Re: Suzuki Gixxer SF250

hi Everyone,
Got third service of my SF 250 done at 7770km on sunday.
Here are the few updates:
1. Service cost around 1000rs.
2. Got Injector cleaning done as bike sometimes felt like as if giving jerks.

i have decided to stick to 4000km interval for every service. Got first done at 970km, second at 3600km.

Any Suggestions for Ready to fit visor? The stock is useless. I have heard that Ninja 300 visor can be fitted directly but don't know. I travel 80km daily and get mileage of about 35km. Top speed reached 147.

Re: Suzuki Gixxer SF250

Test rode SF250 today and booked. Got discount of ₹25k and onroad it will be 1.75 lac. Showrooms are liquidating their BS4 stock as no BS4 vehicle registrations will be taken after 15th of March.

Re: Suzuki Gixxer SF250

Buying experience:
On January 2019, I have decided to buy a motorcycle in the range 1.5 L to 1.85 L by March 2020. So that I have time to mobilize the required fund and I might get BS 4 stock clearance offer. With 2 years of knowledge gathering on bikes finalized Gixxer 250 (Gixxer SF 250 wasn't falling into my price range). By 07/02/2020, I had 1.7 L in hand and started enquiring about rates so that I shall buy by mid of March 2020. Almost all the dealers refused that Gixxer 250 will be available after BS 6 stock comes. One dealer said he can arrange one, but if I choose Gixxer SF 250 he will provide it at Rs. 1,70,000/-. And me excited, discussed with family and decided to buy immediately. I visited the showroom to see the condition of the bike and booked on that day itself. The next day went for taking delivery and did thorough PDI checks (Thanks to internet). After completing all the formalities by lunch I reached home with the bike. It was beautiful, the tiredness due to lack of previous day sleep vanished. While I was admiring the beauty of the vehicle in the parking lot,I noticed oil leak from engine head. I became furious and went back to showroom after completing the Friday prayers. The showroom guy seemed to be dissapointed and sorry and offered for a replacement if I am willing to take black colour or else he would repair the same vehicle under warranty. As I loved both the colours, I opted for the black one. Their main showroom was 50 kms from my place and they offered a brand new gixxer 150 to reach there (This is why the PDI is so damn important). I rode slowly considering that someone would buy it and finally took the delivery by 6 pm. After a few days, they gave me a studd helmet (worth around 1k) and suzuki seat cover.

Ownership experience:
As per the owner's manual, the following should be strictly followed for engine breaking in,
Upto 750 kms- <5000 Rpm
750 to 1600 kms- <7500 Rpm
After 1600 kms- <10000 Rpm
1st service @ 750-1000 kms
2nd service @ 4500-5000 kms
Further services at every 4500-5000 kms or 6 months whichever is earlier.
Rode the bike as instructed and reached 750 kms mark in a week, and by the tenth day completed 1000 kms and gave it for service. After service there wasn’t any notable differences and took the bike for a long trip (600 kms up and down). During all this time followed the manual instructions. Currently after a month exactly completed 2600 kms. The following are my thoughts about the bike

Pros:
Engine: The engine feels so reliable. It is linearly torquey and powerful on almost all rev ranges. It feels absolutely smooth at 6000 rpm. Below that this a commuter and post that this is a sports bike.
Transmission: The gear box is the thing that amazed me most. The shifts are perfect. I would compare this to that of the R 15
Looks: Personally I feels that this is the best looking bike below 3 lakhs and it sure grabs some attention.
Mileage: I got 42 kmpl at 5000 rpm drive in highways. In mixed conditions i'm getting 35 kmpl. 38 kmpl can be achieved at 110 kmph crusing speed.
Versatility: Below 5k Rpm, this feels as a 150 cc and can be used in commuting and post 6k rpm this roars till the end.
Ergonomics: I am 5'7" I have the habit of sitting on to the edge of the seat. With that style my back is COMPLETELY upright. The ergonomics is comfy for both traffic and touring.
Cruising capability: Crusing at 110 kmph to 120 kmph is easy on this bike. 130 kmph can be reached without any fuss. 140 kmph is a sure thing but at this speed the motor is stressed. But during all these speeds, the bike was surprisingly planted.
Tyres: The tyres feels very sticky (but in online, there are negative reviews about MRF Rev Z C). Really I can feel the tyres hugging on to the road P.s. I am very new to cornering and comparing this with FZ 25 , R 15 V1/V2 stock tyres.
Head light: The head light offers enough spread and range
Heating: I rode continuously 150 kms at high revs (7000 to 9000 rpm) at 35 degree Celsius weather and during all that time I felt only once heat pushing towards my calf and that too was not disturbing (would be pleasant in winter)
Braking: The braking is perfect to my satisfaction (I don’t know why there are negative reviews in you tube) and being a first user of ABS, it feels so confident.
Cons:
Pillion seat: The pillion seat is tall as that of R 15 V 2, and the comfort is not good too.
Engine at 4k to 5k Rpm: Most of the times, there is sharp vibration between these Rpms that travels all along the chassis up to the pillion seat. Also at this Rpm, sometimes the engine sounds differently (I don’t know how to describe the sound)

This is my experience and I will keep posting updates. I hope to use this vehicle for at least 1,00,000 kms (yes you read it right). Please ask any questions if req and provide some tips if I should know, maybe regd maintenance…

And I am new to xbhp and please pardon and correct me if i am not following any ground rules

Re: Suzuki Gixxer SF250

Now that action of yours above deserves a kudos. Responsible people like you are not only required on the road but also in the forum to maintain/increase the quality of discussions. So welcome to the forum!

Congratulations on your bike and wish you a happy and fuss free lakh of miles that you intend to cover.

Cheers!

Re: Suzuki Gixxer SF250

Thank you

Re: Suzuki Gixxer SF250

Anyone experiencing sound when you shift into first gear from neutral and to second gear from first gear... you cant rev to 4 k in those scenarios. My friends sf 250 has these issues makes me think there is something wrong with the bike.

Also knocking sound when you ride in second gear.. I know its because the rpm is low but I usually use first gear for the initial and the second for slow moving traffic.

Re: Suzuki Gixxer SF250

For me there is no such problems. In second gear upto 8kmph there is no knocking.

Re: Suzuki Gixxer SF250

For me, the shift from 2nd to 3rd is bit noisy. Also, there is a vibration around 4.5 to 5k rpm on each gear. Regarding the knocking sound, I beleive it's not exactly like an engine knock, but when the throttle is increased, engine produces a tak tak sound which is audible above the normal engine sound around 3.5k to 4.5k rpm. Is this something similar for you?

Re: Suzuki Gixxer SF250

I agree with this. From 4000rpm to 5000 rpm a sharp vibration comes and goes(particularly in 3rd and 4th gear). At the same time that engine mimicries as tak tak

Re: Suzuki Gixxer SF250

One Week of Ownership Experience

Day 1

Took delivery of the bike and rode it for around 80 to 90 kilometers. Engine felt a little noisy and was quite responsive. Downshifts without a short blip before shifting makes gear shifts audible. Suspension is hard, but normal potholes and bumps are cakewalk with the stock setup. Probably if the gutters are deep, it's better not to drive over. Front brakes are awesome, the feedback is just wonderful while back brakes are just to complement the front brakes. Those who are used to with front brakes won't feel the lack of bite as we will be using front brakes most of the time. On 6th gear at 6k RPM, bike reaches 90 kmph. Bike felt extremely smooth at 5k RPM on 6th.

Day 2 to the 6th Day

Took it for a long ride on the 4th day of delivery. Filled it with Rs.600 of petrol. Most of the rides were in highway, straight tarmac where it was very hard for me to stay below 6k. I made the gearshifts between 4.5 to 5k RPM and rode between 3.5 to 6k RPM. The bike felt rock solid on speeds of 70 to 90 on highy way. Also the corners are easily manuverable at high speeds for a 250cc. Mirrors does the job very well, except for the fact that if we are in traffic, even the pillion riders on other bikes could hit them. It's so spread out than usual and is set a little forward too. The tires can not be trusted over a sand, gravel or any such surface. It easily skids. Never felt any pain on back or shoulders but my right arm felt painful from wrist to the triceps. May be because I am not much used to sports tourer ergonomics. During the day I rode around 400 plus kms to and fro.

Overall, it was a great riding week, considering the fact that the butts are comfortable in long rides, though my arms are aching. In the long run, this should go off.

Please throw your questions, I'll try to answer if I know.

After getting the first service done, will ride more above 6k rpm and comeback with how it feels.

PS: The showroom people literally screwed, as rhe bike do not have 2 nuts on the fairing, the clips are not locked properly and there is a gap where the fairing joins the headlamp. Be sure to do the PDI very carefully, because I planned to check all these, but missed these things during the hurry.

Re: Suzuki Gixxer SF250

Yeah, that tak tak comes at the lower end I guess. Is that normal or some kind of abnormal knocking?

Re: Suzuki Gixxer SF250

I have been told that the vibration at a particular band is due to resonance and also the same thing existed in gixxer 150s. As everyone are experiencing the same thing, I hope this isn't a problem

Re: Suzuki Gixxer SF250

Yes, probably it is resonance. Did you talked to SVC about the tak tak knock sound?

Re: Suzuki Gixxer SF250

I did my first service after 10 days of getting my bike. By that time I was so excited that I didn't observe that. Have to mention during the next service

Re: Suzuki Gixxer SF250

I am not experiencing any huge vibrations at 4K - 5k rpm.

But I am concerned about something.

I myself ride a Honda unicorn. On my bike when I shift into 1st or 2nd gear, the usual shifting sound( I mean the gears locking, that tuck sound ) is not that heavy. But I can make a heavy sound if I rev up my engine to say 5k rpm or something higher and then shift into 1st or 2nd gear. But on the sf250 even at lower rpms during an up shift that tuck sound is a bit heavy. I’m not sure if it’s a 250cc thing or whether it’s normal. I don’t have much experience in this segment bikes so if somebody could shine some light on this. It would be really helpful.

If someone could explain their experience while shifting into 1st and 2nd gear. It would be great. I’m feeling a difference with a normal bike only for these 2 gears. From 3rd onwards I don’t hear that heavy shifting sound and it’s very soft.

Thank you guys.