First report: The baby V-Strom has entered our fleet and has quickly started racking up the miles.
Suzuki’s V-Strom SX has gotten positive feedback from much of the media fraternity ever since it hit the market, and for good reason. But what’s it like to live with? We have had it in our possession for a few months now to tell you what it’d be like to own one.
Soon after it entered our fleet, Rishabh took it out for a long ride on the weekend. He’s always been an advocate of the V-Strom SX’s qualities ever since he went for the first ride event, and this additional time spent with the motorcycle has only reaffirmed his feelings. He took it out on a 400km round trip and was happy with how consistently it performed despite the soaring temperatures. Other impressive factors were the V-Strom’s handling dynamics: despite being a tall tourer and holding triple-digit speeds for a majority of his weekend ride.
LIGHT SIPPER: Despite quick riding, the V-Strom returns around 34kpl in varied conditions.
While he has used the V-Strom the way it’s meant to, I’ve only been using it the way most customers will end up doing most of the time – for my mundane commutes to the office, at least for now. My route to work involves tackling some broken roads, so the V-Strom’s comfy and spacious seat, along with its absorbent ride, has been taking most of the pain out of the journey. What also helps is the refined nature of the V-Strom’s 250cc engine.
Much like Rishabh, I’ve also found the V-Strom’s fuel efficiency to be impressive. Even though it hasn’t been ridden in a sedate manner by any stretch, I’ve been averaging nearly 34kpl in the last couple of weeks. Now, that’s impressive considering the more than adequate performance it has on tap. What’s also nice is that the fuel efficiency reading on the meter is quite accurate to the figures we calculated based on fuel fill-ups.
BITE POINT: Brakes have ample power, but could do with more initial bite.
The V-Strom has also been making light work of city traffic. The clutch action is light, which takes away the pain from riding in jams and the high seating position gives you a good view of what’s ahead, allowing you to plan how to filter through traffic. The only thing is, you have to be mindful of its length.
Issues, well there’ve barely been any. The only qualm we’ve had is that the windscreen isn’t adjustable, which does rob you of some airflow that’s essential in the city during these brutally hot months. Furthermore, the brakes could do with a bit more bite. And lastly, the bike was delivered to us with a cracked knuckle guard mount, which is hardly the bike’s fault and can be rectified easily. More on the cost of that repair and the service in the next report.
I’m also planning to ride the V-Strom SX down to Goa next month and I’m keen to see how it performs out on the highway. So, watch this space to see how it fares on a 1,200km+ road trip.
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