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Vstrom 1k question

Joined
Sep 11, 2005
Messages
7,199
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805
Location
Spring Texas 77386
First Name
Jeff
Last Name
Hansen
Hi, my name is Jeff and I am a lurker on the :borg: stromtrooper site. (Let the verbal abuse begin). I have read the 1k info threads and it seems that the 1k folks either have no problems with their machines or it is absolutely the worst experience in trying to get all the bugs out of the fuel system ie TB, fuel control box, etc. Do those of you who have 1ks have those problems. The "wee people" seem to relish in the fact that they have no problems with their bikes and let the 1k folk know it. Comments? No, Chuck, I am not in the market for a 1k. :trust:
 
My '06 had no issues with FI or clutch chatter. They had completely reworked both by then. I also didn't find the windscreen to be that bad either.
 
I had an '02 V-Strom for a little over a year with zero problems. The windscreen sucked, and the seat was not that great, but overall a good bike!
 
jhansen said:
No, Chuck, I am not in the market for a 1k. :trust:
From reading 2 V-Strom forums the past two years, most of the DL1000 problems were with the 02-03 models - the first two years. Main problems were clutch basket and 3000 RPM "chudder".

There is an occasional "lemon" in the later models but not near as bad as the first two years.
 
I've had to remap mine, but it only took about twenty minutes. It runs great now. It ran great before, unless you stayed at 3000 rpm for too long, then it would stumble and hiccup.

One mod I would suggest is the Master Mike spacers. You don't realize how much they are needed until after you get them. They make a world of difference in tranny smoothness.

I would also recommend going up a couple teeth in the rear sprocket (or down one in front). It makes the gear spread much more usable in town and on the highway.

The big V is a great bike. I have not had to do anything to it that I didn't do to my other bikes. Fixing ergo's and tuning for your riding style goes hand in hand with motorcycling. Frankly, I enjoy molding the bike to fit me!

As always, YMMV and keep the rubber side down!
 
STrider said:
post of the year.

+1 :clap:

I've not had any real issues with my 03. It's time to start doing some of the bigger maintenance items, but nothing out of the ordinary. I've probably not cared for it as well as some (it's been ridden hard and put away wet more often than not) but it continues to perform almost flawlessly. :rider:
 
Tourmeister said:
Are you asking for a review? :-P
Wasn't looking for a review as such, but just wanted to know if the problems are as wide spread as it seems. A 1k would be a nice addition but "She who must be obeyed" says one at a time. :zen:
 
:rider: I didn't know there were any 1K problems. My wee is still the best (street bike) I have ever had but there are days I wish it were the full blown item. Keep this thread up since I might be tempted one day to move up. There are certainly some suspension issues that need to be addressed but otherwise I am a very happy camper. rh
PS. Merry Christmas to everyone.:sun:
 
jhansen said:
The "wee people" seem to relish in the fact that they have no problems with their bikes and let the 1k folk know it. Comments?

Just to round things out a little, my experience with the "wee" hasn't been trouble free ....

I bought my 06 Wee in April of this year and had no problems that I noticed until one day the FI trouble light came on during a trip. It turned out that the rear secondary throttle mechanical assembly somehow began to bind up such that the drive motor didn't have enough torque to adjust things properly. A trip to the dealer resulted in a new throttle body assembly and it now runs better than ever.

Over all I'm very happy with the bike and don't hesitate to recommend it to others who are looking.

--Mike
 
I bought my 03 1K Strom used with about 3000 miles on it. Over the course of the next few thousand miles, it did develop the clutch basket noise, but it was never bad. Since then, the noise has pretty much gone away, I suspect due to using different oil (Motul in my case)....or maybe I just don't notice it anymore!! The bike ran smoothly since I got it, even at the lower 3000 RPM range, pulls smoothly from that range, perhaps this was set right beforehand during the previous ownership or the injectors were set right from the factory. Anyway, it has about 19000 miles on it now and is running great. I generally get anywhere from 45 to 50 MPG with it. It had a tall shield on it when I got it but did not like it so I went with a stock replacement Zero Gravity shield which works well for me.

Don
 
jhansen said:
Wasn't looking for a review as such, but just wanted to know if the problems are as wide spread as it seems. A 1k would be a nice addition but "She who must be obeyed" says one at a time. :zen:

My "She who must be obeyed" said the same thing...with the first one, and now there are three of the beasts..
anyhow if I were to buy a 'Strom, (and nearly did) it would be the DL1000.
 
My '03 has been problem free the last 1000 miles that I've had it (9000 total) and the previous owners didn't do much to it. I've got the chudder around 3000-3500 RPM, but its barely noticeable. Low rpm & low speed I get some surging, which I believe is one of the things the remapping is supposed to help. The ergos have been a source of most of my minor compliants. The Corbin seat is about 100x better than stock, and I'm on the 3rd combo of handlebars and risers, about to try pro-taper hi-bends next.
 
Had mine (06 DL1000) since Oct. 06. No problems at all. Had to adjust the Idle to 1200rpm but otherwiseno problems. One of the best bikes I have had. Planning on some long summer trips.
 
I bought my 03 new in California, in preparation for quiting my job, broke it in and rode it back to TX. It has the typical roughness around 3000 RPM, but that only seems to be a minor irritant. I haven't had any other problems in over 20,000 miles. Some people complain bitterly about buffeting with the stock windscreen, but it has not been a problem for me (5' 10"). I do notice buffeting if I get right behind a semi at highway speeds. Other people complain about the seat. My seat has always been very comfortable, I think that this is a very individual thing. The seat on my BMW F650 was intolerable after 45 minutes. I would have to stop and get off. I'm sure other people found the BMW seat to their liking. I have heard other riders complain about the effects of side winds. Frankly, my DL1000 is fine in side winds. I rode across New Mexico in what seemed to be a constant 20 MPH side wind with gusts and it was just fine. My old Ducati with all of the fairing making for a real slab sided bike forced me to slow down and move to the slow lane on a couple of occasions.

Different strokes for different folks I guess.

Pat McDonald
 
I think in teh next year or so my KLR will go up for sale and a one liter Wee will take it's place. :rider:
 
My second bike is a 04 DL-1000. No problems, pulls strong, no real problems at with low rpm jerk over 2500rpm. Very smooth, trouble free. A buddy has an 03 DL-1000. Fine bike, does not run quite as strong, noticable 3k vibe. We did two things that tremendously improved smoothness and acceleration.
First, we removed the top butterflys so when you opened the throttle you got full effect and do not have to wait for secondaries to open, then second, we made a home-made manometer and sinc'd the carbs. End result was over 2500rpm pull was noticable smoother, and low end power now easily allows for wheelies. Before you really had to work to get tire off ground. Much easier now... that was measurable and noticable.

Neither bike is babied. Neither has had any noises or problems. His 03 has approx 30,000 miles on it maybe?
 
I think it's time for me to remove the butterfly/secondary thing. I've got some noticeable roughness at low RPMs.

My fix so far has been to rev 'er up!
 
Bought my DL1000K3 a few months back with about 10K on the odometer. It ran a little rough below 3K rpm so I put my name on the loaner Yosh box list on the V-Strom web site. One step richer setting at idle and low rpm range completely fixed my low rpm stumble and roughness. I have drilled exhaust, removed secondary butterflies, stiffer fork springs, 5 wt fork oil, Stebel horn, shortened rear fender, and balanced throttle bodies. Coming soon new tires, rear shock preload spacer, corrected rear drive sproket spacers and Leo Vince SBK slip-on exhaust.
 
Squeaky said:
I think it's time for me to remove the butterfly/secondary thing. I've got some noticeable roughness at low RPMs.

My fix so far has been to rev 'er up!

Or maybe it's time for a valve adjustment. ;-)
 
txmedic said:
Or maybe it's time for a valve adjustment. ;-)

Checked the valves at the tech day last month.
Well, we checked the back half since I didn't know I'd have to drain the radiator for the front...

It was all in spec. On the tighter end of the range, but all completely in spec. In another 5k or so I'm going to take it apart and do the whole thing along with the TB sync.
 
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