reasonably urgent advice needed - SV650.org

14-07-06, 09:39 AM

hi all,

my other half took her SV in today for a service (4000 miles) and to get the false neutrals looked at (bike is also difficult to get to shift into neutral when standing at lights, etc)

there was a young guy in the service department who said he had an SV and it was most likely to be the chain as it had happened to him in the past, at which point some other bloke came over and said "ooh no, the chain is fine, it looks like it could be something bigger" after simply looking at the bike for about 5 seconds..

anyway, i am concerned that she is going to get ripped off for work that doesn't need to be done.. is there some rule that says they have to ring up and advise you if a job is going to be expensive before doing it, and also, if it's not the chain, what is it likely to be, and would that be covered under warranty?

thanks in advance

Viney · 14-07-06, 09:47 AM

It coule be a few things, some simple, like just proper adjustment, or some dirt under the washer of the gear rod(well, it happened to me), even oil level but it can also be something like chain adjustment etc. Then again, it could be something more serious like the selector mechanism. So without looking, then its hard to say. I take it that its a new bike with the std warranty? If so, just make the point that if its not something simple, that it will be a warranty job wont it, kind of thing.

State to the dealer that before they start ANY major work on the bike, they must call you for approval, and that if they carry out any work thats not approved by you, then you will not pay for that work etc etc.

pegasus · 14-07-06, 11:42 AM

although the suzuki gearbox is a sweet gem of a thing i have found that sometimes when my sv was on a long run stopping at lights & finding neutral was a bit of an effort, simply blipping the throttle before the change eases the pressure on the clutch and makes it a smoother shift, i adopted this method a few years back and have never had any problems since with any bikes changing into neutral.

jambo · 14-07-06, 11:42 AM

As Viney said, it could be alot of things but there are plenty of simple and relativly cheap things that can cause this, so best get them checked before wandering off into gearbox rebuilds

If they dealer seems particularly gung-ho about taking the bike into lots of little pieces and charging you a packet, take it somewhere else for a 2nd opinion.

northwind · 14-07-06, 11:46 AM

By and large, I find it helps to show as much understanding as you possibly can when dropping a bike off at the dealers... If you go in and say "It does false neutrals, fix it", that's a bit of a red rag to a bull for a bent shop... But if you go in and say "It does occasional false neutrals, doesn't seem to be the chain, tried it with new oil, no debris in the oil", stuff like that, then that says "I know a bit of what I speak" and they're much less likely to try it on. Works for everything, like if you're getting tyres done ride-i, ride-out, saying "Didn't have tiem to take the wheels off" can tell them that you know how long it takes, so they're less likely to overcharge.

14-07-06, 12:46 PM

There's a couple of fact-sheets produced by the DTI that look helpful. The list is at: http://www.dti.gov.uk/consumers/fact-sheets/index.html.

Point 6 under Supply of Goods and Services Act fact-sheet seems to imply you can sue if a price or duration isn't agreed and they then charge an unreasonable price or take an unreasonable time.

Q6 on the Car Sales and Servicing fact-sheet implies you can sue if they tell you porkies to get work you didn't need.

I'm not a lawyer though, so don't take my work for it. And doing anything about it is probably going to be a pain, so I'd try and not get ripped-off in the first place, as recommended by the previous posters.

14-07-06, 03:12 PM

I used to ask for any bits they replaced, tho that may not be relevent here (not sure what I'd do with a load of used oil...). Of course, you can't guarantee that the bits they've given you have come out of *your* bike.
The more I think about it, the more futile I think it was. Oh well, I was young.

14-07-06, 04:29 PM

Hmm doubt it is the chain. I sometimes had a slight problem getting 1st if I had sat at the lights in neutral and rolled about a bit but all bikes do that.

The SV gearbox was by far THE best bike gearbox I ever had the pleasure of using.

14-07-06, 04:39 PM

thanks, she's just come back from the service and there were no faults found with anything .. however they charged her 150 quid which i think is a bit steep??

note to self: i must learn how to service bikes...

15-07-06, 02:04 AM

That's crap mate! Far too expensive, well compared to what we pay here anyway.

Given it's your girlfriend, and that correct oil levels etc have been verified, check out the gear lever adjustment. Has anyone actually set it up for her? Also, does it happen with a particular pair of shoes/boots on? Could also be that she just needs to be a bit firmer to make positive shifts.

14-07-06, 09:39 AM	#1
Gnan Guest Posts: n/a	reasonably urgent advice needed hi all, my other half took her SV in today for a service (4000 miles) and to get the false neutrals looked at (bike is also difficult to get to shift into neutral when standing at lights, etc) there was a young guy in the service department who said he had an SV and it was most likely to be the chain as it had happened to him in the past, at which point some other bloke came over and said "ooh no, the chain is fine, it looks like it could be something bigger" after simply looking at the bike for about 5 seconds.. anyway, i am concerned that she is going to get ripped off for work that doesn't need to be done.. is there some rule that says they have to ring up and advise you if a job is going to be expensive before doing it, and also, if it's not the chain, what is it likely to be, and would that be covered under warranty? thanks in advance

14-07-06, 11:42 AM	#3
pegasus Member Mega Poster Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 1,122	although the suzuki gearbox is a sweet gem of a thing i have found that sometimes when my sv was on a long run stopping at lights & finding neutral was a bit of an effort, simply blipping the throttle before the change eases the pressure on the clutch and makes it a smoother shift, i adopted this method a few years back and have never had any problems since with any bikes changing into neutral. __________________ tune in, turn on, burn out

14-07-06, 11:42 AM	#4
jambo Member Mega Poster Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Croydonia Posts: 5,376	As Viney said, it could be alot of things but there are plenty of simple and relativly cheap things that can cause this, so best get them checked before wandering off into gearbox rebuilds If they dealer seems particularly gung-ho about taking the bike into lots of little pieces and charging you a packet, take it somewhere else for a 2nd opinion. __________________ Modern motorcycles are bloody brilliant, enjoy it while we can

14-07-06, 11:46 AM	#5
northwind Moderator Mega Poster Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: In the garage where I belong Posts: 17,082	By and large, I find it helps to show as much understanding as you possibly can when dropping a bike off at the dealers... If you go in and say "It does false neutrals, fix it", that's a bit of a red rag to a bull for a bent shop... But if you go in and say "It does occasional false neutrals, doesn't seem to be the chain, tried it with new oil, no debris in the oil", stuff like that, then that says "I know a bit of what I speak" and they're much less likely to try it on. Works for everything, like if you're getting tyres done ride-i, ride-out, saying "Didn't have tiem to take the wheels off" can tell them that you know how long it takes, so they're less likely to overcharge. __________________ "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"

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14-07-06, 09:47 AM	#2
Viney Member Mega Poster Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: In the shadows to the left Posts: 7,700	It coule be a few things, some simple, like just proper adjustment, or some dirt under the washer of the gear rod(well, it happened to me), even oil level but it can also be something like chain adjustment etc. Then again, it could be something more serious like the selector mechanism. So without looking, then its hard to say. I take it that its a new bike with the std warranty? If so, just make the point that if its not something simple, that it will be a warranty job wont it, kind of thing. State to the dealer that before they start ANY major work on the bike, they must call you for approval, and that if they carry out any work thats not approved by you, then you will not pay for that work etc etc.

14-07-06, 12:46 PM	#6
robaker Guest Posts: n/a	There's a couple of fact-sheets produced by the DTI that look helpful. The list is at: http://www.dti.gov.uk/consumers/fact-sheets/index.html. Point 6 under Supply of Goods and Services Act fact-sheet seems to imply you can sue if a price or duration isn't agreed and they then charge an unreasonable price or take an unreasonable time. Q6 on the Car Sales and Servicing fact-sheet implies you can sue if they tell you porkies to get work you didn't need. I'm not a lawyer though, so don't take my work for it. And doing anything about it is probably going to be a pain, so I'd try and not get ripped-off in the first place, as recommended by the previous posters.

14-07-06, 03:12 PM	#7
rpwoodman Guest Posts: n/a	I used to ask for any bits they replaced, tho that may not be relevent here (not sure what I'd do with a load of used oil...). Of course, you can't guarantee that the bits they've given you have come out of your bike. The more I think about it, the more futile I think it was. Oh well, I was young.

14-07-06, 04:29 PM	#8
Toypop Guest Posts: n/a	Hmm doubt it is the chain. I sometimes had a slight problem getting 1st if I had sat at the lights in neutral and rolled about a bit but all bikes do that. The SV gearbox was by far THE best bike gearbox I ever had the pleasure of using.

14-07-06, 04:39 PM	#9
Gnan Guest Posts: n/a	thanks, she's just come back from the service and there were no faults found with anything .. however they charged her 150 quid which i think is a bit steep?? note to self: i must learn how to service bikes...

15-07-06, 02:04 AM	#10
PeterM Guest Posts: n/a	That's crap mate! Far too expensive, well compared to what we pay here anyway. Given it's your girlfriend, and that correct oil levels etc have been verified, check out the gear lever adjustment. Has anyone actually set it up for her? Also, does it happen with a particular pair of shoes/boots on? Could also be that she just needs to be a bit firmer to make positive shifts.