This is my first thread on Team BHP. I've been a lurker for a long time and I felt its about time I too contributed back to the forum that has helped me a lot.
I thought I'd start with my ownership journey of my 2023 V Strom 650. The ownership threads here have been very helpful in making my decisions and I feel this thread would also add value to and help anyone who is in a similar space. It's been just over a year and slightly above 15,000 kms on the odo and seemed like the perfect time to share my thoughts on this gem of a motorcycle!
Before I being, here is a quick background of my motorcycling journey 7hp
I started my journey on 2 wheels on a humble Kinetic Honda DX. To be honest, I was still in school and used to take some quick rounds around the backroads/gullies around my home. Looking back, I don't think it was a wise thing to do, and its definitely not something to be encouraged now.
7hp to 21hp
Fast forward, a family member gave me an opportunity to try out a Bajaj Discover 125, which was my first tryst with a geared motorcycle and that was a revelation from all the auto scooters I was used to. The speedo had much higher numbers which meant a challenge to chase speed, to see what you could do and push yourself to achieve those numbers! Silly things, but still some important aspects that let you grow!
My skills were still rudimentary but with time, I was lucky enough to have opportunities to try out and take small spins on icons like the Suzuki Shogun, the next door Splendor and even the new kid on the block Pulsars 150’s 180s and rarely some 200s.
While in college something unique happened that would also impact my journey as a motorcyclist. A friend had decided to take his HH Karizma back home and asked me if I wanted to join him and I said yes on a whim. A life changing decision that one! We rode from Bangalore to Kerala, some 300 odd kilometers, late at night, cold weather, through the Bandipur forests, no maps and following the interstate buses to find our way. Reckless move I'd say from my current mindset, but and adventure nevertheless and it got etched in my memory forever. That fateful day/night the touring bug had bit me, but was to show up later in what I wanted with motorcycles.
Life went on and my cousin bought a Pulsar 220F, the fastest Indian as it was called in 2013 and it made its way to me when he moved on to an RE Classic 350. This became my DO IT ALL, handling 40km one side daily commutes for close to 2 years during higher studies, then some office commuting for another year, and many interstate trips. I was slowly getting to know what I wanted in a motorcycle. Around 2018 the bike had done well above 1.5 lakhs, had an engine rebuilt and needed some rest.
Reliability is the one key attribute that I took to my mind and heart from my 220 experience. I also learned the need to maintain a vehicle in perfect condition from this experience, not necessarily yourself but at least servicing it regularly. The 220 is still alive and kicking, occasionally needing a mechanic visit to get minor things sorted.
21hp to 25hp
On the lookout for a reliable machine, I went through all of the content I could get my hands on, Youtube, magazines and online forums. I Test rode the R15 and FZ25 from Yamaha, the Dominar and the RR310 which was a new entrant then. I loved the RR310 but being a TVS I had my apprehensions.The Dominar seemed to be the most value for money, but the new R15 v3 appealed more to the boy racer hidden somewhere in the back of my mind, not to mention the excellent fuel economy.
I was in a dilemma and couldn't make a decision, that's when a close friend asked me to take a look at the CBR250R.
Now the CBR was legendary in my small circle, 2013 thereabouts this one bike had managed to shame 220s, RTR180s,R15 by doing 150 kmph easily while the others were huffing and puffing to reach 130s (on the speedo). I know it's in a different league altogether but still for our naive young minds at the time, the CBR was KING!
Being aware of this pedigree, I went out to check the price and availability in my local Honda dealership. Being a premium model, they had no stock but they checked in with the next town and to my luck they had a Matte axis gray/orange ABS model in stock. Paperwork done, and 2 hours later, I'm on my way to the showroom to pick up my first bike (self owned).
25hp to 70hp
The 25 odd hp of the CBR was quite good, it served me real well. The decals were a bit too much and I removed them one after the other and finally only CBR on the sides remained.
Monthly Kerala to Karnataka trips, weekend exploration around Bangalore, 60km commutes in peak Bangalore traffic, it did it all, with no complaints.
An accident got me in contact with Highlander and Karthik Anna, who did his magic in fixing the issues with the bike after some shoddy work done by the guys at Tansi Honda.
After this, the bike has only been serviced at Highlander and has always been in great shape.
Its taken me on a crazy solo ride from Bangalore to Delhi in 2 day to attend a meeting and from there to Manali. I just didn't know any better at the time and thought it’d be great to do Bangalore- Delhi just for the heck of it. It was so random that I only checked Google maps just a day before to see the route. After my meeting I thought I might as well go to the Himalayas since I made it till there. Again, I didn't know any better, I went up Atal tunnel and saw snow for the very first time and then realised that I cant go any further. I met a biker from KA, took some nice pictures and decided I'd come back to do the entire circuit some other time. Im yet to do that trip! (on a motorcycle)
The bike didn't run much during the 3 years of Covid and is at around 55k kms at the moment and its still going strong!
25hp to 70 hp
As life went along, I got married and my partner too wanted to join in on my trips. My friend who I ride with often had moved onto larger machines and sometimes keeping up was a challenge. It was time to upgrade!
Coming from a CBR my ideal upgrade was the CBR650R. I had seen some peers do the same switch. The 650R would take care of my need for power and the longing for that 4 cylinder soundtrack. I also assumed it would be a similar experience being a Honda!
Now, HMSI being HMSI, getting my hands on the 650R proved to be extremely difficult. There were no CBRs available anywhere at the time. I had booked it in Dec 2022 with the dealers in Cochin expecting it to arrive within 2-3 months. Interestingly, the wait still continues. I had tried getting my booking amount back but got sweet talked into keeping it intact and even got approached by the dealers sister concern, a Ducati dealership, to buy one of their models.
As mentioned earlier, having a partner as a decision making factor meant that I think of something more purpose built for long distance trips and also comfort.
Now onto the contenders The Versys 650 : 
What I liked: - Engine and power delivery - 64 Nm of torque right when you twist the throttle, felt very punchy
- Dealership experience - The dealers at Cochin went all the way and provided test rides even on a Sunday to give me a longish back to back test ride with the other bikes.
- Pillion comfort : No negatives from the pillion, the seats were plush and comfy
- Build quality : Nice and solid, it felt good to be on the bike
- Design - Sharp looks, looked better than the outgoing model! Rear 160 section tyre looks a bit undertired considering the overall bulk.
- Range - Large 21 L tank would easily allow for 400- 450 km range.
- Pricing - Cheapest of the lot, but service costs might be slightly more than competition
What I did not like: - You can have a Kawsaki as long as its in GREEN - Why Kawasaki? At least sell a black one! The black/grey model I liked was not available and there was no clarity on when it would be back in stock.
- Sound - The parallel twin rumble might not be as appealing as the others on the list.
The Tiger sport 660 : 
What I liked: - Latest model : This was the latest entrant at the time and was sure there won't be many on the roads. Even now i haven't seen much around
- Dealership experience - The dealers at Cochin were happy to let me try out the bike back to back with the other model. I had my friend an existing customer call in and set up the test ride while his bike was serviced. Overall felt a little bit more premium considering the bigger showroom and models.
- Engine : Inline 3 FTW, linear power, but bit not feel as torquey as the others. Needed to be revved a bit more, not that its a bad thing, because of the Inline 3 soundtrack.
- Sound : The inline 3 sound is really good, turns heads. I personally feel over a longer distance it might turn out to be a bit too loud.
- Design - Looks smart! Superbike size tyres. 180 section rear looks great! Front headlights and the fake intake in the middle reminds me of the R15.
- Service interval : The service interval was at 10k kms and that’s a positive considering long trips.
What I did not like: - Pillion comfort: The rear seat was given a thumbs down by the better half. Also the effort to get on and off was pointed out to be not as easy as the other. Now this is a specific feedback from a 5’2 tall person and I'm not sure it would be the same for all.
- Build quality : The front visor rattled like crazy and did not look like it was put together well.The visor mechanism was not easy to use
- Range - 17 liter tank would allow for slightly less range than the other two
- Pricing - Most expensive of the lot while not being better than the rest in all aspects
The V Strom 650
Now I had tested the Vstrom much much much earlier and it did not excite me much at that point. Now with a bit more age and a different mindset this felt quite likable. It met most of my criterias to the T.
What I liked: - The engine :The V- Twin, the torque down low and very tractable.
- Sound : The Vtwin rumble is sweet. I really enjoy the sound, not too loud but enough to make its presence felt.
- Dealership experience - Overall a good experience here as well. The sales team gave me multiple test rides to help me understand if it really met my requirements and that was really helpful.
- Pillion Comfort : The pillion gave a double thumbs up to this one. Also the ability to get on to the pillion seat and the wide set pillion footpegs also adds to the comfort factor.
- Build quality : Another solid built Jap machine. No issue at all, no rattles, no vibes nothing
- Range - 20 liter tank easily giving 400 - 450 km range
- Pricing - Sits right in between the two competitors and its also had some offers at the time I was in the market
- An additional positive I saw with the V Strom 650 is that it's more old school than the others. No fancy digital dash, Old school Tachometer, right side up forks, and basic tech in the form of ABS and traction control. Now that's just me.
What I did not like: - Design: The looks may not be to everyone's liking, I don't like the front view, It's not grown on me yet. But the side view and rear view are nice.
- For an adv tourer, surprisingly, it scrapes many speed breakers, even without a pillion despite a generous 170 mm ground clearance. My CBR with 130 mm never had this issue.
Purchase experience
The Purchase experience was pretty good. After the generous test rides, I was sold on the bike. Booked it then and there. I was informed of the time taken to ship the bike from Gurgaon and then it was a small wait till the bike arrived. The bike arrived soon after and once all the fund transfers and registrations were done. It was time for delivery. I personally don't feel the need for a flashy reveal, etc, but i guess its the norm everywhere and so we did a fancy reveal, shot some videos and pictures for social media and finally cut a cake. In terms of offers, I did get some discounts at the time and overall I wouldn't say its good value but then again this is a motorcycle thing and with motorcycle things we loose sight of things like value for money.
Mods done - Crash guard: I got crash guards from SW Motech. The crash guard was an absolute necessity, I wasn't going to risk riding this 200 Kg + machine without some sort of protection. The accessories selection was based on experiences of fellow Vstromer's on the forum. Special thanks to @kozhissery, @rb2399, @shyamg28 for their inputs.
- Center stand: This ones also from SW Motech and it makes life so much easier, no worries about parking it anywhere. On long tours and in day to day usage its useful in cleaning/lubing the chain.
- Luggage rack: The bike comes with a smallish plastic carrier, and you could tie down some luggage to it, but as my use case involved 2 up riding and I wanted a bit more space to carry stuff. Got myself a Hexa GT base plate. I use my Carbonado modpac, 30L and 20L bags to carry all my stuff tied on to the rack. Im still not sure of a topbox, but if i do feel like it, I can always get the Hexa GT top box.
- Radiator guard: This one was procured from Nexus gear. Got in touch with them over Instagram and i was delivered to my home, and was an easy DIY install.
- Headlight grill: I was never a fan of the front fascia. I saw a reel on Instagram by Furst gear, Bangalore of a headlight grill and ordered it. Not a functional use for me but aesthetically it makes the bike slightly better.
Here is an image of the bike with all the accessories on the bike.
Usage - Touring: Its primarily been used for 2 up touring. The touring use case and how the bike performs as a tourer has been well established on the forum by fellow Vstromers. Its no different in my case as well. Its been a reliable partner in multiple long distance trips and some weekend rides and also my usual Kerala- Karnataka trips. The highlight trip for me has been a Kerala to Sikkim ride and the bike handled extreme heat in the mainlands and the freezing temps in the Himalayas without any hiccups. The engine is very tractable, smooth and does not heat up much.
- Comfort:Its supremely comfortable, the seats are wide and supportive.The pillion also has no complaints on such long trips. The rear suspension has some adjustability and I've bumped up the preload for my 2 up riding. There is enough space to move around for both the rider and pillion.
- Tank range: In terms of tank range, Ive been consistently getting more than 400km and thats very convenient and one can easily do 1000km + in a day.
- Commutes: Recently I've been taking it on office commutes as well. Its a bit cumbersome in slow moving traffic. You cant fit it into gaps like I'm used to doing, because of the wheelbase. Always leaves a lot of angry commuters honking, behind me, who expected me to plug the gap in front.
Things I wish I could change: - The biggest gripe is the ground clearance issue. Occasionally you come across that odd mountain like speed breaker, and the exhaust scrapes a little bit, owing to the long wheelbase. I've seen some solutions online wherein you change the suspension linkages to shorter ones, which bump up the ride height. But Im not sure where to source them in India
- Another minor irritant is the non adjustable visor. In order to adjust the visor you need to use tools and then move the visor up or down. When almost all the models have moved to adjustable (on the move) visors, this is a bit painful. I've set it up in the middle and have forgotten about it for now.
Interestingly, for me atleast, there is a snow warning light, at the bottom of the tacho. Im not sure I've seen it on any other vehicle here.
Service Experience
As mentioned, I just crossed 15000kms on the bike and I have completed 3 services as of now.
The first service was at dealership in Cochin which was where I bought it from. Standard affair, with priority service, as there are not too many big bikes being serviced.
The second service was in Bhubaneswar in the middle of one of my trips. This was such a great experience. I called up the dealership and told them I would be in the middle of the ride and the bike would be nearing the 6000kms mark when we reach Bhubaneswar. The service advisor, Mr.Amiya, was very accommodating and asked us for our ETA at Bhubaneswar and confirmed his availability at the same time. We were in and out of the city in 3- 4 hours. The service center had a lot of big bike awaiting parts couple of Busa's an intruder and also an elusive, V Strom 1000. There is a cafe on the 2nd floor of the dealership where you can relax while the work gets done. This proved to be very useful at the time. It was extremely hot at the time and allowed us to relax in the middle of the day when the sun is at the highest.
The third service was done at Calicut because its the one nearest to me. The dealership cannot sell the big bikes now but can still service them. The service advisor Mr.Satheesh is a great guy, taking special attention of our requests and is reachable any time for any queries. The Calicut service center and the work done there has been covered thoroughly on @kozhissery sir's ownership thread.
In each of the service centers I was allowed into the service area and could observe the service being done. The price of service comes around 8k and I feel is pretty reasonable for the vehicle of this category. I’ve heard of parts also being available without much delay. So hopefully thats also not a concern.
Other consumables
Brakes: I just changed the entire set of brake pads to EBC last month at 15000 and that cost me 9k. The stock ones are expensive, above 15k for the set IIRC.
Tyres: Im still on the stock set and the tyres are ok till now. Its grippy for my usage and I dont push it anyways. I've always been concerned with the tyre life on these big bikes and considering the prices for a new set I personally feel, it adds a lot to the running costs. They are due for replacement in another 2000 kms or so and I'm hoping that our Indian brands soon come up with their offerings in these sizes. I'm looking froward to the Ceat CrossRAD branded tyre, which were launched recently. Not sure when they might be available in stores.
Conclusion
The V Strom 650 is a wonderful and reliable do it all machine. Now due to various reasons, I foresee a lot less long rides, especially a lot less of two up riding. Which brings me to the question:
What next?
Leaving you with some images of the bike during some of my trips! Enjoy!
The biggest gripe for a bike categorised as an ADV seems to be ground clearance ironically. Has the newer model fixed this?
Lovely ownership thread @kkSolo! Look forward to seeing more here :)
I've held off EBC brake pads purely because I was given to understand they may eat up the disc, which would end up being a bigger cost, but I will wait for your feedback on them. If I recall right, @rb2399 had also switched to them.
About the tyres, I have just given up. Tyre prices have shot up insanely. A set of Metzeler Tourance costs about 30-35k. I'm on my 2nd set of these now and able to trust them. It's unfortunate, but the price of peace of mind.
@rb2399 had mentioned that for the rear you can get the Apollo TRAMPLR XR, which is stock size 150/70 R17, but not the same speed rating of course. It's the stock tyre on the Honda CB350RS.
The only real reason to "upgrade" from this V Strom for me, is that damn ground clearance. I've added a bash plate which obviously makes it worse. I wish I could say peace of mind but whenever it hits the smallest of speed breakers, it is the most frustrating experience ever.
If you're interested in the shorter rear suspension link "hack", reach out to me, I can provide a contact. I'm myself considering it.
Finally, regarding the adjustable windshield, many owners have added the Pro-Spec windscreen add-on visor. I have it too. I keep my stock windscreen at the lowest setting, where it works very well by itself. When I feel the need for additional wind protection, I extend the Pro-Spec visor up.
Congratulations kkSolo. Wish you long miles ahead. Enjoyed reading the review and it's a well deserved update. Just wanted to know if Ninja 1000 was on your radar.
Thanks and Cheers!
Congratulations. How is the service in Bengaluru? Because the only gripe from owners in the city is about that aspect.
Currently with Aryan Suzuki in Bangalore. The service seems to be decent enough. i have not had complaints over the last 2 years with them.
