SoloBiker.com

2006 Suzuki DL650 V-Strom

Much better!

Getting the dry weight of the next bike down from 654 lbs to 418 lbs made a dramatic difference in my ability to keep this bike upright. Too bad it was probably too tall for a still-inexperienced rider.

Nevertheless, this was the first bike I felt comfortable enough on to ride regularly and even leave town for a trip – the whole reason I got into riding in the first place.

The V-Strom had an incredibly smooth motor, torquey, with a nice powerband. I kept this bike nearly a year, put several thousand miles on it, managed a 1,500 mile trip, and only dropped the bike once in the time I had it. Parking parallel to a downhill slope (again!) on the way to a Pashnit Spring Gathering in May 2006 was the culprit. That event caused me to miss the gathering as I then had to go into Carson City for parts.

First Long Motorcycle Trip - 05/2006 - Death Valley, CA

As much as I liked this bike, it wasn’t without it’s issues. The biggest one was a buffeting problem that I couldn’t solved after two adjusters and four different windshields. As a newbie, being on my tip-toes at stops was unnerving, and I had a constant issue with false neutrals between 2nd and 3rd gear.

Switching rides with a buddy one day, I got some time on a Harley Davidson Sportster. I immediately caught the bug, as it felt so much lower to the ground, and more “planted” at speed. After 10 months, I sold the V-Strom and rode home on a leftover 2006 Sportster.

1991 Honda ST1100

Next up was this 700lb behemoth – a 1991 Honda ST1100.

It was the sport touring bike I’d always wanted – only about 33% too big and 200lbs too heavy. I bought it off Ebay for a fair price, and it arrived in my driveway via a trucking company about 4 weeks later. The first time I tried to make a left hand turn with it at a traffic light, I nearly ran right into the signal pole. It was just so heavy and relatively hard to turn after the light as a feather Ninja 250R.

On my first ride, I rolled home into my driveway, up onto the walkway, went to put my left foot down, found no solid ground (my yard slopes slightly downward) and over I went. I barrel rolled away from the bike, and was uninjured.

This repeated itself twice more in the next four weeks, including once at the DMV right in front of the inspector!!

Finally, I came to my senses and realized this was FAR too much bike for me to handle with only 3 months of riding experience. I put it up for sale, and a fellow forum member of Pashnit.com purchased it. He was a veteran rider of 30+ years, and I felt so much better having the bike in more experienced hands.

About 5 months after purchasing the bike, he had a terrible high-side accident with it in northern California near the Oregon border. He survived the life-threatening injuries, but has not been able to ride since. I will always carry a piece of regret with me over that. If I hadn’t foolishly bought more bike then I could handle, that chain of events never would have occured.

I did make a better choice with the next bike. The same day the ST1100 rolled away, I purchased a brand new 2006 Suzuki V-Strom 650.

2003 Kawasaki Ninja 250R - My First Bike!

This was my very first bike. I actually bought it before I could ride it. For the princely sum of $1900, it was mine. I had to rent a U-Haul to get it home! It was a very nice bike with only 1,023 miles on it when I bought it in September 2005.

Two weeks later, I completed the MSF course, and started riding this bike around the neighborhood. Maybe it was the fact that I was a total newbike on a bike, but this thing had the jerkiest throttle of any bike I’ve owned.

It was a screamer too. You had to be above 8,000 RPM in order for this bike to go anywhere. At freeway speeds (75+) it felt like it was going to either come apart, or get blown off the road.

It spooked me a bit.

After a few months, I foolishly declared myself ready for a bigger bike. I knew what I wanted: a mid-size, mid-displacement sport touring bike. Of course, that kind of bike really isn’t sold in the U.S., so I jumped ahead to an ST bike that was available here – the 700 pound Honda ST1100.

That turned out to be a mistake.

I really wish I’d kept the little 250 longer. Gettting rid of it too quickly really slowed my progression toward becoming a competent rider.

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Look for detailed information coming soon on previous bikes owned, gear reviews, and information on trips previous and planned, in addition to regular updates.

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