Suzuki demo bikes in Charlotte Oct 13 & 14 2023

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Fri, Oct 13 – 14, 2023
Team Charlotte Motorsports – CHARLOTTE, NC
Come test ride the latest Suzuki motorcycles at Team Charlotte Motorsports. Valid motorcycle license required with at least one year of licensed street riding experience. Three years of licensed street riding experience for Hayabusa and GSX-R models. DOT certified helmet, long sleeve shirt, pants and closed-toe shoes or boots are required. Event Details: Friday, October 13th: 9:00am - 4:00pm Eastern Time Saturday, October 14th: 9:00am - 4:00pm Eastern Time

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I went this afternoon and rode some Suzukis. They have rides starting every 30 minutes so each ride only last about 20-25 minutes. 10 riders at a time plus 2 staff, a leader and follower.

They have a sign up that says you are limited to 2 rides per day. But…if a ride isn’t full, they may let you ride.

I rode 3 V-Stroms: a 1050, 800 and 650. Even though they appear to be very similar, they feel different.

The 1050 felt very smooth and had great torque from idle. Its seat felt skinny and thin to me. I’d have to upgrade it if it were mine. The foot pegs seemed to be in my way when I would put my feet down. It made them seem very wide. I didn’t notice this on the others. It had a quick shifter. I’ve never used one before. For me it felt a bit clunky up shifting but down shifting was very smooth.

Next I got on the 800. I stalled it first thing. And of course I was up front so everybody saw me be a noob. The 800 seemed to fit me well. The seat was shaped very well and seemed very comfortable and supportive. The foot pegs and handlebars were just right. I was starting to think that this bike could be up high on my list when and if I decide i need something a bit lighter that can travel. Then I hit 6000 rpm and the foot pegs started shaking. A few minutes later I realized my hands were going to sleep. I have been diagnosed with having carpal tunnel in both hands so that doesn’t mean the bike was vibrating the hand grips badly, just more so than the dead smooth 1050. But those foot pegs…

Last up was the 650. It felt smaller and lighter than the others. It was very smooth. When slowing for a red light, I realized I had been running the 650 at higher rpm’s than the others because when I’d let off the throttle, there was noticeably more compression braking than I’d felt on the others.

I wanted to try the GSX1000 models, preferably the GT but there wasn’t nearly as much legroom on them as on the V-Stroms and my hips were already hurting a lot so I didn’t ride any of them.

The dealership grilled burgers and dogs for lunch which was nice.

Though I had to deal with Charlotte traffic, I got to ride some different motorcycles so it was a good day.

[Bob]

I once owned a 650 Vstrom; it was a solid machine with a very torquey motor to be just a 650, and somewhat capable for DS. It was my entry bike from big cruisers (Harleys mainly) to the world of sport-ish bikes and after that I never looked back. So I have fond memories of it--but I hope they've re-designed the fairings to eliminate the awful buffeting!