[SkylineGTR]

Hello Sebring, congrats on the new purchase, I see you have already started to modify it, gotta say you have more guts than I do - messing with a new machine like that.

How would you say the VSTROM compares to the Himalayan? For someone looking to buy adventure bike for touring, what are the pros and cons of both?

[Sebring]

I like to squeeze the maximum from my bikes, and as an early mover I take a lot of risks. The learning gives me a kick, have always been like that . With the VSTROM, I went for Japanese reliability, nothing else. Himalayan is a good bike, and I use my friend's bike a lot, but prone to springing rude surprises - (which I can't handle). This bike takes whatever you throw at it, (within certain limits)

Originally Posted by SkylineGTR

How would you say the VSTROM compares to the Himalayan? For someone looking to buy adventure bike for touring, what are the pros and cons of both?

@Nits83, not sure what rubber is brushing against each other. Can you take it to Sapthagiri Suzuki, Dr Rajkumar road? They have a competent mechanic there

On a side note: Suzuki just launched the 250 in Australia and are offering a free Top Box. They missed giving us this

[Drlmtukkar]

I’ve been riding a Inti 650 for the last 2 years and was looking at a complete package which doesn’t feel under powered after the inti. I 1st took a short Test Ride of the SX and was pleasantly surprised. After checking out a number of other bikes i finally decided to take a hour long ride of the VStrom SX and there were a number of issues i had with the Inti and was looking to make sure my next bike had none of those. At the end of the hour i decided to prolong the ride for another 30min not because i has more doubts but because i had rediscovered the joy of motorcycling, i just couldn’t get myself to stop. It was light, flickable, smooth, super comfortable and had enough grunt for solo riding.
It was good in the city didn’t need too many gear changes (it pulled cleanly in 5th from 30kmph) n has a light clutch, easy for push in n out of parking spots, its good enough for mild offroading( hardly do i go for any extreme offroading ) and it was cruising comfortably around 100-105kmph( thats all you really need). The horn needs a upgrade from day 1 and the headlight focus is all over the place (will need auxiliary lights for night riding/touring).
I was so pleased with the whole package that i booked one right away and am giving away my Inti so that i have space for the 650 based bobber, if and when…….I must say this V strom SX is a complete package - city, mild off roading, touring for a solo rider ( for 2 it might be a little under powered i feel) and reliability shouldn’t be a issue at all with a jap i guess.

[advstreak]

Originally Posted by Sebring

Might of the STROM
To 'kinda' improve the performance I have added a FREE-FLOW AIR FILTER from BMC (Rs 5000), and this has given it a nice edge.

Originally Posted by Sebring

The BMC air filter was also running dry and got a shot of lubrication

What is the maintenance schedule for the BMC filter in Bangalore riding conditions?

I am thinking of getting one for my KTM ADV 250 which already has a fuelx lite installed.

[Sebring]

I'm getting it cleaned and lubed every 10,000 kms

Originally Posted by advstreak

What is the maintenance schedule for the BMC filter in Bangalore riding conditions?

[lancelot7564]

Originally Posted by Sebring

Some lovely accessories have come in to the market. Spotted TeamBHP-ian Madhukar_n getting the crash guard and engine guard fitted before his Ladakh trip. Had a lovely chat. Wishing him the very best.

Which crash guard is this? I bought a Vstrom and am looking for a similar crash guard. Some pictures of it has sliders although your does not.

[Sebring]

This is AOM. HyperRider ones are half this price and VFM at that

Originally Posted by lancelot7564

Which crash guard is this? I bought a Vstrom and am looking for a similar crash guard. Some pictures of it has sliders although your does not.

[Ketan_R15]

I have booked my V-Strom 250 SX here in Mumbai and expecting delivery in few days. Picking up all the necessary accessories and have managed to get most of them except the main/centre stand.

Can anyone help me with a link/source from where I can order one if anyone has already installed it. Thanks in advance

[Dosanova]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

LongDrive lover, from what I have been told, the suspension is shared between the three 250 cc Suzuki motorcycles. The travel is the same at the front end. The rear suspension is 7 step adjustable on all three bikes.

Are the springs different? Is different fork oil used at the front end of the VStrom 250? I dont know the answers to these questions.

If I ride the VSTrom 250 and Gixxer SF 250 back to back, I would be in a position to tell you how similar or dissimilar they felt. Off the top of my head, the suspension feel on the SF 250 and the VStrom 250 is almost the same. That said, I havent found the suspension on the SF 250 or the VStrom 250 to be stiff. In fact, the SF 250 has the most supple suspension among the 3 bikes that I own. Given the less than perfect roads in Kerala these days, the suspension of my SF 250 is getting a proper workout but it has never let me down.

I actually walked into the showroom to book the Gixxer 250 Naked, but did a back to back test drive of Gixxer and Vstrom

Here are my observations:-

1. Gixxer is tiny, VStrom is Large, One feels like Gixxer is a mule and the VStrom is a Horse. You sit above everyone, the view is great (Think like Scorpio Vs Baleno)

2. Engine response was different in Gixxer, It revved up faster but when you let go of the throttle the engine braking was stronger too and it slowed down abruptly, VStrom revved up slightly slower and accelerated a bit slower but, when you let go of the throttle, it decelerated more gently. The Strom had a certain grace to it right from the riding posture to the way it accelerates and the way it turns. Don't mistake slightly slower for a negative thing. Gixxer felt like a mule on cocaine. I knew it was sportier and engaging but I know that after 6 months of riding it will get old and I'll prefer upright ergonomics and graceful acceleration and deceleration.

3. Gixxer was skittish, eager to turn. Vstrom was more stable and someone mentioned it is not flickable.. I will have to disagree, it is definitely flickable at city speeds and "weighs up" at highway speeds (I touched 100 on a straight road without intersections). Suspension wise, I felt Gixxer was more stiff and V Strom was softer. I see how everyone says RE's have the best suspension but what use is it if the bike is sitting in the service bay like countless Himalayans are. For me personally, fuss free ownership is a top priority cos road bumps you can get an air seat and put comfier grips to soften the impact. But a fundamentally finicky bike is a non-fixable problem and a sisyphean task. I do not have the mal-expectation that this is a hardcore offroad vehicle, people are quick to bash the suzuki for that. I will elaborate more on this in my review (in progress)

4. My original plan was to get a second hand Gixxer 250 SF and I test rode one at 4k kms, The riding posture is a bit committed and I did not think the price quoted was right, hence came to showroom. I loved the straight posture on the Vstrom. The Gixxer 250 platform is a sound platform and this improves on it for touring.

[Sebring]

Wonderful pen down thoughts, and bang-on. I'll look forward to your review

Originally Posted by Dosanova

I will elaborate more on this in my review (in progress)

[Drlmtukkar]

What tyre pressures is recommended for the SX 250 - for city / highway use. The owner’s manual says 22/29

[whencut86]

Originally Posted by Sebring

Team BHPian Madhukar_n spared no expense to send the humble VSTROM into the major league.

From the pic in this post, How does the windscreen extender fare at high speeds? Where to get it?

Also, curious to know if the current black bash plate also fit along with the Gixxer under engine guard which you have put?

Looking for top box for the VStrom. Could you please let me know where in Bangalore do we get good top boxes and options for these.

Expecting to take delivery on Friday and looking for options to add accessories. Thanks in Advance!

[Sebring]

a. The extender makes it shake slightly at high speeds. Stick to the original.
b. Not sure of the bash plate. You need to try it out.
c. I bought my top box from BikeNBiker

Originally Posted by whencut86

Expecting to take delivery on Friday and looking for options to add accessories. Thanks in Advance!

[tarmacnaut]

Originally Posted by Sebring

a. The extender makes it shake slightly at high speeds. Stick to the original.

Sebring, what about the Carbon Racing GPS mount cum wind shield height extender. From your previous posts, I could see you installed it.

Does it shake as well?

[Sebring]

This is the mount I'm talking about. There is a slight shake at high speeds. Original is rock solid

Originally Posted by tarmacnaut

Sebring, what about the Carbon Racing GPS mount cum wind shield height extender. From your previous posts, I could see you installed it.