So, I’ve been riding my V-Strom 650 for a good while now, and that little question kept nagging at the back of my mind, you know the one – just how fast can this trusty steed actually go? It’s not like I bought it to be a speed demon, far from it. It’s my go-to for comfortable rides, exploring, and just enjoying the journey. But still, the curiosity was there. I had to find out.
First off, I wasn’t about to do anything stupid. Safety first, always. I waited for a day with good weather, dry roads, and minimal wind. Then I found this really long, straight, and most importantly, pretty deserted stretch of open road. Early Sunday morning, that’s the ticket. Barely a car in sight. Perfect.
Before heading out, I did the usual checks on the bike. Gave the tires a good look, made sure the pressure was spot on. Chain lubed and tensioned? Check. Oil level good? Check. Coolant? All fine. The last thing I wanted was some mechanical issue when I was, shall we say, pushing the envelope a bit.
Geared up, of course. Full face helmet, armored jacket, gloves, sturdy pants, and my riding boots. Yeah, I probably looked like I was ready for a race, but better safe than sorry, especially when you’re aiming to see what the numbers on the speedo can really do.
Okay, so I got to my chosen spot. Took a few deep breaths. It’s a bit of a weird feeling, deciding to properly wring its neck, even if it’s just for a short burst. I did a couple of passes at normal speeds just to make sure the road surface was clean, no gravel or weird bumps I hadn’t seen before.
Then it was time. I rolled on the throttle, smoothly at first, letting the engine build up revs. The V-Strom pulled nicely, as it always does. Up through the gears, 3rd, 4th, 5th… The wind noise started to get pretty serious. I tucked in as much as my not-so-aerodynamic body and the bike’s upright stance would allow. It’s no sportbike, that’s for sure; you catch a lot of wind.
I kept my eyes glued to the speedometer, watching the needle climb. Past 80 mph, then 90, then it cracked the 100 mph mark. The engine was definitely working hard now, you could hear that V-twin singing its heart out, but it still felt like it had a bit more to give. The bike felt surprisingly stable, though, which was reassuring. It wasn’t getting all twitchy or nervous.
I pushed on into 6th gear. The acceleration slowed down quite a bit up here, as you’d expect. It was a slow creep on the speedo now. I saw it tick past 110 mph. Then it crawled a bit more. I held the throttle wide open for a good few seconds. The highest I saw on my bike’s display was just a smidge over 115 mph, maybe it flickered to 116 mph for a moment before I decided that was plenty.
Now, I know motorcycle speedometers can be a little optimistic. They often read a bit higher than your actual speed. I didn’t have a GPS with me to get a super accurate reading that day, which in hindsight, I probably should have brought along. But based on what I felt and what other folks have reported with GPS verification, I reckon the true speed was likely somewhere around the 108-112 mph mark. For a 650cc adventure bike, primarily built for comfort and versatility, I thought that was pretty darn respectable.
After that quick burst, I gently rolled off the throttle and let the bike slow down naturally. Pulled over, shut it off, and just sat there for a minute. Heart was beating a bit faster, that’s for sure. It wasn’t scary, but it was definitely an experience.
So, yeah, that was my little experiment. The V-Strom 650 can certainly get up to and beyond legal highway speeds without breaking a sweat. It’s got enough top end for pretty much any real-world situation. It’s obviously not its primary design goal to be a top-speed machine, but it’s good to know what it’s capable of. For me, it confirmed it’s got more than enough oomph for touring and overtaking, which is what I really care about. The rest is just, well, a number.
