs of being worn down.

The bike is equipped with a top box mount from Givi and I have a quite large box on that even though the mount says max 6kg(?) so I’ve tried taking all that off if it was some vibrations causing the sound. It was not.

I also have a small wind wind screen on top of the OEM one, didn’t help removing that either.

I’ve tried a different helmet. Didn’t help.

So, any help in regards to find the source or tips on how to move on troubleshooting would me much appreciated!

Fairly new to working on bikes, did my first oil change the other day, yesterday I took the tank off to check the air filter, I assumed I could just clean it but no. Waiting for a new filter to arrive now.

In the meantime, are there any things I should check or do while the tank is off? It was kind of a hassle to remove.

https://preview.redd.it/nobj76ryevjh1.png?width=1104&format=png&auto=webp&s=36d1fafe8dce4df7a88b65a2fb4fa1a9bc077ce8

Debating getting this seat, looks comfy but I'd like to know what your experience with it is like.

Bonus if your pillion has an opinion of the back part of the seat is like.