Hi everyone. I bought a 650 XT earlier this month from Thunder Road in Bridgend. I’ve been away from biking for the last 15 years having spent the last three years being indecisive about coming back! In that time I looked at and test rode a few things like the Tiger 800, BMW F800GS and the Africa Twin but then recently started looking at the V-Strom. I test rode it back to back with a Versys 650 and my mind was made up straight away. The other bikes were good but the V Strom can do everything I need at considerably less money and I love the straightforward feel if it. I have squeezed in a few rides between shifts (just finished a night a little earlier!) since I bought it all of them between 100 and 200 miles and have really enjoyed it. Reading the reviews one of the things that came up was it’s relative lack of gizmos but coming from a background of middleweight bikes of the CX/GS/Z/ER variety traction control and ABS seems like high-tech to me! Not having the latest TFT screen means you can spend more time riding the bike and concentrating on the road which can only be a good thing. I am certainly no speed freak but even with quite spirited riding I’ve been getting 70 to the gallon which is fantastic. Attached is a picture I took up on the Brecons on my way back to Bristol from Bridgend on the day I bought the bike.
