I'd say it rides really well, It doesn't effect the handling too much so it's almost like you haven't got one. Power wise it doesn't take a noticeable hit, perhaps a second slower to 70 when fully loaded (panniers + pillion). It has a good passenger seat which is wide but also grippy (compared to most bike's faux leather seats) so they won't be sliding around when braking as well and the passenger pegs are lower than your average bike for more comfort though I heard some people mention it can be too low for short pillions (likely around 5ft tall). I didn't really notice anymore fork dive with a passenger either. The seat is also long so you have a bit more room to move around with a passenger. It's been designed to be practical so is a step up from most common street bikes for 2 up riding.
This Vstrom 650 brain dump vlog has been so informative, I've searched TH-cam for days trying to find someone who actually talks about pillion on the Vstrom 650. I'm looking at buying it as a 2nd ( cheap) bike for 2up touring mode, budget wise it ticks the boxes, power I was unsure of until this vlog. For £5.5k you get a pick of 650 Vstrom .. I'd love to see a vlog just about touring or 2up on the Vstrom ☺️..ppl keep telling me the Vstrom 650cc won't work for touring 2up when loaded with panniers... what do you say????
@@shropshirecycle With it fully loaded at like you see at 9:35 both panniers full around ~5-8KG each range and top box with few bits + combined weight of me + passenger around 135KG in gear it can easily cruise at 70-80mph and in the interest of stability with all the luggage is probably best not to go much after at that point anyways. It certainly feels like it can cruise a little higher than that too, you're at around 6k RPM at that point and its redline is 10k so quite a bit of room. I'd say it's absolutely fine if you're not planning on cruising in the triple digits loaded up. For the price it's a great bike, many people report big miles with no major faults.
@@shropshirecycle No, I haven't made any yet. This review was taking a looong time to edit as there's so many things to discuss to set it up as I did. If I do make one I'll let you know here!
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What a great comprehensive review, thank you for taking the time to make it, very helpful.
@@pauldicken6029 Thanks for the feedback, and glad it was as helpful as intended
How's it ride with pillion
I'd say it rides really well, It doesn't effect the handling too much so it's almost like you haven't got one. Power wise it doesn't take a noticeable hit, perhaps a second slower to 70 when fully loaded (panniers + pillion). It has a good passenger seat which is wide but also grippy (compared to most bike's faux leather seats) so they won't be sliding around when braking as well and the passenger pegs are lower than your average bike for more comfort though I heard some people mention it can be too low for short pillions (likely around 5ft tall). I didn't really notice anymore fork dive with a passenger either. The seat is also long so you have a bit more room to move around with a passenger.
It's been designed to be practical so is a step up from most common street bikes for 2 up riding.
This Vstrom 650 brain dump vlog has been so informative, I've searched TH-cam for days trying to find someone who actually talks about pillion on the Vstrom 650. I'm looking at buying it as a 2nd ( cheap) bike for 2up touring mode, budget wise it ticks the boxes, power I was unsure of until this vlog. For £5.5k you get a pick of 650 Vstrom .. I'd love to see a vlog just about touring or 2up on the Vstrom ☺️..ppl keep telling me the Vstrom 650cc won't work for touring 2up when loaded with panniers... what do you say????
@@shropshirecycle With it fully loaded at like you see at 9:35 both panniers full around ~5-8KG each range and top box with few bits + combined weight of me + passenger around 135KG in gear it can easily cruise at 70-80mph and in the interest of stability with all the luggage is probably best not to go much after at that point anyways. It certainly feels like it can cruise a little higher than that too, you're at around 6k RPM at that point and its redline is 10k so quite a bit of room. I'd say it's absolutely fine if you're not planning on cruising in the triple digits loaded up.
For the price it's a great bike, many people report big miles with no major faults.
@@bikersquest do you have any vlogs talking specifically about 2up touring
@@shropshirecycle No, I haven't made any yet. This review was taking a looong time to edit as there's so many things to discuss to set it up as I did. If I do make one I'll let you know here!