[TheHelix0202]

Originally Posted by Sebring

Planning to bump up the power on my bike, took it to ASURA. They're checking this week if POWERTRONICS can be installed. The BMC air filter was also running dry and got a shot of lubrication

Do keep us updated on the progress of this. Seems promising.

[w0lf]

Originally Posted by proton

Here you go! Sorry for the delay. I was down with flu.

Thanks for sharing. Hope you're feeling better now.

Does the crash guard block the oil filter or oil filler cap? Will the crash guard have to be removed to perform oil service?

Thanks in advance.

[proton]

Originally Posted by w0lf

Thanks for sharing. Hope you're feeling better now.

Thanks for the good wishes.

The manual has sunk out of sight. Off the cuff, looks like oil filling is not hampered by guard.

With guard fixed, I photographed the oil level inspection port and filler. Both are easily accessed. Hope this helped you decide whether to buy or not.

See how the crashguard helps in this video.

https://youtu.be/hyANNH05a-Q

[tarmacnaut]

Originally Posted by Sebring

This was the reason the CB 350 had found a home in my garage and the new bike should have been nothing less.

Thanks for the excellent review. It really pushed me to take a test ride of VStrom.

I recently test ride the VStrom SX and loved the bike. The clutch was lighter than my Gixxer 150, the seat was super comfortable and the bike feels very imposing on the road and people automatically give way for you in the crowded streets of bangalore and I liked commanding view which the tall seat height gives. The suspension also was very good and the bike tamed Rocky/Muddy roads with composure even with a pillion. I felt it was the proper BIG upgrade I was looking for in budget.

But the issue is pillion boarding, my wife felt the pillion seat to be too tall to board during the test ride and we came back without booking. CB350 which I drove once solo long ago, had a flat seat and I think pillion boarding should be easier. But Big Wing showroom is too far from where I live to do a test ride/regular servicing.

As a rider who owns both CB350 and VStrom SX which one do you think will be the overall better bike for the money?

Also for riding two up on the bangalore's broken roads, Is the cb350 good enough? Is it anywhere close to VStrom in terms of rider/pillion comfort? Comfort is my topmost priority.

[Sebring]

Ask her to get her left foot on the peg (full weight on that), climb and then put her right leg over. My wife prefers this bike over CB 350. For Bangalore's non-existent roads VSTROM is amazing. (Else I'd have stuck to CB 350) BTW, adding new accessories which have just come into the market. To begin, the CR risers - are just great. I'm a happy man today.

Originally Posted by tarmacnaut

As a rider who owns both CB350 and VStrom SX which one do you think will be the overall better bike for the money? Also for riding two up on the bangalore's broken roads, Is the cb350 good enough? Is it anywhere close to VStrom in terms of rider/pillion comfort? Comfort is my topmost priority.

[tarmacnaut]

Originally Posted by Sebring

Ask her to get her left foot on the peg (full weight on that), climb and then put her right leg over. My wife prefers this bike over CB 350. For Bangalore's non-existent roads VSTROM is amazing. (Else I'd have stuck to CB 350) BTW, adding new accessories which have just come into the market. To begin, the CR risers - are just great. I'm a happy man today.

Thanks for your input. I did take a test ride of the CB350 with my wife (BigWing Indiranagar). My experience was akin to yours.

The rear suspension setup in cb350 was pretty basic and the pillion got tossed up and down even over minor bumps and the svc guy told the suspension was already at its softest setting. So I walked away. I really liked the new 'Matte Massive Grey' colour though.

I also rented out the V-Strom SX for two days. The new reinforced sub frame is superbly engineered. I think it is reinforced to minimize the movement of heavy mounted luggage over bad roads. The advantage of this the pillion does not move around over bumps or during gear changes and the comfort for rider/pillion exceeded expectations in my extensive test ride in bangalore city traffic.

We also found a workaround for the pillion boarding as well. It is easier to step up on the Rider's left foot peg and move into the pillion seat. So, I ended up buying the bike and took delivery on Saturday. The bike feels like a Mini Super Moto and is a great Road Biased ADV.

I have summarized how I ended up buying the V-Strom SX in the other thread. Link below

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...ml#post5430633 (Suzuki V-Strom 250 SX, now launched at Rs. 2.12 lakhs)

[Sebring]

Raised the windscreen by 3 inches using Carbon racing GPS mount. The increased height comes as a bonus

[Sebring]

Yalla gets FUEL X
I dont trust garages to install this, so I went to the source. (This is the first Strom to get fitted). The Company is located in Koramangala and they did a proper job of 'tuning' the gadget. The bike revs freely in any gear, offering a smooth experience now. For instance, in 4th gear I can slow down for a hump and clear it at low speeds, without any stagger.

[Bhupesh_2628]

Hi Team-BHPians,

After reading neil.jericho’s and other BHPians experiences and problems related to ‘early’ vibration issues on Suzuki Gixxer SF 250, is it right/logical to at least assume that the same vibration issue may also arise in the VSTROM 250 models sometime in future ownership?

Below is the link of vibration issue from neil.jericho’s ownership review:

1) https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...ml#post5451455 (Suzuki Gixxer SF 250 Ownership Review)

[tarmacnaut]

Originally Posted by Bhupesh_2628

Hi Team-BHPians,

After reading neil.jericho’s and other BHPians experiences and problems related to ‘early’ vibration issues on Suzuki Gixxer SF 250, is it right/logical to at least assume that the same vibration issue may also arise in the VSTROM 250 models sometime in future ownership?

I don't think so, I extensively test rode a 14000+ kms run VStrom SX, rented from Royal Brothers, Bangalore before buying mine. The same bike was rented by few others in this forum as well. There was no vibration issues and it is an abused rental bike. So, this kind of proves there is no 'early' vibration issues with VStrom engine. You can test ride a high kms run VStrom by renting if you want to verify yourself.

And it is pretty much clear that the Gixxer 250 issue is a defect in many products manufactured between April 2019 to March 2021. And the company has acknowledged this and issued a recall in mid 2021. The OPs bike was in the showroom when the recall happened as he bought the bike after an year, after lockdown ended, with huge discount. Probably, His bike was missed, which is unacceptable.

Definitely, Suzuki should have handled the recall better but that doesn't mean the engine itself is bad. And Gixxer 250 was exported in huge numbers and there was no such alarming issues reported overseas as well.

Suzuki still makes the highest capacity single in the world for DR650 and produced the biggest single (800cc) ever in DR800 (the famous DR-Big) both with the same oil cooled and balancer shaft config. So, assuming there is a flaw in engine design is assuming too much IMO.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by Bhupesh_2628

Hi Team-BHPians,

After reading neil.jericho’s and other BHPians experiences and problems related to ‘early’ vibration issues on Suzuki Gixxer SF 250, is it right/logical to at least assume that the same vibration issue may also arise in the VSTROM 250 models sometime in future ownership?

Below is the link of vibration issue from neil.jericho’s ownership review:

1) https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...ml#post5451455 (Suzuki Gixxer SF 250 Ownership Review)

Bhupesh_2628, you have asked a very pertinent question. Given that the Vstrom 250 is basically a platform derivative of the other two Gixxer 250s, the logical answer is that there is a strong probability that the same symptoms will arise in the VStrom 250, as well. Multiple Suzuki dealers have confirmed that the engine is the same on all 3 motorcycles.

Now, coming to the local Suzuki run VStrom 250 owners Whatsapp group that I am a part of, there are two owners who have done relatively high running, compared to the rest.
- one rider rode his bike from Cochin to the Himalayas and back. When he returned, he complained that his bike had a very harsh and unpleasant sound that was nowhere close to what it was before the trip. Around 7,000 kilometers were covered, in total, by then. I dont know if the issue got resolved, and if yes, how it was. Let me try to find out more.
- another rider who has covered around 11,000 kilometers on his bike, hasnt felt the same vibrations that I complained about but told me that the gear shifting is very hard. In the last service he had told the SVC about it, but nothing was done. During the next service, he will ensure that they look into it.

The other owners (27 member group only, including 4 showroom folks and some Suzuki management, which speaks for the poor sales figures in Cochin) seem to be happy with their motorcycle, so far.

If you are considering the VStrom 250, or any of the other Suzuki 250s, my suggestion is just wait for a bit and see how the situation plays out. Maybe Suzuki will wake up and stumble upon a technical solution, that will precipitate a recall for all the impacted motorcycles.

Originally Posted by tarmacnaut

I don't think so, I extensively test rode a 14000+ kms run VStrom SX, rented from Royal Brothers, Bangalore before buying mine. The same bike was rented by few others in this forum as well. There was no vibration issues and it is an abused rental bike. So, this kind of proves there is no 'early' vibration issues with VStrom engine. You can test ride a high kms run VStrom by renting if you want to verify yourself.

And it is pretty much clear that the Gixxer 250 issue is a defect in many products manufactured between April 2019 to March 2021. And the company has acknowledged this and issued a recall in mid 2021. The OPs bike was in the showroom when the recall happened as he bought the bike after an year, after lockdown ended, with huge discount. Probably, His bike was missed, which is unacceptable.

Definitely, Suzuki should have handled the recall better but that doesn't mean the engine itself is bad. And Gixxer 250 was exported in huge numbers and there was no such alarming issues reported overseas as well.

Suzuki still makes the highest capacity single in the world for DR650 and produced the biggest single (800cc) ever in DR800 (the famous DR-Big) both with the same oil cooled and balancer shaft config. So, assuming there is a flaw in engine design is assuming too much IMO.

tarmacnaut, it looks as though you arent caught up with all the updates on the Suzuki 250 vibrations issues. To recap,
- Nobody is claiming that every 250cc engine on the Gixxer, Gixxer SF, VStrom is problematic. At the same time, there are enough number of cases on this forum, to show that it isnt a one-off issue (which is also a reality in manufacturing).
- Suzuki issued a recall of 199 motorcycles that were manufactured between August 2019 and April 2021. As stated multiple times on my thread, my motorcycle doesnt fall in that official recall.
- Even TBHPians who got the problem addressed under the warranty recall, found that the problem resurfaced soon after.
- From my experience, motorcycles manufactured as late as 2022, seem to have this exact issue. Suzuki hasnt acknowledged that, or the issues with other motorcycles, outside the 199 that were part of the original list.
- I cannot speak for how well Suzuki handled the recall on the 199 motorcycles. Im more concerned about the others that werent recalled and have the problems which are unaddressed by the company.
- From the updates provided by TBHPians dheer4, SubodhRage and Thatautoguy46, it appears as though Suzuki and its dealerships simply expect owners to live with these vibrations.

[SkylineGTR]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

- Suzuki issued a recall of 199 motorcycles that were manufactured between August 2019 and April 2021. As stated multiple times on my thread, my motorcycle doesnt fall in that official recall.
- Even TBHPians who got the problem addressed under the warranty recall, found that the problem resurfaced soon after.
- From my experience, motorcycles manufactured as late as 2022, seem to have this exact issue. Suzuki hasnt acknowledged that, or the issues with other motorcycles, outside the 199 that were part of the original list.
- I cannot speak for how well Suzuki handled the recall on the 199 motorcycles. Im more concerned about the others that werent recalled and have the problems which are unaddressed by the company.
- From the updates provided by TBHPians dheer4, SubodhRage and Thatautoguy46, it appears as though Suzuki and its dealerships simply expect owners to live with these vibrations.

I wonder, is it possible that Suzuki is simply downplaying the extent of the balancer mismatch problem? As in, could it be that there are a lot many motorcycles affected by the defect and Suzuki has simply not caught on to them yet?
I do hope this is simply a mistake and not something they are doing intentionally, but given the fact that the 250s barely sell 500 units a month I wouldn't be surprised if the management decides to not invest money issuing further recalls. Won't affect the sales of the Access so why care after all?

[Drlmtukkar]

Hi Sebring, have almost made up my mind of buying the SX after reading your review. Only thing i want to know is about the Fuel X - does it increase the power/torque and can the powertronics unit serve to both smoothen the engine power delivery and increase the power/ torque

[Sebring]

Fuel X doesnt add additional torque like POWERTRONICS (Which is their product) but in any gear you get smoothness (It manages the given power well), and can clear humps in higher gears etc. Theyre coming up with the POWERTRONICS

Originally Posted by Drlmtukkar

Hi Sebring, have almost made up my mind of buying the SX after reading your review. Only thing i want to know is about the Fuel X - does it increase the power/torque and can the powertronics unit serve to both smoothen the engine power delivery and increase the power/ torque

@Tarmacnaut, I have no vibration issue thus far as well

[Nits83]

Hi all,
I have joined the VStrom family on 16 Dec 2022. A little background about me, I stay in Bangalore on the wrong side of 30's and bought a bike after a long gap of 10 years. I bought a black VStrom, however I noticed a strange issue after delivery when I start the bike, I get a sound which sounds like rubber parts rubbing with something, frequency increases with speed but goes away after riding a few minutes. Went back to the service centre but could not replicate the issue. They said it might be due to some polishing they might have put on discs, which was shocking for me. Is this something common with all bikes. Did anyone face something similar? Any pointers on what should I get checked ? Or should I ride around for a bit to see if it becomes permanent or hopefully goes away? Any advise/help is appreciated.