Suzuki GSR600 – The List
Complete list of work done to my GSR from start to finish.
MILEAGE 0
Purchased Bike – 26-01-2008:
- Pre Delivery Inspection
- Fitted R&G Crash Mushrooms
First Service – 09-02-2008:
- Oil Change
Problem No.1 – 24-04-2008
- Bike not starting, electrics all power up but no starter motor or turnover
- Tried fitting parts from the demonstrator GSR with no success
- Ordered a complete wiring loom from Suzuki Warranty
- Replaced wiring loom, started first time.
- Stator, Signal Generator – Warranty
- Starter Clutch Cover x2 – Warranty
- Starter Idle Gear Cap Gasket x2 – Warranty
Rear Tyre Fitted – 30-04-2008
- Bridgestone BT-014
4k Service – 17-05-2008
- Headlight bolt sheared, replaced with non-standard bolt
- Oil changed
- 4k checks
Problem No.2 – 08-07-2008
- Same problem as No.1 – bike not starting
- Cleaned pickup and rotor, fixed – Warranty
7k Service & Problem No.3 – 24-07-2008
- Knocking in 6th gear
- Indicators broke – flashing too fast. Not fixed
- Run out of time to do complete service – air filter not fitted
- No vibrations or knocking found from tester
- Rear tyre fitted – Bridgestone BT-014
Problem No.3 continued – 23-08-2008
- Knocking even louder and more obvious now
- Indicators flashing too fast.
- Bulb replaced for indicator problem
- Advised front sprocket wear may be knocking issue.
11k service & Front Tyre – 04-10-2008
- 11k oil change and service
- New front tyre – Bridgestone BT-014
- Rod for holding tank up not returned to bike
Rear Tyre Fitted -10-10-2008
- Told Bridgestone BT-014 have been superceded by the BT-016
- Bridgestone BT-016 fitted, £30 more expensive
New chain and sprocket fitted – 15-12-2008
- New Renthal front and rear sprockets replaced
- New Tsubaki chain fitted
- Old rear sprocket missing 4-6 teeth
- Old chain totally feckered
- Front sprocket in perfect condition
Throttle Jamming – 10-01-2009
- Throttle sticks open when introduced, rev’s like mad
- Brake switch on front brake lever broke, replaced – Warranty
- Throttle body linkage seized making throttle stick open
- Fixed under Warranty
16k Service 15-02-2009
- Small 5mph spill in office car park.
- Rear brake peg broke, RHS Engine cover scuffed. Initially thought was just cosmetic.
- Turns out the RHS cover was corroded beyond reasonable operation. Bolt wouldn’t have failed had it not been corroded.
- Brake pads replaced
- Bill for repair £550, not Warranty.
Corroded engine covers – 16-03-2009
- Right hand cover replaced by me
- Left hand cover showing corrosion at the seal between engine and casing
- Magneto cover & gasket replaced under warranty
Throttle Jamming – 16-03-2009
- Throttle sticking again
- Mirror finish flaking off
- Oil leaking from engine on to my right boot
- LHS pillion peg cast cracked – not a warranty issue, replaced my dollar £160
- Throttle shaft lubricated
- Cam chain tensioner bolt tightened
New mirrors fitted – 04-04-2009
- New mirrors (K8) replaced under Warranty
- LHS footrest cast fitted
Rear Tyre Fitted – 18-05-2009
- Advised by independant garage BT-014 hasn’t been superceded, but doesn’t matter anyway because the BT-016 is the wrong tyre for me
- BT-021 Sports Touring tyre fitted
- Mileage for tyre should increase
- Independant Mechanic noticed that the engine is corroded now, will only get worse. Go to Suzuki garage.
Engine corrosion – 18-05-2009
- Check for the corrosion of the engine block
- Photos sent to Suzuki for Warranty check – Sunday
- Suzuki approve – Monday
- Bike booked for 21-05-09
Engine Case Replacement & Kill Switch Fault – 21-05-2009
- Kill switch, even in on position, engages at random during ride
- Bike handed in for complete engine case replacement under Warranty
- Indicators flashing fast- replaced under Warranty
- Parts for this job: Crankcase Set, O-Ring x 5, Engine Oil Plug Washer, Oil Seal, Gasket Set, Bolt(?), Clamp Muffler Connect, Bolt (8×35)x2, Screw x2, Plug, Ring set Piston, Pin, Bearing, Roller Bearing, Bolt, Bearing Crankshaft x 3, Connector Muffler x2, Filter Assembly Engine Oil, Exhaust Pipe Gasket, Exhaust Clamp Stainless, Oil, Coolant.
- Kill switch checked, cleaned.
Engine overheating – 02-06-2009
- Engine overheating – Normal Temp 80°C, Temp now 121°C. Radiator Fan doesn’t seem to be coming on.
- Indicators flashing Fast, Cleaned checked and working ok
- Fan re-connected as mechanics found it difficult to establish a clean connection the first time. Working fine with diagnostics programme and when brought up to temp in the courtyard.
Indicators Broke, Bike Cutting Out – 16-06-2009
- Not resolved as of yet.
MILEAGE 20257
December 2008
“It’s Christmas don’t you know!” said one of my friends today.
Christmas. 2008. It’s over AL-FREAKIN-READY!
I guess as you get older the years get shorter. I need something to slow me down or I’ll just speed up till it’s over. I am looking forward to the week and a bit I’m off over the Xmas holidays. Looking forward to eating so much that I’ll burst. Looking forward to chilling with Blair.
Got my new chain and sprocket kit on last Thursday. I went to Jacksons bikes to see Stuart and have him fit my kit for me. I was hoping I could watch him do it and I did, so that was ace. I asked him what would have been pretty idiotic questions but for me they were important.
One such question was about adjusting the chain. “I haven’t really thought about it because I need a torque wrench.”
Stuart laughed and said “Eh…no you don’t. Tighten that thing till you can’t turn it anymore, then give it a few kicks as well and that’ll be more than enough. I can get the manual out the now to check what torque setting it ‘should be’ but I bet you it’ll be a bawhair* more than what you can physically do.” Excellent.
So he began by getting the back wheel off and then the rear sprocket. By the time I had made it to Jacksons, my chain was practically hanging off, something which Stuart found pretty funny. I said that there was some clicking going on and he burst out laughing, “I’m pretty sure it has something to do with your chain.”
So upon inspecting the rear sprocket there were a few missing teeth, something which would have contributed to the clicking I felt through my pegs.
The chain was wasted, and some links were seized, again contributing to the noises.
The front sprocket was pretty good, but the new Renthal one went on anyway.
I learnt about a “Cush Drive” which was new to me. I noticed that when Stuart was removing the old sprocket, the whole hub came out of the wheel! I said, “Bloody hell, is that not attached?” and he said, “no….it’s the cush drive.”
“What the feck is a cush drive?”
And it turns out that the sprocket is sat in to a bed of rubber blocks, with opposing rubber blocks on the sprocket side and this “cushions” the drive train, removing any unwanted stresses or vibrations etc from the throttle/gears. This is all held in place by the axle/swing arm. Every day is a school day. Never forget it.
So he assembled the wheel back on, with the new chain fed through which looked amazing. Whilst he was fitting that I had a look around his workshop at his race bike. Stuart sponsors a race team and there was the racing R1 bike. He said that it’s got about £25,000 worth of stuff done to it. It looked amazing and it had a similar chain to mine.
Once Stuart had finished I made my payment of £15 and off I went. Immediately the bike felt smooth again, but it highlighted the throttle issue that I’m having just now. It’s not the usual jerky throttle issue, but it’s the idle speed. When I close the throttle the bike revs to 2,500rpm. If I roll the throttle forward i.e. negative throttle, the revs die to where they should be sitting. It’s weird but I haven’t been able to fix it yet. It’s not the idle or the throttle grip, I think the cables need re-setting.
Anyway,
Today is Christmas eve and I had the worst ride in. I have a cold. Cold + Bike = Eating your own snot. It was pretty bad and the only positive thing was that I managed not to sneeze. It was crap.
I am sitting in work, its quiet and I feel shit. I want to go home, but talk of the management releasing us at lunchtime is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Anyway, I’m signing out.
I will post before 2009, so have a wonderful Christmas and Santa is good to you…
thanks for reading all,
Gordon
Lube it or lose it
Yes folks, that’s right.
Well this week got off to a bad start weather wise, with mega rain all the time. It’s getting tougher and tougher to withstand the cold wet commute but there you go, the choices you make.
The other day I was riding in to work and even though the 6th gear tapping was doing it’s thing as usual, there was another type of noise. One which made me instantly worried.
Now the thing with the 6th gear tap is that it’s coming from around the engine area, however this new noise was a back left hand noise…i.e. drive chain.
The thing is, it was only at 0mph-20mph that it was obvious. It was in all gears as well which was even more strange.
I got to work and had a big look around the chain, wheel, sprocket and nothing was apparently wrong. I thought that a missing sprocket tooth might be the problem but they were all present and correct sir. I had a chat with my boss who had just arrived in the garage and he was as baffled as I was.
So the working day concluded and I headed home and weirdly enough, the sound had gone…until I got to a roundabout and it started again. It was really loud, and I mean seriously loud. It’s hard to describe a noise through text but as always I shall try:
Imagine the bike at rest. First gear, “Clunk!”
Clutch out and bike starts moving, “Bvvvv THUMP bvvvv THUMP bvvvv THUMP!”
The thumping speeds up as I accelerate. It sounds at one point like something is stuck to the back tyre and is slapping against the tarmac as the wheel goes round.
“THWACK! THWACK!”
I eventually get home with nerves fraid. I mean I thought that the back wheel was going to fall off. I get in, take my rucksack off and put the bike up on the paddock stand to have a good look.
Back tyre is perfect, no nails or cracks/bulges. Chain is also ok and the sprocket is all there. Hmmmm. I start the bike up and listen for it, however I didn’t really expect to hear anything as on the way home I worked out that the noise only happens when the engine is under load i.e. I am accellerating fast. If I smoothly and slowly accelerate it’s fine.
So I decide to lube it and see if it makes a difference, the chain was looking a bit dry.
Lube, it's your friend
So after a massive doseage of Lube, the sprocket instantly sounded smooth and quiet, a lot quieter than the racket it was making before the lube.
I head out on the bike to see if it’s all ok and it’s 100% fixed. No noise at all.
I breathe a sigh of relief and of surprise. The last time I lubed it was before the service and when I got it back there was this white stuff all over the swingarm, which I just assumed was the garages lube, but it obviously isn’t that good and had either washed off or dried up.
So basically what I am saying is, my chain was bone dry and it was metal on metal action that was causing the noise. I shudder to think what possible damage/accident it could have caused if I had left it any longer. I shudder to think what possible damage it has done already!
It just goes to show folks, if you dont keep your chain lubed, you’ll have a crappy ride and a fraid nervous system.
Lube is your friend. 
Thanks for stopping by folks, next post will be about my old faithfuls, my Alpinestars GoreTex boots, which on the 6th August 2008, died.
Gordon
Suzuki GSR600 deal for YamYam…not the best he says
Hello all.
The topic of this post will be….the Suzuki GSR600…..
Here’s a video! #4
I called Cupar Suzuki today and they gave me a price for my ER6. £1900.
So after I picked my jaw off the ground, I asked about the details. In a nutshell, for £4295-£1900….£2395! I am getting
A brand new 2007 Suzuki GSR600 in Silver (Great, another silver bike) and I also get:
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12 Months Road Tax
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12 Months AA cover
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Alpha Dot
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Full tank of gaseroo
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Free first service
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Courtesy Bike
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And I wangled some free Crash Mushrooms in as well (lesson learned eh…)
All of this with the 0% finance over 30 months deal, costing me roughly £79.83 a month. Not bad.
Then I called the insurance folk and after saying I got a quote for £375 he put me on hold for ages and came back with a £395 fully comp. So that’s £38 a month for that. So all in £117 extra a month to own a GSR, the last bike I will own for 3 solid years.
I got in Saturday to sort out the paperwork and the bike will be ready a week Sat.
The ER6 is still in the garage, should be fixed by Saturday with fresh parts.
Anyway, I’m off to surf the interweb. I got some new chain cleaner/chain lube today in the post, so I’ll post pics up tomorrow maybe.
Thanks for looking folks!
Gordon
