Question for V Strom 650 Owners--Use as PD Bike

[MidlifeMotor]

I am responsible for training new motors for our department. The Concours is way too big to start a new rider on for day one of motor school and all our old KZ1000 trainers are shot. We need smaller bikes for the initial stages of training. The main contender for our choice is the V Strom 650 ABS. In addition to using them as trainers, I want to fully equip them with all the PD equipment and use them for special events where a smaller, dual purpose bike would be more beneficial. I also want to use them for in service training to expose our motors to off pavement riding. I have a few questions for V Strom owners and former owners.

1. Is there enough clearance/suspension travel to go up/down concretes steps? Raised medians? The KZ 1000 could do steps easily. We are looking to get back to a bike that can do "urban obstacles". Our Concours can go off sidewalks, but we can't ride them up anything raised due to poor clearance.
2. Any concerns with the V Strom as a PD duty bike? Any PD motors on this forum who have had a V Strom?

Thanks for any input. MM.

 

[Rasher]

The Mrs has a 2005 V-Strom and it has less clearance than the S10 - mainly due to underslung exhaust, although compared to a road / sports bike it is quite good, I know of a fair few Strom owners who do some light off-roading and they seem happy enough with it.

The Mrs has a fairly hefty bash plate as well - probably worth fitting as a precaution in case someone takes to riding up a kerb with too much enthusiasm.

 

[Geekay]

Does PD mean "police department"? I'd imagine they'd be very good. I came from one, the attraction was that the tenere was build to a higher quality and of course has a lot more "go"! Otherwise the v-strom 650 is a remarkable all- rounder.


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[MotoPumps]

I put 24,000 miles on an '07 before selling it to a friend. My wife has about that many miles on hers. Great bike. Ground clearance with an SW Motech center stand is better than the Suzuki center stand. I have seen them used as PD bikes in Mexico.

The only issue you may have is electrical power. Not sure how many watts you need. VStroms don't have as many spare watts as most adventure bikes. Older models had about 75 watts in reserve, newer ones about 100watts due to a higher output charging system. http://www.powerlet.com/learningCenter/excessCapacity

Rob

 

[MidlifeMotor]

Thanks for the replies, please keep them coming. To address some of the positive questions and comments above, I add the following:

1. Yes, PD means Police Department.
2. We would definitely use underside protection.
3. Our lights would be LED, which I believe would be a relatively small power draw. We are looking into Bluetooth set ups to use our portable radios while riding so we don't have to mount a radio console.

The biggest selling point I can make to our department is if we can go up and down concrete steps and over medians. This is appealing in a presentation as I can make a good case for an ultimate "first responder" to any serious incident at a mall, school, or stadium. Our high schools in this area are enormous campuses with upwards of 3000 students per school.

I drool when I see the videos of the 660 Tenere and would go with those, but that's another thread getting them to the USA!

 

[autoteach]

If the 660 is something that you consider ideal, we do have the xr650l and the dr650 in the states. Only problem is the rather high seat height. Plenty of clearance though if one would like to cross a downed tree.

 

[dcstrom]

Having had one, I think they'd be great PD bikes. Versatile, reliable, fuel-efficient, light (relatively) and fast enough to chase down practically anything on 4 wheels (we'll leave other bikes out of the equation...

Lack of ground clearance is the biggest let-down on this bike in terms of dual-sport use, but should be adequate for PD and a lot better than the alternatives.

Colombia police like them too - they just bought hundreds of them. I saw many police on them in Mexico too.

Desfile Militar 3 Julio 2013 Independencia De Cali Parte 10 De 12

 

[greg the pole]

Ive spent time on both 650's.
IMO the newer 2011 and on vstrom is a much better bike. Bit low on clearance but a decent bash plate, and a raising link in the rear would sort that out.

Go for it.
Any possibility of a civilian joining in on the fun? ::015::

 

[merchant]

Kinda surprised no one has suggested a KLR650. Believe cheaper to own and operate than a Wee Strom and are practically bullet proof. Should have ample ground clearance.

 

[jaeger22]

Kinda surprised no one has suggested a KLR650. Believe cheaper to own and operate than a Wee Strom and are practically bullet proof. Should have ample ground clearance.

The KLR is a fine bike and all you say. It is better off road and at jumping curbs but IMHO the V-Strom is vastly better on the road. Especially if you had to spend a lot of hours in the seat! My pre-S10 bike was a 2005 DL-650 and it had 92,000 miles on it, including coast to coast and back 3 times, when I gave it to my son a little over a year ago. Not sure of his exact mileage but I am sure it is well north of 100K. He had a KLR already and still likes it a lot but now rarely rides it because the V-Strom is sooooo much better on the road. In all that time I had two parts fail. One spark wire and the counter shaft seal started leaking at about 85K. And it runs on regular gas and gets close to 50 MPG around town and back roads. Lower on the interstate.
I do remember jumping over a few curbs and some times hit the skid plate but no major drama.
I think it would make a GREAT PD bike. ::012::
I also have DR-650 and love it. But like my son ans his KLR, only for dual sport riding and short trips around town. I would not enjoy sitting on it all day. But on the V-Strom, I regularly did 12 hours days while traveling. Just like I do on the S10 now. ::001::

 

[scott123007]

Kinda surprised no one has suggested a KLR650. Believe cheaper to own and operate than a Wee Strom and are practically bullet proof. Should have ample ground clearance.

A KLR650 is not even in the same league as a DL650 in power or comfort. The V-Strom is about as bulletproof as they get too.

 

[Checkswrecks]

1. Is there enough clearance/suspension travel to go up/down concretes steps? Raised medians? The KZ 1000 could do steps easily. We are looking to get back to a bike that can do "urban obstacles". Our Concours can go off sidewalks, but we can't ride them up anything raised due to poor clearance.

Stock and especially with a skid plate they don't have lots of ground clearance. And they do need a plate off the plain street because of the exhaust pipe beneath the motor.


When we were working in Greece, the PD had a boatload of them. I grabbed this off the web to show that instead of a plate, they had a simple set of skid bars, which probably made oil changes and such a lot easier. I have zero doubt that they ran them up and down LOTS of stone steps.

2. Any concerns with the V Strom as a PD duty bike? Any PD motors on this forum who have had a V Strom?

The little Stroms are used by PDs all over the world. Very comfy for long days in the saddle. For actual PD use in the US, call the Montrose, Colorado PD and ask their experience.


That written, I see a LOT more of the 650 Beemer, in both single and twin models.
Egg Harbor PD:

BMW Police bike site in German, where the image came from:
http://www.bmw-motorrad-authorities.com/authorities/de/index.html?content=http://www.bmw-motorrad-authorities.com/authorities/de/bikes/f650gs/f650gs_main.html&notrack=1

 

[twinrider]

I am responsible for training new motors for our department. The Concours is way too big to start a new rider on for day one of motor school and all our old KZ1000 trainers are shot. We need smaller bikes for the initial stages of training. The main contender for our choice is the V Strom 650 ABS. In addition to using them as trainers, I want to fully equip them with all the PD equipment and use them for special events where a smaller, dual purpose bike would be more beneficial. I also want to use them for in service training to expose our motors to off pavement riding. I have a few questions for V Strom owners and former owners.

1. Is there enough clearance/suspension travel to go up/down concretes steps? Raised medians? The KZ 1000 could do steps easily. We are looking to get back to a bike that can do "urban obstacles". Our Concours can go off sidewalks, but we can't ride them up anything raised due to poor clearance.
2. Any concerns with the V Strom as a PD duty bike? Any PD motors on this forum who have had a V Strom?

Thanks for any input. MM.

I'm sure the new V-Strom would make a great PD bike, but wouldn't the S10 be even better since it's shaft drive and has long service intervals?

 

[MidlifeMotor]

Again, great replies and info. Here's some more follow up based on the above replies:

1. The KLR and Kawi 650 Versys were also considered, but they don't have ABS. Yes, I know ABS does not substitute for good riding techniques, but good riding techniques on the streets PLUS ABS is a good thing, especially when selling the idea to the upper brass.
2. The Tenere 1200 is too tall and too big to be much of an alternative to what we are using. The theory with going to V Strom 650 ABS is a smaller, more versatile bike for newer PD riders. Yes, the V strom is still a relatively tall bike, but some of it's trade offs make it appealing.

Keep the comments, positive or negative, coming as there is a wealth of information from the members of this forum.

 

[autoteach]

The Versys has ABS available for 2014. And, if ABS, seat height, and beginners are the deal, I really don't see why the nc700x shouldn't be considered. Other than that, I can't think of any other bikes that fit the bill.

 

[Rasher]

The Strom also has a fantastic tank rage of about 250 miles (more if ridden gently out of town)

Not sure of "speed" requirements, as mentioned the Strom is a good road bike, whereas I can see the smaller singles being far less comfy and only really any better on the odd occasion where a small bump needs negotiating.

The NC700 is a gutless wonder, although it is easy to ride and I found it surprisingly good fun - but only as I found myself canning it flat out and trying to maintain as much corner speed as possible as it took so damn long to claw back any speed lost.

Bland, Bland, Bland yet kind of fun - not so sure the awesome fuel consumption holds up when riding it on the limiter everywhere :

 

[autoteach]

It does. Motorcyclist kept record on theirs, and despite it being used as the camera ride for the super cruise missiles (busa, zx14, bmw) it still averaged a number that was baffling.

 

[Rasher]

It does. Motorcyclist kept record on theirs, and despite it being used as the camera ride for the super cruise missiles (busa, zx14, bmw) it still averaged a number that was baffling.

I had heard the same from an owner, but you never know if their idea of "thrashing it senseless" is the same as yours, the chap I met reckons he can't drop it much below 75mpg even if doing 90mph everywhere.

I would still settle for losing 15 mpg in exchange for a smile on my face, my S10 is crap for commuting in heavy traffic dropping to about 45mpg, my ER6F manages about 55mpg in the same conditions - although both beat my car which although capable of topping 50mpg at 80mph in the motorway sinks down to about 42mpg in stop/start traffic.

I suppose as a second bike for this sort of riding the NC700 is almost perfect, just a shame about 4k service intervals and 8k valve check, really needed to have 10k between services and 20k+ for valves.

For all types of riding the Strom is still the winner for me.

 

[autoteach]

lets be really honest about japanese bikes and service intervals. I have nearly 25k miles on my xt1200z. I will not be checking valves until... I don't know yet, haven't made that decision. Why? because they rarely go out of spec by enough to make it a problem. There are particular bikes that have issues (ninja 250, old honda's from the 80's, etc), but this modern stuff is a get on and go quality. The honda spec for the nc700 will likely be of little consequence if passed up 3-4 times. But, for good measure, a friend has one that will come into the shop I work at this next year for that service and I will tell you all about it.

 

[frez]

I put 64k miles on mine in two and a half years. My son has the bike now.

The only issues I had were the front brake switch failing and having to be replaced twice, and some corrosion on the mirrors and water pump housing. 3.5k mile service intervals are not too friendly.

The brakes can be a pain to bleed unless you put a banjo bleeder by the master cylinder to get rid of that last small bubble of air. There is plenty of alternator headroom for heated grips and auxiliary LED lights.

I tried all kinds of tyres and Michelins (Anakee 3s or Pilot Roads) work best for me.

I didn't take it off road so can't vouch for how well it works there or ground clearance.

Might be worth talking to the importer, if they know you are considering the bike they may give you one to evaluate.