frame corrosion and general disappointment with suzuki

morning folks

brrrrrrrrrr... cold out there

over the weekend i noticed that the frame is showing signs of corrosion. basically a small patch about the size of a pea.

unfortunately i am a month or two outside warranty, can any one suggest the best way of sorting this so as to put a stop to it developing into something really ugly.

i have to say i am disappointed by this, the bike is only 2 yrs old. Also disappointed that suzukis 0% finance deal, whilst great for getting new SV-ers on the road, has killed the second hand market.

[tj2]

2 years before you got rust?????????????????????????????????



Think mine only lasted a couple of months...

You had a good 1

Originally Posted by will

morning folks

brrrrrrrrrr... cold out there

i have to say i am disappointed by this, the bike is only 2 yrs old. Also disappointed that suzukis 0% finance deal, whilst great for getting new SV-ers on the road, has killed the second hand market.

Suzuki Build Quality...they all do that, sir. If you ride in all weathers then all bikes will suffer...even H*ndas.
The second hand slump is bad and good. Bad if you want to sell second hand, good if you want to buy second hand or new. It's like that. I don't think the second hand market is dead, just realistic.

It's a budget bike with budget parts and finish (even though I love my SV). Though overall I don't think it's worse than some more expensive bikes. Even BMWs go like this. The truth is, is that bikes aren't manufactured to the same standard as cars.

As for secondhand values I don't think it makes any difference as they're all like it. However if you can pursuade Suzuki to do something about it good for you. And the warranty? It's not in any way related to your consumer rights under the Sale of Goods Act, whereby you have up to six years, depending on the purpose of the goods purchased, to have any fault remedied (though on a sliding scale) by the dealer you bought the bike from, not Suzuki.


.

If you ride any bike during the winter it wont look good for very long. You have to be pretty dam religious with the cleaning and looking after it - ie washing any salt off after every ride with cold water and then applying libourous amounts of WD40 to the frame or Lanolin to protect it.

TBH cars suffer just the same - look underneath any car..its the bodywork that hides it.

I dont think you will have much joy with the sale of good act..wear and tear is a fact of life. Its done the job it was intended for.

Get yourself some protectant for the frame and wash off any salt after use.

it could work out expensive, but what about a powdercoated frame ?

Originally Posted by will

i have to say i am disappointed by this, the bike is only 2 yrs old. Also disappointed that suzukis 0% finance deal, whilst great for getting new SV-ers on the road, has killed the second hand market.

Manufacturers always drop prices/do deals to shift bikes after they've been around for a couple of years, i guess the trick is to use this to your advantage - so if you were to sell now and buy a new GSXR600, with the updated model coming out in '06 you should get a much better deal than if you'd bought what was essentially the same bike when it was first launched 2 years ago. so you'll get less for yours but also pay out less

So far I've found it's a case of 'you win some, you lose some', and as long as you've enjoyed riding the bike that's what it's all about

Try and contact Suzuki anyway if you have kept to their servicing schedule at dealers, as at our land rover garage we do "good will gesture" jobs for people just outside warranty.

suzuki motorcycles have been built cheaply for years and i have seen lots of articals on build quality and the owners getting intouch with suzuki most get no joy i know its a sad but suzukis arnt really built to withstand winters.

So how are Suzuki influencing the second-hand market? By bringing out new revised models I assume is what you mean, because they are not changing the new prices compared to old.

My '99 SVS new cost me £4699 OTR, inc. 12 months Tax and delivery to my house (120 miles from the dealer).

Estimated value now, £2000

Suzuki's RRP on the current SVS , £4599 OTR inc. 12 months Tax.

So £100 in it after 6 years.

The bike market is and always has been really competitive, the bike you get from the showroom is already under-priced compared to it's manufacture costs. ISTR, Suzuki spent in the region of £1M upgrading their factory to produce the SV frame, a brand new technique of vacuum casting. We are lucky they didn't pass on the costs to the buyer.

I'd be very happy if my 7 yr old car was still worth anywhere near half it's new price. If you don't like haemmoraging cash get something nearly new from a private sale off a mate you trust.


Incidentally, guess what I'm doing tonight! Paint-stripping the lacquer off some forks from an '02 SV - totally crudded due to lack of care.