Suzuki V-Strom (VStrom) Owners Club DL250, DL650, DL1000 & DL1050
V-Strom specific discussion => V-Strom specific discussion => Topic started by: loggamatt on April 11, 2013, 22:38:02
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Here's one for either the great minds of the V-Strom Owners Site UK or possibly the Famous Five (there'll be lashings of ginger beer in it for someone!)
So, after trying unsuccessfully to determine what is causing a really loud vibration sound (see here (http://www.v-strom.co.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=17702) for details) I was starting to think I would have to take it somewhere for a mechanic to figure it out. Then as I was walking away from the bike I noticed that my Suzuki crash bars had snapped, or sheared off, or whatever the correct terminology is for it. Here are a couple of pics...
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8539/8641589888_07affcc6a5_c.jpg)
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8535/8641589350_ce1d3624fc_c.jpg)
Now... what the devil has happened to my crash bars??? :shock: As far as I'm aware, the bike has never been dropped... though I guess it's possible that someone messed around with it, dropped it and picked it up while I wasn't looking and it was parked somewhere. But if that was the case, you'd imagine there would be other scratches/scuffs on the bars or the bike itself and I can't see any. So has it just randomly snapped of its own accord at some point... does that sort of thing happen?? I have very little knowledge of metalwork and such things, but I didn't think metal tended to just break randomly like that?
Or did ghosts do it? Or gremlins? Or pixies?? What's going on??? :shrug:
So does anyone know what could have happened here and whether, if they did break magically by themselves, they're covered under my warranty considering the bike was supplied with them fitted?
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I know that vibration resonance can cause things to shatter, but bugger, I don't think it'd do that!
I'd take it to the dealers and get them to have a look at it while still fitted to the bike
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It's a crash bar? It breaks when it rattles? Manufacturing fault, send back, demand refund, buy elsewhere :angry-tappingfoot:
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Bloody hell! I thought my Suzuki crash bars were bad enough for the powdercoating cracking around one of the welds despite being covered in ACF50 since being new, but that is shocking! Get them replaced under warranty asap!
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Yes, I suspect the vibration has caused a fatigue fracture. Extraordinary. It is covered under your warranty I think.
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That's a strange place to crack. It would only involve a harmonic vibration point where the combination of the initial vibration and reflected vibration have a maximum amplitude. Most cracks happen near welds where the weld heat changes the crystal structure and the interface between the two crystal structures cracks because of vibrating at different rates.
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Any theories of what is likely to have happened then Greywolf?
I'm hoping it is a stress fracture type thing as I like the idea of it being replaced free under warranty!
Other than that I'm all out of ideas... as I say, it certainly hasn't been dropped as far as I know, and besides, what kind of stationary drop has enough force to crack the bars but otherwise leave them and the bike unmarked?
I guess potentially it could be vandalism? Someone could have taken a hacksaw to it or something maybe? Though it doesn't look like a clean enough break for that I would say... also, that's some pretty random and labour intensive vandalism if that's what it is!!
This is my fear... the idea that it just randomly fractured in that part of the bar is so incredible that the dealer will say I must have dropped it or did it myself somehow and will refuse the warranty claim. Oh well, I'll give them a call tomorrow and see what they say...
Why do these things always happen to me??? :bawl:
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My take is vibration caused that. The more I see of crash bar posts, the happier I am I chose sliders.
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I'm going to have a go at talking them into fitting the SW Motech ones instead... I'll make the argument that Stibbs made, which is that if they're not up to withstanding a little vibration I'd hate to test them by sliding the bike down the road!!!
To be honest though, knowing the dealer that sold me the bike as I now do, I'm not expecting to get anything out of them without a heated argument or two!
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Having owned two Triumph Bonneville's 1968 & 72, I found that high frequency vibration can break most bits of metal bolted to a bike !
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Just my thoughts. After showing some of the blokes here (I'm in an engineering firm) the verdict is the bars were a bad fit or installed badly. Since there's a gap between the break it means they must have been under tension so they've just failed near the cross bar weld. I guess they must have struggled to fit them correctly and forced them to fit hence the extra strain.
After seeing the pics though I did rush out and chack mine though. No sign of anything on mine but mine have taken a drop on either side so they may have deformed slightly which may help...
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I'll bet that's it engel - first thing I noticed was the gap, and what that might imply. Fitted stressed, and with a weakness, allied with vibration, has been enough. Even 'letting the bike down' would leave some scratches, and none can be seen...hopefully the dealer isn't an argumentative barsteward; aren't they mostly reasonable people with strong philanthropic principles? :shrug:
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I have not seen this sort of fracturing since the demise of the 'good old British" twins.
The jagged edge is typical of vibration fracture.
I hope you can get it sorted out with the dealer.
However Suzuki call them 'accessory bars'. They may help if the bike falls over but are not much use in a full on low side drop.
I had crash bungs on my GSR and it was the first thing to break off when I went down. ( quickly followed by the rest of the left side of the bike.)
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Well, so far this morning... Dealer service dept. - "Nothing to do with us... it's an accessory so not covered under your warranty. Speak to our parts department to see what they say about the warranty for the part itself."
And after 3 or 4 attempted rings later, their parts dept. isn't answering...
Oh how I love the dealer experience! :GRR:
I'm considering asking them to just remove the part and refund me the money for it. This has been a bit of an eye opener as to how much protection I'm really getting from the crash bars anyway. Being a big, tall chap I think I'm unlikely to drop it while stationary so am more likely to drop it at speed... not convinced these bars would help much now!!!
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Sw Motech bars are really good, they are 27mm diameter as opposed to 22mm and look a lot beefier. Hope you get this issue resolved, best bet would be to pop down and show them the bike, they will obviously see it hasn't been dropped and may be more willing to help. Go and have a word :thumb:
Josh
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I agree with it being a vibration fracture caused by a stressed initial fitting. When fitting something like this, it should fit on its brackets or mounts without being forced. Having to pull it into place with bolts means that it is initially under stress and this will make it much more likely to break at some future date. If something like this doesn't fit properly when bought new then the manufacturer isn't doing their job properly and the the item should be returned.
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Finally got through to the parts department... hurrah! The chap said that to save me coming down, best that I email him a couple of pictures for them to forward onto Suzuki as that is all he would be able to do at this stage anyway. So I have done that.
In addition to stressing the fact that I would like this resolved soon (who else is predicting a wait of months for me getting a satisfactory answer to this??), I have said that I have now lost faith in the product and would like them to be replaced free of charge with a 3rd party alternative instead. If they agree to that, I'll pick the SW Motech bars as recommended.
Stay tuned kids!
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The best bars on the market are Givi. Not sure what they installed but they obviously mucked up by putting it under stress.
The sw motechs are too low down IMHO but in the end as long as you get a replacement set then alls good
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The sw motechs are too low down IMHO but in the end as long as you get a replacement set then alls good
SW-Motech bars changed from low to high years ago. Here's a pic on a Glee.
(http://www.bikermart.co.uk/prodimages/375-143l.jpg)
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Suzuki are usually pretty quick to give dealers a reply when they send pics of a fault. You shouldn't have to wait too long. I don't expect you'll have a problem, It's obvious they have not been scratched, bent or dented.
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Now... what the devil has happened to my crash bars???
Tss Simples .as a certain Serge says ........." Made in China " .... like everything else - cheap cost high mark up ...crap product ...who cares you bought it ! ###
have the same on mine so will just have to keep watching ! thanks for the heads up !
good luck ..............
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Accessory or not they are still covered by the Sale of Goods Act, so you are entitled to a repair/replacement/refund at your discretion, depending on the age.
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Don't like to say it but you could have emailed Suzuki the pictures yourself and then supplied them the dealer details and ask what are the options they can provide, sounds like the parts department at the stealers couldn't be arsed dealing with you in person on a Friday afternoon. I would email Suzuki and copy the dealer in and request a reply within a couple of working days or you will return the product under faulty goods act and request a refund. If you don't get anywhere get down there and argue the point out. Usually a product would be returned to be fixed, clearly this product can not be repaired, not like replacing a component is it. ### :thumb:
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I'll give the dealer a fair chance of sorting it out (this email and up to one more chasing email next week), then if I don't get anywhere I'll contact Suzuki directly. I have some other feedback I could provide about how this stealership handled the process of selling me the bike in the first place anyway, if it comes to that!
Still, fingers crossed it'll all go smoothly... if this dealer does handle the claim efficiently it'll be a bonus as they're just down the road from me for taking the bike in to replace the bars. If, as seems likely, it turns out it was their fault for fitting them incorrectly in the first place, maybe they'll take a bit more care in fitting the replacements!! :angry-tappingfoot:
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PM me the name - if it's Geomoto then I will have comments to add regarding their usefulness/lack of...
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PM'd
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If they were fitted/ordered with the bike they get the same warranty as the bike gets. My dealer told me that on my last bike. I'm sure the dealer will sort it out, mine sorted out Suzuki messing me about with warranty/breakdown cover, which incidentally Suzuki customer services were useless with and quite rude about. Here's pics of my crashbar despite being bathed regularly in ACF50 since purchase
(http://i1030.photobucket.com/albums/y362/clarkegray/DSC_0713_zps819f3372.jpg)
(http://i1030.photobucket.com/albums/y362/clarkegray/DSC_0720_zps59a59112.jpg)
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Oh dear UK_Vstrom650, those bars don't look great either! Think between us we have now determined that for anyone considering buying the Suzuki crash bars, it's best to go with a 3rd party alternative instead!!
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I can find many pictures of broken crash bars from a number of different manufacturers.
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Really? Ones that haven't been in an accident? I didn't realise this was a common complaint... oh well, if it is a common complaint the silver lining will hopefully be that the dealer/Suzuki won't argue too much over my claim.
I'm close to deciding to do without the crash bars altogether and asking for a refund, but I know that sooner or later I'm going to do something stupid like dismount the bike without putting the kick stand down and regret not having crash bars...
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I had crash/engine guards on my Fazer and my cruiser, never a problem with either. My Fazer went through two winters with no cracks or rot etc. It seems to me this batch of Suzuki OEM bars may have quality control issues??? I'm going to get my dealer to look at mine under warranty, shouldn't be an issue as the throttle side is in perfect condition.
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All the cracks are due to vibration.
Hepco & Becker
(http://vstrom.info/vsri-gallery/gallery/d/64528-1/DSC00125.jpg)
Givi
(http://www.goraiders.org/bike/forumpics/givi_a3.JPG)
I've seen a Fehling cracked but can't find the picture right now.
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Whoa , that's bad! I have a 2012 Strom too but that hask't happened to me. As the others have said though , take it in for warranty repairs. Shouldn't be any problem with that since you haven't actually dropped the bike.
The only thing I can think of is that the crash bars were perhaps locked on too tightly or maybe loctite was used or something.
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Makes a horrible rattling noise at certain revs too... Rode across London to a tyre fitters today, think it was more the loud metal on metal noise that turned heads than the sound of the V-twin or my dashing looks on the bike!
Hope they hurry up and agree to sort it out.
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Makes a horrible rattling noise at certain revs too... Rode across London to a tyre fitters today, think it was more the loud metal on metal noise that turned heads than the sound of the V-twin or my dashing looks on the bike!
Hope they hurry up and agree to sort it out.
I really wouldn't ride it in that state....I'd take the bars off since if the other side breaks as well....... :limp:
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The tyre fitters put on a mod that stopped the rattling for now... a piece of cardboard wedged in the crack :)
Yeah, took a risk riding at the weekend, but the first good day of the year it would pain me too much to be stuck in. As it turned out, after getting the flat tyre I wished I had stayed inside!
Not planning much more riding for the next couple of weeks as I'm going to be really busy... in my naivety, I'm hoping the dealer will have agreed to replace them or refund me by then.
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... in my naivety, I'm hoping the dealer will have agreed to replace them or refund me by then.
Or risk having his reputation trashed before many Suzuki owners on this forum!
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Best bodge to keep you going if you want to improve on the cardboard is available from your nearest B&Q or Wilkinsons. Buy the thickest fence wire you can and some really huge jubilee clips (4). Bend the wire into a repeated series of S bends so that when you wrap the resulting "pad" round the bar you'll have 4-6 inch long straight bits running along the bar. Wrap more round and round on top of that coil fashion. Use the jubilee clips to hold the round and round wire tight on. BMW subframes will do about 900 miles fished together like this, although the noise made by the rider whineing was seriously painful! I think it was the weight of the spare drive shafts that did for the frame.
Andy
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I am sure someone from on Suzuki keeps their eyes on sites like this, as we will accumulate many more miles then their test riders ever did and find many minor niggles which will get need ironing out before the release of any new models.
Due to the fact a fair number of us have (Suzuki) accessory bar issues on the Glee I am sure Suzuki won't hesitate in replacing the bars as a gesture of good will.
After all its only their bars which seem to want to rattle off the bike at 4.7K rpm.Just as a thought, do Givi or SW bars use the main engine bolt as a fixing point ? I'm guessing possibly not.
We shouldn't have to refit the bastards with rubbers washers to reduce vibration either ( If you are reading Mr.Suzuki you owe me beer)
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I was in my dealers today and they phoned Suzuki warranty dept and checked mine had warranty of the bike as bought at time of bike purchase - confirmed it does. Dealer mechanic took some photos and said he'd let me know... will update with result.
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Well, I have to say... credit where credit's due, my dealer has actually been a bit of a star about this. So seeing as this is a positive review I will name drop then... thumbs up to Metropolis Motorcycles :thumb:
The bloke has said that Suzuki are dragging their feet on it, so what he'll do is order me the Givi bars at their own expense (they don't have a supplier relationship with SW Motech), fit them free of charge, then they'll chase Suzuki for a credit note for my bars in their own time. I forget how much the Suzuki bars were when I got the bike, probably more than the Givi one so maybe the dealer will actually make profit in the long run... but I'm not bothered about that, and as far as I'm concerned it's good customer service!
Just waiting for them to get the Givi bars in stock now so I can arrange a day to take the bike in for fitting.
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Thumbs up to the dealer :thumb:
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Good effort on their part :clap:
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that's really good news :obscene-drinkingchug: :lala: :thumb:
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Best bodge to keep you going if you want to improve on the cardboard is available from your nearest B&Q or Wilkinsons. Buy the thickest fence wire you can and some really huge jubilee clips (4). Bend the wire into a repeated series of S bends so that when you wrap the resulting "pad" round the bar you'll have 4-6 inch long straight bits running along the bar. Wrap more round and round on top of that coil fashion. Use the jubilee clips to hold the round and round wire tight on. BMW subframes will do about 900 miles fished together like this, although the noise made by the rider whineing was seriously painful! I think it was the weight of the spare drive shafts that did for the frame.
Andy
I thought it was Tyre levers and cable ties fro BM sub frames lol
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I thought it was Tyre levers and cable ties fro BM sub frames lol
Nah, the ashtray CANBUS module gets in the way. Thinks you are having a crafty drag if you unplug it and empties the entire battery into the heated seat as a safety feature (to try and convince you to quit) before displaying the telephone number of the nearest dealers, smoking support group and approved financial advisor on the (now powerless) Rider Information Display. Also the cheese/toffee rim material and superglue like tyre lube used in Berlin and Munich makes tyre levers redundant. . :sarc:
:)
Andy
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Well, I have to say... credit where credit's due, my dealer has actually been a bit of a star about this. So seeing as this is a positive review I will name drop then... thumbs up to Metropolis Motorcycles :thumb:
The bloke has said that Suzuki are dragging their feet on it, so what he'll do is order me the Givi bars at their own expense (they don't have a supplier relationship with SW Motech), fit them free of charge, then they'll chase Suzuki for a credit note for my bars in their own time. I forget how much the Suzuki bars were when I got the bike, probably more than the Givi one so maybe the dealer will actually make profit in the long run... but I'm not bothered about that, and as far as I'm concerned it's good customer service!
Just waiting for them to get the Givi bars in stock now so I can arrange a day to take the bike in for fitting.
Fair play to your dealer, though I hate to say my experience of Suzuki doesn't surprise me about this. Still waiting to hear about mine. Let me know what you think of the Givi's in comparison to Suzuki's