DL250 review (another)

[vysmaster]

About me: (so you can put my opinions into context)
I'm a seasoned rider. Middle aged male.  I ride about 15~20K Km pa.  Past rides of note: Suzuki Burgman AN650.  Honda CTX700 DCT cruiser.  I still have a PCX150 which makes me feel like a 9 year old on a skateboard but I need something with slightly longer legs and better suspension for our less than perfect roads.  I don't have a left ankle which is why I developed a fascination with scooters and the DCT Honda, however the shift on the DL250 is so light and easy I can manage it quite easily (I'll eventually put an over/under shifter on it).
My DL250A:
It came with handle bar risers, knuckle guards and a center stand and 600 on the clock.  It's just had it's 1000km service. I love the handling. It's steady as a rock in all conditions but still turns readily.  Two criticisms: (1) owners manual says valve clearances need checking every 5000km. That means instead of an oil change you're looking at a $400 service (in Oz) every 5000km.  Feedback from GSX250R & Inazuma owners say it's not needed.  (2) The gearing: best suited to hill climb competition or hard core off road stuff.  Mine isn't properly run in yet but with the std gearing it would pull away from 40km/h in 6th gear. I don't need six gears to get to 40.  It's frustrating shifting through redundant gears if you're just commuting & not racing.   I tried a 15 tooth front cog but it wasn't enough.  I've now gone back to a 14 front but with a 39(instead of 47) rear.  It now feels 'normal' - cruising at 100km/h (indicated 108) now comes up at 6800 rpm instead of 8000(about) - so much more relaxed - still plenty in reserve.  Also the gears are now more spread so a burst of throttle in 1st will give you a burst of speed instead of having to shift through 4 gears before you cross the intersection.  The 39T rear cog cost me $55 so no big deal but Mr Suzuki, What were you thinking?  The DL/GXSR/GW250 is a small but torquey motor so you can shuffle around town (or on dirt trails) at lower revs in quite a relaxed manner.  If you need power, let the revs build to over 6000 and the engine feels quite spirited (some vibration but not a big deal).  My tinkering with changing cogs etc has given me the impression that the DL250 is well built & solidly put together.  I love it - highly recommend it but I'd budget for a rear cog change if you're considering one.

[user650]

That seems very excessive for checking the valves, they are old school bolt and locknut so not complicated at all to check/adjust. 

[vysmaster]

I chose to have the dealer do the first one by the book to maintain the warranty - but they must have worked very carefully not to disturb the mud splatters on the tappet cover.   Have you done it yourself?  Do you have to take the tank off?

[Brockett]

Maybe they checked them with their ears.

[baldric]

That is interesting. You say that you "don't have a left ankle". Does that mean that you have had arthrodesis (I.e. scraping and fixation with pins)? I ask because I had that done myself 9 years ago which in my case means that I have to adjust the gear lever upwards (to accomodate my foot position) on every bike I own. As you say though, the DL shift is very light (as is the clutch which I also like because of my arthritis (which was the reason for the arthrodesis in my case).

How high are the bar risers? I might look at some of those because I have a nasty high frequency vibration problem through the bars on mine and am looking for heavier bar end weights. But maybe a different handlebar geometry will help too.

I too find it a pain having to shift through umpteen gears just to get to 40mph so I'm interested in your rear sprocket change - but a change of 8 teeth seems quite radical when most Inazuma owners I have read about seem to have dropped just one or sometimes two teeth at the rear.

I asked my local dealer about the valve check and was told quite categorically that it would be fine to do it every other service, so (here in the UK) at 7200 miles, then 14400 miles. But as user650 has said, they should be simple to do yourself if you are worried.

Cheers

[Tigerjohn]

Small bike = lower price = tighter dealer margin. So, how do you incentivise your dealer network to push them? Answer: design a service schedule which generates a good profit margin by reducing service intervals and adding 'unnecessary' work. Perhaps I'm just getting cynical as I get older....

[vysmaster]

Maybe they checked them with their ears.

  but still charged me $400...

[vysmaster]

That is interesting. You say that you "don't have a left ankle". Does that mean that you have had arthrodesis (I.e. scraping and fixation with pins)? I ask because I had that done myself 9 years ago which in my case means that I have to adjust the gear lever upwards (to accomodate my foot position) on every bike I own. As you say though, the DL shift is very light (as is the clutch which I also like because of my arthritis (which was the reason for the arthrodesis in my case).

How high are the bar risers? I might look at some of those because I have a nasty high frequency vibration problem through the bars on mine and am looking for heavier bar end weights. But maybe a different handlebar geometry will help too.

I too find it a pain having to shift through umpteen gears just to get to 40mph so I'm interested in your rear sprocket change - but a change of 8 teeth seems quite radical when most Inazuma owners I have read about seem to have dropped just one or sometimes two teeth at the rear.

I asked my local dealer about the valve check and was told quite categorically that it would be fine to do it every other service, so (here in the UK) at 7200 miles, then 14400 miles. But as user650 has said, they should be simple to do yourself if you are worried.

Cheers

My left foot was at bumper bar height between two vehicles which were both totalled.  They put it in a cask and left it to fuse - they were a bit preoccupied with the foot (it didn't fuse. I've got about 10 degrees movement).  Bar risers are about 40mm. I've never ridden one without risers so hard to compare.  Re gearing: the 47 to 39 is a huge change but it really feels "normal" now.  I'm not ready to rule out putting the 15 back on the front as well - but I'll clock up a few thousand km first.

[vysmaster]

That seems very excessive for checking the valves, they are old school bolt and locknut so not complicated at all to check/adjust. 

Do you have a wiring diagram for the DL250?