[b16h22]

Originally Posted by sudeep.pandya

Quite sensitive? I think this is quite an old engine doing duty in so many models. Does it really need break in?

It is not an old engine. The 250s came in 2019 so it is about 4-5 years old and it was an all new design. They only use this motor in the Gixxer 250 twins and Strom.

[organicsuj]

Originally Posted by VijayAnand1

Thank you for your kind words. Let me add to what you've experienced - starting with the fly in the ointment which you've closely echoed with my thoughts. Starting with why the clutch is on the heavier side with respect to different 250s.

The clutch is heavier as you've mentioned, especially after having owned the CBR250 even without the slipper clutch, it's just two finger actuation and it's still smooth for a 5 spring setup on the CBR. The same 5 spring setup is what's on the Strom, but comparatively heavier springs. A heavier spring means stronger plate contact and better performance. It's not too hard or too soft, I'm totally okay with it. I've checked a few Stroms with handlebar risers installed and their clutch operation is simply appaling to say the least.

The suspension is hard - sincerely a pogo stick when ridden solo. The rebound damping is simply a disgrace. But the suspension simply is super pliant and transforms two up. The bike loves to be loaded and with two up it gobbles potholes, undulations with absolute ease and the handling is spot on on switchbacks - fully loaded. Having fiddled with the settings from 1 to 7, I'm currently at 4 with stock dialled in at 3 (1 softest - 7 hardest) and pretty much content - for now.

Headlights, just like all OE LEDs units are a sincere disgrace, but when compared to the other bikes, the Strom /Gixxer reflector has good spread and wrap around of what's in front. MRF Meteor M and FM2 do a good enough job in dry and decent enough job in wet and yes tire noise is standard across all block pattern tires. Complementing the bike, a well rounded tire with good enough performance and additing to the great looks. Even the ADV 250/390 have a smaller rear tire profile than the Strom.

Segue. The plastic quality is much better than than most 250s out there. Engine vibes are pretty much standard across the board with camshaft replacement being done on specific date manufactured bikes. A simple VIN check on the Suzuki website under the Service Campaign menu will let you know if your bike is under an official recall. Mine isn't under the recall batch. I'm closely keeping it under radar though.

The mild console flicker to the RPM thrum is perfectly normal. I've already derailed this on my thread. I haven't experienced any undulations from the front end riding the bike thus far and she's currently sitting in at 8k kms. Zero electrical issues, zero suspension noises, zero undue malfunction indication of any sort.

She fires up at 1.5 cranks in the morning and barring the wind buffeting noise at speeds above 120 to 135-ish which it can happily do all day, and the remiss of a center stand she's been a comfortable fill it, shut it, forget it type motorcycle thus far - hope she stays that way for the foreseeable future.

I shall update my thread in a while's time so that it's updated with how things stand thus far.

Cheers!
VJ

Thanks for all your input here VJ.
I've been riding a Vstorm for a little under a year now and would like the community's opinion on a couple of issues I face:

1. The clutch
   I do not really feel the clutch to be heavy as a few have noted here. I did feel that though when I tested a SF 250. The problem I have is with quick downshifts. Whenever I try to shift down a few gears quickly, I hear a click but the gear enters the La La land. I've to release the clutch and engage it again for the gear to slot with a heavy thud. The service center adjusted the clutch and the chain after raising a complaint with Suzuki. Though the situation is much better now, I still don't feel very confident during quick downshifts. Sounds familiar for anyone?
   
2. Reaching high speeds
   I find the speeds plateauing at 90-100 kmph on the speedo (I've noticed this to be 7-8 kmph higher than the GPS indicated speeds) and anything above that does not come easy. I'm not sure if that's the top end of the machine or if it's just the throttle action.
   I feel my right wrist aching after 30-40 mins into the ride. I feel the throttle has to be wrung wide open to reach decent speeds and that could be a culprit.
   @VJ- Are you able to reach 120–135ish speeds without stress?
   

[b16h22]

Originally Posted by organicsuj

The clutch
I do not really feel the clutch to be heavy as a few have noted here. I did feel that though when I tested a SF 250. The problem I have is with quick downshifts. Whenever I try to shift down a few gears quickly, I hear a click but the gear enters the La La land. I've to release the clutch and engage it again for the gear to slot with a heavy thud. The service center adjusted the clutch and the chain after raising a complaint with Suzuki. Though the situation is much better now, I still don't feel very confident during quick downshifts. Sounds familiar for anyone?

That sounds very similar to my Gixxer. It is not the slickest downshifting gearbox I've used. 1 or 2 gears is fine but if you go down the box quickly, with or without rev-matching, it doesn't like it. Sometimes you will be stuck in 2nd and it wont go down to 1st. This was prevalent in the first few months (used bike) but I've managed to reduce it to a minimum with right clutch cable play, chain tension & riding style changes. But it is still not what you call a great gearbox. Not sure if it is a random occurrence but I've seen enough complaints from Suzuki 250 owners about hard gearshifts all over the internet. I was reading this Australian review and they described the Gixxer 250 gearbox (same as Strom) as relatively agricultural compared to the rest of the package.

[VijayAnand1]

Originally Posted by organicsuj

Thanks for all your input here VJ.
I've been riding a Vstorm for a little under a year now and would like the community's opinion on a couple of issues I face:

1. The clutch
   I do not really feel the clutch to be heavy as a few have noted here. I did feel that though when I tested a SF 250. The problem I have is with quick downshifts. Whenever I try to shift down a few gears quickly, I hear a click but the gear enters the La La land. I've to release the clutch and engage it again for the gear to slot with a heavy thud. The service center adjusted the clutch and the chain after raising a complaint with Suzuki. Though the situation is much better now, I still don't feel very confident during quick downshifts. Sounds familiar for anyone?
   
2. Reaching high speeds
   I find the speeds plateauing at 90-100 kmph on the speedo (I've noticed this to be 7-8 kmph higher than the GPS indicated speeds) and anything above that does not come easy. I'm not sure if that's the top end of the machine or if it's just the throttle action.
   I feel my right wrist aching after 30-40 mins into the ride. I feel the throttle has to be wrung wide open to reach decent speeds and that could be a culprit.
   @VJ- Are you able to reach 120–135ish speeds without stress?
   

Hello! In their chronological order

Le Clutch!
The clutch is not too hard nor too soft. Clutch freeplay adjustment too plays a very crucial role in how effortless or tiring the clutch operation is for the user. 98% of the Stroms I see in SVCs have their clutch engagement point up so high that it warrants excessive clutch operation which in turn simply is tiring for the hands -- the woes are amplified during city duties.

The gearbox isn't smooth per se, but has a positive click-lock feel which I personally like. The gearbox has smoothened out 10x vis a vis when it was brand new, but still isn't slick as my 390's gearbox.

Speeds!
Plus, I think I've mentioned this prior -- the speedo is optimistic by 10 kmph throughout. If you're @ 100 kmph on the speedo, you'll be reading 90 kmph on the GPS. This 10 kmph is the same throughout the 155 kmph top the bike does per speedo, one can safely assume it's 140 kmph true top speed --depending on the road/rider variables.

I haven't had any problems with regards to reaching top speed. 120 to 135 kmph is a breeze on the highways and this is two up with pillion, luggage, accessories, topbox and what not... The engine simply wants to be spanked. The bike can simply cruise at 120 to 130 all day long without much stress barring the mild buzz on footpegs. Personally touched 151-ish once with the GPS reading 140+-1 kmph and haven't done a speed run, since. Doing highways runs, 125 to 130 kmph on good highways is where I cruise and the bike's happy.

A caveat though in 6th gear is with two up, post 135 kmph GPS indicated, opening the throttle doesn't make the bike move, even if pinning it open. It takes a significant amount of time and ever so slowly does the speed increases post 135 (GPS indicated) with two up. That's absolutely fine per me, as 6th being an overdrive gear, it's the case with every motor out there, depending on the power it has on tap.

Hope it helps!

Cheers!
VJ

[sudeep.pandya]

Just got my SX last week.

The initial riding impressions are rather positive. The engineering depth in this bike is best this side of 5 lakhs I believe. Everything works as intended and reviewed online. Since I literally lost faith after watching all the Himalayan 450 reviews and in real world the bike turned out to be rather disappointing. Specially that Sherpa engine (RE lost it's own identity by going short stroke), how a company can forget their core/unique selling proposition and build another KTM in terms of engine! I was highly disappointed after multiple test rides. The 450 simply lacks the character which 411 had. Period.

After this, I tried various options like- Yezdi ADV, Roadster, KTM 390 ADV, BMW GS 310, Karizma XMR, Classic 350, Meteor 650, Scram 411. (I liked the Meteor 650 however it is far from being a practical bike, suspension travel is a joke, it will break your spine on sharp craters, also too laid back with no tacho and stuff, although one of the best RE bikes for sure till date but not for me!!)

Then came the V Strom SX in picture! Within 1 KMs of riding the bike, I was sold. I knew this is the one. I could connect with the engine, the chassis, the feedback. It just happens when you evaluate so many options, you simply conclude faster. And my heart and mind both said- yes, this is the one!!

Pros-

- Smooth engine and excellent ergonomics
- Great handling for an ADV
- Straight line stability and maneuverability at highspeed is kickass
- I found the Tyres grippy
- Effortless city commute along with light clutch and slick gearshifts.
- ABS is amazing (Not too intrusive)

Cons-

- Stiff Suspension as per ADV standards (Heck my Ninja 1000 handled the bad patches
better at medium to high speeds). I was expecting a plush ride after 22(F) and 28(R) psi
but it is still stiff.
- There isn't much in the last 30% of throttle action. All twist and no show kind of, the twist action should have been shorter.
- Gearing could have been little taller like 5k RPM at 100 Kmph.
- Should have been offered with more color options (I am a sucker for white/silver). This yellow screams for attention but doesn't really get much (after all it is a quarter litre)
- Front suspension should have been a USD, this one feel flimsy under hard breaking (Like yesteryear bikes say Pulsars and CBZs.)


Coming from a Ninja 1000, I am quite impressed with this bike. Of course, the V Strom feels a lot slower. I could literally run circles around those BMWs and Fortuners on those highway on my N1000. But not on this one, you have to sit back relax and see those things overtake you. No point revving the nuts out!

I couldn't resist since I bought the bike from another town so had to ride it back and on the way back revved the engine hard on some ghat sections and touched top speed couple of times with bike's ODO at 120 Kms hardly.

I always follow the run-in procedure in all my cars and bikes. Just couldn't do this time. Sorry SX

Special mention about the Purchase experience, since I am from a small town it is a very common thing to know the dealer personally and talk to them directly regarding the deal. In this case, though I knew the dealer but I didn't bother to bother him for this purchase. Still, the overall experience was very good by the dealership.

Since they were finally clearing their last stock of V Strom they were all very happy! LOL!

Time for some delivery day Pictures-

[nma83]

I did the first long(ish) ride on the SX today to Devarayanadurga temple with my enthusiastic 12 year old in tow. We reached the top (Yoga Narasimha temple) in under 2 hours after starting from JP Nagar around 6.30AM.
My kid posing with the bike; he had a great time as a pillion and I hope to do more rides with him over time.

Was able to maintain 80-90Kmph easily since the roads - NICE and Tumkur road - are great throughout and traffic was surprisingly less for a long weekend.
Parting picture while coming back, I have a great liking for mirror shots!

[kaizengadi]

Originally Posted by organicsuj

1. The clutch
   The problem I have is with quick downshifts.

I am done with 5th service and still I am facing the same issue. The solution I have found is to rev-match and downshift. This way I am able to downshift multiple times quick before an upcoming speed-breaker. If not the cogs jam up and I can downshift only when I release the clutch a tiny bit out.

[sakran]

Hello everyone,

I bought the Suzuki V Strom 250 in the last week of Jan 2024, Got the first service done upon reaching 800 km in the last week of Feb.
Now due to my training in a different state I had to leave the bike idle for 5 weeks.
When I go back to my home I am thinking of going to the Suzuki service centre for just small servicing, getting the tyre pressure checked at the local petrol pump.
What else should I be wary about? I had the bike covered for the last 5 weeks.
Also I will have to transfer the bike to a different state, as the bike doesn't have centre stand will it be a problem? And what insurance should I purchase before I transfer the bike?

[jetsetgo08]

Rented the Vstrom for a day. It's a near perfect bike except the 2 flaws -

1) Suspension tune - stiff at slow speeds and bouncy at higher speeds, it should have been the other way around.
2) Short gearing - The engine sounds strained at 100kmph at ~6500 rpm. The 5th and 6th gears should have been taller. Though there is more power on tap, but the engine sounds coarse from 6k rpm onwards.

Noteworthy pros -
1) Zero heating issues even in the worst traffic conditions (no problems even in 40deg. heat)
2) Seat and the riding position is perfect for touring.
3) Phenomenal FE. One can easily extract >40kmpl in mixed driving conditions. Driving sedately on highways should yield even higher numbers.

[b16h22]

Originally Posted by jetsetgo08

Rented the Vstrom for a day. It's a near perfect bike except the 2 flaws -

2) Short gearing - The engine sounds strained at 100kmph at ~6500 rpm. The 5th and 6th gears should have been taller. Though there is more power on tap, but the engine sounds coarse from 6k rpm onwards.

Good observation. I have a Gixxer 250 and I agree with this point. The motor sounds too busy at 100+ speeds. About 500 rpm less at 100-110kph should make it a better highway machine at the slight expense of acceleration. Been trying to find a sprocket replacement to make the effective gearing a bit taller.

[Sebring]

Since it is rental (and chances are the bike is abused), you may have observed these negatives. On an owned bike, the suspension is near perfect. The engine manages 120-140 cruising speed easily on highway. But its not the best in terms of refinement (Not in Honda league). 5th and 6th is perfect as well, just 2nd is useless. You must take a TD bike and maybe the conclusion will be different.

Originally Posted by jetsetgo08

1) Suspension tune - stiff at slow speeds and bouncy at higher speeds, it should have been the other way around.
2) Short gearing - The engine sounds strained at 100kmph at ~6500 rpm. The 5th and 6th gears should have been taller. Though there is more power on tap, but the engine sounds coarse from 6k rpm onwards.

[KeepTraction]

Rode the V-Strom 250 SX on a 800km trip with pillion and luggage (two Rynox saddlebags) covering Bengaluru -> Pulicat Lake -> Chennai -> Bengaluru via the Kolar-Chittoor highway.

Observations and updates:
1. Motorcycle had clocked 7000kms before the trip started. With 'two-up' riding, 12kgs luggage, and cruising at 80-95 kmph, the console indicated 38.8kmpl for 817kms upon finishing the trip.

2. The Rynox Nomad V2 saddlebags have endured time and use from 2014. Except for the drawstrings of the net pockets, nothing else needs repaired. Outstanding quality by this ten year old product that remains fully usable till now.

3. I used the STHIRA Motocycle Seat Cushion with High-Density 3D Honeycomb structure, and FEGO air seat for the pillion. Both performed very well in reducing seat fatigue.

4. The motorcycle performed wonderfully. The suspension continues to remind me that it will be pliant only with two riders and luggage.

5. Diversions around construction spots exist while crossing Narsapura, Mulbagal, Chittoor, Sriperumbudur. Remaining portion of the travel was on good tarmac.

6. The Pulicat lake's beach at the TN side is cordoned off due to construction of a mini-harbour, according to the locals. To start any boat rides, one must cross the Pulicat Lake bridge and reach the lighthouse area. Some fishermen are willing to give you a boat tour of the sandbars, mangrove forest full of migratory birds, and the pulicat lake (1000Rs and above, based on the fuel and time). To see the migratory birds, start the boat ride before 7am. Carry water, snacks, umbrella, and sunscreen.

[thedarkriderVII]

Hey Guys!

Needed some advice.

I just have come from my second service from Suzuki Service Centre. During billing they are saying that my second service is lapsed. When I told that I got the reminder call for second service just a week back and that it hasn't been six months since my first service. They said that the second service happens six months from date of sale. I argued that even then it would be only one month. They said that they can't do anything from their side as the date can't be adjusted. Also, they said that it would be better to get this service registered as third service. Otherwise I might face difficulty while claiming warranty or insurance.

So, I wanted the advice for the following:

1. Can service be lapsed? Or is it applicable to only free services?

2. Does it really have impact on claiming insurance or warranty?

3. To maintain a clean record of servicing, do I need to get my bike serviced only at authorised centres? I am asking this as the folks at current service centre don't give me much confidence. Also, for my previous bike, I used to get it serviced at a local service centre and they used to treat it with utmost care and respect. So, I am thinking of finding another such local service centre. But I don't want to have issues with my warranty and insurance.

Kindly guide me about this.

TIA

[thedarkriderVII]

Originally Posted by thedarkriderVII

1. Can service be lapsed? Or is it applicable to only free services?
2. Does it really have impact on claiming insurance or warranty?
3. To maintain a clean record of servicing, do I need to get my bike serviced only at authorised centres? I am asking this as the folks at current service centre don't give me much confidence. Also, for my previous bike, I used to get it serviced at a local service centre and they used to treat it with utmost care and respect. So, I am thinking of finding another such local service centre. But I don't want to have issues with my warranty and insurance.

Looks like another blooper from my end. On going through their official website, it has been confirmed that missing service and not getting it done from their authorised service centre can lead to voiding of warranty. I have written them a mail highlighting the miscommunication between service dealership and myself. Let's see what happens next.

[organicsuj]

Originally Posted by thedarkriderVII

So, I wanted the advice for the following:

1. Can service be lapsed? Or is it applicable to only free services?

2. Does it really have impact on claiming insurance or warranty?

TIA

I had a similar situation with a Tata motors dealer once and took that up with regional service manager of the brand. What I understood is that the dealers have a process of claiming the cost of the free service from the brand and the OEM can reject that when the free service is not done on time. Having said that, I was a few days late for third service of my bike but there was no fuss made about that.
Hopefully, the Suzuki team can take care of this if there was not a lot of delay.

I can understand claiming warranty would necessitate a service history with the brand during the warranty period ( I guess that's why they offer free extended warranty these days ), I doubt insurance will have anything to do with the service history.