V Strom or Versys?

[M1C]

Good morning.

I passed late last year and my first 'big' bike is a 2011 Gladius. I like the bike...but you can sense there is a but.

I'm 6ft 2 and 17/18 stone and having just got back from the IOM last week (which was great, we were lucky and had 4 days of great weather), after the horrible slog of getting back home to the NE, have decided that the bike is a bit small and uncomfortable for me.

I love the engine, gearbox and the general 'ease of use' of the bike...but would like something a bit bigger/taller.

Not bothered about more power, say what you will but at the moment this kind of power is more than enough for me.

So....both the V Strom and Versys get quite positive write ups by owners and reviews. Does anyone have any recent experience/thoughts on them?

I have a low budget so would be looking at early-ish examples of either.

My main thing at the moment is that i'd like more comfort, a bit more 'room' and more wind protection.

Other similar kind of bikes are welcomed too....kinda like the 'safe' option of a Strom 650 as i feel my bike is related to that in many ways (which it will be)

I do like the look of the Versys though (the 2010 onward one).

Thoughts and opinions welcome.

[Cylon2007]

A mate of mine who is you kind of build has the 1050 Vstrom and loves it and it has the same engine layout and gearbox feel should be similar to your Gladuis, as always get a test ride on both then make your own decision.

[carinaman]

If you like other aspects of your Gladius then it seems the 650 or 1000 V-Strom is the way to go. I should've perhaps bought a V-Strom 650 when they were on offer this time last year. I was at a dealer last week and their V-Strom 650 demo had surface rust on the exhaust flange around the area below the footpegs, but the pipe is on show and open to the elements so stood out.

I was talking to a motorcyclist who had some obscure JDM cruiser around a year ago and they opined the SV-650 had a fun engine and the Z650 parallel twin engine was a bit bland and vanilla and something I'd possibly get bored of quite quickly.

I tilted a new 800 V-Strom off of the sidestand at the dealers last week and it's too big for me and the 100 yards around where the garage is.

Edited by carinaman on Monday 20th May 12:01

[carinaman]

If you're considering an early V-Strom 650 there's an aftermarket loom kit to wire the twin H4? headlamp bulbs via a relay instead of through the light switch and apparently the difference is night and day.

Being able to see in the dark is important to me.

I don't know if the Versys headlamps are plain better as standard.

[KTMsm]

Personally I find the Versys 650 has more character and is a nicer bike to ride

The V Strom is just dull

[Tam_Mullen]

Havent ridden either, but have ridden the ER6 and had an SV650. I thought the V of the SV was a bit more characterful than the twin in the ER.

[Justatwist]

I commuted on a vstrom 650 for 2 years and absolutely loved the bike.
I’m 6ft 1in and 18 stone so almost identical to you. The only issue I experienced was the wind buffering when hitting motorway speeds, I replaced the screen with an adjustable one but, I was never completely happy. I maybe could have tried a different screen but I didn’t do many motorway journeys so didn’t bother.
But, overall I would recommend the vstrom and still keep a look out for any “cheap” ones that may pop up locally.

[black-k1]

I'd suggest that the best answer to this question is to go and test ride both. They will be different and I'm sure both are great machines but only you will know which "difference" best suits you.

[HairyMaclary]

I had a 67 plate versys 650 GT as my first big bike for 3 years. I loved it and would probably still have it if I'd not tried a litre bike. Never let me down and was very cheap to run and insure.

It can commute and tour. Short TMF types say it's top heavy and tall but if your over 6ft you'll have no issues. Because it can do lots of things well it gets a bad rep from cool kids who say it's boring.

My only issues was when loaded up with panniers it was abit underpowered on the motorway. Would sit all day at 75 but would take more planning when overtaking.

I had a go on the vstrom which has a more adventure bike style where the versys is more road focused.

I nearly swapped it for a v1k but ended up with a KTM as I fancied a change.

[Biker9090]

Why not stretch to a 1000?

Negligible weight difference and a fair bit more power for motorways and much more room. My friend has the 650 and it is noticeably smaller/more cramped.

I'm a similar size as you (6' 1" and 18 stone) and the 1050XT fits me like a glove.

I honestly can't really say anything bad about it...... Even the stock suspension is acceptable.

My Uncle has the older 1000 (2017 model) and loves his as well.

The added benefit is that the 1000 (2017 - 2020) and the 1050XT (2020 - 2022) have cornering ABS which is an absolutely incredible piece of tech. The 2017 models are farily cheap now as well with basically nothing going wrong with them.

The Versys always seemed very top heavy looking to me.

Edited by Biker9090 on Monday 20th May 17:07

[HalfManHalfJaffaCake]

I had a 2005 V-Strom 650 from new for a couple of years - I'd been riding for a year at that point and it was only my second bike. I still look back on it fondly, it never let me down and I did about 15,000 miles a year on it.

I'd just say two things though:
- I never found a solution for the buffeting, though a short screen made a difference (taking it off altogether was even better, but not a good look).
- If you're going to change your bike think carefully about whether you want one with the same engine, there's a huge variety out there and maybe it's an opportunity to try something different, even if it's going for a 1000. The 650 is a great engine though.

[KTMsm]

Whilst I agree that the 1000 V Strom is a similar bike to the 650 (dull)

The 1000 Versys is a completely different bike to the 650 (and not necessarily in a good way) possibly a better cruiser but a very different feel and mine had a terrible vibration that many seemed to share

[Steve_H80]

Either will do you well but I would recommend visiting a bike shop and sitting on them to see which fits you best.
If you're looking at the v-strom with spoked wheels just be aware that the spokes tarnish and look scruffy in no time at all. They don't fail and are tubeless on the 650 and 1000 versions, but if looks are important to you go for cast wheels.
Another bike to consider if you're on a budget is a TDM900.

[snagzie]

Have a look at the Moto Guzzi V85 TT too. Great looking bikes, not fast, Reliable and big enough.

[hiccy18]

If you've got less than a years experience then insurance may put the kibosh on litre bikes. I loved my SV650, being not much lighter than the OP I found above 6K RPM it had enough power to shift, and below there it was an economical pootler. As others have said, test riding the V-Strom and Versys makes sense.

TDM900 is a good shout also, and the V85TT is such a charismatic lump it's definitely worth a look.

[RizzoTheRat]

You might also want to consider the Africa Twin, and I love the look of the newer Tigers, and the Tracer could be worth a look. But if you want reliability, decent comfort, and fun on a budget then definitely look at the TDM too.

[carinaman]

TDM900 is a good call.

Without looking I don't know how it compares to V-Strom 650 MPG wise and range wise.

[M1C]

Thank you everyone for your feedback

[RizzoTheRat]

carinaman said:

TDM900 is a good call.

Without looking I don't know how it compares to V-Strom 650 MPG wise and range wise.

I get 180 miles or so to reserve on the TDM, and an easy 20+ once the reserve light has come on. Fuel economy probably not as good as more modern bikes though, I rarely track it but probably 50ish average.