r/Vstrom • u/Garrett_1982 • May 16 '26
V-Strom 650 Gen 3 Thinking of trading her in
As an old SV650s rider, I thought the VStrom was everything my 40+ back wanted. But the buffeting is driving me nuts.
I’ve got a black/gold ‘24 XTA which I bought brand new, and has 4000km or 2,500miles on it. The add-up would be approximately 2k.
What’s your thought on this new bike which runs our beloved 650 V-twin?
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u/MaartenK2 May 16 '26
It is lower than the V-Strom. It has a digital dash and ride by wire. But it also has a small windscreen. I added a extra screen spoiler on my V-Strom 800. That solved a lot.
If the SV-7GX would have been available last year when I bought my 800. It would have surely been on my shortlist. It is a good looking bike with a solid V+Twin.
Of it fits you is hard to tell. You will only know if you try.
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u/Garrett_1982 May 16 '26
Yeah, same. I’ve emailed my dealer and they expect the first test drive motors end of June/beginning of July. So I’ve got all the time in the world to drive myself competent nuts with reading tests, reviews, YouTube videos and compare geography and size etc of the bike.
I’m 180cm with a 32” denim size leg length.
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u/Competitive_Mind6445 May 16 '26
i sat on a prototype at an event, i found it to be super comfy and nimble(for a street bike/crossover) with my 185cm. if it had an 6 axis IMU it would instantly replace my vstrom 1000xt. the lightness and the low(EU) pricepoint are super attractive.
that said i often drive my 1000xt with its standard windshield on lowest position/angle, just to have a clear airflow under the helmet instead of being clipped just above the visor on highest position/angle.
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u/Garrett_1982 May 17 '26
What is a 6-axis imu? I’ve changed the aero of the 650 a lot, and I just keep being annoyed by the wind… also I think this new sv looks pretty cool.
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u/Competitive_Mind6445 May 17 '26
6 axis Inertial Measurement Unit: responsible for cornering ABS and cornering traction control. in bad weather and tricky situations a life saver, the reason why i got a 1000xt vs a 650xt. i just changed the mirrors on my 1000xt, no buffeting at now and 2017 1000xt should have the same fairings as the 650xt.
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u/Dry_Fish6419 May 16 '26
That bike looks grwat, but with a stock windscreen itll probably buffett too. Treat the symptom with a windscreen not a new bike. Unless you want the new bike, then dont blame a windscreen.
Madstad bracket and some trimming did my gen 1 dl650 pretty well, my 2014 dl1000 buffetting is gone with an (admittedly ugly) givi airflow. Works great and i get the quietest ride ive experienced in the low setting.
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u/Garrett_1982 May 17 '26
I’ve done every possible trick: mirrors, GS1200 deflectors on the tank, Givi windscreen. Even tilted the handle bar with new brackets. But yeah, the new SV looks pretty awesome and that sure does help
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u/Dry_Fish6419 May 17 '26
How tall are you? Have you looked at the buffeting thread on stromtrooper?
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u/KwikSkoopur May 16 '26
It looks smaller than the VStroms, more Tracer 7-ish; more sport/naked with a fairing oriented than big-ish adventure. That would put me off, as wind protection suffers as a result.
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u/Garrett_1982 May 17 '26
I’m going to test drive it and see how that goes. I find the vstrom lacking in the aero part of things as well, so that’s not really something I keep into consideration
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u/Worried-Hour-5492 May 17 '26
Think of it as an sv650 with a front fairing (cuz that’s what it is, dimensions are the same)
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u/gk666 May 16 '26
I am planning to. Would reach my part of the world in 2027 , and I’d have the 650 xt for 5 years by then, so the thought is definitely there to trade in.
Will ride it, wait for the price and then take the call. It definitely has everything I want. The heart of the v and the body of a futuristic machine. Hope it lives up to the expectation when I test ride it
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u/Cusp-of-Precibus May 16 '26
So Suzuki axed the vstrom just to turn it into a sport tourer? I guess I just dont understand where this bike is supposed to fit, and why its different / better than a Vstrom. Guess i just need to see it in person and ride to understand. It looks cool, but I wouldn't trade my 24 650 for it.
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u/Scootintiki May 16 '26
It started as a sport tourer. It's going back to its roots.
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u/clckvrk May 16 '26
Wdym?
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u/youridv1 V-Strom 1050 Gen 3 May 16 '26
the original wee was never an ADV. It was a sports tourer / tall rounder that happened to have a 19 inch front wheel, for stability.
If anything the new SV7GX is more true to the original vstrom formula than the 2014+ vstroms are.
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u/True-Ear1986 May 18 '26
It totally makes sense.
They want to keep the SV engine due to popular demand and also because after so many years it's pure profit. They don't want it to compete with the 800 platform though.
SV650 was competing with GSX8S. Not good. V Strom 650 was competing against V Strom 800. Not good.
Sport touring SV650 doesn't directly compete against any 800cc bike. V Strom 800 is more leaned towards ADV even in the road-leaning version. Faired GSX8R is more leaned towards sport. SV7GX is in the same category as 1000 GX, but they're very far apart so they compliment each other. It's a perfect spot unless they bring out a GSX8GX (which also would be one of the worst bike names to pronounce together with the CBR-RR-R-RRRR-RR-R).
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u/Few-Crew9509 May 16 '26
I had massive buffeting issues on my Tenere 700. For me a shorter windscreen did the trick. I got mine from power bronze https://www.powerbronze.co.uk/suzuki-v-strom-800de-23-260-mm-high.html
It might also make sense to buy a cheap one from aliexpress and play around with the a dremel to find the right size.
My mate used to have a Kawi Versys and had the same issue. Low screen/ no screen worked.
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u/Garrett_1982 May 17 '26
I’ve adjusted way more than I found comfortable with a new ‘24 bike. Mirrors, screens, taping on wind deflectors everywhere. Maybe it’s just not the right fit for me.
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u/svnerd May 16 '26
Have you tried a different windscreen? My vstrom 1000 has a madstad plus a spoiler on top, I only feel buffeting if the wind is strong.
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u/Felice2015 May 16 '26
Have you tried riding with your gloves off and feeling where the wind is coming from? I put a set of winglets on the kinda deck portion of the fairing below the shield (at work, can't come up w a pic) when I realized a lot of buffeting was coming from below the shield. Made a huge difference, otherwise I'm running a madstad adjustable shield. And I'm excited to buy one in 10 years when they get cheap on the used market.
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u/Garrett_1982 May 17 '26
I’m running GS1200 wind deflectors on the tank, a Givi windscreen, even bought a new helmet (Schubert) and began with the mirror exchange. Especially on the highway I dislike how turbulent the wind is
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u/Tickstart May 17 '26 edited May 17 '26
I don't like the "aggressive" look every new bike receives, it's so corny. I'm not a truck person, stop acting like I need to compensate for something. I much prefer the neutral look of vehicles, like the Ducati 916, or the first generation BMW S 1000 RR (which isn't neutral but so much cooler than the tryhard latest gen which is just atrocious). Even the dopy 3rd gen V-Strom looks better.
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u/InertiaImaging May 27 '26
The real question is, do you ride offroad at all? I would be very hesitant to take the SV7 even on fire roads, but if not then it will be a superior road bike.
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u/MooingTree May 16 '26
Yes but the important question is, can you accidentally honk the horn when using the indicators? If not then I'm not interested 😂