How a simple DIY on my Suzuki V-Strom 250 led to a visit to a mechanic

For a few seconds, I was clueless as to why the motorcycle kept shutting off. All I did was replace the air filter.

BHPian sukiwa recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Sharing a few updates on bike maintenance; some unscheduled, some corrective and some proactive.

Front Brake:

While heading to nearby country roads for an outdoor shoot of a Ducati Multistrada, I noticed that the front brake wasn't that effective and the lever was going all the way in. Once I reached the shoot location, I realised the bottom bolt of the front caliper had gone mostly due to numerous speed breakers on the way or something else. BHPian abhi_tjet joined shortly and he rightly opined to find a nearby mechanic before heading to the photoshoot.

We could locate one quickly and I told him what needed to be done i.e. push back brake pistons and fix the caliper bolt. When he was fixing 2nd bolt, he noticed that the threads on the brake plate had gone away and that could be the reason the bolt was lost on the way. I asked him to tighten only the top bolt and I decided to keep the front brake as minimal as possible. All of this led to a delay of 20 minutes in a photoshoot.

We finished the outdoor shoot as planned and on the return journey back home used only the rear brake. That ride was a revelation in some ways. Many muscle memory actions had to be changed. Be it applying the front brake while getting onto the bike to not using the front brake at all or which foot to put down at a stop.

Sat evening traffic meant I had to be slow even on the NH48 bypass. Stopping the bike only on the rear brake was a challenge, also showed the difference between a single-piston caliper and a 2-piston caliper.

Switch over to the next working day and visit to Suzuki service center. As always, the brake plate wasn't in stock and it had to be ordered after checking the parts catalog with the spare parts person. After a gap of 2 weeks, I got the part, also picked up a set of front brake pads.

Amount paid, Brake plate/bracket(part: 59351-34J00-000) Rs. 329; brake pads (part:59140-34810-000): Rs. 584.

New Brake plate with new caliper bolts

Worn out threads of old brake plate due to oversized/untreated bolt

Knuckle guards:

After checking waspune's SX250, I realised that knuckle guards had been fitted upside down. Knuckle guards and mirrors are fitted at dealer level. When I started to remove the mirror and knuckle guards, I realised it wasn't a simple swap. 2 separate parts form a knuckle guard, one near the mirror can't be swapped, but the guard can be swapped. I had to use a 5 mm Allen key and a 10mm spanner to separate out these 2 parts.

Before

After

Knuckle guards have L & R markings similar to mirrors, wonder why the dealer person made this mistake. Luckily no such mistake on mirrors.

Air filter: Recommended change interval is 15,000 Kms, I thought it would be better to change a bit early. I had asked for an air filter(part no. 13780-41K00-000) when I visited the Suzuki service center for the Brake plate. The air filter is shared with Gixxer 250 and still, it wasn't in stock (shocking for a wear & tear part) and had to be back-ordered.

I picked it up after a couple of weeks for Rs. 165. The air filter is situated below the rider seat, so both seats need to be removed and then the left frame cover (refer to pages 3-13 of the user manual). The air filter cover has 5 screws (refer to pages 3-25 of the user manual), 3 inside a tubular frame, and 2 outside of the tubular frame. The wiring harness blocks the removal of the air filter cover and needs to be lifted.

New and old air filter, odo at 10,951 Kms.

Drama post air filter change: After changing the air filter, I switched on the ignition for no reason, it worked as usual. Next day morning while going to the office, bike was starting and switching off after slotting gear. I was a bit clueless for a couple of seconds, then I realised it was the gear position sensor.

Wire passes behind the left frame cover Allen bolt, I felt the wire got pinched while tightening the Allen bolt. I removed all riding gear and switched to Innova to go to the office. That evening opened the left frame cover again and checked the path of the gear position sensor wire. It wasn't pinched at Allen bolt, a good distance away from it. I went up the wire path and noticed this connector next to the battery was a bit loose.

Here is a photo that I clicked on the previous day while changing the air filter.

Removed it and pressed it hoping this would do the trick. Surprisingly, this connector doesn't produce a click sound. No luck, bike starts in neutral and switches off. Bit frustrated with myself and at another mess at a DIY air filter change, facepalm moment. I decided to wrap things up and left the frame cover the Allen bolt started slipping, further in addition to the frustration. I was using an Allen socket so no question of L L-shaped key not slotting correctly and making the bolt head slip.

Next couple of evenings went into trying to remove the Allen bolt, one of the unsuccessful attempts was cutting a slot into the bolt using a hack saw.

Finally, I decided to take the help of professional tools at nearby known centers. My initial choice was Excel Auto a couple of km away. Surja suggested trying MotoXcellence. I pushed the bike 50% of the distance and on inclines finally sought the help of a mechanic for pushing the bike with his leg. On reaching the service outlet, got to see that it's run by the son of late journalist Dilip Bam.

I explained to the mechanic what had happened, he was sure of using the impact driver to remove the Allen bolt. On the gear position sensor, I told him that while taking out the air filter cover, some wire got pulled and hence connector isn't getting the needed signal. I also asked him to remove the front sprocket cover and get it cleaned. 4 hours later, the mechanic called to say that the problem had been resolved. He even installed another Allen bolt and as suspected one of the wires had to be pushed back into the connector to make things work. Service amount Rs. 300.

Sigh of relief in the end. Surja warned me to avoid attempting DIY alone henceforth. Mostly I have been applying more torque than needed and breaking things.

Next post on accessories update.

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