should i or not

[captainpugwash]

well , what can i say , ive been looking at the f650gs for some time as i have allways liked the looks of the bike , thing is i have a mint low mileage 2006 suzuki dl650 v-strom thats only done 5600 miles should i flog it and look at a 650gs , as theirs been afew on evilbay over the last few weeks with low miles 5-6k , i do the odd light trail and the odd run to the sun (when we get some) italy and france , so the question is should i flog the v strom and buy a f650gs or is the strom a better bike for what i do , anybody gone from a dl650 to a gs shed some light on this , cheers

 

[captainpugwash]

must be to hard a question

 

[Avalon]

What are you looking to gain by changing? Work out the cost to change and see if you think that amount of money is worth it.

I know the engine from the SV and it's decent enough, Suzuki's fit and finish isn't massively different to BMW (engine paint issues etc), OK the GS gets better mpg than the SV lump can (i've averaged 72mpg on my last two tanks) but as you do so few miles is this really a consideration? If it's about comfort i'd suspect the DL may win, two up if the engine performs as per the SV I suspect it may be slightly more usable at a higher speed than the GS but shouldn't be much in it at all. I'm not knocking the GS (i've just purchased one) but my reasons were mpg, practicality/reliability and comfort in pretty much that order. Good job they were in that order as after 450 miles a week commuting i'm not sure I could live with the stock seat if I did any proper distance work, I see a re-trim in my future

 

[Flipfly]

For the trails.......yes

For the run to the sun.......No


The 650 single is a great bike, but for long distances a twin will always be more comfortable. I toured France, Italy and Germany on my Dakar and loved it, but it was hard work at times. Personally I can accept that as the handling was ace and I always pick the long twisty route over the short straight route.
Hitting Northern France in the wind and rain and trying to get to the terminal on time meant 2 hours of dual carriageway boredom and the Dak was a touch tiresome, where the DStrom would be more like wifeys cosseting Transalp.

 

[wildbeeste]

For the trails.......yes

For the run to the sun.......No


The 650 single is a great bike, but for long distances a twin will always be more comfortable. I toured France, Italy and Germany on my Dakar and loved it, but it was hard work at times. Personally I can accept that as the handling was ace and I always pick the long twisty route over the short straight route.
Hitting Northern France in the wind and rain and trying to get to the terminal on time meant 2 hours of dual carriageway boredom and the Dak was a touch tiresome, where the DStrom would be more like wifeys cosseting Transalp.

+1

 

[Dansin]

For the trails.......yes

For the run to the sun.......No


The 650 single is a great bike, but for long distances a twin will always be more comfortable. I toured France, Italy and Germany on my Dakar and loved it, but it was hard work at times. Personally I can accept that as the handling was ace and I always pick the long twisty route over the short straight route.
Hitting Northern France in the wind and rain and trying to get to the terminal on time meant 2 hours of dual carriageway boredom and the Dak was a touch tiresome, where the DStrom would be more like wifeys cosseting Transalp.

+1. We've toured to the South of France 2 up a few times and when the suns shining and you're on the twisty N's and D's the Dak is great fun. Dual carriageways and motorways for any distance are a chore.

 

[Daisy Duke]

I don't know, I bought my GS with comfort in mind just as much as mpg. I needed something light, easy to handle and most importantly comfortable on long journeys as I'm more metal than bone after a previous misunderstanding with a car. I've put 2k miles on the GS in the past couple of weeks alone and each time got off it without the usual aches and pains you'd expect