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Originally Posted by girimajiananth I heard the suspension is stiff on both bikes? Which one is better ? I am on wrong side of 30s. I have no off road intentions . |
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Originally Posted by shravansp24 Suspension :
Regarding the suspension, from what I heard, V-Storm suspension is comparitively softer and shares much of it's components with the gixxer whereas the KTM has the underpinnings of a sports bike. So, it has a very stiff chassis and the suspension has a very harsh rebound. So, under 60kmph, it's very stiff and more or less similar to sporty motorcycles like the Duke/R15. Post that speed and corners is where the suspension shines (both on-road and gravel) Suspension - Suzuki is softer than KTM
If the suspension is something that's high on your priority list, comfort if your age is a consideration and your majority of the riding is within city speeds, there are much better motorcycles than these 2. |
shravansp24 is absolutely spot on here about the suspension. KTM's whole architecture is to push the rider to ride a little faster: from the angled footpegs to the slight forward reach of the handlebar, the engine power delivery as well the suspension setup. The Suzuki is slightly on the softer side compared to the KTM but it is still engaging enough.
On triple-digit plus speeds, I have felt a little wobbliness on the rented V-storm. But as Sebring has pointed out it could be that machine that has the problem which I will confirm in some time after riding a well-maintained V-storm.
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Originally Posted by girimajiananth I read vstorm 250s FE is better than ktm adv , true? |
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Originally Posted by shravansp24 Fuel Efficiency:
The city fuel efficiency of vstorm should be better as it has much better low-end power. KTM has no torque in the lower end and hence resulting in poorer FE due to the riding style that's needed. In highways though, both of them are more or less similar with the KTM being more spirited and powerful
My KTM gives a mileage of ~30kmpl in city and 34-38kmpl on the highways (riding between 85 and 100kmph) City FE - Suzuki
Highway FE - similar with KTM having slight edge |
Again shravansp24 is bang on. V-storm will be able to squeeze out a little more than the KTM ADV 250. In sections of highways where the KTM was able to give 38kmpl, V-storm has managed to give around 41 kmpl on the Kerela Trip.
One important point is the difference in compression ratios. V-storm has 10.7 while the KTM ADV 250 has 12.5. Although the KTM Indian owners manual says that it can run on 91RON but I have felt an observable difference when using XP95 as mentioned in #31. The higher compression ratio allows KTM to extract more power out of the engine at the cost of it being more susceptible to bad fuel quality in the form of the cold start issue as mentioned in #39 post.
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Originally Posted by girimajiananth How expensive is ktm service and maintenance compared to suzuki? |
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Originally Posted by shravansp24 KTM service is quite a bit expensive. A basic paid service will set your back to atleast 2500-3000. Any additional servicing will add on to the bill. Also, the service interval is quite short at 4 months per service. |
Now, this is where shravansp24 might have made a mistake. The KTM 250 ADV service interval is
6 months/7500km both as per Indian and EU owner manuals.
The relatively high cost of the KTM ADV 250 is because it shares almost all the parts and consumables with KTM ADV 390.
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Originally Posted by girimajiananth I would be using these bikes for occasional breakfast rides or leisure rides with my better half.
When you say "Ktm has no torque in lower end" what does it mean ? Dumb it down for me please.
I did take a brief TD on both these bikes, I liked the ergonomics on KTM, Suzuki has a slight bend forward posture. I fell in love with the look and feel of KTM for some reason.  |
What we mean when the bike does not have great low-end torque is that bike needs to be revved to get it going. This will be more apparent in case of luggage+pillion. Please check post #37 as it mentions the speed before and after installing Fuelx.
So a better low-end torque gives you the ability to use the bike in higher gears and at lower speeds without lugging the engine. Better low-end torque also reduces the number of gear shifts required as the bike will be able to go through speed breaker in 2/3 gear instead of coming to 1st.
In the case of KTM, the low-end torque can be improved by using fuelx to a certain extent but still lags behind the V-Storm even then.
The V-storm's slight bent can be corrected by using handlebar risers.
As you want to also go on leisure rides with your partner, I would suggest to rent both vehicles for a couple of days and check the pillion comfort. No amount of short test rides can match up to a day's worth of riding.