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51
V-Strom specific discussion / Re: What have you done with your V-Strom today?
« Last post by purplebikeunicorn on February 05, 2026, 17:24:12 »
First time out since November (life gets in the way eh). Great start, *click* *click* battery flat. Showing 10.6v so possibly dropped a cell. Luckily 30 mins on the charger put enough in to go out, but out we went without any more bother!

At this point I've figured out that the V-Strom suspension, unless it is because mine is old, is totally one-rated for its total payload capacity. Had SWMBO on the back for the first time and felt like I only had 50mm or so travel left in the suspension, a very very odd sensation, and that was with it cranked up to the max. Will have to explore that in a few months!
52
The Blue Oyster bar / Re: What are you listening to right now?
« Last post by nigel s on February 05, 2026, 16:51:41 »
Volume you say  :icon_wink:

Cosmic Psychos , more on Mad Macka another time ....

53
The Blue Oyster bar / Re: The moaning old git thread
« Last post by nigel s on February 05, 2026, 16:41:43 »
Hmm , when I put my sim in my last phone , not the present one , it would not get 5g .
Was told it would take a while to come on ???
It didn't , took it back to the O2 shop....." Oh.. we get that all the time ...we will put a new sim in "... 5 mins later sorted and all good ...... :shrug:
54
The Blue Oyster bar / Re: The moaning old git thread
« Last post by Brockett on February 05, 2026, 16:34:02 »
I had another trawl through recent bills and noticed that I have never used even 1Gb of data .e.g last month 0.04 Gb. Following Nigels advice I checked through the DATA USED doodab and that showed mostly nothing has been used. Also on my O2 home page I entered a query for 'no 5G' and straight away got the response. "Sorry, it looks like your local service has failed, click the link to receive a text when it is available".  2 hours later my phone was able to pick up 4G. ( I turned the wifi off to detect this.) So the 'Adviser' who told me I was out of data with a  "would you like to purchase more", was wrong.  They must be trained to deal with all things going wrong as " it's not us so it must be you, so buy more data". All this started yesterday when I went to Argos to collect a parcel but could not get the collection code off my email due to no internet connection. 
Good job I am retired or I'd be billing them for the 4 hours or so that I wasted fannying around with my phone and the interweb today.  On the brightiside the unhappy penny pinching side of my brain was engaged and I didn't invest in more data.
As for the iphone - that is going to my son. He really wants it. I hope they are happy together.
55
The Blue Oyster bar / Re: What have you done today
« Last post by nigel s on February 05, 2026, 16:28:14 »
Again , Ta gents  :thumb:

Pete ,Ta , the poor light is not something I worry about TOO much , I have as set of spots on my desk that have been there for 2 ? years waiting to go on the 650 .....might ? get round to fitting them to the next bike .... :shock:

pstm , Ta , the engine braking was one thing I liked about the 650 , being able to regulate speed without the brakes was a nice thing . I have a game I play when I overtake coming into a 30 , then roll up to the enevitable speed sign without touching the brakes at bang on 30 ...then smile as the overtaken car sets it off..... may even give a purposeful look in the mirror ( seen you  :haha: )  makes me smile anyway........ :lala:
 As to the screen , I remember a post on Stromtroopers where a 650 owner had managed to finagle his Madstad onto his 800 , I will keep the Madstad and put the ( only used for 30 miles  :icon_wink: ) OE one back on  the 650 when the time comes I think :thumb:

2112 , ta, my Triumph dealer , Lings , is very good . I got my GasGas from them and a CBR600FM back in the day. No worries there .
But reliability is one of my main concerns so ......? ..having a summer trip ruined , say , 'cos a simple warning light is on and it is in limp mode and the part is not avaliable  would cheese me off no end...
56
The Blue Oyster bar / Re: What have you done today
« Last post by pstm on February 05, 2026, 15:59:26 »
For Nigel S

The vibes on my RE seemed to drop away after about a thousand miles. Like yourself, I'm not unfamiliar with parallel twins (despatched and destroyed a couple of Superdreams and the like back in the day) and to some degree I think it's just what you've been used to. The RE has, I found, a very different engine character to the 650 strom I came from. The first few times I rode it I was almost caught out by the comparative lack of engine decompression and had to get used to using the brakes a bit more. Talking of which, are a bit lackluster. My next 'mod' will be some replacement pads - some HH's improved the 650's stopping noticeably.
It's fun! I think you'll get on with it. To me, much better handling than the 650 with a softish but compliant ride. Add that to the extra power and it's all smiles. It hasn't got the absolute grunt of a big bike (especially in 6th) and occasionally dropping a gear is needed (this could be just me pootling along in too high a gear though). The nimbleness is great and it hides it weight well. I've had no issues with the OE tyres - would some Trail attacks or michy 6's be better? No doubt, but I'm in no rush to swap 'em out. Comfier than the 650. Hardly been touring on it but have ridden past the 75 to 90 minutes mark where I'd have to get off the 650 for a bum break. The rider modes are genuinely useful, icy mornings power down, ABS and traction up.
On the negative side, the lights are appalling, budget for some spots unless you never ride in the dark. The screen? It's more of a wall. You'll have a job using your bracketry from your 650 on it. Just about sorted mine now I think - I'll bung some pics up in a new topic in the Strom bit of the forum as don't want to fill up this bit too much.





 
57
V-Strom specific discussion / Re: 2004 VStrom 650 Cold Start Issue
« Last post by Rixington43 on February 05, 2026, 15:38:26 »
For the secondary balance I pushed one throttle plate fully closed (The plates on my 07 move freely with the engine off, if yours don't then don't force them as I believe some earlier models are fixed). I measured the distance from the top of the throttle body to the plate with a depth guage and then held the plate closed whilst I set the other to match. Anywhere close is fine I believe so, if you've tried and got close, good enough.

I would suggest a primary balance though, it might be fine but, if they're out then a balance will dramatically improve idling when cold.
Fingers crossed you're all good on your next test run.
Looks like your temp guage is all good though so hopefully it's just getting the fast idle cam position right and you're sorted.
58
V-Strom specific discussion / The Desnorkelisation of the Strom
« Last post by pstm on February 05, 2026, 15:07:17 »
After watching a few 800 YouTube vids about airbox mods decided to have a go.

The stage one mod is apparently Snorkels off and the mesh and foam layers removed from the filter itself.

So this must be stage zero point 5 or something.

Get yourself a special tool like what I did - an old blunt, rounded former screwdriver mostly used for paint tin lids and wiggle it in at the top where the snorkel meets the airbox. Gently lever it about a bit and off they pop. No need to remove battery or airbox lid. Reckon they would need removal to get the snorkels back on though.

A few test rides later and woo! Becoming addicted to roll-ons just for the growl.

Thoroughly recommend it.

Now, if it would stop bleedin' raining for a minute.






59
The Blue Oyster bar / Re: What have you done today
« Last post by Pete O Tube on February 05, 2026, 12:29:52 »
nigel s - I'm another 800RE owner, have had it about a year but only done a few k miles.

Few issues - the headlight isn't the best but adjusting it helps, both for seeing by at night but also being seen by day and the suspension is a little soft but that's not a bad thing as it does make for a comfy ride.

I don't notice the vibes as I don't sit on motorways, for A and B road stuff, it's barely noticeable.

Economy is great, 65mpg easily, grunty motor - it actually feels more responsive than my 1000 - a little more manageable and agile than the 1000.
60
V-Strom specific discussion / New DL800RE road test on YouTube
« Last post by pstm on February 05, 2026, 12:25:13 »
From YouTuber Georgie Roams

https://youtu.be/b_AhNll62Z8?si=AKVNZznozADOb_XI
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