v strom vs klr comparison

[dc50093]

The DL1000 has identical ergonomics to those of the DL650- they only differ in so far as the 1000 seat is about an inch and a half or so taller than that of the 650. Many shorter DL1000 owners swap out the 1000 seat for the 650 seat to gain a more comfortable seating position. The reverse is also true of taller riders. Further, there are two additional Suzuki seat options (The Gel and Tall Touring seats) as well as Sargent and Corbin seats. All of these seats are interchangeable on both models. As a result, you can bring the seat height up or down to varying heights on either model. My feeling, having put allot of miles on both the DL650 and the DL1000 using both of the stock seats as well as the Sargent, is that the seat makes very little difference in terms of felling cramped or not cramped on either model. I'm 6'2" and realize that a taller or shorter rider may feel differently- seat heights and widths are like that. Also, as for the riding position relative to the KLR650: I have an 07 KLR650 and an 07 DL650 among my current bikes and ride both of them regularly. My experience is that the seating positions of the two are not at all similar. My elbows are bent quite a bit on the KLR while almost straight on the DL650; although my seating position is upright on both bikes. The KLR's seating position is more comfortable as a result. In fact, this is a common complaint among both DL650 and DL1000 owners since the seating position, longer handlebar reach and the contact angle (where hand meets handlebar) contribute to hand cramps. To remedy this many owners have opted for up-and-back risers which bring it closer to the KLR's riding position.

> Note that the DL1000 does *not* have the same ergonomics as the DL650. > The main difference is the seat height. The cockpit of the DL650 is > *much* more cramped than that of the DL1000 because they moved the > seat down -- but didn't move the pegs down too. Result: The "sport > bike crouch". I dare you to find any photo of a stock DL650 going down > the road which does not have the "sport bike crouch" for the lower > body, where the knees are bent backwards at a fairly serious angle to > get back to the pegs. > > However, after doing some more reading, it appears that there are > aftermarket seats which restore the peg-to-seat distance to a > comfortable distance. I'll have to check that out. > > -E >