Note to the Moderators: Please merge the post if needed, I couldn't find a relatable thread.
Hi readers,
Hope you're doing well, and all the best to those planning to ride it out in the Christmas week.
Before I begin the thread, a brief about me; I've been with T-BHP for about 3-4 years now and posted mostly travelogue posts of my recent adventures in Bengal and North-East. A few more are in the pipeline
I recently got a pre-owned BS6 Suzuki Gixxer 250 SF - a beautiful underrated machine - would definitely recommend it hands-down except for the questionable services of the Suzuki Motorcycles.
Coming to the issue, well, there is only one- vibrations post 80km/hr. I was aware of this issue while purchasing the bike. The bike had run for a measly 3600km when the owner decided to sell it due to his commitments in the US for which he had to leave. I noticed that the vehicle's manufacturing month-year comes under the optional recall that happened last year.
Link to that recall here:
Quote:
Originally Posted by TusharK Suzuki has recalled the Gixxer 250 and SF 250 to rectify an issue after customers complained of excessive vibrations. Attachment 2150653
A total of 199 units are said to be affected by this issue. This includes bikes manufactured between August 12, 2019 and March 21, 2021. Link to Team-BHP News |
Now given the low-mileage, the bike still in warranty and the good deal, I was willing to take the gamble!
A little brief about the issue; the vehicle vibrates a bit while at idle (pretty common for single cylinder format bikes), and runs smooth till 5000rpm after which I can feel the vibrations, on the foot-pegs, the body panels, and the handle-bars. The vibrations aren't that much, but it's enough to feel a bit irritated in the long run. It the level of vibration you'd expect on older Duke 200 and P NS200 at 90+km/hr , but not something you'd expect in the new bikes.
I informed this to the service centre during the first service post ownership, and he told me it's ideal for the bike to vibrate at 80-100 speeds. Now, I have previously driven Dominar, Apache RR310 (first gen), Dukes and therefore, I understand that there is only so much you can do in a single-cylinder format to dampen the vibration to zero, and hence, considering that I was willing to live with the vibrations. However, recently I rode my friend's Gixxer 250SF, new version and then test-rode the new Gixxer 250SF as well, which made me take this vibration issue a bit more seriously. Surprisingly, there was zero vibrations on those bikes at 100-110 km/hr (6th gear). On the other hand, my vibrates enough for me to notice and reduce the speeds to around 90km/hr. Mind you, there is no changes done to the bikes this year, and the everything is mechanically same!
Considering this incident and the fact that my bike is almost brand-new( haven't even crossed 5000km on the ODO), I raised a complaint a the Suzuki Motorcycle's email ID:
customer.queries@suzukimotorcycle.in, on 30th October, 2021.
I received the response within a day, and was called to the nearest service centre for vibration testing and diagnosis. The response time in this case was pretty great and appreciable! However, I couldn't the service center just then due to office work/travel.
I visited the service centre next week on 12th November, 2021.
The vehicle's vibration was diagnosed via a vibration bench- it's a tuning strip which is attached to the bike and has sensors at the end to alert the testing when the vibration of the tuning strip is beyond the allowed standards.
My bike was getting maximum vibrations at around 5000 rpm and 8000rpm
Basis this they had ordered for parts- a balancer shaft, and a balancer gear for change. They informed me that the parts would take around 1-2 weeks to arrive and once they arrive, I'd have to leave the vehicle for around three days for the parts to change and further diagnosis to be done. I received updates by November-end that the parts have still not arrived and this felt terrible. The production facility is in Gurgaon and how it takes more than a month for the parts to arrive is beyond my understanding. Perhaps someone can shed a light on this as well!
It's 20th December,2021 and I had contacted the service centre yesterday, and they informed me that the parts would take a week to arrive still.
I request the fellow riders to advise me on what I should do. I have the following questions that I hope this forum would help me address:
1. How can I expedite this issue at the Suzuki Motorcycles Pvt. Ltd. ?
2. Can anyone help me connect with a known authority in the company to expedite this issue ?
3. I already have the bike with me, and so my weekly usage isn't hampered, but is riding the bike without the issue resolved advisable ? Can it cause the issue to aggravate, or crop up some new issues ?
4. Considering that the bike's engine(clutch case side, not the head) would have to be opened for parts change, and diagnosis; should I go ahead with this ? Can any other issue crop up due to the engine case getting opened ? How'd it look on the papers if I plan to sell this bike 4-5 years down the line, the service records show engine casing opened and parts replaced ?
5. While I rode the new Gixxers, the panel felt more sturdy, and the vibrations was the main thing I noticed! Everything felt more well-build together. If the company has done any minor changes to the new Gixxers, can they do the same updates for the previous owners ?