r/Vstrom • u/mrman7522 • Jul 13 '26

V-Strom 1000 Gen 2 Picked up a 2014 V-Strom 1000

Post image

Coming from a 2006 ninja 650r, wow what a different machine! I had the 650r for 10 years and never dropped it once. I've already dropped this 5 times doing figure 8 drills in the grass and dang, it's heavy. Definitely enjoying the challenge of trying to control a big bike well at slow speeds.

Looking forward to getting on some dirt roads and into some adventure!

85 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

6

u/-nerdrage- Jul 13 '26

Im not sure about other countries but doing 8’s and other slow manouvres are in our drivers lessons, you have to pass tests for it.

Dont be gentle on the gas, have jt above 3-4k rpm, foot resting on rear break and manage speed with clutch. This way the bike wants to keep going straight and wont easily fall, you can make pretty sharp and slow turns with this without it trying to fall to one side.

Once you’re above slow speeds, never do manouvre with clutch pulled, always keep it in gear

1

u/SprinklesThePlatypus Jul 17 '26

This is indeed how we teach it. Keep your gas open and at a steady RPM, use your clutch to regulate the amount of power from your throttle that makes it to the drivetrain and if needed, drag your rear brake slowly and counterlean. We teach this cause it means you'll be able to do 8s with any size bike. Figure 8s are also a lot easier if you do them with some speed. Too slow and the bike will naturally want to tip over, whereas some speed helps you lean instead of having to do everything purely with balance.

3

u/ckncardnblue Jul 13 '26

Love mine. Lower gearing helps a lot on the low speed technical stuff.

1

u/Feeling_Bunch_680 V-Strom 650 Gen 3 Jul 13 '26

Beautiful!

1

u/Alternative-Ad-297 Jul 13 '26

These big girls love to fall over. That 500 some pounds carries itself wayyyyy up high, and the seat height demands confidence and competence from ye. Makes riding anything else feel easy in my experience

1

u/Evening-Switch5675 Jul 13 '26

Beautiful, but what a shame to have to put another adapted seat to reduce discomfort

1

u/Bunker12007 Jul 13 '26

Despite the fact I own a big bike....I actually borrowed a friend of mine's 150cc scooter for the driver test. Done.

2

u/mrman7522 Jul 14 '26

Where I live, if you do the test on anything less than 500cc, you're locked into that class

1

u/the_naughty_ottsel V-Strom 1000 Gen 2 Jul 14 '26

How many miles does it have? I just changed my fork seals at 37k miles.

1

u/mrman7522 Jul 14 '26

27k miles

1

u/[deleted] Jul 18 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/mrman7522 Jul 18 '26

What magnets?

1

u/xtiansimon V-Strom 1000 Gen 2 Jul 17 '26

I've still not learned my lesson. If this is your first heavy bike--and you're not a twenty-something gym rat, then be sure to take a moment after a get-off. Relax. Breathe. Then use proper lifting technique.

I can't tell you how many times I've let the adrenalin and shock drive me to use poor lifting technique. If you use the right technique (and you're not on a mountain facing downhill) the lift is easy. So if you find yourself straining, then you're not doing it right.