Well that was fun (not!!) - Page 3 - SV650.org

Blue Flame · 06-07-06, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by northwind

Quote:

Originally Posted by SVTONYB

Grant have you written to Suzuki to complain about your off and the contributing factor in your coming off being the problem that they are clearly aware of but are not addressing

I'm not Suzuki, but "The accident was caused by not stopping riding as soon as the fault first presented itself. Riding a malfunctioning motorcycle is unsafe" Bet you a pound.

Northy you are, I suspect, correct.

When it first happened I was all for taking Suzuki to task but after a couple of weeks lying on me back and contemplating things I cooled off a little. I have said this in previous posts however what i was mainly considering whilst contemplating the accident was whether there were any lessons I could take away from the incident and do differently if it happened again in the future. The answer is 'Yes'.

Whilst the root cause of the the incident was the front cylinder issue there are a number of contributary actions that resulted in the accident itself.

1. I suspect that I was concentrating too much on the issues with the bike and not on my surroundings
2. When I surged forward I panicked (probably because of 1. above) and 'grabbed the brakes.

I am happy that I have lessons that I can take away and learn from. If there was nothing that I could have done differently then I suspect I would not be back on the bike (or perhaps any bike) today.

I may employ a different tact with Suzuki and make suggestions rather than an out and out complaint.

northwind · 06-07-06, 10:34 PM

I'd still make a complaint, were I you... Surprised you've not already! Get moaning, man!

07-07-06, 10:41 PM

Same hear mate I know youve calmed down now and want to get some positive from the negative but if it were me I would write a letter or get someone to write one for me if for no other reason than to see what Suzuki say about it

08-07-06, 10:07 AM

Scooby my 04 bike never missed a beat till last weekend. I've had a good look at the lead and there were a could of things i noticed;

1. the lead was leaning over t the lefthand side of the bike and coming into contact with the engine casing.
2. The lead was dirty around the plug cap cover.

I clean the plug lead up, using WD40 and cleaned the ceasing around where the cap seals around the casing, and made sure the spark plug lead is away from the casing, by making sure it sits vertical.

Looking at the layout of the bike i no understand how the plug lead gets dirty and wet. The fron fender is very short at the back of the forks. This allows spray from the wheel to come up past the vertical. You will have a plastic plate in the shape of a D, bolted to the underside of the forks. This stops wheel spray coming stright up and hitting you in the face, and generaly making a mess. This plate sits in line with the top of the radiator. So wheel spray covers the engine right up to the top of the radiator. The little rubber flap helps reduce the spray getting to the plug but is ulitmately ineffective as the spray will still come through the radiator and onto the plug.

Taking the bottom of the flap and tucking it back up against the casing will mak it a little better but wont stop the spray getting through the radiator. One way to do this is fashion som for of spray guard to sit behind the radiator which may reduce its cooling effect as it could reduce the airflow through it, or fit a fender extender. I got a fender extender from Mickey Oats yesterday and fitted it last night.

These things I think will help but even with the extender i don't believe it will completely stop it from ever happening again. Regular cleaning of the plug lead and its sealing grommet would be a good idea, otherwise I think its only a matter of time.

northwind · 10-07-06, 10:13 PM

The silicon grease fix is more effective than the fender extender, believe it or not... It also prevents corrosion of the plug, which the Extenda doesn't always, which shows its keeping out more water. Extenda's still good to have though.

06-07-06, 10:34 PM	#22
northwind Moderator Mega Poster Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: In the garage where I belong Posts: 17,083	I'd still make a complaint, were I you... Surprised you've not already! Get moaning, man! __________________ "We are the angry mob, we read the papers every day We like what we like, we hate what we hate But we're oh so easily swayed"

10-07-06, 10:13 PM	#25
northwind Moderator Mega Poster Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: In the garage where I belong Posts: 17,083	The silicon grease fix is more effective than the fender extender, believe it or not... It also prevents corrosion of the plug, which the Extenda doesn't always, which shows its keeping out more water. Extenda's still good to have though. __________________ "We are the angry mob, we read the papers every day We like what we like, we hate what we hate But we're oh so easily swayed"

07-07-06, 10:41 PM	#23
SVTONYB Guest Posts: n/a	Same hear mate I know youve calmed down now and want to get some positive from the negative but if it were me I would write a letter or get someone to write one for me if for no other reason than to see what Suzuki say about it

08-07-06, 10:07 AM	#24
splund Guest Posts: n/a	Scooby my 04 bike never missed a beat till last weekend. I've had a good look at the lead and there were a could of things i noticed; 1. the lead was leaning over t the lefthand side of the bike and coming into contact with the engine casing. 2. The lead was dirty around the plug cap cover. I clean the plug lead up, using WD40 and cleaned the ceasing around where the cap seals around the casing, and made sure the spark plug lead is away from the casing, by making sure it sits vertical. Looking at the layout of the bike i no understand how the plug lead gets dirty and wet. The fron fender is very short at the back of the forks. This allows spray from the wheel to come up past the vertical. You will have a plastic plate in the shape of a D, bolted to the underside of the forks. This stops wheel spray coming stright up and hitting you in the face, and generaly making a mess. This plate sits in line with the top of the radiator. So wheel spray covers the engine right up to the top of the radiator. The little rubber flap helps reduce the spray getting to the plug but is ulitmately ineffective as the spray will still come through the radiator and onto the plug. Taking the bottom of the flap and tucking it back up against the casing will mak it a little better but wont stop the spray getting through the radiator. One way to do this is fashion som for of spray guard to sit behind the radiator which may reduce its cooling effect as it could reduce the airflow through it, or fit a fender extender. I got a fender extender from Mickey Oats yesterday and fitted it last night. These things I think will help but even with the extender i don't believe it will completely stop it from ever happening again. Regular cleaning of the plug lead and its sealing grommet would be a good idea, otherwise I think its only a matter of time.