[VijayAnand1]

Originally Posted by thunderlads

Can anyone share their experience on the handlebar risers? I have been riding without one and I feel I might have to sit a little more upright for a better ride quality.

Does it cause issues with clutch/accelerator cables making it stiffer or even the cables to cut off?

Does it compromise the safety?

Thank you in advance.

Handlebar risers do stretch the clutch wire to an extent and given over-time with usage it is prone to snap earlier than anticipated. I personally have observed stiffer and crunchy clutch operation on many V-Stroms with handlebar risers. If you intend to use the handlebar risers, then I'd strongly recommend you get the EasyClutch Pro add-on which extends the clutch life, lightens the stiffness induced due to the wire stretch and prolongs life.

https://prospec.co.in/collections/v-strom-250

Originally Posted by mr_robot

Has anyone purchased a fitting bike cover for the VStrom 250? I couldn’t get one in my town. The ones listed on Amazon don’t seem to last long or of proper quality. Thanks in advance.

I've personally used Raida branded ones; used and using them on my current motorcycles. Decent build and long lasting. Be wary of the size chart they offer, for the 250 SX. I reckon it'd fall in the Himalayan category being a tall and lengthy bike. Their covers are not tailor made for each specifc bike for a slim fit, they are usually a wee bit bigger and mostly standard adaptable fit. Again, make sure you opt for a size bigger than standard.

Hope it helps!

Cheers!
VJ

[madrasmandayan]

I am looking to replace my Suzuki Avenis scooter with a comfortable city bike. V-Storm is a strong contender.

I commute 28km a day (8km with wife and kid, 20km alone) in peak Chennai traffic. A no non-sense scooter was sufficient for my purpose. However, the scooter's suspension is taking a hit on my back (roughly 25% of my commute is on bad roads).

My height is a few cms above 6 feet and looking for a comfortable bike (both me and pillion) for the city. I won't be touring or taking it offroad.

Is V-Strom an overkill for my purpose? I checked almost every post in this forum and reddit about V-Strom and a lot of them have mentioned about stiff suspension which is concerning. Can something be done to make the suspension more friendly to bad roads?

I took a test ride in Adrian Suzuki mogappair but the test bike was so bad that the engine was making a lot of noise (hard to believe it is a Japanese engine) and the gear shifts were horrible (felt like a badly abused bike). This has made my test ride experience unreliable. I liked the seating position and the elevated view (for the first time I felt someone has made a bike that suits my height). I am planning to test ride the Xpulse 200 4V and the big wing bikes of Honda (am biased towards Honda having owned a CBR250R before).

[amyntor]

Originally Posted by madrasmandayan

I am looking to replace my Suzuki Avenis scooter with a comfortable city bike. V-Storm is a strong contender.

I commute 28km a day (8km with wife and kid, 20km alone) in peak Chennai traffic. A no non-sense scooter was sufficient for my purpose. However, the scooter's suspension is taking a hit on my back (roughly 25% of my commute is on bad roads).

My height is a few cms above 6 feet and looking for a comfortable bike (both me and pillion) for the city. I won't be touring or taking it offroad.

Is V-Strom an overkill for my purpose? I checked almost every post in this forum and reddit about V-Strom and a lot of them have mentioned about stiff suspension which is concerning. Can something be done to make the suspension more friendly to bad roads?

I took a test ride in Adrian Suzuki mogappair but the test bike was so bad that the engine was making a lot of noise (hard to believe it is a Japanese engine) and the gear shifts were horrible (felt like a badly abused bike). This has made my test ride experience unreliable. I liked the seating position and the elevated view (for the first time I felt someone has made a bike that suits my height). I am planning to test ride the Xpulse 200 4V and the big wing bikes of Honda (am biased towards Honda having owned a CBR250R before).

You would be wasting the V-Storm's and the Xpulse's potential if you use them purely as city bikes.

For your use case, I'd recommend the Honda CB350 H'ness. I've been using it for the past year in the city as well as for touring and clocked 19k kilometres. It has excellent city manners with good fuel economy, feather light clutch, buttery smooth engine and gearbox. If you regularly commute with a pillion, you can tone down the stock suspension setting to one level softer and it would improve the comfort and ride quality. You may also consider installing handlebar raisers according to your preference.

[madrasmandayan]

Originally Posted by amyntor

You would be wasting the V-Storm's and the Xpulse's potential if you use them purely as city bikes.

100% yes. I prefer to tour in my car (touring on two wheelers has been banned by the better half ) and I have a MTB for satisfying my off-road adventure cravings that pop up occassionally. I will be using this bike only for commutes within the city. Thanks for your suggestion. I will do a long test ride of H'ness this weekend.

[b16h22]

Originally Posted by madrasmandayan

I took a test ride in Adrian Suzuki mogappair but the test bike was so bad that the engine was making a lot of noise (hard to believe it is a Japanese engine) and the gear shifts were horrible (felt like a badly abused bike). This has made my test ride experience unreliable. I liked the seating position and the elevated view (for the first time I felt someone has made a bike that suits my height). I am planning to test ride the Xpulse 200 4V and the big wing bikes of Honda (am biased towards Honda having owned a CBR250R before).

Please add the CB300R to the list of your are open to sportier bikes. It's very light and agile and perfect for city commute. The Suzuki 250 engine's refinement is a hit or miss (mixed opinions) once you put in the miles and the gearbox is not great.

[amyntor]

Originally Posted by b16h22

Please add the CB300R to the list of your are open to sportier bikes. It's very light and agile and perfect for city commute. The Suzuki 250 engine's refinement is a hit or miss (mixed opinions) once you put in the miles and the gearbox is not great.

Based on their requirement:

> I commute 28km a day (8km with wife and kid, 20km alone) in peak Chennai traffic.


I doubt the CB300R cuts it. It can get quite uncomfortable for pillions.

[b16h22]

Originally Posted by amyntor

Based on their requirement:

> I commute 28km a day (8km with wife and kid, 20km alone) in peak Chennai traffic.


I doubt the CB300R cuts it. It can get quite uncomfortable for pillions.

Sorry, I missed the pillion bit. That takes most light City bikes out of the equation.

[tantragna]

After years of cycling around (away from the motored cycle), I picked up the SX250 on the 6th (2 weeks ago), a day before the Gauri/Ganesha festival. After looking around for a used motorcycle/car on OLX for nearly 10 days in vain, I took a test ride on the 4th and immediately fell in love with it.

Also, I had visited the Hero dealership in RT Nagar, but they didn't seem keen to sell for a thinned-down man riding on a cycle to their showroom in chappals, unlike the Suzuki guys, despite being in similar attire. Like anyone, I would go for the friendly devil rather than an unknown God. So I rode back to the Meghawath Suzuki and booked it without much testing around others.

I just wanted to get on a saddle and ride on. The process was pretty much smooth, they offered a decent discount and I had to downpay 35k, with 8.7k EMI for 36 months for a bike that would cost 2.78 lakhs on the road.

[akhil_007]

Question for all the V Strom owners. How do you compare this bike with CBR250R? Looking primarily in terms of -

1.Refinement
2.Ease of Driving in City(gear shift frequency, comfort on bad roads, clutch travel, engine heat etc)
3.Munching miles on Highway

As an ex-CBR owner, I loved the refinement and highway manners of CBR but it was not so good to drive in city due to the need for constant gear shifting

Other alternatives I am evaluating are Triumph Speed 400 and Gixxer 250

[b16h22]

Originally Posted by akhil_007

Question for all the V Strom owners. How do you compare this bike with CBR250R? Looking primarily in terms of -

1.Refinement
2.Ease of Driving in City(gear shift frequency, comfort on bad roads, clutch travel, engine heat etc)
3.Munching miles on Highway

As an ex-CBR owner, I loved the refinement and highway manners of CBR but it was not so good to drive in city due to the need for constant gear shifting

Other alternatives I am evaluating are Triumph Speed 400 and Gixxer 250

As a Gixxer 250 owner as the platform is pretty similar and you are also considering the Gixxer.

1. Refinement is a mixed bag. It's pretty refined when it's new. But some owners have found the refinement levels to drop as they put in the miles. I feel it's okay but it may not be as refined as the Honda. I have not ridden the CBR but a friend owns both the Ceeber and Strom and this was his opinion. It's pretty okay at City speeds though.

2. Tractable and linear engine. It doesn't have a lot of poke under 5k but it'll not stumble like a KTM. Gears are short and you can ride it in higher gears if you want to. Gear shifts are not great imo and very sensitive to clutch cable free play. Engine heat is a non-issue.

3. Can't give a comprehensive verdict. I have only toured on it a couple of times due to some health problems. Holds 90-110 with a buzz in the bars and seats. Has good roll-on power. It's a solid chassis and feels stable at those speeds. Brakes are just about satisfactory and you might feel it's lacking if coming from the ABS CBR.

[kirans]

Originally Posted by akhil_007

1.Refinement
2.Ease of Driving in City(gear shift frequency, comfort on bad roads, clutch travel, engine heat etc)
3.Munching miles on Highway

Engine and Gearing

The engine is reasonably refined. Certainly will feel quite harsh in the initial days, but definitely improves over time. Gear ratios feel poorly chosen at first, but you must try to assess the low RPM torque the engine provides and it is more than enough in the city. I ride two other bikes, both being old CI bullets, and I am used to low RPM torque and this motor does not disappoint in that front. Engine heat is a total non-issue. The Oil-cooling system is brilliantly efficient, and in Bangalore neck to neck traffic I have never ever felt the engine show any signs of overheating. The radiator fans kick in very rarely, especially in May/June but most of the other times the engine is perfectly fine.

Carburetion is good, and the idle is on the higher side. The engine is eager to move with small twists of the throttle but still manages to return excellent fuel economy even in traffic. You can manage to squeeze out 40km per litre with some moderate riding even in heavy traffic. You will be very happy with this part.


Ride ergonomics

The seating is high, and the low seat offered severely lacks cushioning which will really become painful after an hour. Stick to the stock seat if you can manage the height. Ride comfort over bad roads, potholes etc., is excellent, and stability is very good. It is very very much a dual role motorcycle which can be a daily city commute and also do long touring.

In the highway, the handling is excellent, you can drive for long durations without feeling any exhaustion or back ache, or shoulder ache. You will of course need to find your seating position and make sure you are not taking the load of your upper body weight on your shoulders. There are some vibrations across the range, but they are not too disturbing either. Perhaps they will ease over time, or get worse, I am yet to see that. For now I am OK with it, but past 100kmph it becomes irritating if you do not wear gloves.


Electricals and Body

The headlight sucks, especially at night in rural areas, and the white LED has no penetration at all. I try to avoid night driving outside the city in general for safety, so I am not planning to add any additional lighting systems. It is more than enough in the city, but the lack of a On/Off switch for the headlight is a nuisance. I have added a cut off switch which you can see in a few posts above. There is a stand cut-off switch which you may or may not like. The plastics are very good quality and so far have shown good resilience to small bumps etc. The exhaust has a tendency to get scratched because of the way the rear pegs are positioned so just make peace with it.

Chain maintenance is a struggle if you do not have a paddock stand since the bike does not have a centre stand. The Roller is OK, but paddock stand is definitely better. The bike has a desire to collect all the muck and dirt from the street and one ride in the rain will make it extremely dirty and muddy. I do chain maintenance every week now that it is the rainy season. It surely is a pain.

Hope this helps you make a decision.

[DDV437]

Has anyone used the Tank Protection (not the Tank pad) on their V-Strom? How did you manage to install it?

Although it seems to be perpetually out of stock, I managed to source one from a Suzuki SC. However, I made an absolute mess of the installation (Bubbles everywhere). I'll use it for a while but might change it if I manage to source another one.

What would be the recommended way of installing it? To reduce bubbles as much as possible that is.

[thunderlads]

Originally Posted by DDV437

Has anyone used the Tank Protection (not the Tank pad) on their V-Strom? How did you manage to install it?

You can get it done in a good bike stickering shop. When I got that accessory, the service head took me to a nearby stickering shop and asked me get it done there. It was done with perfection. Zero bubbles.

[thtechnician]

Originally Posted by DDV437

What would be the recommended way of installing it? To reduce bubbles as much as possible that is?

Attachment 2673876

Can't say for sure about your specific tank protection, but I usually apply PPF and tints using the wet apply method. Spray the tank and film with some lightly soapy water and use a squeegee to press it out after aligning. Zero bubbles. You can search up 'wet apply tint' on YouTube for more info.

[sudeep.pandya]

I am experiencing vibration (buzz) on the left side foot peg.

It only started after the 1st service. I assumed it might be lack of chain lubrication but that's not the case even after lubing. I believe they overfill the engine oil by 150 ML or so. Not sure if that can cause something like this.

It happens 80% of the time while riding, and 20% it just vanishes specially after leans and corners. The intensity increases with the revs.

The ODO stands at 950 Kms, have been experiencing this after completing 750 Kms.

Not that it is too much intrusive, but certainly irritates and bothers since refinement and buzz free nature of the engine was one of the major deciding factors for me.

Anyone else faced this issue? Any leads would be of great help.