Yep bikes with little to no fairing/windshield are the smoothest bikes. Least turbulent bike I have ever owned was a Bking. Anything below 80 mph was great, anything above 80 mph and it felt like my helmet was going to rip my head off.
Bought the bike in Crossville. Much obliged for everyone's input. Rides beautifully in the mountain roads here near Tellico Plains. Tall bike, especially with the Sargent barstool seat. Very comfy but I tiptoe at stops, even at 6'1".
Since you're there, be sure to take the road from Tellico Plains to Robbinsville. You'll be glad you did.
So is yours the 1000 or 650? I ask because I sat on a 650 and was surprised I could flat-foot it (I'm 5'10 with a 32" inseam); I'd heard the Stroms were tallish.
Its' the 1000. The Sargent seat is squared off versus the rounded stock seat, greatly increasing the reach to ground. I've never had a bike with triple hard cases (or any hard cases for that matter). Looking forward to all that storage space on trips. Thanks, BSA43 for the road tip. There is a lot of great riding in this area. Now there's a beautiful wee-vee in Lebanon TN for a great price. Isn't that always the way? Spend months looking for the right bike and the day after you buy a nicer one pops up. No worries, I think the 1000 will suit us better.
Congrats. You didn't mention if you'd be doing a lot of 2-up riding...the 650 is a bit wheezy for that.
I like the Kaw, but am not a big fan of parallel twins. I'm sure it's a nice bike, though...even in green. Yes, two-up riding is the plan, plus junk in the Givi trunks. Correction: it's a Corbin seat, not Sargent. (My apologies to Sargent.) I'll be reinstalling the stock pipes if anyone wants the aftermarket louder ones (aka, "For off road use only."). They are in very good shape and sound great, but I want a quiet bike. Send PM.
I have some parts for sale in the classifieds section for the Vstrom and KLX-1000 including a perfect Corbin seat; Touratech crash bars; K&N air filter, stock windshield, and a tank cover. Look here if interested: http://weraclassifieds.com/ads/vstrom-klv-1000-parts/#axzz3DKiPC81K
