I've added another New Bike to the Garage

Hi All,
My Z900 of late 2022 has gone away for re cycling to someone else, and meanwhile a 2023 Suzuki VStrom 650XT has joined the 2022 Honda CB500X.
Roughly every 6 months and under 5000KM one comes and one goes. Before you ask, the Z9 fulfilled it's design brief, but it's suspension was too harsh on the back roads.
It had a liking for your 'smooth as glass' North American tarmac; not our poor excuse for piss poor worn out chip seal tar patched surfaces.
The cheap standard rear shock didn't do it any favor's either. Riding over cobble stone's I thought was apt.

So for my daily riding circuit, that is sort of road I travel on. The likes of the Versys 650, CB500X and the DL650 are far more suitable than a Sport inclined bike, though some have been better on those roads than the Z9. The 2017 GSX-R1000 was a good ride - It had a better shock and forks, but a dearer price in relative prices.

So far I am really liking this DL650, it has a blend of the best points of the Versys 650 and the Honda 500X, but without the huge weight and height off the ground of my departed 2017 V Strom 1000. I nearly went for the 650 then, but opted for the 1000 as I like a White bike, and Suzuki only offered the 650 in a lessor colour like flat Black then.

So I'll add a deeper comparison of the DL, the 500X, and the Versys in a month of two's time here when I get a few thousand kilometre's of the new bike.

Rob.