SV reliability

Never had any SV probelms (aside from crashing) in over 10000 miles.

Old Kwak ER5 had the engine go horribly wrong though, after about 5000 miles, and it needed replacing.

The SV is a typical Suzuki in that the mechanical bits are strong and reliable. You can always flog it and buy another.

You may have got the Friday Afternoon one.

Ducati 749S 9420km 20 months old. keeps using petrol!


Seriously though one minor hiccup with the gear lever return spring breaking.Done under warranty with no quibbles.

Build and product quality is truly excellent,the only flaw I have noticed is a small amount of oxidation to the clutch lever close to where it pivots.

She's gonna cost me a few bob real soon though for the 10k service(including possible timing belts?)

Some new Pilot Powers and finally getting my Termis fitted and set up!

I did about 6500 on the SV in a year, no problems at all not even niggles.

Oh, I ought to add, I do my own servicing and have done since I almost cried at the bill for my 4k service. The bike gets abused pretty badly and crashed occasionally.
She's out in absolutely all weathers and ridden in most of them. Hasn't had a wash since the summer and probably won't get one till after the salt comes off the roads.
I've had some problems with the finish, like frame paint rubbing away and a few things rusting before they should, but I'd say most of the problems are from my neglect.

Originally Posted by Sid Squid

Could you list the breakdowns you've had please Ceri? Be specific about what was wrong, and state whether they have prevented the bike being used.

1x Gear change coming off. Yes, I could of ridden the 20/30 miles home in second, or risked knackering the circlip and fixed it at the side of the road but given my relative inexperience (even more so then) I didn't want to have a go and damage it- it was under warranty so my viewpoint was "let the dealer sort it out".

2x Electrical faults resulting in the bike not starting. Suspected combination of damp electrics and aftermarket immobiliser (does its job, eh? ) although the latter was fitted by a suzuki dealership. Allowing the bike to dry overnight, then disconnecting/reconnecting the battery sorted it out. The second time occured after a fender extender was fitted at a dealership's recommendation. I knew the "fix" by then and got it going myself, but I still count it as a "breakdown" in that the bike wouldn't of started without it.

2x Clutch Problems. Both occured in abnormally heavy traffic (first time was a match in Cardiff, second was I was 20 minutes late leaving for work so miles more jams). I could feel slight clutch slippage/loss of power when accelerating and it revving up far more than the acceleration produced should have. I stopped, tried adjusting the clutch cable to rectify it, marginal improvement, but not great. A few miles later it got so bad I gave up trying to ride it and called the AA. Took about 3 hours for them to get out (personal best for them probably ) by which time, it had cooled down enough to engage, but the battery was dead, courtesty of the hazard lights. Recovered home, next day, with a recharged battery, it's working fine. AA reckoned it was probably just that the cable needed adjusting. I was sceptical, it had been fine before, free play as described in the manual and serviced 1000 miles earlier, but as it worked fine for 2000 miles afterwards with no hint of slippage, even managing to max it out (private road for the purposes of mechanical testing, officer) to ensure it was working properly, over time I began to agree it could have been that.

Second time the same problem occured, but this time I stopped sooner and was able to check under the front sprocker plate (changed for chewy's SS hex bolts so I could get it off at the roadside) to confirm it definately wasn't the cable. The dealership has replaced the plates (old ones were cooked apparently), but reckons nothing is wrong with the clutch itself.

Now, what I don't want to happen is the plates to be done this time under warranty, but for it to turn out to be a dodgy clutch that is causing them to wear excessively fast, and for me to have to have a new set again in 6 months time. I know that a poorly adjusted clutch cable can cause slight slippage, which will over time wreck the plates and similarly, slipping the clutch constantly can do the same, but as mentioned, I'm happy that the cable adjustment was okay and whilst I do slip the clutch a fair bit when filtering (smoothing it off in 1st and 2nd), I thought that was normal practice? Likewise, the oil level has never been overfilled, which I believe can also lead to clutch slippage.

Any ideas what might of caused the plates to wear so soon (that's the only issue that's really bothering me as I know the fixes to the other things now)? Is it possible it was a duff set of plates (seems unlikely all the plates could be bad 'uns) or is there something else I should keep an eye on/do?

Ta for any advice.

Done 15000 miles on my k3, no problems or breakdowns so far

32,000 miles and never skipped a beat.

never had a problem.


aaah the joys of a honda

[northwind]

The only problems I've had have been flat batteries, and that doesn't count. It does get very well looked after, but also very hard used, and a lot of the mods I've done cut into the mechanical margins.

I've had things go wrong... Slipping clutch caused by knackered lifter mechanism and failed front cam chain tensioner being the main ones, and a stuck choke plunger, but nothing that wasn't easily rectified, or that risked leaving me stranded.

sk3 here and no probs.