Nick Adams vs. Suzuki V-Strom 1000XT (And Aging)

[advrider]

How much bike is too much… for an older rider? It’s a question we often ask about newbies and beginners, but if you’re on the other end of the spectrum, is there a point where the machine becomes too large? Nick Adams tackles that question with a quick review of the 2018 Suzuki V-Strom 1000XT as seen above.

Obviously, Nick has been thinking plenty along these lines lately; check out his most recent column, about the effects of aging on motorcycling:

The Road To Samarra

His conclusion in that piece: He’ll keep riding as long as he can, and that’s the answer of a lot of ADVrider inmates. But even if that’s the case, will your choice of bike be affected by your aging?

Go fire up Facebook Marketplace, Kijiji, Craigslist, whatever your local buy-and-sell service is. You’ll see a lot of older Gold Wings… Yamaha Ventures… Kawasaki Concours… Japanese cruisers… even big, touring-oriented Harley-Davidsons for sale. Dynas and Softtails are going up for sale all the time, and not so many Sportsters. Why is that? It’s because the guys who bought those bigger road bikes are now finding other ways to spend their money and time as their bodies age and make big bikes less fun.

For many of those riders, the answer is just to leave motorcycling altogether. For others? The answer is to find a more-suitable bike. These new, low-seat dual sports coming from Japan are not just aimed at younger riders. Old guys want the KLR650 S as well.

As for Nick? He says the V-Strom 1000 XT is just fine for aging riders, as long as you’re still physically fit… but somehow, we don’t see him trading in his Moto Guzzi to get one.

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