[moralfibre]

While Suzuki India is still managing to launch the 2018 version. Suzuki Cycles has already introduced their 2019 lineup: Link

VStrom 650XT Touring












VStrom 650XT

[moralfibre]

The bikes have reached Suzuki’s Bombay dealership:



Anyone managed to get a ride?

[sharkbait]

Originally Posted by moralfibre

The bikes have reached Suzuki’s Bombay dealership:

Attachment 1806387

Anyone managed to get a ride?

Where is this dealership?
The Juhu/Andheri space is shut down and the only one I know of that currently services Mumbai is in Navi Mumbai. True/False?

[v12]

Originally Posted by sharkbait

Where is this dealership?
The Juhu/Andheri space is shut down and the only one I know of that currently services Mumbai is in Navi Mumbai. True/False?

The Juhu one has shut down and shifted to Amboli.

[sharkbait]

Originally Posted by v12

The Juhu one has shut down and shifted to Amboli.

Thanks for that. Will go visit them tomorrow. Do you know if this is on SV road? Google Map link maybe?

[moralfibre]

Originally Posted by sharkbait

Thanks for that. Will go visit them tomorrow. Do you know if this is on SV road? Google Map link maybe?

Appears to be in Dawood baug area. Off SV Road. Cross the subway signal and head towards Amboli and this should be around there.

[sharkbait]

Guys

Landed up at their showroom at Amboli this morning and got to test ride the bike as well. Did a good 5kms towards Jogeshwari and then towards the highway on the bridge and back. Phenomenal engine, excellent road handling and capability, switched traction control on and off and there was a noticeable difference in the bite of the throttle and all in all a great mid segment bike. Build quality was quite nice. Great mid segment motorcycle if you ask me. Loved the white over the yellow definitely.

On a personal note, I am a tall rider. 6'4" to be precise and its a little small for me. The footpegs are a little retracted towards the rear. The handlebars are a little lower than they needed to be. Have to decide between this motorcycle and the Honda Africa Twin or the BMW F850GS and let all these guys know. I am on the fence but definitely need an upgrade.

Some images

[nasirkaka]

When i said light weight, i meant your personal diet scheme ��

If i loose any more weight, i will require seat belt on the versys so as not to fly-off.

Landed up at their showroom at Amboli this morning and got to test ride the bike as well. Did a good 5kms towards Jogeshwari and then towards the highway on the bridge and back.

How was the low end torque? And low speed rideability in higher gears? for eg, can we easily ride in 2nd gear at 18kmph without feeling of lugging the engine? On the versys 650, it feels like engine is not happy, could be the gearing there. For the present versys 650 riders, this Vstrom, although tempting, is a big ask to upgrade as we endup loosing a lot in selling & buying. And versys itself is very capable bike esp if one looking at touring and mild offroad. I think i will stay away from test riding the storm, why ignite any unwanted temptations. As it is, the interceptor 650 is playing on the mind.

[moralfibre]

Originally Posted by nasirkaka

If i loose any more weight, i will require seat belt on the versys so as not to fly-off.


How was the low end torque? And low speed rideability in higher gears? for eg, can we easily ride in 2nd gear at 18kmph without feeling of lugging the engine? On the versys 650, it feels like engine is not happy, could be the gearing there. For the present versys 650 riders, this Vstrom, although tempting, is a big ask to upgrade as we endup loosing a lot in selling & buying. And versys itself is very capable bike esp if one looking at touring and mild offroad. I think i will stay away from test riding the storm, why ignite any unwanted temptations. As it is, the interceptor 650 is playing on the mind.

I’ll talk about gearing on the VStrom 1000 here to draw a quick comparison of behavior. After the Z800, the vstrom gearbox felt like it just refused to move up. Taller gearing meant that I couldn’t carve my way out on country roads in 3rd or 4th. There’s always a need to downshift on most adv tourers to keep the bike going since most of them have taller gears. On the other hand, the Z800 could shift to 6th between 30-40kmph and happily pull along on any road.

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by sharkbait

On a personal note, I am a tall rider. 6'4" to be precise and its a little small for me. The footpegs are a little retracted towards the rear. The handlebars are a little lower than they needed to be. Have to decide between this motorcycle and the Honda Africa Twin or the BMW F850GS and let all these guys know. I am on the fence but definitely need an upgrade.

I think you will see a world of difference between the Africa twin and Vstrom. In terms of engine refinement, balance, power and reliability - I certainly rate the Africa twin much higher. I also think you are looking at almost twice the cost of a Vstrom. (I could very well be wrong here)

I have not ridden the F850GS, but I have ridden the F800GS and have friends who own them. It will certainly cost you more to own and maintain the GS. I don't know if that is a factor for you. I do not see any reason why 850GS would be any different now.

If I were 6'4", and I were to be putting a lot of miles on a bike, and cost were not a factor, I would definitely get the Africa Twin. Alas, I am not 6'4", I am not putting a lot of miles (> 5k miles a year), and cost is a factor - so I am staying away from Africa Twin.

[sharkbait]

Originally Posted by nasirkaka

How was the low end torque? And low speed rideability in higher gears? for eg, can we easily ride in 2nd gear at 18kmph without feeling of lugging the engine?

Didn't get much of a ride but from the few KM's that I clocked this morning, the lower end torque felt more than adequate. The gear ratio is great for city conditions and it had absolutely no difficulty staying in 2nd or 3rd even at really low speeds. I guess their low rpm assist works well for these purposes but I doubt any seasoned rider would be affected much by it cause you will end up downshifting eventually. Engine felt more than adequate with its performance.

Originally Posted by GutsyGibbon

I think you will see a world of difference between the Africa twin and Vstrom. In terms of engine refinement, balance, power and reliability - I certainly rate the Africa twin much higher. I also think you are looking at almost twice the cost of a Vstrom. (I could very well be wrong here)

I have not ridden the F850GS, but I have ridden the F800GS and have friends who own them. It will certainly cost you more to own and maintain the GS. I don't know if that is a factor for you. I do not see any reason why 850GS would be any different now.

If I were 6'4", and I were to be putting a lot of miles on a bike, and cost were not a factor, I would definitely get the Africa Twin. Alas, I am not 6'4", I am not putting a lot of miles (> 5k miles a year), and cost is a factor - so I am staying away from Africa Twin.

Thanks for this insight. I've been long waiting an upgrade and the only reasons I havent jumped into one of these purchases already is cause of the limited availability/accessibility for all these years. Now that most of these guys have officially launched and have a presence here, it's more tempting for sure but the sad reality is we are paying almost a 50% premium for the exact same motorcycle just cause we live in India. Having said that, the 15.6L for the Africa Twin vs the 19.7L for the 850GS (only variant being sold right now) vs the 9.33L for the VStrom has made my life a rather difficult connundrum cause I know I need an upgrade, I am just unsure at what cost. Maybe I'll enjoy the G310GS so much tomorrow, I'll forget about all these aspirations!

Meh.

[Bhatman510]

The AT is quite the charmer, but there has been issues with its fork seals, wheels and also suspension. The AT is definitely great at being a fire road, trueish ADV bike. But quite a few of them get bought and sold within a reason.

You can be in 3rd gear and the Vstrom will lug itself into speed (I know this for fact) . Its a low end torque lover. Once you are confident, it will feel just like any medium sized bike. Foot-peg relocation kits exist to help with the ride height, especially if you feel cramped. Handlebar risers help too.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Suzuki VStrom 650 review, by Sandeep CB. Sandeep has owned more than a couple of big bikes in the past including the Versys 650 and currently rides the Africa Twin -

Posting with this permission -

MY DAY OUT WITH THE SUZUKI V-STROM 650XT

I was happy to see the V-Strom in the charming yellow shade, waiting for me to take it for a spin, and that’s exactly what I did….. Here are my findings:

Aesthetics 7/10:
Your taste is as good as mine and to each his own.The motorcycle looks and feels very light and manageable ,it definitely feels much lighter than a Kawasaki Versys 650 and at the same time less substantial.

Ergonomics 8/10:
I’m 6’-2” with my shoes on and the motorcycles offers plenty of room, The seat is comfy and anyone who is 5’-8” tall should be able to rest both feet on level ground because of the narrowish saddle.The Handle bars are adequately wide but a little low for stand up riding.The foot pegs and gear shift are pretty much in the right place and well placed.The switches feel par for the course at this price point and the instrument console offers plenty of information.

Engine & Gearbox 9/10:
The 650 V-Twin is as smooth as they come with plenty of character in the exhaust note and sounds much better than a parallel twin of similar size and some how reminds me of my Africa twins exhaust note though its not a V-twin.The Engine has plenty of torque and pulls cleanly from as low as 28kmph in fourth gear right upto its 10000rpm red line at around 150kmph in fourth.The engine gets loud(in a good way) after 5000rpm but there were no vibrations to be felt in the handle bars or foot pegs, Even the fairings did not buzz like they used to on my Versys 650, which means that the bike has good joinery on it.
The gears had the following maximum speeds, 81kmph in first, 107kmph in second and 133kmph in third, I didn’t bother with fourth, fifth and sixth but I’m sure it’ll get past 190kmph with a bit of coaxing.The engine doesn’t sound stressed and feels like its in a relaxed state of tune and offers plenty of performance for touring in all conditions in India.
The gear box is the slickest shifter that I have come across on a twin cylinder engine, but I did hit upon a few false neutrals when the bike jumped off second gear when I hit a few ruts while riding aggressively off road.
The Traction control system is a basic one but more than capable of handling the duties that the power delivery demands of it.It offers 2 levels and can be turned off as well.

Brakes 8/10:
The front twin disc brakes were very feel some and offered a good degree of modulation and control with ample bite when required.The rear brakes were par for the course as well with the ABS set up being just right with the correct level of intrusion.I tested the rear by jamming the rear brakes and they handled the situation without much fuss.

Suspension 7/10:
On paper the Suspension, especially the front seems to be very basic and underwhelming , but after riding on rough off road sections and braking in some ditches/Pot holes(on purpose) , I can safely say that they do not bottom out easily and are more than upto the task of handling most road conditions as long as the rider does not attempt riding it like a giant dirt bike.I even tried to bottom out the front suspension on some reasonably large speed breakers but they coped pretty well.The front suspension character reminds me of the unit on the Tiger XCX with the setup up having the right amount of compression and rebound damping for most road conditions.The rear suspension felt reasonably plush and with preload adjustability, it should be pretty good with luggage and a pillion as well.

Tyres and Wheels 9/10:
The ACE in the Stroms arsenal is it Spoked rims which support Tubeless tyres, A feature missing on motorcycles like the Honda Africa twin and the Kawasaki Versys.This feature is a boon for off road riding as it offers better resistance to cracking and in the case of rim bends, the rim can be repaired.Also since its tubeless, Punctures can be easily fixed.I should also mention that they look absolutely premium in the golded yellow shade.
The Bridgestone Battlax Adventure tyres seem pretty capable (mostly for road) but should be able to handle some trail riding with the right tyre pressures.My Test motorcycle just had 60kms on the odo and when I leaned into a corner a little aggressively they began to slip, but I think that was more down to the fact that the tyres were not properly scrubbed in.
Another positive is the 19” size of the front rim, In my opinion they offer the best compromise between on and off road riding, they roll over objects pretty easily when riding off road and offer reasonably quick turn in while spirited riding on curvy smooth tarmac.

Handling 8/10:
As mentioned earlier, this is the most nimble of the Adventure motorcycles that I have ridden and its hard to believe that this motorcycle weighs about 220 kgs, especially when you compare it to its competitors.For this type of motorcycle it offers reasonably quick steering on road and good flickability while stand up riding off road.The frame feels reasonably rigid and sturdy while riding over bad stretches off and on road and feels like it can take quite a beating.Overall ,this motorcycle is easy to ride fast and one can get used to its character quite quickly.

Overall:
To make a good Biriyani, one needs to have the right ingredients and not necessarily the most expensive ones, all of which need to come together into the mix at the right time and in the right quantity,The Suzuki V-Strom is the best biriyani in town at this time for the price.

For Tech, Specs and Checxy pics please visit the Suzuki India website 😁

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Reviews -

https://youtu.be/NEe97FAqQnI

https://youtu.be/fnwnOQ_EcD4

https://youtu.be/0ycvekv8xlI

https://youtu.be/Dkkn9QcBGsU

https://youtu.be/HagsArjM8cg

https://youtu.be/i1Jw6GX-Yrk

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Review from Sarge -

https://livingitup.in/reviews/motorc...-650-xt-review