[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by ethanhunt123

Really ? Bunch of my Z800/Z900 buddies are perfectly happy with Motul7100 ... wonder what experience you had with it ?

For a 6000 km oil change interval, with gear shifts getting notchy at around 5k, and no running in the city, the motul is about "okay".

Without getting too technical, a great way to choose an engine oil within a certain grade is to see what its viscosity index is.

"Viscosity index is a dimensionless number that represents how the viscosity of a hydraulic fluid changes with temperature. ... The best oils with the highest VIs remain stable and don't vary much in viscosity over a wide temperature range. That, in turn, means consistent, high performance from a machine."

Higher VI is better especially in warmer operating conditions.

Motul 7100 VI: 154
Amsoil metric: 165

You also want to see what the Total Base Oil Number is (TBN).

"What is Total Base Number? Generally speaking, the higher an oil's total base number (TBN), the better its ability to neutralize contaminants such as combustion by-products and acidic materials. TBN is a measure of (alkaline) additives in the oil."

Motul: 8.4
Amsoil: 11.6

These two are fundamentally easy ways to choose an oil within a grade.

In my opinion, motul is best left to the pulsars and the lot. Another way to think about this is: does it really make sense to use the same engine oil that a pulsar or a dominar is recommended; on an inline 4 or parallel twin import which sees far tougher operating conditions? It should rather be the other way round isn't it.

Btw, Shell is the worst of the lot. Maxima, if you dont get anything else.

[rb2399]

Amsoil did change things for better for my V-Strom as well. But I could not go beyond 9,000 kms as the gear shifts became notchy once she'd crossed ~ 8,500 kms. I got the oil change done since I was still 3,000 kms from home (this happened during my recent NE ride) and did not want to stretch the oil change any further.

I used Mobil 1 Racing 4T 10W-40 as a stop gap arrangement and it seems to be doing okay.

But I'll definitely switch back to Amsoil during my next oil change.
Also I think the correct way of determining the Oil Change Interval is using the Used Oil Analysis. I don't know if someone does it (albeit at a cost) in India though :(

Sorry for hijacking this thread !

[Ninja75]

Curious to know if there are any V-Strom owners in Bangalore? If yes, I would like to get in touch with you. I'm keeling more towards buying one.

[motorotor]

Originally Posted by kozhissery

I was never a biker in my life.

Congratulations and Ride Safe!

[kozhissery]

It has been long time since this thread was updated. I've already done a long trip to Spiti (Beaky flies north – Spiti on a Suzuki V-Strom 650 XT)in October, 2019. Currently the bike has covered 15000+ Kilometers.

The break-up of the various services done till today is as follows.

25.Sep.2019 - at Gurugram, Delhi on the way to Spiti. Just routine checkup before proceeding to the hills.


07.Oct.2019 - After coming from Spiti@Delhi, full service.


14.Dec.2019 - Full Service after reaching back from Spiti. The handle had some sound so decided to get it checked too. Just tightened the handle to fix that.


For general oiling, I use this device. On the road I use the usual chain clean/lube.

[kozhissery]

The low beam of V-Strom has conked off. I think it is H7 type. I will have to try DIY as taking the bike to the service station is out of question, at least for next couple of months. The service is station is about 400 kilometers from where I stay and have to cross 7 districts which is not advisable in the current scenario. Now that the online sales has commenced, I was thinking of doing it myself. Now which bulb to buy, I have no idea. I need advice on stock replacement bulb but with better light (same wattage though) as I'm not happy with the current light.
A search in internet threw out lots of options, like
OSRAM Night Breaker Laser
Philips RacingVision H7
Philips X-tremeVision
Philips Crystal Vision

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by kozhissery

(same wattage though)

If this wasn't an issue then I'd recommend the pair I'm currently running on my P220;





The output punches through the highway-muck on the headlight be it day or night or when it rains.

Philips RacingVision H7

'Promises' the highest output at 150%, haven't tried personally.

Philips Crystal Vision

Provides the least output, IIRC a bit above 1000 Lumen, whereas the Xtreme Vision and Nigh Breaker offers around 1500 Lumen i.e 'Promises' 130% output.

Regards,
A.P.

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by kozhissery

A search in internet threw out lots of options, like
OSRAM Night Breaker Laser
Philips RacingVision H7
Philips X-tremeVision
Philips Crystal Vision

I would recommend the Philips Racing vision. It is the brightest of the lot. Life is low at around 200 hours. Keep a spare handy!

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by kozhissery

I need advice on stock replacement bulb but with better light (same wattage though) as I'm not happy with the current light.
A search in internet threw out lots of options, like
OSRAM Night Breaker Laser
Philips RacingVision H7
Philips X-tremeVision
Philips Crystal Vision

I found this comparison video quite useful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kU7vahELSBg

[Sayan15]

Greetings! Long time silent follower and first time poster here.

[kozhissery;4802342]It has been long time since this thread was updated. I've already done a long trip to Spiti (Beaky flies north – Spiti on a Suzuki V-Strom 650 XT)in October, 2019.

Really relieved to see a Wee thread coming alive again. And the Spiti chronicle just made my day - got plenty of food to chew on, since I plan to do something similar with my Wee.

Wanted to discuss some issues I'm facing with my ride. Feel a bit awkward to start my ownership thread since I rode the bike only for 2400 km until lockdown, and I have limited knowledge of high capacity bikes to make a really contributing review.

The issues are follows:
1. Vibrations in handlebar 4500 rpm onward. My hands go numb around 6000 rpm and I simply do not feel confident enough to push the bike further. The bike was run-in properly, as per the manual. Also, I do not prefer revving high in lower gears and push only the last two gears. Both vibrations and engine heat increased marginally after oil change during first service. The factory filled oil seemed better than the Motul 7100 I changed into. The ASC guys were hell bent on pouring Motul 300 V into the bike. Given my current experience with Motul, I shall try to stock Amsoil fully synthetic Metric or R 9000 once the lockdown is over.
2. Engine performance past 5000 rpm in top gear. The engine seems to become really sluggish after 5000 rpm in 6th gear. Since my preference is to be sedate in lower gears and open up gradually in the top gear, I find this behaviour annoying. I dug through Stromtroopers and ADVRider forums for this point and point no. 1 above, and found most posts pointing towards faulty throttle body balancing right from factory (yes, right from the factory). I shall get it checked during 2nd service, and if not solved, plan to visit Slipstream in Pune once things normalise.
3. Hard seat! After riding a first gen FZ150 and Himalayan, both rider and pillion (me and wife) find the stock seat wooden. Our bodily feedback did not improve over the 2400+ km spent on the saddle. Gel/air cushions aren't an option since I don't want to raise the seat height.
4. Wind blast for the pillion. For her elfin size (4'11"), wife finds the rear seat too wide to be comfortable for her short legs. Once past 1xx kmph, she has reported her feet almost getting blown away by wind blast. The effort to keep the feet stuck to the pegs results in fatigue in the long run. The wind blast was confirmed by another regular sized friend who rode pillion once.

Cheers,
Sayan

[kozhissery]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

If this wasn't an issue then I'd recommend the pair I'm currently running on my P220;
Regards,
A.P.

Thanks AP. But this is rated as 80W and i need 55W, which means I would have to use relays - that is out of contention.

Originally Posted by Sayan15

The issues are follows:
1. Vibrations in handlebar 4500 rpm onward. My hands go numb around 6000 rpm and I simply do not feel confident enough to push the bike further. The bike was run-in properly, as per the manual. Also, I do not prefer revving high in lower gears and push only the last two gears. Both vibrations and engine heat increased marginally after oil change during first service. The factory filled oil seemed better than the Motul 7100 I changed into. The ASC guys were hell bent on pouring Motul 300 V into the bike. Given my current experience with Motul, I shall try to stock Amsoil fully synthetic Metric or R 9000 once the lockdown is over.

Yes there is slight vibration between 4500 to 5000 rpm, but not above or below it. I think that can be attributed to the Engine Guard, crash guard etc. In all other RPM, it is butter smooth almost till red line.
Don't ever use Motul 300V. I have used it once and the engine gets gruff and the gear shift becomes rough. Of the 3 oils that i have used, Suzuki Oil is the best. Motul 7100 is better than Motul 300V. I have not tried Amsoil, so can't comment.

Originally Posted by Sayan15

2. Engine performance past 5000 rpm in top gear. The engine seems to become really sluggish after 5000 rpm in 6th gear.

Contrary to what you say, I have felt the bike being transformed to tiger from a meek cat beyond 5000 rpm, in any gear. To overtake any car (during my Trivandrum-Spiti ride) I just had to twist the accelerator and in a jiffy it would overtake any car. Riding at 140+ is easy though not advisable, that is when i've felt it needs better brakes.
So, I think you need to get vehicle checked. May be you were unlucky to have got bad fuel and the FI system is clogged which needs to be cleaned. Have you filled from any bunks which is not trust worthy. Getting good/clean fuel is a challenge. I have to ride at least 8 kilometers to get COCO pumps, others near me are not trust worthy.

Originally Posted by Sayan15

3. Hard seat! After riding a first gen FZ150 and Himalayan, both rider and pillion (me and wife) find the stock seat wooden. Our bodily feedback did not improve over the 2400+ km spent on the saddle. Gel/air cushions aren't an option since I don't want to raise the seat height.

I too have same opinion, I have felt TB500/Himalyan has better seats. Not very bad, but could have been better. When the bike was new I had felt it was really bad compared to TB500 but after my long drives, now body has adjusted with the seats and don't intend to change if for the time being. From the experience of long rides compared to TB500, I could cover long distances between stops - but I've felt if the seats were better I could have covered more (just a thought).

Originally Posted by Sayan15

4. Wind blast for the pillion. For her elfin size (4'11"), wife finds the rear seat too wide to be comfortable for her short legs. Once past 1xx kmph, she has reported her feet almost getting blown away by wind blast. The effort to keep the feet stuck to the pegs results in fatigue in the long run. The wind blast was confirmed by another regular sized friend who rode pillion once.
Cheers,
Sayan

I can't comment on that. We have covered less that 50 Kilometers together in a stretch and she has felt at home, except when stopping at lights where she said that she can feel the heat more compared to previous bike (but nothing alarming).

[sagarpadaki]

There is another option of Philips white vision. They have very good spread from what i have read online. On par with the premium offerings in terms of quality !

[ranjitnair77]

Originally Posted by Sayan15

The issues are follows:
1. Vibrations in handlebar 4500 rpm onward. My hands go numb around 6000 rpm and I simply do not feel confident enough to push the bike further.

This is very unusual. Do you have crash guards? I would recommend removing them and taking the bike for a ride and see if this occurs. My V-Strom is not very vibey at that RPM. Should be something you can try at home.

Do get the fork stem bolt and the handlebar mounting bolts checked for correct torque as well.

[Sayan15]

Originally Posted by kozhissery

...I think that can be attributed to the Engine Guard, crash guard etc...

Originally Posted by ranjitnair77

...Do you have crash guards?...

No Sir. The bike is bone stock. Body shields are in the grocery list but none purchased and installed yet.

...Suzuki Oil is the best...

The ASC even had stock of Ecstar R 9000 at the aforementioned time. They just refused to use it, stating that R 9000 is for Gixxer 250. Ridiculous! I'll be scavenging other Suzuki ASC's for that oil and stock beforehand, now that lockdown is loosened a bit. I'll also hunt for Amsoil online. If nothing else works, I'll pursue them showing officially listed consumables from SMIL's website.

So, I think you need to get vehicle checked...May be you were unlucky to have got bad fuel...

Do get the fork stem bolt and the handlebar mounting bolts checked for correct torque as well.

Second service due in June seems possible now. I'll surely get him checked (Him. The bike's a fluffy baby male cat to me. Period.). First service showed no issues during the diagnostic check. I'll also try to give a somewhat aggressive ride in the meantime, conditions permitting, just to check if I had a slow wrist all along.

There is every chance I used bad fuel, as I just fill up along the highways based on the look of a fuel station. I'll be careful/less stupid now on. Noticed that the bike runs slightly happier with HP fuel. I used HP fuel during ten years I lived in rural Bihar, their fuel quality being better than COCO Indian Oil pumps.

I can't comment on that. We have covered less that 50 Kilometers together in a stretch...

Haha. In my case, wife is my full time partner in crime, and the bike was chosen for its perceived pillion comfort. The Wee is the only vehicle I purchased without a test ride. In all other cases, we did the test rides/drives together. Test ride vehicle was not available at the only Suzuki Big Bikes showroom in Ahmedabad and we had to settle with the positive reviews online. Hopefully, we both will adjust in the long run.

Cheers,
Sayan

[TheVaas]

Originally Posted by Sayan15

4. Wind blast for the pillion. For her elfin size (4'11"), wife finds the rear seat too wide to be comfortable for her short legs. Once past 1xx kmph, she has reported her feet almost getting blown away by wind blast. The effort to keep the feet stuck to the pegs results in fatigue in the long run. The wind blast was confirmed by another regular sized friend who rode pillion once.

Cheers,
Sayan

If you intend to mostly ride/tour/go distances with pillion (your wife) then I'd suggest making a visit to an experienced seat maker in your area and try and get the 'contouring of the pillion seat' (lessening the width and shaping the edges) as per your wife's comfort. Sometimes even shaving off/reducing a few mm can do wonders.

This might also help enable the pillion's thigh to grip the rider (aka sportsbike pillion stance) in case of sudden brake or jerks. Also, can ease the windblast because the legs can be tucked in better.

Obviously all this post-lockdown or whenever the relaxations enable such outings