Ya' know, Bruce, yer gonna hafta conme to Texas sometime to meet us, too!! I look forward to that. Our next big gathering is in Oct (23-25), do ya' think you can make it??

Might even rain here next week, Brenda. That wlould be greeat. If you happen to get some extra water, send it over this way.

Y'all have a great day.

Be Careful.
Ride Safe.

I AM going to have to make it down there soon. I'll have to see what work is like in October before I will know if the dates are viable or not. I hear LaGrange is beautiful that time of year.

As far as the 650 V-Strom goes, it was a fun ride. I liked the way the seat and tank kind of drew me into being part of the bike. It was a different sensation than what a sportbike gives in that regard. I was sitting up more, so it wasn't like I was leaning into the fit--more like I was slipping down into a glove. The handlebars (my perception) were a little too far forward and a little too low. The powerplant was much different than the Voyager's inline four. A V-Twin with the cylinders firing 270 degrees apart. It made the feel a little "pulsy"--not at all the smoothness of the VXII. At 55 mph and in 6th gear, the sound of the engine made me think the bike was lugging badly. One twist of the throttle busted that myth. There was plenty of power there.

The bike has pretenses of being a DP bike, but there are too many fragile components left out in the open. Skid plates and other means of protection would have to be added for me to take it off-road. I don't think it would serve as a road bike for me either. I am too used to the comfort of a touring bike. This particular bike has been ten hours to San Antonio and will be going to Omaha next weekend. My friend says he is not overly fatigued on such rides. **Side Note: He has never ridden a long stretch on a tourer to compare with the V-Strom.

All that being said, I suffer from MBD (Multiple Bike Disorder) and would like to have one for a season to play around with. The V-Strom would be a great run around town bike, but the displacement is overkill for my needs. It would also keep symptoms of the disorder at bay for a while.

Thanks. Yeah, that's what I would envision for such a bike - as another bike for the stable for short trips.

This is what I'd really like to have for my MBD. It would likely replace my CB250 and make the VXII be used only for road trips or tandem riding.

http://tinyurl.com/27yebb

I doubt the bike will ever be marketed here. Before long EPA regs will have us all riding water cooled bikes whether we want to or not.

--BNS