Auction Wee Strom

[hillsy v2]

I have been thinking of getting a 650 Strom since my accident - I had a 2010 write-off which I sold a while back and knew they were relatively light and easy to ride....and that's something that is appealing to me right now as I recover from my shoulder surgery.

Anyway this 2008 popped up at the auctions so I got my buddy to pick it up:


It came with a box of fairing panels and appears to be all there


Doesn't seem to have any damage except for some scuffing on the mudguard


Has a bit of corrosion on it - definitely been standing for a while - whats left of the fuel in the tank smells putrid too


That's pretty fresh looking oil and its filled to the sight glass on the side stand....that's interesting...


Anyway - I suspected this was actually a low mileage bike - so I hooked up some power...and yes it is...


Service booklet was under the seat - only ever had one service


So there you go. I suspect someone tried to get the bike started at some point and removed the panels. The ignition switch was a bit weird - it didn't light up all the time so I suspect corrosion on the contacts. The connector is under the tank so I'm guessing someone has tried to remove it but gave up when they realised they would have to remove the tank? And the oil being overfilled suggests it was being worked on by someone who doesnt know bikes.

Stay tuned - however I'm not real mobile at the moment so this may take a while....

[sgtcall]

Looks like a great find.

[hillsy v2]

Looks like a great find.

Cheers sgt - hopefully it will run OK.

Will need a bit of work before I fire it up. Need to flush out the fuel system and drop out the overfilled oil for starters.

I did manage to disconnect the electrics for the fuel pump and turned the motor over - spins freely so that's good.

[hillsy v2]

Managed to get the tank off - thought I should look at the air filter




Amazes me how a butterfly could get in there.


Gave it a quick clean




Not going to go too crazy with the detailing just yet until I know it runs.

[hillsy v2]

So no pics but I did drain the fuel and flush the tank. There was about a tablespoon or 2 of water in the fuel. It wasn't rusty and the tank is spotless inside - so I can only assume the water was fresh. This bike would have been sitting outside in the auction yard for a while - we had a rain event a few weeks back where we got over 150mm of rain overnight. This normally wouldn't be a problem but when I took off the drain hose off the tank I noticed it was full of water - further investigation revealed the hose position clamp at the rear of the engine was crimped so tight it had blocked the hose (not sure if that was factory, dealer or owner error). Anyway - loosened the clamp, put some compressed air on the hose and a load of gunk shot out. Did the same with the pipe on the tank. Problem should be solved now.



There was no evidence of water on the fuel pump so I soaked that in fresh fuel and put it back in. We'll see soon enough.

[sgtcall]

I'm just glad someone on here is still doing build threads.

[hillsy v2]

I'm just glad someone on here is still doing build threads.

The other stuff is really boring

Anyway - got the tank back on, put some fuel in it and it fired up. A bit grumbly at first but smoothed out pretty quick when the fresh fuel got to the injectors. Yay!

Now I can forget about it until I can actually throw a leg over it

[hillsy v2]

Now I can forget about it until I can actually throw a leg over it

Well, technically I did sit on it....so I put all the panels back on just to make sure I had all the bits...

[sgtcall]

Great looking bike. Hope you get out on it soon.

[hillsy v2]

Great looking bike. Hope you get out on it soon.

I always thought the 1st gen Stroms were a bit weird looking - but this one is starting to grow on me.

[hillsy v2]

Got a few things for the bike - fork seals, dust seals and water pump seals....






Also got a pair of Tourance tyres off a Tiger (I think). My buddy works at a Triumph / Suzuki dealer and he picked these up for me - 2021 manufacture so sure beats the 2008 tyres on the Wee right now. Looks like they were taken off the bike at first service judging by the lack of wear.

[tabasco]

Real good, I'm sure that bike will be great fun to ride.

[hillsy v2]

Real good, I'm sure that bike will be great fun to ride.

Cheers The small V Stroms are fun - they are pretty light and much more "flick-able" in comparison to the big ones.

Managed to squeeze the rear tyre on - not an easy job for a guy with essentially one arm still....but we got there....

[hillsy v2]

Got the front tyre on (actually a couple of weeks ago but I didn't take any photos until just now)....




It's almost ready to ride - I'll probably just flush the brake fluids then take it for a spin. I'm in no rush

[azazelakira]

Is looking clean

[hillsy v2]

Is looking clean

Cheers - it is a bit tarnished when you look close though

[sgtcall]

[hillsy v2]

Took the Wee it for it's first ride today - and it's my first ride (proper) since shoulder surgery...





Only went out for about 40 mins or so - ended up being quite uncomfortable still. Also didn't help that there are roadworks currently along 2 of my favourite roads - had to stop at temporary traffic lights a few times for what seemed like an eternity.

On the other side of the coin the Wee rode beautifully - not really surprised seeing how few K's are on the clock. The pic above shows the footpeg lowering kit that I got for it (worth it'e weight in gold) - the others are just in my driveway when I got home.

She might be a keeper when the shoulder starts to get more comfortable

[azazelakira]

Looks to be a neutral sitting position.
Enjoy the ride, speedy recovery on the shoulder.

[hillsy v2]

Looks to be a neutral sitting position.
Enjoy the ride, speedy recovery on the shoulder.

I'm a pretty tall guy (6'3") and mostly leg so ADV bikes are the most comfortable things I've found. I need to play with the screen (there's a little helmet buffeting) and lower the rear brake pedal but other than that the Wee is just about perfect ergonomically.

Thanks for the well wishes