Suzuki DL650A
My new bike, a Suzuki V-Strom 650 (DL650A). It replaces the Bandit 1200 which I simply wasn’t running hard enough to keep the engine happy.
The DL650 has fuel injection and ABS, both of which are very good. The seat is very high, which isn’t exactly a problem but certainly isn’t ideal. I suspect I’m going to find it awkward to mount on slopes when I’m wearing leather overpants.
The steering is very quick. This has real benefits, but I’m used to sport tourers and superbikes which have longer wheelbases and more raked-out front forks to track better. This will take a little getting used to.
The engine spins up quickly. The transmission is positive, and the brakes are very good. I like the instrumentation better than that of any other bike I have owned. (The tach is analog; the other readouts are digital.)
Redline is 10K; I expect to cruise at 5-7K on my normal commute rather than the 3-4K of the Bandit (which redlines at 11K).
I’ll close with my first thought as I prepared to start the bike to ride home: Where’s the choke?
And then I remembered the fuel injection.