SUZUKI DL 1000 X AL8 ABS - Bought!!

The test ride was this morning. I was out for about an hour and half and managed to find a route (that even though at times I had no idea where I was!) that took in A and B roads, country lanes and the A2 Dual Carriageway.  

I stopped at Gibson's and was going to have a coffee and give the bike a good looking over away from the Robinson's.

In the end the queue for coffee was too long and so I gave the bike the once over without a drink.

The muffler has a couple of small scrapes but nothing too damaging.  Tyres are good. At three years and 8700 miles getting a showroom condition bike isn't really going to happen.

At first the seat seems to angle a little forward but after the Rocket's armchair and the Kettle's plank then maybe it is just different.  

What was a surprise was the clutch.  Both the Kettle and Rocket needed a strong hand, this one is light as a feather. The gear change very light and accurate.

I have given her the name Vera.

I am not going to start a separate blog for Vera.  I didn't have one for "Mr Baloo" the BMW R1150GS I owned for over 10 years and was the bike I owned when I discovered Blogger.

It is fitted with Givi engine protection bars and the Suzuki branded top box.  I had a look in that and it is the usual fare from Givi. I had a bit of hassle getting it locked again!

The only worry point is the yellow seat. It has a few boot scuff marks on it but I am sure that a decent upholstery cleaner will get that nice and smart. Maybe previous owners or testers have been less scrupulous as I am with someone elses bike.

The riding position is quite upright. The gearbox is up to Suzuki's usual standard with slick changes. Brakes?  Not that I needed to "slam on" but a few times I used a little more pressure than was needed and the stop was very quick.  Jumping from the Kettle to the VStrom means re-learning the controls.

Unused to an engine with less torque than the Rocket, it was easy to let the revs drop and get the engine clunking. I'll learn on the job.

So did I buy it? Yes I did. As it is close to the service they will do that before I collect it.  As it is just three years old it needs an MoT and that will be done before I collect it.

I left a £200 deposit and need to bank transfer the balance a few days before collection.  And that is August 5th. Plenty of time for me to organise the money and sort out the bank' payment system.

Of course, there are some jobs I need to do when I get it. The TomTom needs to go somewhere.  I also need to work out which Givi Tanklock ring I need for my little tank-bag.....