JasonJonas.com - 2005 Suzuki DL1000 V-Strom

2005 Suzuki DL1000 V-Strom

Since first appearing in the states, a few friends purchased V-Stroms and were overwhelmingly pleased with their purchase. I've been intrigued with the bike and was looking for the right deal to come along before plunking my money down on the bike. On July 16, 2005 I bought a zero-mile V-Strom from Freedom Motorsports in Richwood, TX for $7800. Obviously, it was an offer I couldn't and didn't refuse.

My intention was to see how the strom stacked up against my trusty GS Adventure which has taken me from the Arctic Ocean to the Atlantic and about everywhere in between. I was also planning a South American adventure to Ushuaia, Argentina and, if the strom held up to a summer's worth of torture and abuse, it would be my bike of choice. At the time of this writing with ~40k miles on the clock and a bit of torture and abuse, the strom is holding up nicely and proving to be one fun ride. This page documents the what I've done to outfit the bike so far, but first a few pics from the road. Enjoy...

click to enlarge

Here are some of the changes I made to the bike:


Laminar Touring Lip	$89.00	I like a little movement around me when riding, but I don't want to get beat up while moving. The lip provides a bigger pocket that removes the bueffeting while allowing sustained airflow around me. This is one of the best additions I've made to the bike. Check out Laminar Lip for more information.

Hella Micro DE Xenon HIDs	$725.00	It took me a while to install HIDs on any bike, but wow! I'm definitely a believer. Every time I turn these lights on I kick myself in the ass for not installing them sooner. I bought them on eBay. They come with some rather large ballasts. Using the supplied brackets, I went to the hardware store and bought some speed nuts, drilled a couple holes on each side panel and mounted the ballasts to the inner fairing. The mounting bracket is from Adventure Moto Stuff.

Valentine Radar & Remote Audio	$448.00	The best radar detector on the market. Nuff said. Check out Valentine for more information.

Garmin 2610 GPS	$450.00	It's always good to know where you're at and with the 2610 you can have all the detailed maps at your fingertips. Check out Garmin for more information.

Touratech VP45 Tankbag System	$258.00	I really like this tankbag system which includes a tank bra of sorts, tank panniers and, of course, a tankbag. None of it waterproof, but a bit water resistant. I use the left tank pannier to store my camelbak and the right one to carry chain lube and some tools I want to keep at the ready. The tankbag has one main compartment with a padded bottom, a small pocket on each side and a map case that velcros to the top. Check out Touratech USA for more information.

SW Motech Crash Bars	$139.99	Not exactly sure the extent of crash protection they'd provide, but they're easy to install. Check out Twisted Throttle for more information.

SW Motech Skid Plate	$199.99	I got the skid plate powder coated to go with the rest of the bike. It has provided excellent skid protection. Much more than the cheesey plastic stock guard. Check out Touratech USA for more information.

SW Motech Centerstand	$149.99	Indispensable, easy to install and easy to use. Definitely recomment this centerstand. Check out Touratech USA for more information.

Touratech Rallye Footpegs	$108.90	I wanted some pegs with a little more grip. These won't change the stock peg position, but they do provide the grip I was looking for. Check out Touratech USA for more information.

Touratech Hex Oil Plug	$21.80	Did I need this? Probably not, but what the hell. I was ordering and clicking and on a roll at the time. Check out Touratech USA for more information.

Rich's Custom Saddle	$500.00	This is my first saddle from Rich and I'm totally pleased with it. I didn't ride in for a fitting so Rich worked solely from the photos and input I provided him and returned to me an excellent seat for all day (and sometimes all night) riding. Check out Rich's Custom Seats for more information.

Happy Trail Panniers	$1100.00	I can't say enough about these panniers and especially the mounting system. Extremely sturdy mounting system and the bags are cavernous. I bought the 9" Targhees. Very nice. Check out Happy Trails for more information.

Custom Auxillary Fuel Cell	$250.00	A good friend of mine has a 650 with Happy Trail panniers. He wanted to design a fuel cell for his bike and was gracious enough to have his welder build two. He also walked me through everything I needed to hook it up and get it going. I wouldn't have done it myself without his help. Thanks, Alan.

Total:	$3539.69	Combined with the original selling price of $8300 out the door, this is has been an excellent purchase. I've been putting the strom through the paces this summer and after 42k miles so far, it's proven to be a fun, dependable ride. The only issue I've experienced is the pressure regulator worked it's way off of the pump assembly. It was fixed and running again. No worries. Not that I did not add the price of the GPS and Valentine to the total as I use these on several bikes.