Review: 2019 Suzuki V-Strom 250 (LAMS)

2019 sees Suzuki introduce the V-Strom 250 to Australia, offering a smaller, lighter and more compact entry level V-Strom, alongside the learner legal V-Strom 650XT which is also available for those after the larger bike experience.

2019 Suzuki V-Strom 250 (LAMS)

Harnessing the powerplant we tested in the Suzuki GSX250R, the V-Strom 250 is optimised for speeds of 20-90km/h according to Suzuki, while including some strong baseline features for those wishing to add a little adventure to their lives.

It’s an interesting addition because the V-Strom 650 is a great motorcycle, with the 250 being an obvious nod to smaller riders and those after a true entry level adventure-touring machine for the totally uninitiated. The bike we’re testing is kitted out, with the 20L panniers (side cases), 23L top case, centre-stand, hand guards, and mirror extension set. For regular use I’d opt for the larger 30L top box kit and handguards.

Our test V-Strom 250 was kitted out with full luggage

Our test V-Strom 250 was kitted out with full luggage

Standard fitment is the screen and bash plate, as well as the rear rack and integrated mounting system for the panniers. For those after the luggage, you’ll still require a top case adapter plate, and a side case plate set, plus the key set. The bulky cases are also heavy duty, which does limit capacity, but a glance tells you they’d survive a trip around Australia.

The screen is standard fitment, as is the bash plate

Empty they also don’t make much of a difference to the feel of the V-Strom 250 to me at 70kg, which while obviously wide as a result is still a lightweight machine, particularly with a (standard) wet weight of 188kg. That’s not much more than the GSX250R!

The seating position is 800mm off the ground, and a narrow seat towards the tank, with narrow overall design between the legs ensures an easy reach to the ground, without getting caught up in the ‘pegs. Reach to the bars is relatively short, which combined with the ‘peg position offers a fair compact ride triangle. It’s idea for me, and a very upright, neutral position, while still offering an easy ability to crouch behind the screen.

A compact ride position keeps you upright and in control, with a low centre of gravity, and low seat height, particularly for this style of bike

Build quality is good, everything is solid and there is a fair bit of plastic paneling. Considering the $7.2k ride away price it’s well within expectations, while this model was initially intended for Asian markets and is produced in China, which no doubt helps keep price down. The only other point of note in this regard is the warranty is just 12 months, and the switchblocks have big ugly joins.

A simple clear dash on the V-Strom 250 does the job, and does it well.

Push the starter button and you’re rewarded with a bit of a purr from the engine, something I initially mistook for exhaust note, which by comparison is actually really quiet. The dash is also a nice clear LCD item that looks top notch and was also featured on the GSX250R.

Simple, clear and easy to read, I wish everyone got the memo. Trying to make a dash look cool normally means it’s not very functional on these competitively priced options.

Suzuki promise the 250 parallel twin is tuned for 20-90km/h which is certainly true, however keeping the revs up rewards the sportiest performance

A light clutch action setting off leads into a short first gear, but delivery is smooth and power reasonably flat. There’s torque on hand and I found myself knocking the bike smoothly up a few gears, even cruising at 60km/h in fourth or fifth. Suzuki claim they’ve tuned the bike for that 20-90km/h range, but I’d clarify that by saying there’s reasonably flat power delivery below 6000rpm, while things get a bit more interesting up around 7000-9000rpm.

18.4kW[24.7hp]@8000rpm and 23.4Nm[17.2ft-lbs]@6500rpm.

Road hoops unfortunately.

That’s where you’ll be if you’re having a bit of fun on this machine, which becomes quite a bit more lively once the revs rise high enough. I was a bit leery of the ‘sport adventure tourer’ branding on the tank, because this is a 250, and an adventure-touring style machine at that, and while I think it may be a stretch, there’s excitement to be had making use of 100 per cent of this bike’s potential, and that’s entirely possible on our public roads.

Cruising at speed on the V-Strom 250 is a limitation, with 120 indicated running at 9000rpm, with at least a 10km/h over-read on that speedo, a real 120km/h for overtaking is possible

Freeway cruising was about 9000rpm at 120km/h indicated, with an obvious over-read of about 10km/h judging by general traffic speeds, with a tiny bit more in the tank for slow overtaking maneuvers. Steep hills will slow you down however, while highway stability was really good.

There was also some vibes through the ‘bars at high rpm, but nothing enough to be annoying for my one hour commute each way. If you did 600-800km in a day that may change…

A single disc brake on the front does the job, but is within expectations considering the overall spec. A bitier pad would probably up power a bit

A single disc brake on the front had pretty good stopping power and modulation, but bite was relatively gentle, with the rear brake just doing the job. It took me a bit of getting used to the brakes and a fair bit of input was required at the lever for full performance, which on a beginner bike isn’t a bad thing. The IRS tyres also seemed decent for the wet and good for the dry riding I did, while ABS is standard fitment.

While there’s plenty of plastic the overall build quality is really good on the V-Strom 250

A large comfortable seat doesn’t negatively effect seat height on the V-Strom 250>”

Having a run through the twisties also revealed a nicely handling and balanced package, with the suspension coping with general road conditions well for my 70kg weight plus gear and camera bag. Again here I was impressed with how user friendly the little V-Strom was, giving good confidence, while small ‘bar inputs made dodging the big potholes after all the rain we’ve had easy.

The V-Strom 250 is a real winner when it comes to offering an ideal beginner package for an adventure/touring theme

First impressions of the suspension was a bit firmer and sharper at the front, and a bit softer and more forgiving on the rear, for a good overall compromise. I’d be interested in seeing how it felt after a proper day touring and doing 500-600km, even if I think it’d be a rare rider doing that on one of these bikes.

Overall the V-Strom 250 is a belter, and if you reckon it’s a bit lacking the problem isn’t the bike, you need to be looking at the 650

Overall it’s obvious that Suzuki had good success with this machine in Asia, and while it doesn’t have the spoked rims that might suggest a bit more off-road prowess, and suspension is no doubt tuned for the road, it would make a great little all-rounder for shorter riders. Or perhaps women interested in jumping onto to wheels in this segment, without having to deal with the bigger and heavier adventure-touring bike feel.

One thing to keep in mind is that extended freeway riding is never going to be this bike’s forte as 120km/h indicated (more like 110km/h) has the bike right up near the rev limit. I did about 200km on the freeway in 50-60km stretches without issue, but the engine would be under a lot of stress doing this for hours at a time, and it wouldn’t be fun doing 50km at 120km/h twice a day for the commute.

2019 Suzuki V-Strom 250 headlight

2019 Suzuki V-Strom 250 fairings and beak

Sticking to 100km/h on the other hand – which is most country roads – should not be an issue, while a simple change to the gearing might give the bike more freeway legs at the expense of some low down torque, but why would you bother. Keep in mind I’m 70kg, so larger or heavier heavier riders are probably going to find that top speed and performance significantly hindered.

Plus, for those who want more, there’s the V-Strom 650XT in a LAMS edition. It’s a hard one to call as to whether sales will make a mark on the charts, but at the same time the V-Strom 250 is aimed at a group of potential riders who are often ignored.

The V-Strom 250 is obviously designed for quite the niche, however it’s exceptional at fulfiling that goal

2019 Suzuki V-Strom 250 Second Opinion – Jeff

The V-Strom 250 lived at my joint for a week or so and I used it a fair bit. I did general running around on it, buying beer thanks to the panniers, plus I did a 350km loop with Kris and Elis up around the Hunter, down to St Albans on dirt, swapping bikes with Kris. I’ve always liked small capacity bikes and this is no exception, it really did surprise me.

First off, the V-Strom 250 is different, and I like that, it’s cute – like a mini adventure bike. It is tiny and takes time to get used to. I fit on it well ergonomically but just the height and width, the way everything is like a mini version of the 650 or 1000, it’s toy-like. That means it’s hard to be serious on this bike, you just smile and laugh a lot, which is great fun.

2019 Suzuki V-Strom 250 Review

I had to take the bike on the M1 expressway numerous times and each time I was nervous about it breaking down as it is virtually 1000 to 500rpm under redline on full throttle, with a top speed of just under 130km/h at redline, so straight up, if you are going to ride on open roads, don’t buy this – even head winds and hills kill momentum.

If you tour on back roads 100km/h and under, the engine is lovely, particularly in that 60-90 range Suzuki talk about. With the low gearing, it punches above its capacity. No surprises, as the GSX250R is also a little weapon.