Bye Bye "V"

http://www.contactdi.com/2013/IX702284.jpg

Tuesday, 5 June 2007 - There's a giant smile on my face because I just rode home on my new Suzuki V-Strom 650. Fast forward 6 years, 3 months, 4 days, and 50 thousand kilometers later.

http://www.contactdi.com/2013/IMG20130909112135.jpg

...that giant smile is now on the face of felix, the new owner of the bike.

It's a tough thing to let a loved one go, but I'm moving in a different direction these days and don't have much time for the Wee Strom. The slow creep of the concrete tiled monster has filled much of Guangdong over the years, and I find it takes more and more time and distance to satiate my lust for new adventures. I still intend to hit plenty of mountain bike and enduro trails when I'm in China, but my focus now is on growing my business and moving my family to the U.S. I'll keep the Galaxy TGR and the QingQi QM250 here, and probably look at the FJR1300 or Concourse 14 for a bike in the states.


So felix and I made this deal while I was spending two months in the U.S. this summer. It was all making perfect sense to me at the time, but when I got back to China and actually had to put the plan in motion, well, let's just say I wasn't feeling so great about letting my baby go. It's been pretty tough looking at the big hole she left in my garage and the thought of felix fondling her everyday is still a bit unsettling.

Anyway.... a deals a deal so I had to run her over to Guilin last week. A six hundred kilometer trip that turned into a two day 1300 kilometer farewell tour.

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Loaded and ready. I was up far too late just sitting with her in the garage but still managed to get on the road by 6:00 am.

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I tried to map out a lot of X roads and goat trails on Google Earth, as usual, China never disappoints.

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X383 near Yangshan.

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Last "selfie" with my girl.

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Rice... imagine that.

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Lot's of rain this year so it's very green in GD.

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First time I've seen windmills down here in the south.

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Still plenty of rural life in northern Guangdong and Guangxi.

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I like the wooden architecture, a pleasant change from the concrete boxes.

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Clean water... beautiful.

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65 kilometers of this. Guangxi has a lot of bad roads.

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1 hour delay while they cleared up this landslide. Two choices, wait an hour, or backtrack 2.5 hours on 65 kilometers of road that looked like a bombing run on the ho chi minh trail. I waited.

http://www.contactdi.com/2013/IMG2033.jpg

The very last stop and picture of my baby. I called felix to let him know I was running late and plowed through the last 100k. My last trip had been just like every other... fascinating, frustrating, beautiful, ugly, you know how it goes, and you can also understand why I think the V-Strom is one of the finest motorcycles you could possibly have for the ever changing conditions of China.

Enjoy every minute felix :sad: :goodtime: :chinese:

The stats:

Day 1
Distance 709 kilometers
13 hours 15 minutes
Stopped: 1 hour 22 minutes
Moving: 11 hours 53 minutes
Average Speed 59.63 km/h
Ascending 7862 meters
Descending 7728 meters

Day 2
587 Kilometers
12 hours 54 minutes
Stopped: 1 hour 46 minutes
Moving: 11 hours 7 minutes
Average Speed 52.81 km/h
Ascending 6533 meters
Descending 6485 meters

Cheers!

how long before felix fits a chair to the poor thing

You'll have to change your name to China "?". I was always so envious of your ride but I could never understand why you dabbled about with other inferior bikes. It's true that for exploring China you be hard pushed to find a bike even half as good bike as a Strom.

Back in May when I met Felix he mentioned that hes waiting for a day when youll be ready to let her go. Patience is a virtue.

Great bike!
sorry for your loss ;)

Felix 幸运的猪

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ChinaV

... my focus now is on growing my business and moving my family to the U.S.

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Best wishes to you! A wise choice, for many reasons, in my opinion.

I am sure Felix will take perfect care of the "V", although perhaps never equaling the meticulous & fastidious Mr. Clean approach. :icon10: By the way, the second pic ... is that ChinaV dirt from the trip? Or is it Felix dirt after running it around the block?

And if Felix puts a CJ bucket on the V (as Zhu suggested), just email a few of us - we'll track him down and set him straight.

FJR gets my vote, not that it matters.

Any of you Southerners looking for the most indirect way to Guilin/Yangshuo can try this route.

http://www.contactdi.com/2013/finalvstromride.jpg

This is a direct Google Maps Link

This is a link to the KML file.

Cheers!

Holy shit i can't believe it's mine, hasn't sunk in yet. I own a V-strom, no, i own THE chinaV-strom. Sitting in the garage gawking at how much bike it is, am i worthy of this machine? Did i earn it?

Literally years of wearing chinaV down trying to convince him to sell, damn right i earned it.

I know parting was emotional, i felt like i was stealing your child. I'll do my best to do it justice masterV. I'll get it dirty and keep it clean. I'll try to show it parts of china it hasn't seen yet. I'll wash my balls before every ride.

Just kidding, it already smells like my crotch.


Ok now let's talk mods. Obviously a 250kg chair on the right with 1930s suspension to 'stabilise' the bike. I've also seen a lot of kids with blue led light strips on their bikes and that's pretty cool so i'm definitely covering it in those if i can afford them. For the seat i'm thining either snakeskin or green dyed snakeskin.


Here are some pics from the last few days. It's gobbled up everything from rocky single track to fast sweepers beautifully. I haven't had time to go very far yet but luckily i don't need to go very far where i live now.


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I love my new back yard.


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Longji rice terraces. (notice how clean it is?)


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Her head didn't even reach the tank.


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Spot the odd one out.

Congrats Felix! I was gonna be up next week but this typhoon has put the brakes on that. That route ChinaV did looks like fun, maybe we could do a vstrom vs jialing comparison RR. Speaking of my jialing the thing nearly killed me yesterday as it overheated and when I was messing around with coolant I got bitten 150 ish times by ants and found out i'm allergic! im sure that wouldn't have happened on a susuki!

The end of an era! Wow... didn't expect you to actually sell it... the bike always was fantastic and you kept it looking as if it was brand new! You've pretty much set the gold standard for looking after bikes, congrats Felix! And condolences to you Mr. V

Felix, does this mean that your old qingqi is out for grabs? I was thinking of buying a second hand off road bike :)

All I can say/write... is... I AM farkin Jealous... with a capital J.
:taz:

Futian, without the Jialing you would never have found out you're allergic to ants. You should write to them to say thanks.

Sorry Modron, the qingqi is already sold.

Doc i empathise, and Serpentza i do realise how lucky i am.


This is my first v twin ever. It's got such big balls. I fucking love it. There's such a deep joyous feeling every time i twist that throttle.


ChinaV i reckon i might just use this thread now to you show you how much fun i'm having with your bike. That should ease the pain.

https://aq6gja.dm1.livefilestore.com...007.jpg?psid=1

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That last one was pretty hairy, two up and a 200kg bike with ditches on each side and no way to put your feet down...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by felix

https://aq6gja.bn1.livefilestore.com...975.jpg?psid=1
I love my new back yard.

https://aq6gja.bn1.livefilestore.com...987.jpg?psid=1
Longji rice terraces. (notice how clean it is?)


https://aq6gja.bn1.livefilestore.com...992.jpg?psid=1
Her head didn't even reach the tank.


https://aq6gja.bn1.livefilestore.com...002.jpg?psid=1
Spot the odd one out.

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Yeah, except you have to pay to get up into those old tea plantation villages. Rip-off IMO. I was somewhat disappointed that those mountains where the two mountain minority villages are all pay-to-see now. Nice but too commercialised. Not to detract from your DL650 acquisition though...

damn, too late!!! anyway, Ill try to pick something up locally

Quote:

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Originally Posted by felix

https://aq6gja.dm1.livefilestore.com...035.jpg?psid=1

That last one was pretty hairy, two up and a 200kg bike with ditches on each side and no way to put your feet down...

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some skills right there

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ZMC888

You'll have to change your name to China "?". I was always so envious of your ride but I could never understand why you dabbled about with other inferior bikes. It's true that for exploring China you be hard pushed to find a bike even half as good bike as a Strom.

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I too was wondering the same thing...

Motorcycle USA 2014 Suzuki V Strom 1000 first look article...
Monday 23 Sept 2013.
Attachment 13816

The Suzuki V-Strom 1000 will get its long anticipated redesign update for the 2014 model year.

Suzuki teased the long-awaited overhaul when it unveiled the concept V-Strom 1000 during last year’s Intermot show. Big changes were promised during the reveal and Suzuki has come through on its word, announcing a production V-Strom 1000 for 2014 that boasts a slew of upgrades to challenge for a share of the ever-growing adventure-touring segment.

The 2014 V-Strom 1000 gets more oomph than its predecessor with a larger, 1037cc V-Twin that has been bored-out by 2mm. Its cylinders, cylinder heads, pistons, piston rings, connecting rods, crankshaft, clutch assembly and radiator were all redesigned to help improve performance in the low- to mid-range. A redesigned flywheel is said to have “greater inertial weight” allowing for increased control at the low-end of the powerband. The Suzuki Dual Throttle Valve system is claimed to improve combustion efficiency and an updated engine control unit works to optimize ignition and fuel injection. A 32-bit engine control module aids in more precise engine management, improving fuel economy and linear throttle response.

Eiji Sasaki, Suzuki’s Engine Experiment Engineer, offered these remarks about the updated V-Twin: “With their unique low rpm rumble and strong high rpm, V-Twins are very unique. However, they can be tricky to ride at low speeds due to their increased combustion shock.

Attachment 13818
“Therefore, our development theme was to make it smoother at low-to-mid range rpm for touring while maintaining the free-revving nature at high rpm. As the engine was originally designed as a sport bike engine, it naturally has a free-revving character at high rpm. So our focus was on how to develop the engine character to make it easier to control at low-to-mid range which the rider will use on a regular daily basis.
“We have refined the fuel injection settings, increased inertia, added twin spark plugs, and redesigned the magneto. In fact, nearly all internal parts have been extensively redesigned; it will feel like a totally new engine to anyone familiar with the previous model.”


Attachment 13817
The V-Strom 1000’s transmission is updated too, with gear ratios adjusted for the new engine specs. The new ‘Strom also utilizes the Suzuki Clutch Assist system, which is said to work in two ways; first as a slipper clutch to help smooth out downshifts and also as an assist clutch to help make lever pull easier.

Spent gasses flow out of a newly fabricated single muffler and the Suzuki Exhaust Tuning system makes use of a butterfly valve in the pipe to optimize exhaust pressure and help boost torque at low revs while also enhancing throttle response. The 2014 ‘Strom 1000 has an updated catalyzer and O2 sensor to meet Euro 3 emission standards.

“Developing the exhaust pipe was the most difficult part,” said Sasaki. “In a V-Twin engine layout, the most difficult thing is designing the length and layout of exhaust pipes. To increase low-to-mid range torque, a longer exhaust pipe is better. However, there is not much space left when you consider the rear suspension layout and ground clearance.

“Therefore, the exhaust pipe has a very complicated shape. We have also changed from a double-sided to single-sided exhaust silencer to minimize the influence on handling.”

Also new on the 2014 V-Strom 1000 is Suzuki’s first traction control system. The Suzuki Advanced Traction Control system monitors front and rear wheel speeds, has a throttle position sensor, crank position sensor and gear position sensor to help regulate engine output by managing ignition timing and air delivery. There are two modes available in the TC system, with Mode 1 allowing modest wheel spin and Mode 2 allowing little-to-no wheel spin. Riders will be able to shut off the TC system completely as well.

Attachment 13819

Suzuki offers fully adjustable, gold-anodized 43mm inverted forks for 2014. The rear shock is preload adjustable via an easily accessed dial. Radial-mount four-piston Tokico monobloc calipers grab a 310mm disc out front while a singl- piston caliper grips a 260mm disc out back. ABS comes standard on the 2014 V-Strom 1000.

If you're trying to get me to sell mine you're gonna have to try harder than that bikerdoc.

Nice pictures, really is a good backyard. Congrats on the bike.

Now that i have my own garage and no bars in a 40km radius, i have a lot more time to farkle around. Been spending some late nights loving the wee strom, prepping her for a big winter ride and removing the stench of chinaV off her.

I think the main change i made is pretty noticeable.

https://aq6gja.dm2302.livefilestore....083.jpg?psid=1

https://aq6gja.dm1.livefilestore.com...082.jpg?psid=1

And chinaV, before you give me shit for painting your baby:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ChinaV

Oh well, I've gone to the dark side and black is beautiful.

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did you do the painting yourself?

No, i stripped it down and prepped the parts for painting, then brought them to an auto paint shop to have them done properly.

Rattle cans are fine for my CJ, but this is la Vstrom.

Looks excellent in black, and you can see it's been done properly. Maybe needs a white or silver V-Strom decal to finish it off.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ZMC888

Maybe needs a white or silver V-Strom decal to finish it off.

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My thought as well....
But looks good.
Just wondering why the rear half is not on the pictures ... :mwink:

It is missing a little something in that big black space. I'll figure out what to put there at some point. Probably a transformers logo.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 998S

Just wondering why the rear half is not on the pictures ...

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Not sure i understand. You want to see Lauren's bottom? (she's called Lauren)

Probably a setting at my side then ...

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Looks very nice in black.

After the paint has fully hardened, looks like you've lots of room to add stickers. And some multicolored tassels at the end of each handle grip to add some personal flair.

And don't forget LED strips. And a gremlin bell. Most shops will also give you one of their massive rear mud guards (with its shop name on it).

I never understood why the V didn't do that when he owned it.

Way ahead of you on the rear mudguard, i've constructed my own one using an old tractor tire and some wire. The ones the shops sell you just aren't long enough.

998s i guess you're viewing the site on one of those 1024x768px crt monitors from 1998. (that's Cathode Ray Tube, not Claiming Rules Team)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 998S

Probably a setting at my side then ...

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while your browser is open press Ctrl, hold it and scroll that scroll wheel on your mouse (if you have one) it should help

Quote:

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Originally Posted by modron

while your browser is open press Ctrl, hold it and scroll that scroll wheel on your mouse (if you have one) it should help

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Working on some strange sized Vaio laptop while travelling.
Got indeed full view if I reduce my screen to 85%.
Thx.