[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by Vasuki

Come on Ashwin, how did you miss this, it's a V-Storm, not Versys.

Originally Posted by Red Liner

I understand why they both register the same spot in your brain though I have wet dreams with the new 790 adventure.

Guilty as charged! Not to mention this is really embarrassing!

I really do think about the VStrom in that light(who wouldn't with that package at that price), but what got me brain confused was that I'd even spotted a Versys of a fellow xBhpian down to the minutest of detail i.e Shad Top Box and Gear Position Indicator, from just spotting the motorcycle in traffic, it was only after describing the motorcycle that I got to know the owner who was also a member of the regional WA group(Small World!).

And hence was asking myself how I could miss spotting the VStrom in spite of being from the same vicinity.

And then Wa-La Brain Fart!

[katoom]

Now that's a detailed review and I especially liked the start and transition that led to the VStrom. It's a beautiful bike and no other motorcycle in India can beat the value proposition in the adv segment a VStrom offers.
Wish you years of fuss free and cherished rides!

I think the relay with Denso on it is the fuel pump relay. Also, the front suspension doesn't have any adjustments.
On the seat being hard, you will appreciate it more with time and more so during the long rides. Same on the pegs - body ergonomics is perfect with a slight lean ahead and pegs behind.
I suggest you get a pair of valve extenders for the tires to avoid the frustration while filling air at the fuel stations - these are pretty reasonable around 500 bucks and are available online.
Cheers!

[bigron]

Looking good!
Great bike and does its job very commendably.
Have fun with it.

[ringoism]

These are well-loved bikes worldwide and for good reason. I've known a couple people who had them, one friend lived along the Mexican border and used his as something of a dual-sport I guess, another was ridden by my "savior" when my own (true) dual-sport (XL600) broke down on the Blue Ridge Parkway years ago. Just a nice balance of everything it seems, and while subcontinental pricing would be impossible for me to swallow personally, it should serve diverse purposes in this context for a long time, and it looks to be pretty efficient considering the size/performance.

Originally Posted by Vasuki

One thing for sure, which I love about this machine is its lack of exhaust noise.

Now that is just unacceptable... A bike with no exhaust noise is like a fudge sundae with no cherry on top... a Margarita without the lime slice... a good Biryani with no raita, a beautiful woman with no hair...

Especially considering it's a 90-degree V-Twin, which to my ears produces about the prettiest exhaust notes in the world...

I missed my chance at owning such an engine (with bike [!] - all three times that Hyosung GT250 was up for sale here locally), and would not have passed it up if it had been anywhere near as practical a bike as the 'Strom, even at double its selling price (went in near perfect condition with good documents a few weeks ago for rs65,000). That one had a KRP pipe and basically the sound was what had entranced me for the past few years, and tempted me many a time to throw all good reason to the wind... Just couldn't bear the seating for mixed-use... A problem you will not experience I think.

Now if they'd only offer up an India-built baby-V-Strom with, say, a 350 V-twin at about a quarter the price... I'd be in...

-Eric

[Geo_Ipe]

Originally Posted by Vasuki

...how did you miss this, it's a V-Storm, not Versys...

Apologies for nitpicking - V Strom, not V Storm!

[Vasuki]

Originally Posted by Geo_Ipe

Apologies for nitpicking - V Strom, not V Storm!
Attachment 1906662

Thanks for correcting me.

I just googled the meaning. Strom means Electric Current.

Not bad, V - Strom, Twins with electric current jolt while riding.

Unni don't get be wrong, but name doesn't go with its inherent characteristics. This is a beautiful linear, non-fussy and docile machine.

[kozhissery]

Originally Posted by Aditya

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks a lot for moving it.

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Its actually a good thing that the clutch isn't adjustable, at the least ensures that you won't be grinding the dogs for a while every time you change settings.

The relay in question is a DC Blinker Relay.

Congratulations on the ride! I'm from Pothencode and roam around the same places you do..
A.P.

I have never adjusted any adjustable vehicles, so I can't comment on its usability. I'm happy with the clutch lever of V-Strom
Thanks for educating me on the relay.

Wow, I knew that you were from Trivandrum but did not know that you are from Pothencode. I usually come to Pothencode at-least once a week for vegetable purchase from Shantigiri. We should surely meet.

Originally Posted by katoom

Now that's a detailed review and I especially liked the start and transition that led to the VStrom. It's a beautiful bike and no other motorcycle in India can beat the value proposition in the adv segment a VStrom offers.
Wish you years of fuss free and cherished rides!

I think the relay with Denso on it is the fuel pump relay. Also, the front suspension doesn't have any adjustments.
On the seat being hard, you will appreciate it more with time and more so during the long rides. Same on the pegs - body ergonomics is perfect with a slight lean ahead and pegs behind.
I suggest you get a pair of valve extenders for the tires to avoid the frustration while filling air at the fuel stations - these are pretty reasonable around 500 bucks and are available online.
Cheers!

Thanks for the suggestion. As I fill air from home, I've not felt the need for extenders. But I think that would be useful when going outstations on long drives.

As for the seat being hard, lets hope that the hard seat is good, though I'm not sure as I was very happy with seat of TB500 which was a tad softer than this one.

Originally Posted by ringoism

Now that is just unacceptable... A bike with no exhaust noise is like a fudge sundae with no cherry on top... a Margarita without the lime slice... a good Biryani with no raita, a beautiful woman with no hair...

Especially considering it's a 90-degree V-Twin, which to my ears produces about the prettiest exhaust notes in the world...

I'm happy with the sound (or rather not making sound). My neighbor always knew whenever I used to come late in bike, after changing the bike he said that now a days he does not know.

[ranjitnair77]

Congratulations on getting the most practical middleweight that you can buy here, kozhissery. I got mine in the same colour a couple of months back. It is a brilliant motorcycle.

I highly recommend a few additions to complete your bike.

• Bash plate: Even though you have indicated that you will not really do a lot of offroading, I highly recommend a bash plate as you might face hits if you hit a big pothole. The oil filter is extremely exposed. I have the SW Motech which is very robust.
• Center Stand: Extremely useful for routine maintenance, especially chaining and lubing.
• Say no to motul 300v: I don't understand why the dealers are pushing this oil. I used the Amsoil 10w40 synthetic metric and it's terrific. Just get your oil and ask them to use it.
• Get a good pressure washer: The bike is incredibly hard to clean as you have pointed out. A good pressure washer makes it a 10 minute job.

Wish you a long, enjoyable and fuss-free ownership.

[neil.jericho]

kozhissery, congratulations on purchasing the V Strom! I was quite enamoured by the Suzuki GSX S750 but the fact that the only dealership in Kerala was so far away (well its only half the distance as compared to yours, but still!) was the only reason that I had to disqualify the Suzuki. The good news is that there are discussions going on to have some limited sales presence for big bikes in Kochi though APCO will supply the bikes to the dealership here. Also there are some talks on setting up some service facilities for the Suzuki big bikes in Kochi. The dealers here are aware that all the other manufacturers are making merry in terms of big bike sales with Kawasaki in particular doing very well. So they are trying to take some corrective action soon. That should make your bike's servicing a lot easier.

[kozhissery]

Originally Posted by ranjitnair77

Congratulations on getting the most practical middleweight that you can buy here, kozhissery. I got mine in the same colour a couple of months back. It is a brilliant motorcycle.

I highly recommend a few additions to complete your bike.

• Bash plate: Even though you have indicated that you will not really do a lot of offroading, I highly recommend a bash plate as you might face hits if you hit a big pothole. The oil filter is extremely exposed. I have the SW Motech which is very robust.
• Center Stand: Extremely useful for routine maintenance, especially chaining and lubing.
• Say no to motul 300v: I don't understand why the dealers are pushing this oil. I used the Amsoil 10w40 synthetic metric and it's terrific. Just get your oil and ask them to use it.
• Get a good pressure washer: The bike is incredibly hard to clean as you have pointed out. A good pressure washer makes it a 10 minute job.

Wish you a long, enjoyable and fuss-free ownership.

Thanks a lot.

• I've ordered Bash Plate and got it by courier today. Yet to fix it.
• As of now I've no plans to get center stand
• I did call my dealer and asked him to get "ECSTAR FULL SYNTHETIC ENGINE OIL 10W-40" for my next service
• I do have Karcher Pressure washer

[Vasuki]

Originally Posted by ranjitnair77

[*]Center Stand: Extremely useful for routine maintenance, especially chaining and lubing.

I have a centre stand in my MS 1260S. I feel it decreases ground clearance. Don't know whether it is good in conditions like Ladakh or Spiti.

May be I'll remove it before such trips. But on hindsight is really useful for lubing, cleaning the chain and if you need to fix a tyre puncture.

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by kozhissery

Wow, I knew that you were from Trivandrum but did not know that you are from Pothencode. I usually come to Pothencode at-least once a week for vegetable purchase from Shantigiri. We should surely meet.

Indeed! Plus I frequent Santhigiri as well, their hotel(right next to vegetable place) is by far the most reasonable in the vicinity that offers vegetarian dishes.

BTW I just realized that you mentioned using Motul 300V, if I were you I'd scrap that immediately, reason being unlike oils up to the Motul 7100, the 300V is literally not JASO MA2 certified as in suitable for extended use in a wet clutch UCE engine.

Motul does mention the same in their own website, only in flowery language.

Being a race oil the expected life is limited to a few hours or laps and would cause more wear and tear when it comes to regular use, personally I'd opted for Motul 300V in my Discover 100 4G when I went on my first ride to Bangalore from Kollam, the oil crapped out within 1,000 km's, heartbreak was the pricing and the fact that the motorcycle was new at the time and I was still in college(read, poverty stricken!)

[ranjitnair77]

Originally Posted by kozhissery

[*]I did call my dealer and asked him to get "ECSTAR FULL SYNTHETIC ENGINE OIL 10W-40" for my next service

Speaking from personal experience, they will probably say that they will try to procure it but will eventually try to sneak in the Motul when you bring the bike in for service saying Ecstar was not available. I haven't found a way to buy Ecstar in any retail store or online.

Originally Posted by Vasuki

I have a centre stand in my MS 1260S. I feel it decreases ground clearance.
May be I'll remove it before such trips. But on hindsight is really useful for lubing, cleaning the chain and if you need to fix a tyre puncture.

I just visually checked my V-Strom and the bash plate is very slightly lower than the center stand so if you are adding a bash plate, you can add a center stand without worrying about GC and enjoy the immense benefits that it offers.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by Vasuki

I have a centre stand in my MS 1260S. I feel it decreases ground clearance. Don't know whether it is good in conditions like Ladakh or Spiti.

May be I'll remove it before such trips. But on hindsight is really useful for lubing, cleaning the chain and if you need to fix a tyre puncture.

Stiffen your rear suspension, your ground clearance will go up, and you will be adding luggage as well.

Nothing will happen to the center stand. Worldover people go on round the world trips with their center stand on the bike.

Its the number one and most important accessory for a bike.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Congrats on the VStrom!

Nice to see big bikes in Trivandrum. I'm basically from there as well, and it used to be such a rare thing to spot a big bike there, till my college days. Sales seem to have picked up pace recently.

PS: Looks beautiful in blue! Much better now than the earlier golden wheels version.