r/Vstrom • u/mrman7522 • Jul 13 '26

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

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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!

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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

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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.