I’ve been a fan of Suzuki’s approach to dirt and adventure bikes for some time. The company seems to understand that well-priced and capable bikes are what a good deal of the available market wants. Think how the DRZ400 has lasted and remains a favourite among thinking trail bike riders across the globe.
Indeed, flash exxy gear is all very well and there’s plenty of examples about. But the new V-Strom 250SX is supremely priced and does most things pretty well, and that’s music to my bank account’s ears.
Universal tyres were fitted to our launch example and there was sand. Bloody sand. Who likes sand? Not I. Bung on a set of full knobbies and this thing would eat deep sand for brekky. I coped and so did the bike as it came out of the box though.
Making all this pretty easy is that light weight of 167kg wet. When that front starts to slide, there’s enough kind natured agility at the tiller to reef it back, applying full gas and hey-presto, no prang. I liked that and I reckon it represents the bike’s strong suit.
Position and seat are all dirt - you need to get the toilet region high up on to the tank, elbows up and keep asking for lots of gas. Then it all makes sense. Of course, touring is in the mix here, but you’d be working that engine pretty hard after 120km/h. There’s a good top box thrown in for online early birds and touring accessory niceties abound, so a trip to the favourite bush watering hole with mates is very possible.
Brakes are good, the front a little divey and plush, finish good if not startling and the cockpit offers a good deal of well-illuminated info.
The bike will appeal to newbies and older riders that don’t want the hassle of a dirty big adventure bike to contend with. That price allows a buyer that is sporadic in usage occurrence to own a new motorcycle, without having to take out another mortgage. That will bring them in droves I reckon.
I enjoyed it. It’s light, quick enough and offers weekend warriors a budget conscious choice. All good news.
What we like:
- Priced brilliantly
- Light weight
- Jack of all trades
Room for improvement:
- More top-end power
- Front end too plush
- Styled plainly
2023 Suzuki V-Strom 250SX price and specs:
Suzuki Motorcycles has launched to the national media its all-new V-Strom 250SX.
The bike joins the venerable four capacity-based V-Strom stable alongside the 650XT, 800DE and 1050 and 1050XT variants.
Priced competitively at $6490 rideaway, the 250SX is powered by a 249cc, fuel-injected, four-valve single-cylinder engine, with performance figures of 19.5kW at 9300rpm and 22.2Nm at 7300rpm.
Neat is the sporty short-style dual-exit muffler which features a bespoke design unique to the 250SX.
The bike gets a 19-inch front wheel providing 205mm of ground clearance with dual-channel ABS on the 310mm (front) and 240mm disc brakes.
The 10-spoke cast-aluminium wheels, including the 17-inch rear, are fitted with semi-knobbie tyres walking the difficult compromise of paved and light off-road running.
Those looking to cut out bigger mileages will like the decent screen and knuckle covers and the V-Strom 250SX has a rear carrier that also functions as a grab bar.
Suspension has seven-step preload adjustment at the rear and a non-adjustable front arrangement.
There’s a full LCD setup that displays speedometer, tachometer, odometer, gear position indicator, two trip meters, instantaneous fuel consumption, average fuel consumption, fuel level indicator, clock, and voltage meter. Added to the utilitarian cockpit are a USB outlet on the left side of the instrument cluster (which glows blue making it easier to use in low-light situations).
A big grab bag of accessories is available including engine protection bars, topbox, heated grips, a fuel tank pad, wheel decals and a lower seat which reduces the height from 835mm to 805mm.
The V-Strom 250SX is available now online in two liveries: Pearl Blaze Orange and Suzuki Champion Yellow. Stock is estimated to arrive locally in March 2023.
Earlybirds take note. Online pre-order customers will receive a bonus top-box kit with their bike delivery.
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11 дек 2022
