Suzuki V-Strom 800 | De-Cat & Other Mods

[@Motoramblings]

You’ve got the bike set up so nice right now!!

[@HippoDrones]

@@Motoramblings is almost perfect for me mate 👌 👍

[@Motoramblings]

Oh yea, we ride when we can, cold or not!!!

[@HippoDrones]

@@Motoramblings gotta get out on 2 wheels whenever we can mate 😎👍

[@Viper6-MotoVlogger]

Sound awesome mate.

[@HippoDrones]

I love the sound when accelerating, the induction noise is quite intoxicating 🙂

[@LordBilious]

Arundel Castle looks lovely. Hope you enjoyed your noms.

[@HippoDrones]

It really is, I made a vid on it several years back. Haha... yusss, it was awesome pub food down at the Black Rabbit on the river.

[@MVDBR]

Good on you Pete, glad you're enjoying the mighty Strom 😎 is it your unicorn? 😯

[@HippoDrones]

@@MVDBR it seems to be so... although if I could only have one bike, I'm not sure it would be that bike. But as a practical, all year, all weather bike, it is bang on for it 😎👍

[@crocksontherocksify]

Morning Pete, Keep up the good work.. Not been out for weeks.. No snow here in Cornland today so best get out 😂 Ride safe mate..

[@HippoDrones]

@@crocksontherocksify hope you can get some saddle time mate 🙂👍

[@philipholland6989]

I'm on my second 1050 de, i bolted a hard camera case to my rear rack to carry bits in and it's waterproof and you can put a padlock on it,. I had a 800 de as a courtesy bike while mine was in for service, what a cracking engine, but i wouldn't have one as i had a knee replacement last year and the 1050 gives me more legroom,, nice video keep up the good content 👍

[@HippoDrones]

I've heard lots of positive things about the 1050DE, sadly it is a bit too tall for me which is why I've not tested one. The camera case is a great tip. I don't keep anything of huge value in my tail pack, but it would be annoying if it got robbed. Thanks Philip 🙂

[@tonyjourneyman1944]

5 degrees! Reminds me of when I lived in Canada. I once rode my bike on a beautiful dry sunny day when the temperature was -20C, only a few miles to see what it would be like. I never did that again as regular motorcycle clothing can't cut it.

[@HippoDrones]

@@tonyjourneyman1944 cor, yeah I can't imagine the wind chill factor at that temperature! 😮 My kit is pretty good at 5° and am happy down to freezing temps... but I pick my fights 😁

[@matthewcoleman8267]

Cracking castle

[@HippoDrones]

@@matthewcoleman8267 aye, lots of history and lovely to look at

[@TheGorillaBiker]

I can't even lord my weather over you at the moment, it was -8 here last night! Sounds lovely now! They have a nice note so they do, the GSX8S I've seen with some stubbies over here and they're a wee bit loud that way, yours is lubbly. I've seen some big big numbers from the GSX8R too on dynos, impressive what people are doing with them now. Nothing wrong with a little louder :D The Z is about as loud as I like to go these days. I love my tail bag, enduristan goodness. Wasn't cheap tho sadly. But it fits on literally all the bikes so it was ok, right?! RIGHT?! :D You'd be proud of me actually, so while I watch you get blinded by the sun, I went to see a heap of a nice Honda yesterday, it needed everything but is fairly straight, and I DIDNT buy it. I know. I've matured......I might still buy it. That is a beautiful view. Doesn't look mad dirty for winter tbh, looks tasty for 25 quid! That's a hurtful accusation, it is a nice castle.

[@HippoDrones]

Hahaha... am glad we are not that cold just yet, although I have stayed home today as snowy and icy out. My GSX8S was def too noisy with the Akrapovič full system, so I don't want it to be like that was, but it'd be nice to hear the engine a bit more and get the bike breathing out better. I think folk are getting close to 100bhp from the 800 engine with mods to it, I'm not after that sort of power, but be good to get around 85rwbhp with improved torque through the rev range to make it nice an perky lifting the front on crests etc 🙂 I am a big fan of the Enduristan stuff, I have their tail bag on my Beta and also their saddlebags for camping trips. I might look to replace my tailbag on this with an Enduristan one, as it would then be waterproof, but they are not cheap, so will have to maybe try blag a show discount or similar up at the ABR this year. Hahaha, well done on resisting temptation... I think you'd suit the new Honda Hornet 1000 SP! 😛 For £25 I really should not be able to find anything wrong with it, although I do wish it sealed up a little better than it does to keep the wet out. IT is a cracking castle, it's history spans quite a long time and is still lived in by the owners, although they have opened up a lot of the castle for visitors.

[@jtb8461]

I agree, the SC Project is a nice looking silencer for the DL800. I considered it for my V-Strom 800 but thought it was a bit too pricey, didn't know the sound insert was not removable. I went with the much more budget friendly IXIL MXR silencer. With the insert in it was too quiet and with it out, too loud. I ended up enlarging the holes in the insert with a step drill until the volume was to my liking.

[@HippoDrones]

@@jtb8461 it is superb quality, but not a lot (if any) louder than stock. Is a shame about the baffles too. What you have done sounds like the right move, I may emulate and do similar.

[@crocksontherocksify]

Oh and I did stay to the end!! Now clean the bloody thing. 🤣🤣🤣

[@HippoDrones]

@@crocksontherocksify haha, it really needs a good wash 😁

[@grumpsrides42]

I stayed to the end! 😂 Handguards? I thought you might fit a pair of 'basic' handguards, keep the cold/wet off?!🤔

[@HippoDrones]

@@grumpsrides42 cheers Grumps. Haha 😄 With the narrower bars there isn't much room to fit them unfortunately, but I wear heated gloves this time of year so seldom get cold hands, it would be nice to keep the rain off a bit though.

[@mrsilbo6499]

Suzuki appear to have made remapping their bikes very difficult. Under attempted full load on a dyno, I believe the ECU detects the front wheel isn't turning & prevents this. This is what Lamb Chop experienced when getting his GSXS 1000-GT remapped. Hopefully the tuning community can work out how to unlock Suzuki ECUs, so that all parameters can be modified!

[@HippoDrones]

Yup that is exactly the case, LambChop was getting his bike done at the same time/place I was getting mine done, so I am hoping now they found a way to do his fully, they can apply that to mine for when I go back.

[@mrsilbo6499]

@@HippoDrones So your job now is to keep us all posted!!

[@HippoDrones]

@@mrsilbo6499 I'll def do an update once Steve Jordans have told me they can do the full power run... but I need to work out if I want a better breathing silencer first as I don't want to spend another wedge of dosh tuning the bike to then find I want a different can.

[@mrsilbo6499]

@@HippoDrones How about a Yoshi slip-on?

[@HippoDrones]

@@mrsilbo6499 I had a Yoshi on my old Triumph Street Triple 765, great quality can... was very loud though... although I didn't have a baffle for it, so it would have been a bit quieter if I did.

[@martinbrown4214]

I have one , put on pipe werx exhaust, sounds much better, plus ultimate add- ons heated grips and knuckle guards , radiator guard , top box and shad panniers.

[@HippoDrones]

Some good practical mods there Martin along with a fun sounding pipe 🙂 I'll have to look that one up, I don't think I've seen one on the V-Strom! 🙂

[@theodorstravels]

The problem is that you're trying out silencers, when you actually want a loudencer. / The castle does look nice. When was your last castle video?

[@HippoDrones]

Hahaha... yesss... a loudencer is required! 😀 The last proper castle visit was ages ago, I really should try and find some more to go explore. I have been to this one in one of those vids.

[@theodorstravels]

@@HippoDrones I started thinking, that there are castles in Estonia too, that I am yet to visit, not for video, but at all. So I should take some in to next years plan

[@HippoDrones]

@@theodorstravels Aye, it is good to do these things without worrying about cameras or making videos 🙂