[proton]

Think of it as problem solving.

Claudio von Planta was the cameraman for LWR, the reality show about a motorcycle journey round the world, on GS1200s. He had to ride a MZ (which is the standardised motorcycle found in the eastern bloc countries, and their allies in the mideast, Turkey, Syria and Iraq) when his BMW broke down. You can clearly see resemblances to Jawa and Rajdoot. He claimed the MZ did the job better than the Beemer.

MZ- Cheap, strong, commuter to move from A to B. Claudio loved it.

Honda Bros- same as MZ, but can move over trees fallen in the road, or over mud, because of ground clearance and knobbly tyres. Brazilian farmer loved these features.

BMW GS1200- same as Bros, but powerful engine for more loading and easy travelling over long distances. Charley Boorman loved it, and was happy he got it, when KTM refused to give him 950ADV bikes.

BMW650RR-Charley thought he could do the 2006 Lisbon Dakar rally, on this, thinking it was the same as the GS. He broke his collar bone and had to retire. The rally I saw, three competitors died. This trip requires JUMPING OVER GAPS, made possible by low section molybdenum steel frames, mag alloy wheels and swing arms, and tons of other upgrades, to make the bike LIGHT and POWERFUL.

All the above can do adventure. Which one suits your budget and capabilities?

[surjaonwheelz]

Hello Riders,

Let's get back on track and focus on what Suzuki V-Storm 250 SX has and not on what it doesn't!

Happy riding,
surjaonwheelz

PS. There will always be a splendor guy, who'll happily cross you on a trail

[mobilecentric]

Hello,

Here's my 250SX update:

So I took delivery of my SX250 on 20 Aug.

After test riding the Ronin I went to test ride the Gixxer 250 SF. As soon as I entered the showroom my eyes fell on the 250SX (yellow) and I loved its presence. Anyway I knew it will go above my budget so I ignored and took a test ride of the SF. Then just for the heck of it I took a test ride of the SX too and the ergonomics while riding put a big smile on my face. My wife was very happy with the pillion comfort too. So, SX was booked with a promised delivery in 5 days.

The sweet deal: I opted out of the helmet/body cover thing and with a bit of negotiation the final OTR was 2.41L (Thane). Now, I never knew anything about the August offer, so I got a 1. Suzuki riding jacket free (M.R.P. on the jacket 5999) 2. 0 rupees first service 3. Free Extended warranty. The jacket was promised after 30 days of delivery.

As promised I got the delivery on the 5th day, rain Gods blessed it with some shower and the traffic on Ghodbunder road ensured that I take the broken side roads and test what the high GC of this bike is capable of, again I was impressed.

I have been taking all the break-in precautions and yesterday completed 850kms and got the first service done. Some observations after the first service :
1. There used to be a judder/clatter while acceleration (~2000 rpm I think) , its not there any more. Not sure if the oil change did the trick or the chain adjustment.
2. I am finding the neutral a little easily now, still not perfect, but I think some more riding will fix this.

I am using the bike for my daily office commute (~40 kms) and weekend rides. My last tank I got 41kmpl and overall I got 36kmpl. The navigation and bluetooth connectivity is pretty good at least for my android device (saw some iOS users complain about connectivity in few forums).

Some observations during the first service:
1. During the oil filter change they even changed some O-Rings, never knew this is also supposed to be done.
2. They used Motul paste to lube the chain for my bike, for rest of the bikes I think they were using the Suzuki lube (white and blue container).

I did find one issue though and this even happened at the service center after they washed the bike, water goes in to the switch and the bike can start even if I do not press the start button. I mean, put the key in and ON the bike -> put up the stand -> press the clutch -> now as soon as you put the engine kill switch in ON position -> THE BIKE STARTS , even without pressing the starter button.

I have not gone for any ceramic/PPF protection. I already see some scuff on my tank side panels (black glossy ones). I asked the cost for this panel and its 1100 one side. I kind of like the black glossy look as it is now and don't want to add those OEM tank protectors, but I think I may opt for it.

I wash my own bike and car, I must say it takes a lot more time to wash the SX250 than my previous FZ, there are a lot of edges/pockets/hard to reach places on this bike. Also some of the parts have sharp edges like the one where the heel rests did give me a small cut.

I am on a lookout for a top box now, will update once I purchase one.

Overall, I am pretty happy with the VStorm SX 250 and am enjoying every ride on it. I don't have an ownership thread so if there is any update I will post it here.

[proton]

Any news from Suzuki about group rides? I would love to come on a ride where we bring tents, and a cook has been organized, like this event, often mentioned in Advrider forum :

https://www.tripsavvy.com/overland-expo-5224965

[Sebring]

Congrats on your purchase. Bike starting by itself is dangerous. Leave it with them till it is sorted. Regarding the rings, there was some clatter observed in my bike and they replaced it. That 'ring' like side noise is still there, which they say is character of the engine. I think they're doing this to every bike silently

Originally Posted by mobilecentric

I did find one issue though and this even happened at the service center after they washed the bike, water goes in to the switch and the bike can start even if I do not press the start button. I mean, put the key in and ON the bike -> put up the stand -> press the clutch -> now as soon as you put the engine kill switch in ON position -> THE BIKE STARTS , even without pressing the starter button.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Some of the issues regarding the VStrom 250 that I have heard owners complain about include
- Water getting into the headlights. The dealerships are replacing them under warranty. Multiple owners have reported it.

- Dodgy behaviour after pressure washing the bike. This appears to be a switch gear related issue. So far only one owner has complained of this but he never had any issues with his 150cc Honda, in similar conditions.

Originally Posted by mobilecentric

I did find one issue though and this even happened at the service center after they washed the bike, water goes in to the switch and the bike can start even if I do not press the start button. I mean, put the key in and ON the bike -> put up the stand -> press the clutch -> now as soon as you put the engine kill switch in ON position -> THE BIKE STARTS , even without pressing the starter button.

Looks like this bike has issues when washed or exposed to heavy rain. Surprising to see such issues from Suzuki.

Could result in a blown fuse easily instead of just starting the bike, if water is causing the short.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Looks like this bike has issues when washed or exposed to heavy rain. Surprising to see such issues from Suzuki.

Could result in a blown fuse easily instead of just starting the bike, if water is causing the short.

I fully agree, Dr CD. For what is largely a parts bin special, its really surprising that Suzuki is facing these quality issues. Just the other day, a friend shared a video on the headlight being replaced on his VStrom 250, due to excessive condensation inside it. Apparently, the OEM headlight on the VStrom 250 doesnt have adequate sealant on the sides. However, the parts that are being sent for warranty replacement do have this sealant. So that should spell the end of the rain water harvesting problem.

The bike coming to life without pressing the Start button is even more concerning. I wonder if it will also happen on my Gixxer SF 250. Thankfully, the only washing that I subject my bike to, is from the prodigious rains.

[tarmacnaut]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Just the other day, a friend shared a video on the headlight being replaced on his VStrom 250, due to excessive condensation inside it. Apparently, the OEM headlight on the VStrom 250 doesnt have adequate sealant on the sides.

The bike coming to life without pressing the Start button is even more concerning. I wonder if it will also happen on my Gixxer SF 250.

I think one-off issues are getting exaggerated here, people have already taken VStrom to leh and did water crossing and rain rides in YouTube, everyone praises its reliability and none reported these issues.

I also own a Gixxer 155 BS4 first gen for the past 5 years. The quality is just top notch. The lcd console, headlight and switch gear have been waterproof even after washing in service centers and being drenched in heavy bangalore rains for all these years.

On the other hand, the instrument consoles of Honda hornet and fz V2 are notorious for their failures even in moderate rain, my friend rides his hornet 160 with a dead lcd console after replacing it twice. Suzuki's quality is much better in this aspect.

So it could just be harsh handling in the service center/showroom that caused these issues, new owners need not worry.

[CptSlow]

I rented the VStrom-250 SX for a day in Bangalore and did a ~400km round trip on it with my wife as pillion. Here are my observations:

Ergonomics: I am 5'9" and I could touch both my feet to the ground, though not fully, but comfortable enough to not make me nervous in traffic. The position of handlebar, footpegs and console were spot-on for my height. The windscreen felt a little inadequate because I could feel the windblast right on my helmet, which I felt was worse, for the reason that it was generating terrible wind noise. Compared to the similar speeds I have done on other bikes without windshield, VStrom came off worse.

Handling: Much hue and cry has been made about the 120mm suspension travel of VStrom, which is basically the same as its other 250 siblings. I, for one, found the suspension to be quite good on the VStrom. Tested them on the broken Bangalore roads and they performed exceedingly well. I also had to do a little bit of off-roading on my ride and never felt anything lacking from the suspension. Fair disclaimer - I haven't ridden any other ADVs in this class so I don't have anything to compare it against, I just found the suspension to be a good performer for my needs and felt I should mention that.

Engine: It reaches 100kmph quite easily with minimal vibrations but from here on it starts feeling strained. Getting to 110 takes some effort and comes with vibrations, while 120 I was only able to manage in short bursts because of uncomfortable level of vibrations. I will remind you again, all these observations are with a pillion seated. I am sure solo riding will be much more comfortable and doable at these speeds than it was with pillion.

Console and app connect: Connecting the bike to Suzuki app was quite fast. Even the interface on the bike's display was good. It showed ETA, distance to destination, distance to the next turn, and the direction of the next turn. The display is capable of showing left/right turn, slight left/right, sharp left/right and U-turn. In the middle of the ride there were many instances of lost connectivity which I assumed is BT connectivity, not internet, since the internet on my phone was working on all such instances. It automatically reconnected, though.

Navigation system: The maps and directions shown by the app cannot be trusted. It felt like the navigation is designed in such a way that forces you to do off-roading. There were multiple instances where the app asked me to take non-existent roads. I kept ignoring those directions until I couldn't and had to take a broken road, which, after couple of km disappeared completely. I then had to go through a water crossing caused due to an overflowing dam, dirt roads full of rocks and gravel, and finally through a ~15m long and a foot-and-half deep standing water on the dirt road. At this point I decided the close the app and asked my pillion to help with directions from Google Maps. I did have fun doing that stretch though :-)

Pillion comfort: Not too bad. I rented a Scram 411 few months ago and my wife started complaining of pain some 200km into the ride on absolutely well laid, open roads. While on the Vstrom she complained of pain as we were entering Bangalore on return, some 350km into the ride.

I am in the market looking for an affordable ADV to go touring with a pillion and the VStrom seems to be a good contender, except for the vibrations at higher speeds. Now I need to decide if it is a deal-breaker for me or not.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by tarmacnaut

I think one-off issues are getting exaggerated here, people have already taken VStrom to leh and did water crossing and rain rides in YouTube, everyone praises its reliability and none reported these issues.

I also own a Gixxer 155 BS4 first gen for the past 5 years. The quality is just top notch. The lcd console, headlight and switch gear have been waterproof even after washing in service centers and being drenched in heavy bangalore rains for all these years.

On the other hand, the instrument consoles of Honda hornet and fz V2 are notorious for their failures even in moderate rain, my friend rides his hornet 160 with a dead lcd console after replacing it twice. Suzuki's quality is much better in this aspect.

So it could just be harsh handling in the service center/showroom that caused these issues, new owners need not worry.

tarmacnaut, are you sure that the issues are one offs and / or exaggerated?

I am part of a Suzuki run Whatsapp group for VStrom 250 owners. Multiple owners on that have complained about water accumulation in the headlights of their VStrom 250 motorcycles. A video was shared by my friend in which substantial water had collected in the headlight. If there wasnt a problem or it was wildly exaggerated, why would Suzuki replace these headlights under warranty?

The dodgy behaviour after washing, that I posted about a few weeks ago, was also reported by TBHPian mobilecentric, on this very same page.

Also, the bluetooth connectivity problem that I posted about a few weeks ago, was reported by TBHPian CptSlow. Multiple owners in the Suzuki run Whatsapp group here have also complained about the same.

I am also unable to understand your last point. If the Suzuki showrooms and / or the company SVCs are the ones who are supposedly manhandling the bikes, then shouldnt new owners really worry about that? Wouldnt they have to deal with the showroom for the purchase and interact with the SVCs for all services and warranty related claims? If Suzuki's personnel are the weak link, then who will pay Rs 2.75 L to buy a bike that can be damaged by the very people selling it to you?

Like you, I also own a Suzuki motorcycle. Like you, I too am very happy with my motorcycle. Like you, I too feel that the quality is just top notch. However, I cannot ignore genuine problems that riders in the VStrom community here (and as reported on this thread, by other TBHPians) are facing. Hopefully Suzuki is able to work on these issues and sort them out at the earliest.

[tarmacnaut]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

I am part of a Suzuki run Whatsapp group for VStrom 250 owners. Multiple owners on that have complained about water accumulation in the headlights of their VStrom 250 motorcycles. A video was shared by my friend in which substantial water had collected in the headlight. If there wasnt a problem or it was wildly exaggerated, why would Suzuki replace these headlights under warranty?

The headlight unit and Switchgear of VStrom is the same as the ones in the market for the last 3 years (same as Gixxer 250). I seriously doubt this could be a widespread manufacturing defect - widely prevalent in the headlight unit or switchgear.

I am seriously considering VStrom SX as the next upgrade and I am also part of the VStrom SX owners facebook group and I have been following a lot of early adopters of VStrom SX in Youtube like FalconRiders, VipLoveSaini, Mr Photoholic and many more. None have reported this water accumulation in headlight and even in Team bhp there are no images of this issue. And I have not heard any news of Suzuki replacing headlights under warranty in any of these forums.

Thats why I considered this as one off issue. I am not aware of the whatsapp group though. If you can share the images of the issue and about the replacements done it will be really helpful

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

The dodgy behaviour after washing, that I posted about a few weeks ago, was also reported by TBHPian mobilecentric, on this very same page.

The owners have to be careful with how technicians handle their bikes, this pressure washing can seriously tamper the parts whichever the bike is. If someone had reported this issue while riding in rain or water crossing this can be accounted. But this issue really seems specific to the tampering they do in the name of washing which is bad for any bike let alone VStrom SX.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

I am also unable to understand your last point. If the Suzuki showrooms and / or the company SVCs are the ones who are supposedly manhandling the bikes, then shouldnt new owners really worry about that? Wouldnt they have to deal with the showroom for the purchase and interact with the SVCs for all services and warranty related claims? If Suzuki's personnel are the weak link, then who will pay Rs 2.75 L to buy a bike that can be damaged by the very people selling it to you?

Again, Most of the SVCs/Dealers are careless no matter the brand/premium paid. It is the owners that suffer, that is the sorry state. Recently one of the bhpian created a thread on CB300R where the BigWing dealer forgot to remove cardboard and it damaged his cooling system. Link below.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...ng-system.html (Honda BigWing dealer forgets to remove cardboard on brand-new motorcycle | Damages cooling system)

The point I was making is the same mentioned initially, I seriously doubt this could be widespread manufacturing defect in the headlight unit or switchgear as they are not new, rather this could be related to the tampering in SVCs which again is seriously condemnable and I agree with you, Suzuki has to do something about this. But marketing and after sales are the Achilles heel of Suzuki.

[mobilecentric]

Hi Friends,

Completed 1400 kms, extremely happy as the bike feels smoother/refined as I keep putting on kms.

A few points I have noted in the last few weeks:

1. I always have the display set on the ODO. I hardly touch the buttons on the meter. But on my way home from office I suddenly notice that my display is showing trip A and that too set to 0 (zero). This was weird as I did not do it. I do recall that I had updated the Suzuki Connect (Android) app on the same day , but I don't know if the app has the capability to reset trip meter. Ignoring it as a one off incident , but reporting here incase others also see the meter behaving erratic. Trip B is the same as ODO.

2. The rear breaks do need warm up , the front ones are ready to work from the word go. I mean initially first two or three times they (rear breaks) do not have the bite/feedback , but then onwards excellent.

3. The Motul paste wax that the service centre guys had applied during my first service lasted fairly good even after 400 kms even with the heavy Mumbai rains.

4. So a few days back my meter showed "INTERVAL" with the oil icon blinking and the kms showing 3500. I guess its just a reminder. This has happened only once and my ODO had just crossed 1200ish. Did others also get such a reminder?

Again I am enjoying all the second looks/stares the bike gets on the road and people coming next to me and asking "kitni ki hai on road". I commute on the Western Express Highway and to be frank I have not seen any VStorm 250 SX on the road so far.

Cheers 🍻

[tarmacnaut]

Originally Posted by CptSlow

I rented the VStrom-250 SX for a day in Bangalore and did a ~400km round trip on it with my wife as pillion.

Thanks for the great, crisp post, with many good points touching on the suspension and pillion comfort. It is wise of you to actually rent the bike and ride extensively, rather than coming to conclusions with a short dealership test ride.

Can you please tell from where in bangalore did you rent the VStrom SX? I am also looking to rent it out for a day to evaluate this bike for my upgrade.

Originally Posted by CptSlow

Much hue and cry has been made about the 120mm suspension travel of VStrom, which is basically the same as its other 250 siblings. I, for one, found the suspension to be quite good on the VStrom. Tested them on the broken Bangalore roads and they performed exceedingly well. I also had to do a little bit of off-roading on my ride and never felt anything lacking from the suspension.

I too felt the same when I did a very short test ride from Orion Suzuki, Koramangala at the time when the bike was initially launched. It is definitely softer than my Gixxer 155 and the Gixxer 250. Your post here reaffirms that. Anyways, will comment on it after I actually rent the bike and take it for a longer spin.

[CptSlow]

Originally Posted by tarmacnaut

It is wise of you to actually rent the bike and ride extensively, rather than coming to conclusions with a short dealership test ride.

Can you please tell from where in bangalore did you rent the VStrom SX? I am also looking to rent it out for a day to evaluate this bike for my upgrade.

I really wanted to test the pillion comfort over 8-9 hours of riding so renting was the only way

I rented it from Royal Brothers . I know for sure that they have one at their Marathahalli & Indiranagar locations but if you are trying to get it for the weekend then it will be better to book it at least a couple of days in advance.

[rahul4321]

I test rode the VStorm 250 for 2-3 kilometers and wanted to pen down my first impressions. The motorcycle was a test drive unit being showcased in front of the entry gates of a well known MNC complete with marketing material, brochures and a couple of salesman.

1) The motorcycle is smooth! The acceleration is not KTMesque but more progressive and linear. It picks up speed quickly but does not make you feel that it is doing so

2) The brakes are above average. Definitely the KTM's brakes have more stopping power. Although, there is a chance that the motorcycle brakes were cold and thus mildly ineffective as I was the first person test riding it that morning.

3) The suspension is super comfortable over broken roads. I deliberately rode over broken patches, potholes and tramlined road surfaces and felt that the suspension did not convey any jolts onto my lower back. I would rate the Himalayan suspension to be better but only by 10-20% which is not too far off from the Suzuki. A point to note: I did not take the motorcycle offroad so my comparison with the Himalayan's suspension is limited to only bad roads and not pure offord

4) Tyres: Fantastic. The road tramline section where the Himalayan always tramlines and fights me when I try to change direction and the KTM gives me feedback that it is riding on train tracks and that there are no alternatives at all to change direction - were no problem for the Vstorm. I could change direction and it did not feel like the motorcycle was fighting me when I was trying to do so. Not sure why that happened but was extremely pleased.

5) The Dashboard. Too busy - didnt like it. Would have preferred something fully analog or at the most something semi-digital. This was just too much clutter.

It was a short ride so I do not have many more points to share but I would definitely put my money on the Vstom 250 if I were buying a 250cc motorcycle today and would probably buy it over the 250cc KTM Adventure.