[rb2399]

Originally Posted by ku69rd

With the vredestein tire at the rear, which tire are you using for the front?

Front is Metz Tourance. I hate combining brands but vredestein in stock size (front) was not available when I had changed the rear one. I don't know the present situation though !

[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by rb2399

Front is Metz Tourance. I hate combining brands but vredestein in stock size (front) was not available when I had changed the rear one. I don't know the present situation though !

Understood, the situation is still the same. The corresponding size to the front is still not available though.

The bike handles ok with the mix of Dual Purpose tire in the front and Street tires at the rear?

[rb2399]

Originally Posted by ku69rd

The bike handles ok with the mix of Dual Purpose tire in the front and Street tires at the rear?

Yes, I've not felt any difference in handling as such (mind you I am a very sedate rider, more like a long haul lorry driver ), so, for someone who's much more aggressive when it comes to cornering/braking, the difference could be more pronounced.

[rb2399]

A good ride to Munsiyari in Uttarakhand made the bike cross the 70K mark.
A flawless performance in extreme weather conditions (near zero in the hills & 40+ in the plains temperature wise).

Here are some snaps:

Near Madkot




Near Munsiyari



Near Almora



Purvanchal e-way



Near Munsiyari



The 70K mark

[100Kmphormore]

rb, you munch miles for your meals, ay? Its insane! Great ownership thread and am looking to upgrade to it from my Himalayan - how is the clutch hardness? Also do the clutch plates hold out well? Any option to add a quickshifter?

[Ironhide]

That's some impressive mileage rb, you're truly utilising the fantastic machine to the hilt !

How was the Kumaon sojourn? It must have been lovely at this time of the year? How did the bike perform in the winding roads of the mountains? It must have been fun taking the corners on the well laid out tarmac?


Another thing that's noticeable in your pictures of that you travel rather light (actually that may be an understatement - frugal may be closer to describing it !) . How do you manage to do that?

Here's a link to a blog post by a rider who has toured extensively in Kumaon. He writes well and the pictures bring out the beauty of the hills.

Happy motorcycling

Cheers !

[rb2399]

Originally Posted by 100Kmphormore

how is the clutch hardness? Also do the clutch plates hold out well? Any option to add a quickshifter?

The clutch is just about okay and too much of effort is not needed in operating it.
I'm still running on the stock clutch, hopefully that'll give you an idea. I don't like riding the clutch and I just downshift to a lower gear instead of dragging things on. As far as a quick-shifter is concerned, I don't think any such option exists for this model.

Originally Posted by Ironhide

How was the Kumaon sojourn? It must have been lovely at this time of the year?

I love Kumaon and Uttarakhand in general and the weather was very nice overall. Way too peaceful (barring the usual suspects like Nainital)

Originally Posted by Ironhide

How did the bike perform in the winding roads of the mountains? It must have been fun taking the corners on the well laid out tarmac?

This was my first ride to the Himalayas on her and I enjoyed it to the hilt. The best thing about the V is its low end tractability which is very useful in the hills. Her on/off road manners are pretty good too with a fantastic suspension setup.

Originally Posted by Ironhide

Another thing that's noticeable in your pictures of that you travel rather light (actually that may be an understatement - frugal may be closer to describing it !) . How do you manage to do that?

I hate carrying entire world with me while riding and by now I know for sure what's really needed and what's not. So, I have a highly optimized luggage plan based on my experience

Originally Posted by Ironhide

Here's a link to a blog post by a rider who has toured extensively in Kumaon. He writes well and the pictures bring out the beauty of the hills.

Some amazing snaps those ! Much more remains to be explored as far as Uttarakhand is concerned (for me)!

[rb2399]

With majority of the KMs being clocked by the ADV 390 (she's at her 95K mark now), very little running came to the V as its share.

Since the last update, I got the valve clearances checked and as expected, they're well within specs. So, all good on that front till the time she hits 100K mark.

I also got the rear suspension+ linkage checked and replaced the bearings involved therein as a part of preventative maintenance.


A word of caution for the V owners: Please make sure that you have both the pivot covers in place. The LHS one for my V was missing and you can see the result here.

The part numbers for these covers are 43595-27G00-000 & 43585-27G10-000.

And here's a parting shot of the ODO.

[Wheeloholic]

Hi Rb2399,

It's amazing how easily you can munch miles with your motorcycles, and I wonder how you get all the times for yourself.

I currently own Z900, I am planning change to an used V-Strom 1000 2018 model, that has done 25k km. I feel this bike would help to take my better-half on long distance touring.

It would be grateful, if you could you please clarify the following, as I don't have any friends in my circle who own big Suzuki bikes.

1. How easy to procure the OEM parts or similar after market for Suzuki superbikes?
2. Although you don't own V 1000, is there any thing specific things I need to check on this Suzuki big bikes?

I spoke to an ex-Suzuki dealer, he was against buying any used Suzuki big bikes, due to after sales support from Suzuki. I don't mind servicing to a local trained technician as long as I can source the OEM or similar quality after market parts.

Appreciate your input on this.

[rb2399]

Originally Posted by Wheeloholic

1. How easy to procure the OEM parts or similar after market for Suzuki superbikes?

At least in Pune, getting OEM parts has been hassle free till date. It does take some time (~45 days at times) for uncommon parts to arrive though!

Originally Posted by Wheeloholic

2. Although you don't own V 1000, is there any thing specific things I need to check on this Suzuki big bikes?

You may want to check the service history of the bike to ascertain whether periodic maintenance schedule has been adhered to or not.
If you know a mechanic who's a fair bit of idea about big bikes, you can request him to check the bike thoroughly on your behalf.

Having said that, Suzuki big bikes are quite fuss free if they've been maintained properly (which is true for any machine I guess !)

[Wheeloholic]

Originally Posted by rb2399

At least in Pune, getting OEM parts has been hassle free till date. It does take some time (~45 days at times) for uncommon parts to arrive though!

Thank you for your response, can we get the parts over the counter from dealer or is there any online site where we can get OEM parts?

[rb2399]

Originally Posted by Wheeloholic

can we get the parts over the counter from dealer or is there any online site where we can get OEM parts?

Yes, you get the OEM parts over the counter at the Suzuki dealership.
Most running items are available readily.

[M_3]

Hello everyone.I m also a 2023 model V Strom 650 XT owner and have been following this thread for long. Just have a doubt regarding BS6 model. The service center guy of Bangalore told me spark plugs are 1600+ for a single piece.However I found out from this thread and similar V Strom 650 XT thread that there are different pricing for spark plugs.one has changed the owner manual mentioned one for 230/- bucks and this thread says 600/- and when i checked the same model plugs online i could see it for less than 200/-.so why is the dealer saying 1.6k for a single plug.? Is there any difference in the model of NGK plug used in BS6 engines which makes it expensive?
If so why haven't they mentioned it in manual about this specific plug ?
Or is it ok to use the manual mentioned plug on BS6 bike?.

I m literally a noob in this big bike community.
So all expert advises would help.

[rb2399]

Originally Posted by M_3

The service center guy of Bangalore told me spark plugs are 1600+ for a single piece. However I found out from this thread and similar V Strom 650 XT thread that there are different pricing for spark plugs.

I checked with my local Suzuki dealer and I was quoted 830 Rs for after market NGK (CR9EIX) and 1400 Rs for the Suzuki ones. The OE price seems to match with the price that you've mentioned.

So, I think you can go for the after market one as the price differential is substantial !

[M_3]

Originally Posted by rb2399

I checked with my local Suzuki dealer and I was quoted 830 Rs for after market NGK (CR9EIX) and 1400 Rs for the Suzuki ones. The OE price seems to match with the price that you've mentioned.

So, I think you can go for the after market one as the price differential is substantial !

The suzuki suggested plugs are CR8EIA-9 it seems.
So is it ok to use CR9EIA-9 or the CR9EIX mentioned by you as they have a colder heat range but are cheaper than CR8EIA-9.?
Will they be any drastic deprovement in performance if I use them?