Recent content by redFazer

Ride report after 75 miles. Definitely more fun as a commuter. The low end torque makes it a lot easier on my wrists, the FZ6 clutch this is not. But out on the highway, it was a different story. It had a touring (V-Stream) windshield installed, which made handling and wind buffeting very...

This is the ad - 2008 suzuki v-strom 1000 I bought the bike yesterday. It has all the stuff I need for my upcoming trip so that is a big bonus. I did not find anything comparable within driving distance. Hopefully the ride is worth the money. I rode it home last evening with all the boxes...

Can you post a link? I looked around and I found this to be the best deal. The price includes givi cases, touring windscreen, heated grips, fog lights and 12v outlet. The fact that it is setup fully for touring is a big plus for me, since my trip is coming up in 3 weeks. In addition the bike...

Here are my thoughts on this issue and how I got around it The FZ has about 100W to spare (IIRC) when everything is stock. If you do city commuting and stop more than you ride - then you are discharging the battery more than you charge. At 1800rpm it produces enough power to charge the bike...

I am planning on a test ride of a 2010 versys, just for the hell of it. Probably next weekend.

Its time for an update: 2011 V-Strom 650: I rode this yesterday evening. Nice and tall. Liked the ergonomics, seat height etc.(I am 6 ft, 205). The bike had only 800 miles on it and had suzuki OEM side cases and a bags connection tank bag (with a 12V outlet inside). But the ride itself was...

I am hoping a test ride of the 650 V-Strom (set for Saturday) clears things up for me. The guy has the bike loaded with everything I need for my week trip to CO. So that's a big plus. After my friend lost his leg in a M/C accident last year, I have a gotten a bit cautious. So I am trying to...

I am going to test ride a 2011 V-Strom 650 with ABS this weekend. Probably a V-Strom 1000 as well. The 650 is close to the SV650 in terms of ride. I thought the SV struggled past 90 (it was naked though) when I rode my friends bike. I like to cruise around 105 :ban: Hopefully the 650 will make...

CMantis - Your inbox is full and I am not able to write back to you.

The FZ6 has a small alternator, so there is not a whole lot of excess power to play with. IIRC, there is only 100W of excess capacity. I did some reading about it in this forum. I use a trickle charger. I had two OEM batteries die on me in the first two years. Eventually I figured out (thanks...

Thanks for the suggestions so far. The V-Strom and the Versys look pretty interesting. I don't think the FJR would work as it has too much plastic and it looks a bit bulky. I live in Chicago and lane filtering (it is illegal) is what keeps me sane during commuting. I rode next to a FJR and...

Last year my riding buddy got hit in Chicago city by a illegal, unlicensed and uninsured driver who took a left turn into him. He lost his leg !! He is now putting his life back together the best he can. Hopefully he will get back on a bike sometime in the future. Please make sure that your...

Hello Everyone I am a long time lurker and first time poster. I need some help picking my next ride. I have an 2006 FZ6 that I dropped last year (a dumb case of carelessness and target fixation). It was low speed (under 30 mph) crash with no major injuries. But the shop did a crash estimate...