In one of my last reviews, I mentioned I was never a fan of sportbikes. Adventure motorcycles have always been my thing, and that was one of the reasons I fell in love with the Honda ADV 150 and chose to get it as a personal bike.
A little while after I bought my scooter, though, Suzuki Philippines launched something that would’ve left me tossing and turning at night had it arrived a bit sooner: the V-Strom 250 SX. Like my scooter, it’s a baby version of a bigger Suzuki ADV bike, and you’ll understand from there how it fits my preferences perfectly.
Recently, Suzuki Philippines (SPH) handed me the keys to the V-Strom 250SX—you can just imagine my excitement when they reached out—and I was finally able to take it out for a proper review. With as little bias as possible, I took my sweet time riding it for almost a week, and here’s what I’ve discovered.
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Styling
The V-Strom 250 SX is a baby V-Strom, and it looks very much like one. Despite the small displacement, it stands like a proper adventure bike. There’s a beak up front together with a windshield, albeit the latter’s terribly small and unadjustable.
Sizeable fairings also adorn the sides. Suzuki also added some texture to the black plastic trim, and I must say it does add a little pizzazz. Frankly, stock handguards were the only things missing for the full-on ADV look here.
The bike also sits on 19-inch front and 17-inch rear wheels—not spoked ones, unfortunately—and these give the small V-Strom an even more macho stance. Simply put, if you’re a fan of these types of bikes like I am, then I’m sure you’ll like the styling of this one, too.
The saddle
So I said it looks like a proper ADV, right? Well, the V-Strom 250 SX rides like one, too. It has 205mm of ground clearance and a not-so-friendly seat height of 835mm or 32.8 inches. While the bike was easy for me and my 5’5” frame to straddle since it only weighs 167kg, I understand that the seat might still be a little too high for most not-so-tall Filipino riders.
What’s good about this seat is that it’s comfy, even the one for the pillion. I took this on a slightly long solo ride from Santa Rosa, Laguna to Laiya, Batangas and back at some point during my testing, and not once did I complain that my butt was starting to hurt. The only reason I had stopovers then was for rest and bathroom breaks, not to rest my aching buttocks.
As mentioned, the V-Strom 250 SX’s pillion seat is very comfortable as well. The seat isn’t too high, and the footpegs are positioned properly so that even shorter passengers like my five-foot-flat girlfriend won’t have any issues even when backriding for extended periods.
Engine performance
Powering this mini V-Strom is a 249cc oil-cooled, single-cylinder gasoline mill that puts out 26.15hp at 9,300rpm and 22.2Nm of torque at 7,300rpm. It’s quite the lively engine, and you’ll really feel the difference in power output compared to smaller 150cc scooters and underbones.
There’s also the six-speed gearbox at your disposal, and it’s quite easy to play around with thanks to the forgiving clutch lever. You can easily afford to keep the revs a bit high and stay within the power band to get the most out of the engine. That’s also one of the main reasons I enjoyed this mini ADV more than I do other smaller scoots.
Don’t get me wrong, though—this still isn’t a big bike, and you’ll feel that when you’re at highway speeds. The bike can cruise at 90-100kph on long, open roads, but you’ll hear the engine grunting when you try to go past that. It’s capable of cruising, alright, but probably not at expressway speeds and for long durations.
As for fuel economy, the best I got was a steady 30km/L. That’s not too bad, but that’s honestly lower than what I expected. Then again, I rode the bike hard for nearly 300 kilometers before I refueled to check my consumption. I’m sure with under normal riding conditions—with or without traffic—and with less aggression on the throttle, you’ll easily be able to get better figures than that.
Ride and handling
This bike may be slightly bigger than your run-of-the-mill scoot, but it’s still also relatively lighter than most expressway-legal bikes. Curb weight is listed at just 167kg, so despite the almost 33-inch seat height, it’s still fairly easy to maneuver even for a 5’5” rider like me. I can’t flat-foot it that’s for sure, but it doesn’t matter because, again, the bike’s pretty light.
I didn’t dread traffic as much with this bike, as standstills are manageable considering how easy it is to use the V-Strom 250 SX. It’s a cinch to filter through traffic jams, and the ride’s okay across poorly paved city roads as well. As far as the daily commute goes, this bike’s a good fit.
Once you hit open roads with this one, though, that’s when you’ll really get to enjoy it. Apart from the fact that it does have way more oomph than your typical city scooter, it also handles well through winding roads. Going up and down Ligaya Drive was a lot of fun with this V-Strom, and it helps that the engine has just enough power to get you through steep climbs at speed and that the brakes have more than enough stopping power even when going downhill.
Some of you may be wondering, however, if the bike can hold its own off-road. While I wasn’t able to get really down and dirty with it, I did try to play around with it through light dirt trails. Both power and ground clearance will be enough to get you through mud patches, puddles, and rocks on a trail, but proper tires and perhaps aftermarket footpegs for better grip will be necessary for slightly more hardcore off-road riding.
Extra features
The V-Strom 250 SX comes with a digital instrument cluster that shows the fuel and RPM gauges as well as the speedometer and gear indicator. Multiple trip meters are also available to go along with the odometer, and trips A and B measure fuel economy separately and accurately at that. The display is highly visible, even under direct sunlight.
Dual-channel ABS also comes as standard, which is always a very good bonus especially for newbie riders. Unfortunately for off-road junkies, this isn’t something you can turn off on the fly. A passing-light switch and a USB-A charging port are also readily available. The grab bar at the rear also makes it easy to strap bags onto the bike. There aren’t any sizeable compartments under the seats, though, so you might want to install a topbox to handle storage duties.
Verdict
At P229,000, the Suzuki V-Strom 250 SX garners mixed reactions. To those that compare this to the popular entry-level two-wheelers, the V-Strom is clearly ‘expensive.’ But to those who see this as the slightly upmarket model that it is, it’s a darn bargain.
A little over two hundred grand for a bike that’s got ample power, good looks, and the necessary safety tech is a pretty good deal. The fact that it’s got a familiar nameplate attached to it is just a nifty bonus.
It won’t ever be the flashiest of its bunch, but it’s perfectly capable of doing what it’s built for. Regardless if it’s the daily commute, long weekend trips, or light trails, this bike can handle all that and then some.
SPECS: Suzuki V-Strom 250 SX 2024
Price: P229,000
Engine: 249cc oil-cooled, single-cylinder
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Power: 26.15hp @ 9,300rpm
Torque: 22.2Nm @ 7,300rpm
Wet weight: 167kg
Seat height: 835mm (32.8 inches)
Fuel-tank capacity: 12 liters
Score: 9/10
More photos of the Suzuki V-Strom 250 SX 2024:
