[sukiwa]

Sharing my 2022 Suzuki V-strom SX250 motorcycle ownership after 7+ months and crossing 7700 Kms on odo.







Likes:

• ADV looks
• Smooth gearbox
• Faster commuter
• Lightweight and nimble

Dislikes:

• Plastic panels all across, long term ownership can mean rattles
• Pseudo ADV, suspension not to everyone’s liking
• Low sales can hamper long term ownership

Review Index:

Bike Selection

Bike Review

Accessories

Servicing

Kaali-Peeli: My usage is primarily for commute, similar to Premier/Fiat taxis of Bombay, fondly referred as Kaali-Peeli. It is also my attempt to mimic style of Scoop-master BHPian sidindica.

[sukiwa]

There wasn’t any specific need for a motorcycle. 2012 Hero Karizma ZMR (pre-EBR) that I acquired in 2016 was doing fine in office commutes and weekend rides/tours. I had chosen it mainly for almost square engine, better saddle and ZMR version due to fuel injection. However, with time, plastic panels had become hard and colour had started to fade. Engine had some issues like oil leak and panel vibrations. Issue was finding a competent mechanic and him not blaming previous one on wrong diagnosis or workmanship. In 6 years of ownership, I had ridden it around 40,000 Kms.



With no immediate inclination to change bike, I had started test riding some new bikes in 2022.

BMW 310: Showroom didn’t have GS, had to test ride 310R. Exhaust note wasn’t to my liking and riding posture felt cramped.

KTM 390 ADV: On a small ride, suspension felt quite hard on cement roads. Even for small ride (with showroom person as pillion), seat edge was hurting on inner thigh. To extract much needed torque, I knew it needs to be revved. That’s opposite to how I ride, so won’t do justice to any KTM as I won’t rev them that much.

Honda CB500x: Felt familiar in an instant, just bigger Karizma. Had everything going for it except for the price. Even when price cuts were announced, I couldn’t justify price tag. BHPian Surjaonwheelz’s post (Honda CB500X launched at Rs. 6.87 lakh) on test ride.

Yezdi Scrambler: Engine felt rough and harsh ride, my post from Feb 2022 (Yezdi Motorcycle Brand relaunched with Adventure, Scrambler & Roadster models).

Suzuki V-Strom SX 250: When Suzuki announced it in April ‘22, I felt Suzuki has launched a neatly packaged bike for me except for slipper clutch. When it arrived at nearby Suzuki dealer in May ‘22, I was first to test ride it, documented here (Suzuki V-Strom 250 SX, now launched at Rs. 2.12 lakhs).

I had almost finalized SX250 although it was the onset of monsoon. As I don’t ride in monsoon, I made up mind to revisit after monsoon in 2022. I visited showroom again to ride Gixxer 250 and SX250 back-to-back to check which one feels better. Gixxer 250 felt cramped for my 6 footer frame so SX250 it was. Strictly speaking, 223cc to 249cc engine isn’t exactly an upgrade. However, riding triangle and engine torque delivery makes up for it.

Booking, buying experience: Close to end of Sept’22, BHPian Surja nudged me on Neil’s post (Suzuki V-Strom 250 SX, now launched at Rs. 2.12 lakhs) about discounts and I had to visit local dealership to book one. I enquired about exchange on Karizma and closed on deal next day. With discounts on insurance, bike exchange and exchange bonus, I paid less amount than ex-showroom price of SX250.

Showroom had 3 bikes (2 yellow, 1 Black) when I had paid full amount. Chose to pick up one yellow based on visual inspection and manufacturing month sticker on rear fender. Asked technician to connect battery to check engine note and later it was kept aside with my name marked on it. PDI was completed on 30th Sept and I decided to pick it on the day of Dussehra, 5th Oct. In the meanwhile, worked with used bike person at dealership for bike exchange paperwork.

Similar to Pune BHPian Ricci & Surjaonwheelz, I wanted to have registration number to comprise of engine capacity. However by that time, ongoing series had gone past the number that I had wanted along with bike engine capacity. Next series would mean wait of 15 days. Chose another choice number which had same set of digits as my first car, Hyundai Santro. Handed over choice number booking receipt from RTO to dealer for registration process. Bike registration was delayed by few days due to festive season rush. RTO delivered RC card in less than 2 months without any typos.

On 5th, I expected delays due to Dussehra. However, sales person had managed quick deliveries for most scooters. Mine was only bike delivery that day.


BHPian Surja, my nephew and my family were around at time of bike delivery. Bike odo was at 0 kms, just as it was at PDI. We did small puja, coconut breaking and riding over a lemon followed by eating snacks at nearby food joint. I did stall the bike at first instant, although it was mainly for Instagram reel.

Surja was wearing a matching wrist watch to yellow SX250, one of his many HMT watches.


Parting odo photo of Karizma

[sukiwa]

Styling, design, features:
Suzukis aren’t going to win beauty pagents except for their few Superbikes. In this case, front is better than rear with beak as most attractive element.
I feel this bike should have been just named SX250 rather than adding V-strom, kind of dilutes pedigree of bigger V-strom. I was initially of the opinion that this contraption is only meant for cost-conscious country like India, was surprised that same model has been launched in Australia as well in 2023. Twin-cylinder engine model exists in Europe. Although that model mayn’t make the cut for V-strom badge, however it at least has twin cylinder engine.

Many aspects have been carried over from 250cc Suzuki siblings. Part sharing is good in the platform, however Suzuki India should have worked on both suspension. Getting the ADV look is correct. However, kind of roads that Indian cities have now mandate plusher suspension.





In this yellow colour, front and rear section are well separated and make it noticable. Blue letters and lines add a nice touch.




Photo of rear wheel shows mounting for center stand, however Suzuki hasn’t created a longer center stand for SX250.


Console greets you this way


Bluetooth: Notification on console is good addition, I have enabled notification only for voice calls and SMS. I use this almost on every ride. In terms of connection, I have noticed that if I keep Suzuki app open on screen, Bluetooth connection gets established quickly. If I stop and switch off engine in between, Bluetooth connection persists as long as Suzuki app is still in foreground on phone.
Navigation: I find mapmyindia bit different than Google maps. Instead of business outlet, I need to search building for that outlet. If that building isn’t mapped in mapmyindia then have to rely on Google maps without any on-console navigation. I have used navigation only 3-4 times so far.


Keeping bike specifications for archival purpose.
[ATTACH=ds250-36.pdf]2456470[/ATTACH]

Breaking-in: Bit boring to keep it below 5000 rpm in initial 800 Kms. Overtaking within suburb on inclines used to reach 5k rpm limit. Suzuki has different modes (not riding modes) with rpm limiter. I had changed mode to flashing LED with limit on 5000 rpm. Default rpm limiter from factory is set to 7000 rpm.




Increments in steps of 500 on rpm limiter

Wonder why Suzuki doesn’t tell dealers to keep this as default mode at time of bike delivery for appropriate breaking-in; however, that would mean additional training and perhaps owners calling to dealer on blinking LED. Plus if default rpm limiter is 7000, why split breaking-in to 5000 rpm till 800 Kms and later to 7000 rpm till 1600 Kms.

After 800 Kms on odo, I changed rpm limiter to 7000 till odo crossed 1600 Kms. Post 1600 Kms on odo, rpm limiter was set to 10,000.



Ride, handling and performance: Moving from standstill isn’t an issue, keeping it below speed limits on internal roads within housing societies and office premises is. I generally keep low/no throttle in such cases. My usage is 70:30 for Highways Vs City. Within City suburbs, 3rd or 4th gear gets used mostly and I get a feeling similar to RE classic of chugging along without any strain. On highways, it’s quite easy to reach highway speeds, much faster than my previous Karizma. Overtaking doesn’t need much planning; I downshift only when I have to move forward rapidly. Cruising at 100kmph is just beyond 7000 rpm in 6th gear.
Compared to clip-on handlebar of Karizma, straight handlebar on SX250 is a huge change for me. It also makes it easier for me to keep neutral body position in corners compared to upper body lean I used to have on Karizma.



Triple clamp offset is quite tight, steering axis and forks aren’t too far. This kind of trail makes this bike really nimble.

Exhaust note, Engine heat, Cooling: Exhaust note is bit mild, so forget about waking up any neighbours or grab attention on highways. Kind of understated movement under the wraps.
I haven’t noticed engine heat at all within city usage. My Karizma used to show up heat for few minutes if highway ride was followed quickly by a suburb ride. Both have oil cooling, however SX250 fares better than my previous Karizma.

I have a problem with exhaust angle, my right heel touches it as I have habit of resting ball of foot on footpeg. I feel this is mostly due to part sharing in 250cc Suzuki line-up. Footpeg is also too thick, more so when seen with rear footpeg.


Clutch, Gearbox:
Clutch isn’t exactly light; it shows its presence while riding in city for more than an hour. Light spring action of Slipper clutch could have helped here. I have changed habit to downshift lazily (also influence of Innova), so slipper clutch isn’t missed much.
Gearshifts are quite smooth. Ugly ghost/phantom neutral shows up when one is non-committal. Light touches aren’t welcome, it has to be firm upshift/downshift. Slotting into neutral isn’t a problem although it’s easier to shift to neutral from 2nd than 1st gear.

Fuel economy: With my regular usage of 70% highways, I get 40 to 42 kmpl. Maximum that I have seen is 44.7 Kmpl. Economy shown on console isn’t much higher than tankful method. Only once it happened to show 35.5 Kmpl (case of high revving) whereas tankful turned out to be 40.1 Kmpl. My Karizma used to deliver 45 Kmpl consistently. Rides to Konkan used to get completed in single full tank(15 ltr) on Karizma, SX250 will demand a fuel fill on return journey.
Fuel indicator has 6 bars, left most bar starts blinking at around 360-370 Kms mark. I fill up at next available HP/BP fuel station which fills up 10.5-11 liters. Console also has additional extreme low fuel blinking; I am yet to test it.

Tyres, wheels: Alloy wheels was a must for me, all my vehicles have it as a standard fitment. Good thing in this alloy design is that tubeless valve is located off-center and that makes life easier while filling air in tyres. I would have liked the valve to have a 90 degrees bend, however that’s not a norm so far.



I don’t have much faith on MRF tyres and won’t use it beyond 1.5-2 years. These tyres are already skidding in parking spaces at different premises. Grip was felt wanting on few fast corners on NH48 section near Pune. Sipes are so wide that sometimes small stones get stuck leading to unbalance. It is very likely that I would shift to full road-biased tyres on next change.


Braking: For my anticipated braking and speed control via throttle, I find current Bybre braking to be adequate. Even in emergency situation once on highway, braking was spot-on without making me feel uneasy. I haven't noticed effect of ABS yet.

Odo & Speedo error: On regular commute, I noticed that odo is showing more distance than pre-pandemic. I knew that due to Metro and Chandani chowk diversions, some distance has increased., but this bit beyond. That’s when I compared trip distances on my Innova and SX250 on multiple days. SX250 shows 5.7% more distance than my Innova. I also compared same with Nephew’s Tiger 800 and SX250 showed 3.9% more distance.
Even on Speedo comparison with Tiger 800, SX 250 shows 73 whereas Tiger was on 70 and 84 on SX 250, Tiger on 80. Both times, Tiger 800 was put on cruise control and I was running parallel to it for some distance.

Suspension:


41mm front fork offers 120mm travel same as Gixxer 250. For my kind of usage on pothole filled broken roads, it’s a non-issue. I haven’t felt suspension bottoming out.


This photo shows travel markings on front fork, it measures 100 mm. Even if dust seal gets added, travel is at 110mm, still has some mm of travel left. Either spring is stiff to not flex enough for 120mm travel OR I don’t dare to jump bike much.
On my regular commute, I come across a section of around 4kms having 23 speed-breakers. This leads to many occasions of long queue of vehicles. I have countered this with doing bit of off-roading sometimes even standing up. Firm suspension also helps here in providing stability and never a feeling of losing control.
In 2 years, when I would change front fork oil, I may also experiment with fork oil weight and possibly fork preload adjusters.

Rear monoshock offers preload adjustment. Within a week of getting the bike, I worked on measuring static sag for my weight. All distances measured from a point on axle and a point near rear rack. Reading A is bike off the ground, Reading B is bike with wheel on ground whereas Reading C is with Rider on bike, wheel obviously on ground.
Rider weight: 77Kgs



Spring is stiff, static sag doesn’t increase too much even after moving to softest setting. While in stock position, static sag is fine for entry level track learning but not for street riding. I used bike in position 1 till for around 700 Kms and wanted to change as soon as I could. In that position, accelerating makes you feel that rear is way too behind and on turns rear wants to step out at every opportunity. On one of the rides to a nearby fort, used C-spanner from Interceptor toolkit of Surja to move to position 2 and still haven’t changed it.

Riding Gear:
I almost have most riding gear that’s needed regularly. In 2021, I had updated my helmet from SMK twister to HJC i70 (Which Helmet? Tips on buying a good helmet). In early 2022, I had bought RE blemish gloves just for having a pair other than black and at that time I hadn’t thought that I will buy a yellow colour motorcycle later.
Current riding gear
Jacket: 2016 Aspida Helios mesh jacket (updated with D30 level 2 armor)
Helmet: HJC i70
Gloves: RE Blemish(summer), RE Spiti(winter)
Knee guards: Zandona level 2
Riding pant: Tourmaster venture overpant
Riding boots: Solace & Woodland

I got the Suzuki jacket after 1.5 months of bike purchase. It comes with internal rain and winter layers. Armor is pretty basic, back armor didn’t have foam removed from punched holes. Neck has a Velcro locking which irritates against skin or rubs against balaclava. My jacket didn’t have zip runner closed on top, had do a jugaad with a sewing thread. Jacket looks good to match with bike colour and good to use in winters whereas it was quite sweaty for me in Summer (reverted to using my older Aspida mesh jacket).

Conclusion: This bike mostly suits those who want to go farther at a faster pace and not necessarily off-road.





Huge thanks to BHPian Surjaonwheelz for shooting in-motion photos by sitting as rearward pillion on Tiger 800, he also helped in reviewing content for these posts.

[sukiwa]

Lever adjustment: On evening of bike delivery, I adjusted angle of hand levers to my liking rather than keeping those parallel to ground. Reach is never a problem for me and changing level angle makes brake control far easier. Only problem on brake lever side was banjo bolt, it doesn’t allow me to move it further down compared to clutch lever.



Video on adjusting levers by master Dave Moss

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0rMMXdKz4U

Gear lever boot: First accessory to get added was gear shift rubber boot. I had one lying with me, easy to slide with few drops of oil. For most of my footwear, gear lever position is quite right, so didn’t fiddle with it.


GPS mount, base extender:After booking the bike, I had ordered couple of things from Bandidos pitstop, side stand base extender and GPS mount. GPS mount was mainly to change angle of front number plate and not for fixing GPS mount. Both arrived on same day as bike delivery, and I fixed that next weekend.

Stock number plate angle


After adding GPS mount, in-line with windscreen.



While fixing base extender, I applied bit too much of thread sealant and it has left a mark. I noticed later on that, chain lube is getting spattered onto this extender making it a dust magnet. So, win some, lose some. I clean extender whenever I am cleaning chain.



Seat covers: Added anti-slip seat cover from a nearby seat store. These covers have also made seat a bit firm, good for long rides.

Key-tag: Next one was a key-tag; happened to find one for Suzuki with text as ‘Legendary Suzu-key’. It also fits perfectly in the slot in tank.





Top rack plate & Top Box: Added a top rack plate from Zana for fixing my 2018 Rynox tank bag as a tail bag. When I bought and fixed it, I hadn’t thought that I will buy a top box later. In hindsight, I should have bought it together. While fixing Zana plate, I had applied thread sealant and that posed a challenge while removing screws when it was time to fix top box. Had a quick chat with BHPian Crankpin, his suggestion was WD-40. I couldn’t locate WD-40 at home, relied on age-old tape head cleaner.




While fixing top rack, I was wondering if Zana top rack plate is needed or not. Kept it just to get wider base for Givi universal plate.

GR roller: A bike with side stand needs some way to lubricate the chain at regular interval. Options are either spoolers with Paddock stand or a roller. I chose medium size based on engine size. This doesn’t give same ease of a center/paddock stand, however small size is a huge convenience.



Pro-spec clip-on visor: Stock windscreen wasn’t enough for my 6’ height plus it’s too straight. Checked with Pro-spec for compatible model, ordered it from Pune dealer Motocentral and he managed to send in few hours. Order to delivery in 6 hours, faster than Amazon. I have kept this at tallest position that leaves small gap between 2 screens. I tried other positions, had to settle for topmost position. Even at this position, I still get wind hitting between chest and chin. I use ear plugs all the time, so no issues on wind noise. I would still prefer wider, taller and more important well-designed after-market windscreen.


Leg/Engine guard: I wanted a minimalist look, hence chose from official Suzuki accessory list. This can be also a placeholder for auxiliary lights if I feel a need later on.



List of accessories:

Side stand base extender -- Bandidos Pitstop
GPS mount -- Bandidos Pitstop
Seat cover -- offline
Key tag -- inline4.in
Top rack -- Zana
GR roller -- Grand Pitstop
Windscreen extender -- Pro-Spec ER750
Top box -- Givi ENTL43 ADV
Suzuki engine guard -- Suzuki SVC

[sukiwa]

Servicing:
1st servicing including parts was free as part of purchase offer. Oil and oil filter was changed along with chain lube. Odo was 900 Kms. I had single issue of rear brake making sound, was sorted by adjusting chain tension.

2nd service: It was repeat of 1st service items, service cost Rs. 1246. Odo was 4,526 Kms. No issues to be addressed. This service center (Automatic Suzuki) uses Motul 7100 for SX250. I enquired about Ecstar R9000 and was told that it needs to be ordered in advance and they don’t keep any stock. I will try it out in next service. Only aspect I noticed after few days of service was on excess chain lube leaving a noticeable muck on rear wheel. In next service, I will ask them to apply little less and on internal side of chain than external.

Vibrations: I was keeping an eye due to Neil’s thread. Before 2nd service, I used to face mild vibes on right footpeg beyond 6,000 rpm. It was noticed more when I was keeping ball of foot on peg, it was way less when I shift center of foot on right footpeg. After 2nd service and obviously oil change, vibrations are much less. I will observe vibration behaviour towards end of second oil change around 8500-9000 Kms on odo. I will also keep an eye if oil brand makes any difference, Suzuki Ecstar Vs Motul.
I also tried wearing different footwear and vibrations were noticed more with light weight pair compared to riding boots. In terms of increasing order of vibration feel, it was like riding boots>leather boots>sports shoes>loafers.
As of now, these vibrations don’t bother me much. Compared to my old Karizma where are panels and mirrors used to shake beyond 30kmph, this is nothing. Vibes are only on right footpeg for a specific rpm range, only time will tell if this is going to sustainable or not.

Odo sprawl:Sharing some photos from different rides

Odo at 0 Kms at time of delivery


4 digits, 1000kms


Year of bike purchase


Choice number that was missed for registration


Some MotoGP fun

#VR46


Valentino Rossi & Marc Marquez


Valentino Rossi & Jorge Lorenzo


#sic58


2022 MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia


#69 Nicky Hayden


On one of the ride, I had another SX250 rider in the group. If I have to borrow words of BHPian neoonwheels, it was a Mega meet of SX250 owners.



Long live Boeing 747


With Tiger 800 with which it shares 4 digits of registration number


BHPian waspune on BMW G310R



BHPian Surjaonwheelz on RE Interceptor 650









Some unknown ride companions

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Motorcycle section. Thanks for sharing!

Going to our homepage tomorrow

[surjaonwheelz]

Finally, the long awaited photo-review is up! We have to take a lot more photos of the Vee (Bee) amidst the lush green Sahyadris during/post monsoons. If you're not riding Kaali Peeli this monsoon then I'm taking it. Remember Kaali Peeli was most sought after in Mumbai monsoons!

sukiwa is a book of secrets, we never had a clue till the bike was ready for delivery!

I've ridden it, its a smooth operator. Not ridden it on bad roads or dusty no-roads, will have to find out how it fares.

Many congratulations to sukiwa for his spanking new vehicle!

Any future mods/accessories planned for the future?
- Pre-load adjusters
- FuelX
- Aux lights

Let's plan a road trip to Konkan coast, you missed the last one!

Enjoy your Sooozoookiii...

Happy riding,
surjaonwheelz

[tarmacnaut]

Great, detailed review with excellent pictures

Originally Posted by sukiwa

I feel this bike should have been just named SX250 rather than adding V-strom, kind of dilutes pedigree of bigger V-strom. I was initially of the opinion that this contraption is only meant for cost-conscious country like India, was surprised that same model has been launched in Australia as well in 2022. Twin-cylinder engine model exists in Europe. Although that model mayn’t make the cut for V-strom badge, however it at least has twin cylinder engine.

Would disagree, V in V-strom stands for Versatility and Suzuki Engineering head even quoted this in the bikes recent launch of VStrom SX 250 in Japan. The SX250 very well deserves the V-Strom badge as it is plenty versatile and I use it for both city, highway and broken roads.
Also it is not some dress up 'contraption' for developing markets, it is a global model from grounds up which has been rigorously tested along with bigger super bikes like Hayabusa and VStrom 1050 for chassis/engine durability. This makes it way more reassuring, as the frame breaking poor quality RE himalayan and Interceptors cost more than this. Check the below video

https://youtu.be/MOM6mLWoXQI

Coming to existing VStrom 250, The SX250 just blows away the existing VStrom 250 as it is just dressed up Inazuma with zero off roading capability, while the SX250 is an ADV in every sense, try some off road you will be surprised by its stability. And it is a parallel twin and not a V twin like 650 and 1050.

[Axe77]

Lovely review Sukiwa and great pics Surja. Hearty congratulations on a fabulously sensible purchase and wish you many happy miles and memories on it.

Would love to catch you both on a ride sometime whenever I’m in pune next with my bike.

[Sebring]

Glad you took the plunge. Wish you many years of great motorcycling. Regarding the vibes, try not to stress the engine too much till the second service. You should be fine

Originally Posted by sukiwa

I was keeping an eye due to Neil’s thread. Before 2nd service, I used to face mild vibes on right footpeg beyond 6,000 rpm. It was noticed more when I was keeping ball of foot on peg,

[dkaile]

Congratulations and happy riding.

Cheers...

[sukiwa]

Originally Posted by tarmacnaut

Would disagree.

To each, his own. That piece of content was written to solicit a response from you. Thank you for sharing same content again.

Originally Posted by Sebring

Regarding the vibes, try not to stress the engine too much till the second service.

Third service is due in another 1600 Kms which might take another 1.5-2.5 months depending on how much I will ride in monsoon. Let's see how amplitude of vibrations progresses.

Originally Posted by Axe77

Would love to catch you both on a ride sometime whenever I’m in Pune next with my bike.

Sure, let's have a ride with your MuktiStrada, also bring along your friend Raj.

[VijayAnand1]

Swell! Sukiwa san, yellow, yellow...well.. sweet fellow..
As tarmacnaut's video construed it very well, the V stands for both Versatility and V engine, depending on which vantage point you want to take a peek at. Either way, the V-Strom SX is an excellent commuter, mild-offroader, superb soft-roader and overall an excellent all-rounder. You just can't go wrong with the V-Strom 250 one's taking the time to zero in on his/her choice. The motorcycle grows on you and it doesn't falter one bit on that aspect, barring a few chinks in its armor.

Cheers!
VJ

[Aditya]

Exceptional, unbiased & detailed ownership reviews of bikes have started going to our homepage reviews box. It's the ultimate stamp of trust from Team-BHP (as a platform) because lakhs of visitors every month check out reviews from there & make purchase decisions.

Your review has also been included here. Thank you so much for sharing .

[comfortablynumb]

It was great meeting you after a long time today, sukiwa, and thanks for the ride on your bike. Being used to an Apache 160, it was literally and figuratively a big step up for me.

Very impressive bike, though. Wish you many miles of safe and happy riding on it!