Today we take a look at the 2023 Suzuki Vstrom 250 Sx which I think is the best value small bike on the planet. Check out my review on this great little ride.
Been waiting patiently and checking RU-vid everyday for your latest V Strom 250 SX video... and as always, it was worth the wait!!! Thanks again Warro for such a great review.
Bought a Mash Xride 650, it is as good as what I paid for it 6000€ and maintenance dose not cost a lot. Changed right from the start to road tyres, Dunlop Mutant. I don't see me buying a 20.000€ or more bike with a huge maintenance bill on top. This way I can have nine bikes and not one. Your right in that when you drive the fun is the same, I see that in group rides, cheap or expensive we al drive on the same streets.
buying a top end bike may be good for the talk value side. did that one heaps of times when playing with the rolexes...lol but at the end of the day a cheap bike put together well can give you as much or if not more fun plus you don't hear-can't ride there i might damage it...bmw/ktm aren't cheap to fix...lol
I like the camping videos & what stuff is used etc.I got me a small pack size of 26cm×19cm 3season 4° sleeping.Don't plan on camping in winter🤣. After my crash I been researching sleeping pads need a wide single one along with tent ⛺.
Your reviews are always honest with no bull. The Suzuki would be great as a second bike or an only bike. Amazing scenery and I always enjoy your drone shots. Ride safe
G'day Warro, great review and the bike is just right for those tracks and roads, a free top box can't get better than that, have fun on you rides and keep on two wheels, weather here has been freezing -2c with clear blue sky, top of 14c, cheers mate, Neil 🤠.
I love seeing the tracks you ride on. Threw my leg over a V Strom 250 last week. Was on my toes mostly. The sales guy said that the suspension can be lowered for a price (about 35mm) and you mentioned that you can get a thinner seat in a previous video, but it’s not as comfortable as the standard seat. Keep up the good videos.👍
yeah i bought the optional low seat and it definately lowers it for sure but the seat is hard so hard to win there...lol but if one was just going on short runs and had a bit of padding in the rear section...lol it would be fine i think. not so on a long haul but if you were just riding around town or open area running like in this clip-stock seat will work fine and you can cover distance too
Nice to see you out on the suzuki am loving my little v strom got 5000 kms on my one the suspension is great out of the box also got the suzuki v Strom 800 DE in the shed and like the little 250 more the 800 is more high end hopefully i get to Australia again one day and think i would bye the sx250 to ride around oz it's that good 👍🏻 Cheers 👍🏻 🍻 keep living the dream
yeah its a real good bike. some i'd say probably think i talk a bit of shit liking some bikes and knocking other. what they fail on is -over the past 10 years ive owned 65 brand new bikes so i've been on stuff i've owned and not crawled in to a dealer to snibble for a demo ride...lol two different views...lol the vstrom 250 sx is a good bike except if you drop it...lol not to easy to pick up there or not for me. that drop day was 1 minute after i went dirt/mud. yesterday i did 50 klm on the dirt with mud thrown in and bike ran drama free.
in 7-8 mins in and have to pause and smile to myself at the mixed up state of the modern Anglo-speaking / Anglo-spheric countries. Here in blighty we are a mish-mash of metric and imperial, distance is miles, body height is feet, body weight is stones, speed is mph, we drink pints of beer but millilitres of spirits. Yet we do the 100m sprint, measure temp in Celsius, well until it's really hot then the news talks of over 100'f and our engine are metric as is all engineering, screws, washers etc. I always think of Oz as metric, you ride Km, your speed is in Km, you drink in metric so to hear you say the seat height in inches made me smile. Nice vid, nice pull away drone shot at the end.
yeah i think seeing i've hit 70...lol i do the conversion in the clip. had both units going to school. ive found on youtube if you say mm some-one asks seat height in inches or tell them 13 litre tank how many us gal or so on. so it helps some out...lol yeah that drone shot was right at the end of the run and that hill extremely steep. roughly dare i say 1 mile to the top ...lol did all the filming to that point but audio snuffed it so never used it. fair ride back to do it again but if i take another bike i'm covered there.
Hello there, that's a great review, no b.s. thank you. Apart from the reviews i like the places that you visit or camp. Could you please show on a map where you go. So that people can share better your experience. Cheers thanks
Thanks! 👍 runs extremely well for the money and also appears very reliable too. closing in on the first 1000 kl too. dealer quote aud$350 to do the service but i think i can knock it over for aud$35 - i think i will try my method...lol
Hey Warro, cheers for giving an Aussie review of this little bike. Not many out there! Truthfully many people dismiss small capacity bikes around me, but I'm a fan of lightweight, cheap fun. I am in the market for something ideally in the 400cc class but looking at everything. I've got a bit of an odd question about the instruments. I have this vague recollection that the 2023 vstrom 250 had a navigation on the instrument panel. My memory it was on the left and showed the next turn when connected to your phone. I cant find anything on that, can you tell me I'm losing my mind? I intend on taking one for a test ride in the coming weeks.
they do two intrumentation panel so you are correct there. i think the indian model get the gps and our version not so. i'd say this is reflected in the rideaway price here. what i can tell ou this little suzuki will cruise at 100 or 110kph pretty easy and pull a good hill too. stock suspension is pretty good on the sealed and fine on the dirt but not a speed hog there. so you wouldn't be moving it quicker unless you went for a suspension upgrade. but as a stock unit its fine by me and i think really good value for the small outlay too
@ridewithwarro Thanks, mate. The difference in versions probably explains why I couldn't find anything on it. The rideaway price is definitely appealing, I was thinking of the Himalayan for a while, but this seems like a better package when doing more roads and cheaper, too. I'm looking forward to taking it out for a spin.
@@vlitzify pity they never threw it in too. i too was hoping it would arrive with that but no such luck there. saying that my new xmax 300 has gps but here in the country no need to use it. things would be pretty bad if i got lost here.....lol
@@ridewithwarro Haha yeah mate, it's easy enough if you're tracking over the same routes too. I can always slap a phone mount on the bars and use that if I head to the city, no worries, it was just an extra feature I thought was pretty interesting for a screen that wasn't like another phone sitting there (e.g. ktm) Have a good one mate, ride safe!
@@ridewithwarro I found a video of the indian version including a quick demo of the gps function with the phone and where it shows on the display. Just including here to show context for others. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-tjbo3UiHClk.html
Nice little run out today, Warro. Looked to be pretty typical NSW back country, too, especially with those hills going on forever. Not like that over here in WA; get over the Darling Ranges from Perth and it's basically as flat as a biscuit. That Vstrom certainly seems to be great value, though!
You got that right! i lost audio so nothing for last 20 minutes of recording and that was climbing that steep hill too. where drone shot was taken right at the end of the clip. extremely steep in that last pinch to the top. apart from that the vstrom ran well at 50 to 60 kph in parts. in one section of dirt on the return -no camera power or audio i ran it for a short burst at 80 kph. well behaved their too. different dirt/mud compared to where it fell on first run out when i bought it. no drama running this section
Agree with you that Honda 300 rally is a vibrating rattler. Cb500x also same thing. Vstrom is smooth as. The Kawasaki versys 300x is also smooth. Nice bike but it’s worth $2k+ above the vstrom 250, although it has wire wheels, and a twin cylinder 40hp engine so maybe it’s worth a bit extra. Have you tried a versys 300?
Hi mate just join team yellow my wife went in yesterday and got me a Suzuki 250sx I’m still 400ks away will be home on the weekend I like the Enfield to but nearest dealer is 600ks away so to hard to get one of them like an honest review still got the 125f to cheers mate
your in for a treat just stay away from mud...lol these are really great little bikes. i had plans to give mine a run today but time got away so thats in the cards tomorrow. i think ive clocked 1100 klm so about to do an oil drop and filter change. you'll be very happy how it runs along at 100 kph and near vibe free too
Agree about fuel injection. I'm a postie on a Honda Super Cub. Starts first time and runs smoothly straight away. I don't bother trying to commute on my carby-equipped Suzuki GN250 because it takes as long to warm up as it does ro ride ro work.
used to be a postie myself. back in 68 to 70. only pushbikes then - 900 householders- 3 hour run. mail and second class packages and if by chance one got a puncture or blew a tyre. they were good enough to send a tyre or repair kit out via the telegram boy...lol those were the days -especially pension cheque and open road delivery days even at xmas my beat had 2 helpers to get rid of all the second class packages and to top it off -one had to blow their whistle at near every stop or risk getting reported to the PM. plus i had a few if that letter wasn't totally inside their letter box i'd be again reported to the PM or as they use to say...in on the carpet with the senior postman as the witness.
Look a great wee runner. Might be worthwhile to put some padding in the top box so the contents don't get rattled to bits on the dirt roads. Look forward to your next camp and cook vid.
yeah that was all my cooking stuff in the box...lol i had plans to test out a new stove. pretty smart one too but ran out of time. plus the really rough area i had the bike in near the end. got the footage but lost the audio that was a near 2 klm pull up a very steep dirt track too. so lucky i was able to thow the drone up there instead
thanks. pretty good hill climb near the end where i did the drone shot. very steep there..lol bike handled everything fine and ride fairly smooth on the dirt too
I'm coming from a 4wd background but am looking to get my motorbike license to potentially replace my car as im sure a bike will still be able to take me the same places my car does. From everything I've seen, this bike looks like it would be the best pick for riding at 100 kph as the more off road focused bikes either only have 5 gears or aren't ideal for doing those long distance rides as comfortably. Ive owned a dirt bike in the past but that was honestly years ago so im sure I'll be limited offroad by my skill level and not the bike, but do you think this could be a bike you could learn on and keep forever like i hear some people talk about the cbr300l? That would be my pick but i think to ride that daily would be too much of a compromise if it would mainly be used on the road Like i said earlier, im still trying to learn and am happy to take your advice on board. Thanks for an in depth video, much appreciated
go ahead and buy. come back later and tell me what a great bike you bought. i think its that good. cruise at 100 kph very easy-near no vibration and rides well bargain priced too
didn't really ask the dealer. i know i will do a oil filter change myself at 1000 kl. i asked them what first service will cost and he replied very reasonable ...aud$350 so i thought stuff that and i will do it myself for $35...lol you might say you may lose your warrranty. don't care it only cost $6500 plus as i creep towards 1000 kl i have a very good idea it appears to be a very reliable bike. think a valve adj is at 12k
this time i only went to the top of that last steep hill but last time went all the way to the end gate and private property. pretty wild country out there. last time i saw wild goats but clear this time
G'Day Warro - my 250 SX gets delivered next week. Just wondering if you've made a decision on the protection (crash) bars. I'm in Brizzy and can't find anything in Oz, apart from the genuine Suzuki accessory bar. Any thoughts?
@@ridewithwarro Yeah - the Indian scene is hot with them. I'm thinking I may go with the Suzuki ones and fabricate something to suit at a later time. Better than nothing I guess.
well ive owned both bikes new and my thoughts are the ktm is a pretty good bike and not worth nearly aud$4000 more...lol nothing compares to this bike for value.
@@ridewithwarro Where I am the KTM is 3 k more than the Suzuki but the KTM comes with adjustable front suspension and is loaded with electronics plus is quicker. I had a CB 500 x 2021 model and it was a good bike but a little tall for me, I’m 5’10 and a little heavy. The KTM also comes with its own issues like crooked pegs and auto shut down if not warmed up sufficiently i hear ?
@@ridingtheislandswithharro6581 yeah i had the duke390 and the 390 adv. i did like the cornering abs on the 390 adv though. i had a custom rear sprocket especially made for me. its in my history. after that it ran to 160 as quick as a 650...lol the suzuki is easily a better value bike than a ktm and if i thought not....i'd bought a ktm 390 again. buying any bike is pretty easy..but .getting a good one is pretty hard to do i had the 018/019 021 022 in the cb500x. the 022 was the best by far. they tamed that jerky throttle totally but never got rid of the bar vibe. the reason i'm a bit hard on bike revies is ive owned 65 brand new bikes over the past 10 years so have a good idea on what i think is pretty good. anyway check out my rear sprocket for the ktm...it really gives it some sting
@@haris6523 this is a good budget priced bike for any-one who is after good value. plus if i thought it was rubbish i'd just say so -wouldn't worry me cash it and buy something else. but it really is a pretty good little bike which runs well and ticks all the boxes.
actually since you mentioned this...i really have not thought much on the colour since the initial purchase clip....lol even on this ride i really took no notice of the colour either. maybe the hills were a bit steep and i was thinking elsewhere. all the best!
Adventure bikes in the UK are mainly seen at Cafe's nearly always spotless regarding of age and ridden by little guys who can hardly touch the ground, you mate on the other hand, no youngster but show some blokes have more brains than money?
must admit this is a pretty good bike to ride. maybe not as eye candy as the classic 350 reborn but again a good bike. i had it running today in pretty rough country. proby did about 25 miles of dirt road plus that big steep hillclimb where i did the drone shot. that climb alone was a good or close too it 3/4 mile or a bit over 1 klm. bike ran well too
I will take at look at these i hear they are in Thailand where i live and they are around the same price as teh bike i have a deposit on...the Triumph400x--i will test ride them all and figure it out but i like the smaller bikes over here....the TR400X might one to look at for you as well they are cheap and 40hp and set up to do light offroad with accessories onboard stock...plus classic styling---although i like the idea of twin cylinder too..some good choices these days
@@chrispekel5709you know I am wondering if they are actually made here in TH…85% of Triumphs are made in TH but I am waiting to look at the VIN to check if they are from India as some are saying…I would prefer it be made in TH tbh. They are having stalling issues in India so far but an reflash on the ECU should fix that I found the vstrom 250 is for sale here but it’s the exact same price as the Triumph 400😢
@@drd3816 oh, are they made in India? Sorry, my bad. If so aren't they subject to import tax? It's my understanding that locally made Toyotas are much cheaper than imported Hondas? Therefore, that price being so low made me assume they're made there. We are certainly going to pay more in Aus
Warro, can you please tell us about the servicing on this bike? Does it have locknut tappets or does it require shims? How DIY friendly is it etc? Being able to service it myself is an important criterion in choosing a bike. Thanks
cant help you there. i know a bit about enfield but nothing about suzuki. what i can say is its a good bike to own and i may do the oil and filter changes but that would be it for me. either way would i recommend buying this bike and shop service it- SURE-out of 65 new bikes over past 10 years i'd rate this bike in the top 5 units-its that good!
@@ridewithwarro Hi again Warro, I checked just now and it does have locknut tappets. Also it seems you don't have to remove the fuel tank to get at them; although obviously there's other stuff you do need to get out of the way. Having watched your RE valve clips, I'd say this one is no harder and possibly easier than the REs, and well within your capability! If you keep the bike (and I'm not betting on that!) I look forward to eventually seeing your clip on the Suzuki valve adjustment!
@@andrewgreen6060 just took a look and there is a platis secion covering both sides of the tank.think its allen head. once removed it would open up the area pretty well. may be even easier than the 350 classic at the moment bike is running extremely well at near 1000 klm on the clock. will do a oil and filter change shortly and keep riding. its such a good bike to ride and performs well i can't see a replacement in the cards. just nothing around so cheap and runs so well. my ride into the bridle track will be out soon. after stove test 2 and the bike ran the track faultless and much faster than the classic 350 reborn too. better bike really just doesnt look as good on the visuals compared to the enfield. had the classic 350 reborn out yesterday and it definately feels like an old school '60's ride compared to the suzuki
@@andrewgreen6060 these bikes are not real popular on not on the channel so really a waste of my time doing clips as it just not worth it. i get very little support from the viewers and a perfect example is my solo camp rides on the classic 350 which score pretty bad really considering it took 30 hours per clip to do and put together. im down many thousand of $$$ trying to help out the viewers for not much or very little in return really. then i see a clip -how to put a nut on a bolt and its viewed 30k these suzuki vstroms are so cheap they are near giving them away but the possible buyers are too stupid to see a god deal. example crf300l/ himalayan crf250 rally/drz400e klx150/230's ive had the lot -this is better and cheaper too very hard bike to beat. id say in my top 5 out of the 65 new units ive had in past 10 years. just a very good bike at a silly price
Before I bought my RE350, I was waiting for this to be released as it looked like it would be a good thing. But even though it's technically a better bike, like you I just can't get past the character of my RE. Anyone not obsessed with feeling fuzzy towards their bike would do well to look at the Suzi in the smaller bike market.
well say i walked out and both were parked together which they are...lol i'd still get on the classic just for the old school feel good ride experience BUT the suzuki takes some beating for just price alone. plus the more you get on it-i think the better you think it really is.
@@ridewithwarro Totally! If I could have 2 bikes (technically I do as I'm going to sell my Honda Grom), I think the Suzuki would be a great lightweight bike to zip around on. But as I can only justify one for the moment, the Enfield suits me just great for my needs. Maybe one day I'll have more time to ride, then I can justify 2 bikes again :)
@@ridewithwarro it's an orange 2019 version with the 4 speed. Goes nicely, but gets a bit wonky over 70km/h, but it was a groovy first bike. I was looking at the usual efficient Jap bikes for the next step, but realised I don't NEED a bike, so should go with where my heart lies. And that led me to the new Classic in grey :)
@@darrellperry8175 not sure about that one. i did have a xt250 for a while but never the other one. dont think they sold them this way. not sure on that one
everything revolves around money...the cb125e was good value new for $2200 but when the cb125f arrived at $3600 which i still have-its a far better bike full stop -plus very low vibe and fuel injected too. a very hard to start carby bike like the cb125e is no match for the newer cb125f which starts first go. so we jump up another $3000 to this bike for $6500 something would be terrible wrong if one said the 26 hp suzuki with fuel injection and duel channel abs brakes plus 19" front wheel and enough power to hit 150 kph was not a better bike than either of the other two units like i said money rules and totally forget the cb125e -its vibrating rubbish -go for the cb125f if you have the cash spash it on the suzuki vstrom 250 sx over past 3 years i've owned new- 4 cb500x's/2 cb125 trails/ drz400e/2xkawasaki klx150 klx230/varsys 300/honda crf300l/crf250l crf250 rally/crf190l just to name a few the suzuki is better value than the lot of them and in some cases a much better bike too
All Suzuki Vstrom's are pretty good.Definitely right about fuel injection Warro & Abs etc.Half these carb lovers or anti Abs haven't locked a back wheel when a idiot pulls out in front or to young to remember carbs in cold,altitude etc.Just want to jump on em ride em & get home with no spluttering or farting or worrying about someone pulling out in front of you & brake hard & rear wheel lock up.
yeah i think the good old days are not as good as one really thinks. especially in cars and bikes...lol very rarely have a issue starting a fuel injected bike. that honda cb125e the daughter bought new was carby and i can say it was the worst bike ever to start and 10 minutes to warm up before one engaged the gears. an outright bit of junk and some of the cb125e lovers rave about it. its total rubbish. i know a guy who also bought one new-rode it 100 klm and told me i have not got 15 or 20 minutes a day just to ride this bit of shit and cashed it....lol honda may sell a lot of bikes but they also sell lot of rubbish too. that adv150 scooter i bought new 18 months back-worst suspension ive ever been on in past 10 years. abs is really a lifesaver. those who drive now have no idea what its like to hit the brakes and lock up the wheels prior to shitting yourself...lol
@@ridewithwarro What about Harley Davidson big torque monsters & no Abs till 2017 & sold it as a option from 2014.Typical Harley strategy offer it as a option & charge heaps for it.Bike like that should of had Abs since 2005. Triumph the same & others cars had Abs for decades & bikes are more dangerous & should if got Abs in the 1990's.Nothing worse than when someone pulls out in front of & you lock it up & back wheels locked up skidding towards idiot in front & hoping HE floors it to power down the road & out of your way.Had a few close calls back in the day.
@@ridewithwarro You're an excellent ambassador for this product. I want one. Suzuki should be reaching out and supporting you in some way. * Suzuki, here is a hot tip, step out of the office and engage with your supporters.