[neil.jericho]

The Suzuki sales manager and the 4 Suzuki dealerships in Cochin have jointly created a VStrom 250 owners Whatsapp group for riders to share their experiences, good and bad, with the motorcycle. While all the 20+ VStrom 250 owners in Cochin are largely happy with their motorcycles, some of them have been reporting issues recently. Before anyone brings out their pitchforks, do remember to spare the messenger. Im just relaying what is being extensively discussed in a Suzuki run Whatsapp group with 20+ owners. This may or may not be representative of the ownership experiences of other VStrom 250 owners from around the country.

- Water wash problems
Apparently several riders are facing this problem which was reported by mobilecentric.

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.

My friend now washes his bike with a plastic over the controls, to avoid this problem.

- Water accumulation in the headlight
Different owners have reported this. The dealerships are promptly replacing the headlights for all impacted motorcycles. I had shared pictures here (Suzuki V-Strom 250 SX, now launched at Rs. 2.12 lakhs).

- Phantom gear display + hard gear shifting between Neutral and 1st gear
Im not sure if these are separate issues or related. Many riders have noticed the phantom gear display problem, which I had reported in my ownership thread. Basically, the dash doesnt show any gear. In my motorcycle, this used to happen when the bike was in neutral, hence to me its a phantom neutral issue. For VStrom 250 owners, the bike is sometimes in 1st but the display doesnt show any gear. This is a lot more dangerous for them.

Also owners are complaining about it being very hard to shift from neutral to first and vice versa. Several of them have said that the shifting is accompanied by a loud sound, which does sound unnatural. One common refrain was that the gearshift of the test ride bikes in the dealerships was a lot more smooth than that of the bikes which owners were riding daily. This does seem to be counter intuitive but its what is being reported. One owner has given his bike to the SVC for the second time, to get the issue sorted out.

Hopefully Suzuki is taking note of these issues and addressing them.

[mobilecentric]

Originally Posted by tarmacnaut

Thanks for the mileage figures.

Since most of your riding was in the city, how do you feel the bike is in city traffic, is it really comfortable for the rider and pillion especially in bad roads when compared to a 150cc bike or a scooter?

Is the clutch heavy or light for city usage?

Any heating issues in standstill traffic?

Hello,

My commute is 20kms one way, there have been times when it has taken 1.5+ hrs to reach office/home , on these days I can feel the clutch to be heavy. Others days I don't even notice.

Pillion comfort was one of my priorities and during the test ride itself wife was super happy with the seat as she always complained about the small seat of my Yamaha Fazer 150. We have been on one single trip 100 kms and it was fatigue free for both of us. In the city with my wife no matter how careful I ride I do get an earful about a pothole/speed bump etc... , but she says this bike is much more comfortable than my Fazer.

I have faced no heating issues. Its been raining mostly since I bought the bike, the real test starts now with the October heat just kicking in in Mumbai.

[mobilecentric]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

The Suzuki sales manager and the 4 Suzuki dealerships in Cochin have jointly created a VStrom 250 owners Whatsapp group for riders to share their experiences, good and bad, with the motorcycle.
=========
Hopefully Suzuki is taking note of these issues and addressing them.

About the phantom gear issue, I have faced this. But then I recollected that while reading the manual it said that when you shift gears listen for that click ( probably to be assured that the gear has slotted). There are times when I change the gear very lightly and mostly that is the time I saw no display on the instrument. It just means the gear has not slotted properly and then I slot it again (a bit hard this time, till I hear the click) and it shows the correct gear.

[drt_rdr]

Had my first service done. Washing included of course. No water ingress related issues to report here. Mine is an august manufactured unit and I've neither ridden in the rain nor parked in the rain so far.

I've experienced the phantom gear issue exactly once till now, at standstill IIRC. Not worried about it though.

[CptSlow]

Took delivery of black V-Strom SX on Wednesday from Aryan Suzuki, Hoodi



I wanted to take delivery only after the HSRP number plates are installed but due to this festive season rush (just my guess) it was going to take longer, so I decided to take it immediately after the RTO registration was done. The plates still haven't arrived and I am sure they won't until later this week. For now, the dealership has put a piece of paper on the bike with the vehicle number printed on it.



Dealership experience:
I was offered a test ride immediately with no restrictions on the route to take or the distance. The staff was polite and helpful. They explained all the discounts and promotional schemes provided and answered my questions patiently. Since black was not in stock, I had to wait a couple of days to do the PDI. During delivery they did the whole "bike unveiling, handing over a giant key" thing which was quite nice. I am hoping this pleasant experience with continue throughout the ownership of this bike.



Initial impressions of the bike:
Rode the bike home with a fuel stop at Shell on the way. Haven't had the chance to take it out anywhere except for a 30km ride in the city, so can't say much about the performance for now. Wanted to take it on a longer ride on Sunday but the number plate had not arrived yet. Don't want to risk an encounter with the crazy Bangalore traffic police.

Breaking in the engine:
I was going to follow what the manual suggested, no sudden accelerating, so sudden braking, <5000RPM till 800km, <7,500RPM till 1600km. But then as I started reading about it on the Internet I was left confused. The consensus turned out to be to use the complete rev range, and not limit it to a particular maximum RPM (like 5000, or 7500 mentioned in the manual). Found this video from Fortnine (a YouTube channel I consider to be highly reputable). Another thing I noticed is that almost everyone agreed that choosing one method over the other does not make a significant difference to modern engines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u74jYkItdD8

Here's another one from MC Garage:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpoglovyy_8

[drt_rdr]

Originally Posted by CptSlow

Breaking in the engine:
I was going to follow what the manual suggested, no sudden accelerating, so sudden braking, <5000RPM till 800km, <7,500RPM till 1600km. But then as I started reading about it on the Internet I was left confused. The consensus turned out to be to use the complete rev range, and not limit it to a particular maximum RPM (like 5000, or 7500 mentioned in the manual). Found this video from Fortnine (a YouTube channel I consider to be highly reputable). Another thing I noticed is that almost everyone agreed that choosing one method over the other does not make a significant difference to modern engines.

Ari Hennig makes a disclaimer saying every engine is different though. The tests that he ran were for a liquid cooled relatively low-compression engine. Safe to say it's a bit different from the Gixxer engine atleast as far as cooling is concerned.

That said, I strayed a bit from the book. Did my share of hard acceleration, rode for long durations (at varying mid range rpms though) punctuated by 20-30 minute breaks every 50-70 km, lugged the engine a bit with pillion, and went on multiple hill runs at high enough engine loads to feel the engine heat on cold nights, all within the first 500 kms. It's not much different from how I normally ride.

So, what did I notice?

Have been checking oil levels often. Engine oil level has been super stable. No leaks, no burning. No issues with the combustion chamber sealing I'd like to conclude, though I'll watch for a couple thousand more kms.

Engine power doesn't feel any different from the day I got the motorcycle though, which is a bit disappointing since the engine is already quite tame.

Not once have I noticed the engine temperature light come on despite hard riding (Though it could also just be me being too involved in the ride to notice it).

There's a bit of engine clatter now. Could be the valves, SVC didn't inspect it during the first service despite the manual recommending it. Will have to get it checked out.

So, my engine seems to be doing more or less fine despite not going by the book. Yours probably should too, but don't blame me if you take my word and things go south for you. Best to stick to moderation to be on the safer side.

[Shonith]

Originally Posted by CptSlow

Breaking in the engine:
I was going to follow what the manual suggested, no sudden accelerating, so sudden braking, <5000RPM till 800km, <7,500RPM till 1600km. But then as I started reading about it on the Internet I was left confused. The consensus turned out to be to use the complete rev range, and not limit it to a particular maximum RPM (like 5000, or 7500 mentioned in the manual). Found this video from Fortnine (a YouTube channel I consider to be highly reputable). Another thing I noticed is that almost everyone agreed that choosing one method over the other does not make a significant difference to modern engines.

Congrats on the new bike

Regarding the engine break-in
It is a very important period for the piston rings and cylinder more than anything else. Riding at certain rpm specified by the maker is done so as to get a uniform and controlled bedding-in of piston rings and cylinder. Riding hard may result in uncontrolled bedding-in that may affect the life of the engine in the long run.
By profession I work on very large engines and break in is at the upmost important things we follow after overhauling an engine. Simply put the chances of something going wrong with the piston rings and cylinder reduce when you follow the break in procedure stated by the manufacturer.

Here is a video by someone who isn't that well know but knows what he is talking about.

https://youtu.be/rINOXCuFY_o

Here a video of him debunking the MC Garage video.

https://youtu.be/LiNsEsU8pGs

[mobilecentric]

So I was able to reproduce the "bike starting without pressing start button after wash" and I made a video of it. One more thing I should have done is keep the RED button to ON position and just pull the clutch. Do note, now I can confirm that this issue happens when the bike is standing in the rains, pressure wash and even normal wash. This had happened in front of the service guys during my first service in Kiran Suzuki Thane and I asked them to report this to Suzuki.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyohbH8KGQI

[mad4nfs]

Originally Posted by mobilecentric

So I was able to reproduce the "bike starting without pressing start button after wash" and I made a video of it. One more thing I should have done is keep the RED button to ON position and just pull the clutch. Do note, now I can confirm that this issue happens when the bike is standing in the rains, pressure wash and even normal wash. This had happened in front of the service guys during my first service in Kiran Suzuki Thane and I asked them to report this to Suzuki.

https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=jyohbH8KGQI

This is really sad from one of the leading automobile manufacturer that they can't even solve such small issue. I am not sure about the V-storm but in my Gixxer 250 owner's manual, they have mentioned to keep the ignition switch away from water and pressure wash. That means they are aware of the issue but don't know the solution.

[AviC]

I test rode the Vstrom 250 today and liked the bike.

I currently own a Dominar 400 and it gives me pain in my tail bone even on short rides. I had TDed the Xpulse and loved its suspension setup. Riding the Vstrom was surprisingly good and is now under consideration.

Considering the bad road conditions in Mumbai, would Xpulse be a better choice than the Vstrom?
I am sure that most of you here might have considered Xpulse as well before deciding to go for the Vstrom.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by AviC

I test rode the Vstrom 250 today and liked the bike.

I currently own a Dominar 400 and it gives me pain in my tail bone even on short rides. I had TDed the Xpulse and loved its suspension setup. Riding the Vstrom was surprisingly good and is now under consideration.

Considering the bad road conditions in Mumbai, would Xpulse be a better choice than the Vstrom?
I am sure that most of you here might have considered Xpulse as well before deciding to go for the Vstrom.

AviC, what sort of riding will you be doing with your new motorcycle? If you will be going off roading, the light weight of the Xpulse will be a God send. The VStrom 250 cant really compete with the Xpulse 200 when it comes to offroading.

On the other hand, if you will be using your new motorcycle for just about everything, including commuting to work, grocery shopping, short weekend rides, going to the mall, long weekend rides etc, then pick the VStrom 250. It has the better engine, better components, is better engineered and put together. To me, the Xpulse 200 feels built to a price but ironically, is no longer super affordable. The VStrom 250 does still have the issues that I mentioned earlier in this thread. Overall, its a much better motorcycle than the Xpulse 200 for all round day to day usage.

[AviC]

My ride requirement would be 90% within the city for office commute. 10% highway rides which would not be more than 200 kms to and fro. I do not intend to do any off-roading.

The only reason why Xpulse is on my radar is due to my tailbone issue. If the VStrom would be good enough and not cause the pain, even I would want to pick it up over the Xpulse.

Believe me, the roads in mumbai are crazy bad.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by AviC

My ride requirement would be 90% within the city for office commute. 10% highway rides which would not be more than 200 kms to and fro. I do not intend to do any off-roading.

The only reason why Xpulse is on my radar is due to my tailbone issue. If the VStrom would be good enough and not cause the pain, even I would want to pick it up over the Xpulse.

Believe me, the roads in mumbai are crazy bad.

AviC, for your usage, between the 2 options that you listed, go for the VStrom 250.

However, considering the underlying problem of terrible roads in Bombay, I would actually suggest that you strongly consider the Himalayan and / or the Scram 411. Supreme ride quality is their forte.

Whatever bike you pick, do make sure to take extended test rides, to ensure that your tailbone issue is addressed with your new motorcycle.

[drt_rdr]

Originally Posted by AviC

My ride requirement would be 90% within the city for office commute. 10% highway rides which would not be more than 200 kms to and fro. I do not intend to do any off-roading.

The only reason why Xpulse is on my radar is due to my tailbone issue. If the VStrom would be good enough and not cause the pain, even I would want to pick it up over the Xpulse.

Believe me, the roads in mumbai are crazy bad.

I own an impulse and a vstrom, and I've ridden the xpulse a fair bit. If I were in your place, I'd hands down go for the xpulse.

Even if you never do any offroading in your life, the xpulse still works just amazingly as a commuter. The suspension keeps you very comfortable over all kinds of road conditions. It may be down on power, but the speed you're easily able to keep over bad roads and the kind route options it opens up for you makes it totally worthwhile.

The seat is narrow, inclined and soft, which is not bad for commuting within the city. But you may have issues with tailbone pain over longer rides, especially if you're a heavyweight.

The vstrom has been a bag of contradictions for me. Based on my experience, I cannot recommend it. Suzuki seems to have goofed up with this one.

It's mostly positives over smooth roads. But once you get to a bad patch, it falls apart. The suspension is crap. Both ends are stiff, the rear being stiffer. It's piss poor over bad roads, forget offroad where it doesn't even allow the wheel to track the surface properly and keeps skipping. The seat is wide, and just the right firmness, and you'll likely never get tailbone pain, but you might get butt pain from friction because all the feedback from the suspension just doesn't let you settle into a position.

Test ride both bikes thoroughly and see which one feels better for you though.

Also add the Ronin to the list. That one is a proper all-rounder. It's a got great road manners, and the much better tuned suspension and decent ground clearance will take on bad roads easily. Very underrated bike.

[tarmacnaut]

Finally, took delivery of the VStrom SX on Saturday in the champion yellow shade. I have named the bike 'Nikko', meaning 'Sunshine' in Japanese as I really like the yellow shade. Below is a summary of how I purchased this bike

What I was looking for:
1) I was looking for an upgrade for my 5 year old Gixxer 155 BS4.
2) The bike should be spacious for both rider and the pillion as my Gixxer is really cramped for two up riding.
3) Relaxed upright riding posture as the Gixxer had a sporty stance which was getting uncomfortable for longer city rides.
4) Softer suspension to handle the bad roads of bangalore. But not too soft like the XPulse or Himalayan as I come from a sporty bike and expect sporty handling.
5) Rider and Pillion comfort even over bad roads, with sorted ergonomics and seat comfort.
6) Powerful engine and preferably a 6 speed gearbox to do the long Highway haul when needed.
7) High Ground Clearance, my Gixxer 155 with a pillion will hit every speed breaker even in crawling speeds.

What I considered:
1) KTM Adventure 250:
Even though the bike had a long travel suspension but was stiff at lower speeds and felt worse than my Gixxer 155. Maybe it works better on higher speeds, who knows. So rejected this as the primary need is not satisfied.

2) Xpulse 200:
I had ridden this few times in the past. Suspension is great for bad roads. But it was too soft for higher speeds and handling is nowhere close to Gixxer 155. Also the bike did not look like a proper upgrade as the power was less and the design was meh (subjective).

3) Himalayan/Scram:
The ticking time bombs from RE infamous for their issues in almost every single part right from starter motor to the 'snapping' chassis. Although the suspension is plush, the bike is too heavy for what it is and the design looks jugaad, not premium.
The Himalayan ownership thread at times will look like a 'support group' where owners share how they are learning to live with the bike. I had test rode this 5 years back before buying Gixxer, did not like it then, not much changes till now, so gave it a pass.

4) Honda CB350:
This one is different, I mainly considered this for the flat pillion seat. Went to Big wing Honda dealership at Indiranagar, Bangalore (After VStrom test ride) and took a ride with pillion. I really liked the look of the bike especially in the new 'Matt Massive Grey' colour.
But the dual rear suspension was a very basic setup and the pillion got tossed, even over minor bumps during the test ride. Since I liked the absolute road presence of the bike, I enquired with the Sales person on the suspension setting, he said it was already at the softest. So walked away.

How I decided:
I took two solo test rides of the V-Strom SX from Ninestar Suzuki and Orion Suzuki. I immediately liked the commanding view, the comfortable seat, the upright posture and the splendid ride quality with the softer suspension setup. The bike was imposing and turned heads everywhere. The bike was also proper BIG. I got quotations from both the showrooms.

I came back with my wife to test the pillion comfort. She found the comfort to be excellent. But she felt the pillion seat to be too tall to board so we left without booking.
Then we took the cb350 test ride mentioned before. Though the seat was easier to board, the pillion comfort was not good. So I decided to rent out the VStrom SX.

I rented out the VStrom SX from Royal Brothers, HSR for 2 days. The guy there told me that the clutch plate was replaced but the bike had run for only 14000 kms, maybe it was abused. He asked me to ride in the right gears for the speed. The clutch was too heavy due to whatever they had done compared to the TD bikes.

On day 1, I took the Strom through heavy bangalore traffic on Saturday with pillion in the below route
* HSR to Koramangala,
* Koramangala to Indiranagar - via Sony Signal and Intermediate Ring Road
* Indiranagar to Phoenix Market City - there was traffic jam even in mall parking
* then back to my home via Outer Ring Road.
This was a long ride within the city almost 80kms mostly in traffic and pothole ridden roads. Below were the observations,

1) The suspension did its job wonderfully. Not a single sharp bump was felt by both the rider and pillion. My wife was surprised by the level of comfort as a pillion, as even 30kms round trips in the city would tire us both in Gixxer 155.
2) As a rider, I found the seat to be wonderful and did not get a sore back
3) The new reinforced sub frame does its job well. there was no movement from the pillion due to bad roads or gear changes which was surprising.
4) Lot of thoughts seem to have been put by the engineers for two up riding and I think no other bike in the market will even come to close V-Strom when it comes to two up riding.
5) The bike did heat up in very heavy traffic something like Duke 200, which was new to me in a Suzuki. But the heat disappeared after riding for a few hundred meters.
6) The only pain I had at the end of the day was in my left wrist due to the heavy clutch in the rented bike.

On day 2, We were 95% decided, the bike exceeded expectations in terms of comfort in city riding. I thought of taking the bike to Hosur via electronic City fly over.
1) The bike was stable and planted at higher speeds, thanks to the longer wheelbase
2) The windscreen performed nicely for my height 5'9". I heard just a 'thup' sound occasionally from the top of my helmet.
3) The top end was exhilarating, but the mid range has no punch compared to my Gixxer, there is a flat spot between 4500 to 6000 rpm. Post that the bike comes to life and pulls like a beast.
4) There is vibration exactly at 3500 rpm which shakes the indicators. But this was not felt on the handlebar, seat or the footpeg. So this should not bother longer rides.
The traffic was heavy due to the day before Diwali, so took an U turn under anekal flyover without continuing to Hosur and returned the bike to Royal Brothers HSR after riding about 150kms. I decided to book the bike.

The purchase
The bike had all the things I was looking for, the sharp handling in curves at a high seating perch, makes this lightweight fun motorcycle feel like a Mini Super Moto, which was a bonus. We also found a workaround for pillion boarding, by stepping up on the Rider's left footpeg to get onto the pillion seat. So it was a no brainer to book.
Orion Suzuki quoted 5000 more for my old bike but the handling charges were 2500 rupees higher compared to Ninestar Suzuki. So booked the bike in Ninestar Suzuki, Hosur Road. The booking experience was smooth.
The onroad price was 2.73 lakh in Bangalore. But with the festive offers of free insurance worth 14000 and exchange bonus of 7000 and a good exchange value for my old bike, I paid around 2.05 lakh for the new V-Strom SX, which was a good deal. Took the bike home after the necessary paperwork and pooja, Pictures below.

Ending Note:
I would recommend this bike to all the 150cc bike owners who are looking for an upgrade, the bike captures the sporty feel of the 150cc bikes but it takes it up a notch with outstanding rider/pillion comfort, soft roading capabilities and outright performance.

Will keep updating throughout the ownership.