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ADV BikesSuzuki Unveils New V-Strom 250 Adventure Bike Concept

Suzuki Unveils New V-Strom 250 Adventure Bike Concept

Photos and specs revealed on Suzuki's DL250 concept at CIMAMotor show.

Published on 10.21.2016

During this week’s China International Motorcycle Trade Exhibition, Suzuki unveiled a V-Strom 250 concept bike. Just a few weeks ago, BMW’s 310GS was captured in spy photos during testing and now with this new concept from Suzuki, we are seeing yet another small-displacement adventure bike from a major manufacturer that could be hitting the market soon.

Adventure Riders have been calling for more choice in the smaller-displacement adventure bike category for some time now and this new Suzuki V-Strom 250 concept offers further evidence that manufacturers are beginning to shift their focus toward smaller, less-intimidating, budget-friendly adventure motorcycles.

The 250cc concept bike shown in China is equipped with a conventional telescopic fork, cast alloy wheels, hand guards, hard cases, a single front disk and ABS braking. The powerplant is a SOHC, liquid-cooled, 248cc parallel-twin mated to a 6-speed transmission that appears to be closely related to Suzuki’s GW250 naked bike.


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Suzuki V-Strom 250 DL250 concept revealed

The new quarter-liter V-Strom concept has similar styling to its big brothers (the DL650 and DL1000 V-Stroms) but has a distinctive single round headlight design. The V-Strom 250’s parallel-twin also breaks from the V-Twin configuration of it’s larger siblings.

Regardless of it’s configuration, the twin engine should offer a smoother highway ride and more power on the top-end than a single-cylinder engine. The exhaust header is also less exposed than on other V-Stroms with a V-Twin configuration for off-road use. With a roughly 400-pound wet weight, the bike will be easier to manage on trails as well. And with a fuel-efficient 250cc engine, expect somewhere around 250 miles range from the 4 gallon tank.

Suzuki has not confirmed if or when the new V-Strom 250 will go to into production but the bike looks like it’s ready to roll onto a showroom floor. We’ll be eager to get our hands on a test unit if it becomes available in the US. We’ll be even more excited if Suzuki offers an XT version with wire-spoked wheels and a 19-inch front. Expect more details about the bike to be released at the upcoming EICMA show November 8-9.

Suzuki V-Strom 250 Concept Specs

Engine type: Four-stroke, liquid cooled, twin-cylinder DOHC
Displacement: 248cc
Bore × Stroke (mm): 53.5 x 55.2
Compression ratio: 11.5:1
Maximum power: 24.7 HP @ 8,000 rpm
Peak torque: 17.3 ft-lbs @ 6,500 rpm
Transmission: Six-speed
Dimensions (L x W x H): 2085 x 740 x 1110 mm
Wheelbase: 1430 mm
Wet Weight: 392 lbs. (178 kg)
Seat height: 31.1 in. (790 mm)
Fuel tank capacity: 4 gallon (15 litre)
Front Tire: 110 / 80-17
Rear Tire: 140 / 70-17
Color Options: Red, Blue, Grey

 
For more details and photos of the bike visit TMCBlog.com.

Author: Rob Dabney

Rob Dabney started a lifelong obsession with motorcycles at the age of 15 when he purchased his first bike – a 1982 Honda MB5. Through his 20’s and 30’s he competed in off-road desert races, including the Baja 250, 500 and 1000. Eventually, his proclivity for exploration led him to dual sport and adventure riding. Rob’s never-ending quest to discover what’s around the next bend has taken him on Adventures in Latin America, Africa, Europe, Asia, and throughout the American West. As a moto journalist, he enjoys inspiring others to seek adventure across horizons both near and far.

Author: Rob Dabney
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nordicbikerKAi
nordicbikerKAi
October 21, 2016 10:35 am

Make no mistake: this is a road bike!

The suspension will not be up to the tough conditions of unpaved roads, just look at the spaghetti-thin fork and the probably much too short suspension travel, combined with non-adjustability of the front end. This is a budget bike for the asian market, so my guess is technology will be very simple. Maybe preload adjustment back?

And then there is the power-to-weight ratio. Wet weight 178kg, does that include fuel? My CCM 450 Adventure is at least 20kg lighter and has 14 more horses, but still does feel a bit underpowered sometimes when you want to pass other traffic on the larger roads. Twenty something horses (22 to be precise) works for a light bike like the Honda CRF250L, which is a nice light dual sport bike with decent suspension (240/250mm travel) for light offroad and trail riding, but 22 horses for a road travel machine? There is a certain lower limit and in my opinion thats around 45 to 50 hp, if you want to have some acceleration to safely pass other traffic.

Sarath
Sarath
October 21, 2016 10:50 am

Dear Suzuki,

Since you are doing concept bikes, I assume you still have an R&D team that wants to create new bikes. How about this for an idea:
1. If you look around in your stable, you will see a bike with a model name DRZ400S.
2. It’s understandable that you forgot about it, it’s been around unmodified since 2000, so you must not have realized you are still selling it.
3. Take that bike, add a 6th gear that sits higher than the current 5th. While at it, a lower 1st gear as well please.
4. Add fuel injection, a better counter-balancer, a modern ECU and ABS. You guys have this tech sitting around in your factory, just look for it.
5. While adding all these, just make sure the vibes are lower at highway speed, the power is a wee bit higher.
6. Now take a good look around the bike, and leave everything else as it is. This stuff is important. Don’t kill the reliability and bullet proofness that makes these bikes so loved.

That’s it. Make this shit and I’ll be your first customer. This crap shouldn’t be so hard. Oh, and while at it, please shove this concept up the ass of the designer that made it.

Sincerely,
A happy owner of a 2002 DRZ.

Peter Jowett
Peter Jowett
October 22, 2016 8:12 pm
Reply to  Sarath

Have to agree with you Sarath… OR, they could take the venerable and also bulletproof DR650, give it a bigger fuel tank, FI, and a 6th gear. Maybe a little redesign on the flyscreen – DONE. As far as I know, nobody asked for a tiny underpowered V-Strom, but LOTS of people have been asking for a freshening up of the DR-Z and DR650.

andrew
andrew
October 29, 2016 11:09 am
Reply to  Peter Jowett

Yup, Suzuki doesn’t need to invent anything new. Just upgrade the DR650 and DRZ400S with FI and six speed and sell them for another 15 years. Further upgrade can be done with weight reduction by 10-20 lbs with better metallurgy (yea, it would cost more but i’m willing to pay extra for lower weight), maybe bump up 400cc to 450cc on the DRZ. LED lights, selectable (dirt, city, highway mode) mapping would be really nice

Brad T
Brad T
March 5, 2018 11:08 am
Reply to  andrew

The tall bikes you mentioned are inaccessible to a lot of riders. I’ve taken my Honda Aero 750 and a Kawasaki Vulcan 500 on lots of gravel roads. For me the Vstrom 250 looks like a perfect bike for this. It’s not trying to be a trail bike..

Alberto
Alberto
December 16, 2016 4:01 pm
Reply to  Sarath

I agree with you!!! Here in Brasil, we end up with Honda RXE 300 that doesn’t have front and Yamaha 250 that doesn’t have back… and if they compare those models with yours DRZ400S they would come up with a super nice bike…

Jonathan Roberts
Jonathan Roberts
October 21, 2016 11:08 am

This is a great bike for the masses who can’t or don’t want to buy the huge far more expensive machines already on the market. Not to mention a fantastic machine for the new rider to have a go with. It fills a huge gap as in many countries there is a cc limit for new riders, it’s 250cc while concidered a learner…..so this machine as all other 250 cc powered bikes sell like hotcakes in these countries for this reason alone. As they should. The design of this law is perfect! It forces people to learn the basic fundamentals of riding and staying safe while limiting power from the litre plus bikes. So this machine fills a need, a want, as there are many riders who do not want a large cc’d machine for whatever reason. Again this fits well! It has all the adventure requirements that the larger bikes have as a base model so to speak. It allows the rider to carry his or her equipment in panniers, etc rather than using a backpack so to speak when on a standard road bike. The reasons are endless for a bike such as this.
IF you don’t like it, don’t buy it, simply pass on by, don’t worry if it’s big enough, fast enough powerful enough……for you….just step on by….simple right? But no….you must comment…on a great idea that millions will buy….just watch….I will put money on it!

Malcolm Smith
Malcolm Smith
October 22, 2016 3:39 am

Right on,man. Totally agree

TBurd01
TBurd01
October 21, 2016 7:48 pm

Glad new stuff is coming out, but it’s all pretty underwhelming. This doesn’t look too exciting either. Heavy and under-powered, not much suspension. Gonna be just like the CSC RX3. The road wheels say it all, this is just a commuter street bike.

I want Yamaha to take the WR250, put in the MT 03 engine, give it a 5 gallon tank, small fairing with windshield/LED lights, comfy seat, and rear tie downs/rack. Looks like a Tenere 250, but performs amazingly.

Or you know that 250 Rally concept Honda made? Put in the CBR 350 parallel twin engine, assuming they actually make a CBR 350.

Why can’t we get exciting bikes like that?

trackback
Suzuki V-Strom 250
October 22, 2016 1:29 pm

[…] Suzuki Unveils New V-Strom 250 Adventure Bike Concept – ADV Pulse I was pretty excited for a second when I read the title, but pretty let down when I read the specs. Plus, can they still call it a "V"-strom if it has a parallel twin mill? Meh, at least they didn't put a single in there. I'm sure they'll sell a few of them, they might sell a few more if they put a 19" front on it (you know, like an adventure bike?) and offered a spoked XT version. Any bike that helps establish a class of small-displacement poly-cylindered ADV/DS bikes is a nice development to see. Hopefully the other Japanese makers are reading the comments sections and will come up with their own offerings that address some of the shortcomings of this wee-wee-strom. […]

Anon
Anon
October 27, 2016 4:59 am

Shouldn’t it be called the P-Strom or I-Strom if it has a parallel/inline twin?

Varun
Varun
October 29, 2016 9:51 am

SUZUKI we the fans of you are really tired by your offerings in INDIA. Please play an aggressive game.

trackback
Anonymous
October 31, 2016 5:19 pm

[…] […]

trackback
Versys-X 300: Kawasaki's New Small and Versatile Overlander - ADV Pulse
November 14, 2016 11:16 am

[…] of new releases in the 250-300cc Adventure Bike range recently with offerings from Honda, BMW and Suzuki. Now Kawasaki is throwing its hat into the ring with the new Versys-X 300 and it might just have […]

szeytin pasa
szeytin pasa
November 16, 2016 6:32 am

TÜRKİYE’ye Giriş olacakmı fıyat bandı nedır?

Granite Slack
Granite Slack
December 5, 2016 8:51 pm

The Honda is 157 kg, this is 178 kg.

JAY STAMMERJOHAN
JAY STAMMERJOHAN
February 2, 2017 11:12 am

as a person who had a 2004 dl 650 as we all know till they put abs brakes on the bikes had bad brakes i like to see the dl250 as i have a gw250 i like to see a 500 cc engine is their a rear disk cant see the wrong pipe is in the way i take a blue one bad front fender can we get a center stand like the saddle bags do the bags have a key lock

JAY STAMMERJOHAN
JAY STAMMERJOHAN
February 2, 2017 11:20 am

MAYBE MAKE A GS 750 TWIN YES A TWIN MAG WHEELS SAME PAINT AS OLDER BIKES UP DATED HANDLE BARS A RACK AND A CENTER STAND

l'ingenieur
l'ingenieur
March 4, 2017 6:21 am

There is a picture on the linked TMCBlog.com site which shows the specifications of the concept bike in Chinese.

comment image

整备质量 192 (不含边/尾箱) actually means wet weight WITHOUT side and top cases.

You better hope that Suzuki engineers have been working overtime since October 2016 to make that lbs and not kgs, or they are trying to repeat the disastrous sales numbers on the Inazuma.

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