There apparently is an official Suzuki option to get either a higher or a lower seat for the V-Strom 650. Don't know if the cushioning of any of those optional seats is any more comfortable than the original seat, though. This seems to be a 'problem' with any brand, they all seem to offer a more comfortable seat as an option, no doubt to keep the base price of the bike as low as possible. The V-Strom 650 (XT) is very competitively priced but it's really easy to quickly slap on 2000 euros worth of accessories :-)
Bike porno; nice. Nice bike too. I’ve owned three of these over twelve years, put 200 000+ trouble free kilometers on them through jungles, over deserts, along highways but mostly back roads. In that sense it’s an “adventure” bike but in reality it’s just a . . . nice motorcycle.
@Fx - it was hard to understand how steep your hill stop was. We have extremes here and I am considering the Vstrom but interested in how easy it would be to stall from a hill stop?
It wasnt that much of an uphill tbh, it is however very easy to ride away on it. I don't think I stalled even once on this ride, which means something since I tend to ride hard & slow, do tight maneuvres on tests etc.
Very nice video from a Belgian rider ;-) Like the V-Strom as well, but I think the 650 might be too 'small' for me as I'm 6'1'' (186 cm). The 1050 is a lot more expensive and fuel economy isn't as good as the 650 but I feel the 1050 might be better suited to my height... I've got a Royal Enfield Continental GT650 and a Himalayan at the moment, love them to bits, but I do feel that they're both on the small side for me. Will keep on riding them for a couple of years but I think I'll definitely migrate to a much larger bike afterwards. Love the videos, keep up the good work !
I didnt feel the bike was too small for me, I'm 1m93. I just think the middleweights are good value, but if value is not an issue than I'd always go for the higher cc one. I've had no experience with the Royal Enfields so far, but I sure wanna ride some, they've got a sense of uniqueness to them. Thanks for watching!
@@FxMoto You have to try one of the 650 twins, they're great fun ! The Himalayan may seem underpowered on paper, and it really isn't a speed demon, to be honest, but it's really great fun to ride, it's back to basic motorcycling. Seat height on my Continental GT 650 is 790 mm, the Himalayan is 800 mm. I see the V-Strom 650 has a seat height of 835mm, so it might not be that bad after all. Will have to try both the 650 and 1050 when I decide to upgrade in the future.
Hey Kristof, I am 6’3” (190cm) with 34” inseam. I’ve been hoping to find a mid-class adventure bike. The Strom-650 is the only decent priced one I’ve found where I feel I have excess space. I think bar risers and peg lowering may actually make it feel too big. In comparison, the CB500X, NC750X, and Versys 650 felt just barely doable. To get a new budget bike that has traction control, I’m limited to the Strom or 390 Adventure. I’ve yet to test the 390 for size, but the price is awesome; it sure wouldn’t have the highway smoothness though.
@@kodekun7267 having tried them, the 2 reasons I preferred the vstrom are 1 the v Strom has a 19 inch front wheel so better for rough road and gravel 2 the v twin on the suzuki is a much smoother engine. Hope this helps.
Huh I don't recall anything of the sort but by now it has been a while. Pegs can be adjusted sometimes though, so it could be allright? Anyway thanks for watching!
Unfortunately it is, my poor bike gets rekt a lot :D I'd like to ride the 1050 as well , not just for the video but im really curious about the bigger VStrom now
I keep wondering how much you need a liter bike ADV vs something like this, a middle-weight. Is the extra weight worth more power? Is the extra power required if you've got a lot of cargo?
I remember RoyalJordanian touring 2up on a Tiger800 and claiming it had too little power to climb sometimes. I would say both the 600 and 1000 will always get you there, but the 1liter will do it more comfortably. As always, it depends on what you're looking for. I will say however, supposed I'd have to replace my Z1000SX with an ADV, I would want it to be at least 900 or higher. Unless you're going off road, but I'm not the guy to ask in that case. Thanks for watching!
@@FxMoto Thanks, yeah that's the question: "How much dirt will you ride on, because weight and more power isn't going to help. And can you pick the thing up if you go down in the middle of the woods somewhere.
That's a great question, if I was in the market for a middleweight adv, then yes, I think I'd prefer this over the versys(I havent ridden it yet but its engine is a bit weaker). That being said, as a larger person both in length and weight I myself might look to a 1050.
@@dry509 the only thing I can advise is to ride them yourself. I got rid of my 650 because I wanted more power. Not because I needed more. Either way, both would be solid bikes!
@@dry509 I got myself a 2017 Kawasaki Z1000SX, It is a 4cyl though, is has loads of power but only comes on in the higher rpms. In hindsight, something like a Triumph Sprint ST or a K1200/1300 would have been cheaper and also done what I was looking for, but theres no doubt in my mind the kawasaki is the better of the 3, modern electronics, IMU, great in all gears. It's not an adv though, if that's what you're looking for.
music is ghey.... Check your man-gina. Besides that, the Vtwin in that bike is the best you can get. Responsive at all throttle levels for that bike. The show-stopper is the ground clearance. Its touted as an Adventure bike, but anything higher than 4 inches on the ground and you're hitting it... T700 clearance is 8 inches. Africa Twin around 10... Time for Suzuki to find a way to get more clearance.
ADV is a stretch to be sure, just like the versys I don't ride it off road, I'm not any good at it nor is it going to be used as such in most cases. If you're going to ride over rough terrain there are better options to be had.
“See this road? It’s broken as f***..”
Love how succinctly you put things.
Eloquent as ever!
Great review, thanks, pick up my 2023 tomorrow
Glad you mentioned about the seat comfort.This is a major problem I have with my current bike.Planning to buy the V-Strom 650 soon.
I hope you enjoy it, I been looking to improve the seat on my kawasaki, it makes such a difference to me personally.
There apparently is an official Suzuki option to get either a higher or a lower seat for the V-Strom 650. Don't know if the cushioning of any of those optional seats is any more comfortable than the original seat, though. This seems to be a 'problem' with any brand, they all seem to offer a more comfortable seat as an option, no doubt to keep the base price of the bike as low as possible. The V-Strom 650 (XT) is very competitively priced but it's really easy to quickly slap on 2000 euros worth of accessories :-)
Toppppppp notch video/review brother, and trust me, I watch a LOT of them.
Thank you for watching! Means a lot
Nice run mate, nice tank bag too, what brand or make is it?
Bike porno; nice. Nice bike too. I’ve owned three of these over twelve years, put 200 000+ trouble free kilometers on them through jungles, over deserts, along highways but mostly back roads. In that sense it’s an “adventure” bike but in reality it’s just a . . . nice motorcycle.
It really is, i think that's what Suzuki does best in general, just build em trouble free. Thanks for watching!
Estou apaixonado pela minha Candy Red.....moto justa, muito linear, potente e confortável......TOP Vstrom 650 XT
fijne review.. i m in love xxx
@Fx - it was hard to understand how steep your hill stop was. We have extremes here and I am considering the Vstrom but interested in how easy it would be to stall from a hill stop?
It wasnt that much of an uphill tbh, it is however very easy to ride away on it. I don't think I stalled even once on this ride, which means something since I tend to ride hard & slow, do tight maneuvres on tests etc.
@@FxMoto Thank you for the reply. I test rode the 1050 XT today - wow! Need to find the 650 to test ride. Great video!
@@ioathlete How was it? I still need to ride one but it seems a great no nonsense motorcycle
Oh yeah! 👍🏻😃
Very nice video from a Belgian rider ;-) Like the V-Strom as well, but I think the 650 might be too 'small' for me as I'm 6'1'' (186 cm). The 1050 is a lot more expensive and fuel economy isn't as good as the 650 but I feel the 1050 might be better suited to my height... I've got a Royal Enfield Continental GT650 and a Himalayan at the moment, love them to bits, but I do feel that they're both on the small side for me. Will keep on riding them for a couple of years but I think I'll definitely migrate to a much larger bike afterwards. Love the videos, keep up the good work !
I didnt feel the bike was too small for me, I'm 1m93. I just think the middleweights are good value, but if value is not an issue than I'd always go for the higher cc one. I've had no experience with the Royal Enfields so far, but I sure wanna ride some, they've got a sense of uniqueness to them. Thanks for watching!
@@FxMoto You have to try one of the 650 twins, they're great fun ! The Himalayan may seem underpowered on paper, and it really isn't a speed demon, to be honest, but it's really great fun to ride, it's back to basic motorcycling. Seat height on my Continental GT 650 is 790 mm, the Himalayan is 800 mm. I see the V-Strom 650 has a seat height of 835mm, so it might not be that bad after all. Will have to try both the 650 and 1050 when I decide to upgrade in the future.
Hey Kristof, I am 6’3” (190cm) with 34” inseam. I’ve been hoping to find a mid-class adventure bike. The Strom-650 is the only decent priced one I’ve found where I feel I have excess space. I think bar risers and peg lowering may actually make it feel too big. In comparison, the CB500X, NC750X, and Versys 650 felt just barely doable.
To get a new budget bike that has traction control, I’m limited to the Strom or 390 Adventure. I’ve yet to test the 390 for size, but the price is awesome; it sure wouldn’t have the highway smoothness though.
Nice review. How tall r u?
I'm 1m94 or 6ft4, so most bikes I ride seem small a lot of the time. Thanks for watching!
Were you comfortable with that bike? Do you recommend it for long trips?
I'm torn between vstrom 650 and versys 650..can you make comparison between these two? Thanks
I haven't ridden the versys 650 yet, only the 1000, but I'll keep it in mind next time im going by the kawasaki garage! thx for watching!
Thanks!
@@kodekun7267 Versys 650 is full manual with ABS the only additional feature. The V-Strom has traction control and RPM Assist aside from ABS.
@@kodekun7267 having tried them, the 2 reasons I preferred the vstrom are
1 the v Strom has a 19 inch front wheel so better for rough road and gravel
2 the v twin on the suzuki is a much smoother engine.
Hope this helps.
Thanks for the input. I'm not really off road guy. But more on cruising. Currently owned Cb500x. Need a bit more power
Is it the camera angle but I couldn't travel that quick in built up area or other roads in fear of me having someone stepping or pulling out on me.🤪
Kom van de V-Strom 250 af en sta op het punt die in te ruilen op de 2021 V-Strom 650 XTA in het geel na het zien van je video kan ik niet wachten 🏍
Gaat perfecte upgrade zijn denk ik, zeker als de Vstrom je ding al was voorheen!
I hear the foot pegs are a bit cumbersome. Kinda in the way stopping and backing up. Maybe not for everyone.. Good video 👍
Huh I don't recall anything of the sort but by now it has been a while. Pegs can be adjusted sometimes though, so it could be allright? Anyway thanks for watching!
What year model is this one?
2017 and beyond :)
Fun to watch as a break when editing the 1050 xD
Riding Belgium roads sometimes is practically riding offroad xD
Unfortunately it is, my poor bike gets rekt a lot :D I'd like to ride the 1050 as well , not just for the video but im really curious about the bigger VStrom now
It is a very fun machine for sure. And i like it more then the Versys for example.
Taking it offroad is great fun, bit heavy, but still smooth :)
I keep wondering how much you need a liter bike ADV vs something like this, a middle-weight. Is the extra weight worth more power? Is the extra power required if you've got a lot of cargo?
I remember RoyalJordanian touring 2up on a Tiger800 and claiming it had too little power to climb sometimes. I would say both the 600 and 1000 will always get you there, but the 1liter will do it more comfortably. As always, it depends on what you're looking for. I will say however, supposed I'd have to replace my Z1000SX with an ADV, I would want it to be at least 900 or higher. Unless you're going off road, but I'm not the guy to ask in that case. Thanks for watching!
@@FxMoto Thanks, yeah that's the question: "How much dirt will you ride on, because weight and more power isn't going to help. And can you pick the thing up if you go down in the middle of the woods somewhere.
@@ams914 true..
So would you buy one with your own money?
That's a great question, if I was in the market for a middleweight adv, then yes, I think I'd prefer this over the versys(I havent ridden it yet but its engine is a bit weaker). That being said, as a larger person both in length and weight I myself might look to a 1050.
Fx Thanks for the feedback. I am 6 feet, 210 lbs. Wonder which would be more appropriate?
@@dry509 the only thing I can advise is to ride them yourself. I got rid of my 650 because I wanted more power. Not because I needed more. Either way, both would be solid bikes!
Fx So which bike did you get that has more power? I had a demo ride on a new Suzuki SV650 and it does not have enough power for me.
@@dry509 I got myself a 2017 Kawasaki Z1000SX, It is a 4cyl though, is has loads of power but only comes on in the higher rpms. In hindsight, something like a Triumph Sprint ST or a K1200/1300 would have been cheaper and also done what I was looking for, but theres no doubt in my mind the kawasaki is the better of the 3, modern electronics, IMU, great in all gears. It's not an adv though, if that's what you're looking for.
music is ghey.... Check your man-gina. Besides that, the Vtwin in that bike is the best you can get. Responsive at all throttle levels for that bike. The show-stopper is the ground clearance. Its touted as an Adventure bike, but anything higher than 4 inches on the ground and you're hitting it... T700 clearance is 8 inches. Africa Twin around 10... Time for Suzuki to find a way to get more clearance.
ADV is a stretch to be sure, just like the versys I don't ride it off road, I'm not any good at it nor is it going to be used as such in most cases. If you're going to ride over rough terrain there are better options to be had.
What is it with the music are you 9 years old
Mostly take one of the recent NCS songs to play for a couple action shots, that being said I like the music on its own.