2003 Suzuki Intruder VS800 start problems

[Wallbridge]

Hi,

Since I bought my Intruder a year and a half ago (new), I've been having nothing but trouble with it.

At 2000 miles, the engine shut off on the freeway about four times, once during the dead of night. I took it to a Suzuki shop to have it fixed, and it took them three tries to finally fix it (they replaced the battery, which cost me $100, on top of them fixing the right fork seal four times over within a month. About $1000 of repairs, in the first 5000 miles alone).

After about 10,000 miles of riding around and keeping it tuned (every 3000 miles, I never miss a repair), I figured the bike had finally calmed down.

Now, all of a sudden, it won't start again.

In the morning, when it's about 50 degrees outside, I hit the starter switch and the engine starts to turn over for about three seconds. Then it stops, and this rapid clicking sounds whenever I hold down the starter switch. It's coming from directly below me, roughly where the battery is.

To top it all off, something's leaking. Small puddles of water appear when I try to start the bike, and seem to be dripping off of the battery holder underneath the bike.

With about ten total shutdowns, five refusals to start in the morning, eight trips to the shop, four broken fork seals and a front brake pad that constantly refuses to work past 100 miles, is this bike officially considered a lemon?

I would settle for getting it to work right now, so I can call this bike a wash and never buy from Suzuki again, if anybody could help me. I would really appreciate any advice.

Thank you,
Chris

[Clint]

Welcome, Chris.

Your battery's dead again. Either the battery is bad or the generator isn't keeping it charged. The fluid you saw leaking may be electrolyte, which is highly caustic. Since you didn't fill out your profile I don't know where you live. Did it freeze? Check that the battery housing is ok, then put it on a trickle charger overnight and see what that does.

There's a problem with your fork or the seals if they're only lasting a short while. Same with the brake. Can you describe any additional symptoms?

The beauty of forums like this is that they free you from "stealer dependancy". Most of the problems you described could have been fixed yourself cheaply and easily with a little research and a Clymer manual. From now on, we're your service department. Got it? Never again will you allow a dealer's slimy, half-competent hands on your machine. Right?

Stick around and have fun.

[stp1971]

Also check the battery compartment area and make sure there is nothing there that could be rubbibg a hole in the battery casing,,I.E.--- sharp weld points (weld splatter), a sharp edge, a bolt, or anything that could vibrate against the battery casing.

If the battery is leaking in essence you are losing it's life blood. Make sure you get some baking soda and mix it with some water to make a netralizing solution. or you could always go and by some battery acid neutralizer form any local parts store.

Get another battery from Autozone or any parts house that sells batteries for motorcycles, ATV's, or personal watercraft. Expect to pay anywhere from $25.00 to $45.00 depending on the brand and the size.

Motorcycle batteries are subject alot more to freezing due to their small size. It states that you should never store your battery in freezing temps for an extended period of time. It will kill your battery. Also disconnect the negative lead to the battery if it will be sitting for any length of time as well to prevent trickle drain. As Rowdy stated,, get a good trickle charger and it will not hurt it to be connected to the bike while trickle charging.

I personally disconnect the battery while doing this just in case,, but I know alot of people who do not.

As far as the seals,, if it is wearing them out that quick,, something is a miss with the seals. Could be some scarring on them allowing fluid to bypass them or some sort of defect where they are allowing fluid to bypass it,,I.E.--a dent or ding or something of the sort.

Look for fluid build up around the bike on the floor or look for dampness around the seal area.

Good luck on it.

[Wallbridge]

Thanks a lot for the warm welcome and quick replies. It's rare to see people on forums act so nicely... but we're all part of the same clique, right? Someday I may know enough about motorcycles to be in your helpful positions!

My stepfather and I took off the seat and took out the battery. Two things were immediately apparent:

1. The Air Filter (38A50 is written on it) was missing a cap, if it even has one.
2. When the battery came out, not only did water go shooting everywhere, but it sparked like a mofo.

He came to the conclusion that during our recent So. Cal. rain, water got into the air filter (how the hell did the cap pop off, anyway?), and shorted out some of my electronics.

Also, one of the battery terminals was so badly rusted that we need to replace not only the terminal, but the two screws around it. I'm taking a trip to Pep Boys tomorrow for both the filter cap and the terminal/screws... hopefully they'll have them.

As I type, the battery is also being recharged, and tomorrow I'm going to leave a heavy duty fan on the exposed innards of the possibly wet bike, hopefully drying it out enough to drive again.

In the future, I'm going to avoid rain whenever possible, and now use the garage to park. Now that I know how to remove the battery, I can now check it for corrosion, low power, low water, rust, etc... so I don't have to keep bugging the 'rents to do it for me.

Lastly, though I despise it, I'm going to favor the bus over walking. I may be on a diet, but my feet are so blistered and swollen from walking all over town for work, bike places, etc... that I'm going to have a difficult time at work tomorrow.

Again, thank you guys for your help, and I'll keep you updated on my progress. Little by little, I will be learn to be self-sufficient on biking.

Next stop, changing oil and spark plugs...

Chris

[stp1971]

Get you a good Clymers manual or even the Suzuki Shop manual. I have a Suzuki shop manual for my VL1500LC, my 1981 GS650G, and I am going to go pick up the manual for the 2005 DL650K6 that the dealer said just came in that I ordered.

They are invaluable!!!! If you change your own oil two to three times yourself you have already paid for the cost of the manual plus you know you did it right (hopefully) and you get the satisfaction of knowing you did it and the stealership (dealership) didn't get the dollars from you.

[Wallbridge]

Just about ready to fix her up and be all done! But one mystery remains...

That black box underneath my seat that I thought was the air filter? I'm not sure it actually is one. Whatever it is, it has a giant hole in the top with no cap, which needs to be replaced.

The side is labelled with two numbers:
38A50
38A60

And there is a check next to the 38A50.

On top, it is labelled:
2x237

Any ideas as to what this is?

Thanks a lot,
Chris

[Wallbridge]

I took the bike in to an independant dealership, who couldn't find the problem, but charged me for it anyway. Pronouncing it fixed, they sent me on my way.

A couple months later, once again, the motorcycle has stopped working. Same symptoms, too: the engine won't turn over, and there's a clicking sound by the battery (which has lost its charge again).

I am sorely disappointed with Suzuki on every matter of this bike. Not only have their dealerships been surly and incompetent crooks, but every phone call I've made to Suzuki HQ has been one "pass the buck to someone else" deal after another.

Who wouldn't be a little peeved after this list of electric problems (not even counting the numerous other things that went wrong):

- Shuts down on the freeway
- Original dealership won't take it back or fix it, urges me to take it somewhere else
- New dealership tightens a screw, calls it fixed
- Shuts down at my friend's house
- Dealership locktights the screw, calls it fixed
- Shuts down at the library
- Dealership replaces, and charges me for, a battery, calls it fixed
- Runs fine for 10,000 miles, then almost shuts down at night in the rain
- Stops working one morning, almost lose my job
- New dealership looks it over, can't find a problem, sends me on my way
- Stops working today, right before I'm going to visit and ask out a young woman who lives quite a ways away
- New dealership says take it back to the Suzuki dealership
- Repeat step 1

I'm selling this motorcycle as soon as the dealership gets it fixed, and I'm never going to buy from Suzuki again. Broken bikes happen, but I've forgiven their lacking customer service and shoddy repairs more than any sane man would.

To turn this exceedingly negative situation around and change the aftertaste of this post, I hope anybody here would be kind enough to let me know of a better motorcycle company. Customer service, and above all else, reliability, are paramount. Would Honda be a better supplier for cruisers, such as the Shadow?

Thank you very much,
Chris

[redneck_wah]

my bike has 20,000 miles on it and i just had the clutch replased is that to soon for it to go out also when i give it gas in netureal blue smoke comes out is that bad?

[Aussie Steve]

Firstly it is an unforntunate situation that there are a lot of very poor dealers around who appear to employ certifiable cretins for so called mechanical staff and who's sole purpose in life is to charge like a wounded bull whenever the opportunity arises. Having said that I have come across one dealer here who is always willing to help and often fixes problems without any fuss. Sure they come a cross a mystery problem now and again but by and large the dealers in Perth are more than happy to fix what they sell....if they don't they soon go out of business.

What is the point of all the above you may ask? It doesn't really matter which brand of bike you choose they all will have the equivelant of your "problem" model and there will always be someone who has had "no problems at all"

I do feel for you there is nothing worse than getting a lemon but the issues you are having are not insurmountable. You are frustrated and angry which is understandable but try to work through the problems you may find you have a bike that you are glad you kept.

Firstly the battery. As stated there is "water" everywhere...this is not plain water but corrosive acid + water and must be removed immediatly to prevent further damage.

Once this is done and the battery is determined to be fit for further service do as you have just done and recharge it again....be advised though....1: batteries do not take being totally discharged well it tends to shorten their life dramatically. and 2: be absolutly sure about the battery's case. Find out if the acid has been leaking due to causes other than a cracked case...overcharging is a common problem that can make the acid splash around due to the water boiling.

If the above is not the case do as suggested and check the battery carrier out for any protusions inside that can damage the case...this would tend to be obvious due to the type of any case damage done.

Finally with the recharged/new battery fitted check across the terminals for VDC using a multimeter set to dc volts...around the twenty setting should do.

Without the motor running you should read 12.5 to 13 VDC. Anything less indicates a short somewhere....if your lights come on with the ignition your readings will be inaccurate so if possible disconnect the lights.

Run the engine to about 5000 rpms, warm it up first, and read what the battery is getting from the charging circuit. The VDC should rise to about 14 to 15 VDC.

If there are any discrepancies you have a fault in the charging circuit somewhere and this is why your battery continues to fail.

From what you have stated I would suspect the battery is being well overcharged...unless the liquid loss can be tracked down to the battery case being damage or other causes, loose battery being shaken?

Finaly, (phew!!), the fork seals may be failing due to twisted forks...a very easy fix and one the stealership should have checked. Bikes used to be shipped without the forks being assembled and this used to be a common problem. Alternitivly the forks may be bent or otherwise damaged. Close inspection near the seals and checking for true can be done by eye.

Once the above has been done post what you found.

Good luck with this and do not lose faith the bike can be fixed!

Ps
Redneck.... As for a clutch only lasting 20,000 and blowing blue smoke both are bad news....you're not popping wheelies are you?????

[Wallbridge]

I sold that headache of a bike to a new person a year or two ago. Because I understand what it feels like to be in a position like that, where your bike is constantly messing up, I took it to yet another dealership to find the problem.

Moomba motorsports, a formerly public and now private bike garage, found out that my stater was rusty. How this happened, I do not know, but once they replaced it and the battery, the problem never came back.

I wanted to have everything replaced on the bike there as well (fork seals, wheels, etc...) for the next buyer, because I didn't want the bike to have trouble for its new owner and put them in the same position I was in, so I ordered some tires from Moomba and waited for their phone call that the tires had arrived.

But they never called (they had stopped serving the public and neglected to tell me in the interim). When I went to the garage, they lied to my face and said that they ordered the tires, and to go home and just keep waiting. So I went to Bert's Mega Mall to have everything swapped out. They charged pure rape in price, but they did everything very quickly.

All in all, I got back, after all the repairs and the final maintenance on this horrible lemon, $1000 on the $9200 new motorcycle and warranty I bought.

To summarize my almost a dozen mechanical problems experiences with two different Suzuki cruisers:

1. Suzuki may or may not make excellent motorcycles; I cannot generalize about this. But their "You're on your own" and "We screwed up. Let's try doing the same ineffective thing, but charge more" service, both at their dealerships and at their office, sucked dookie through a straw.
2. The people of Moomba Cyclesports know their way around a motorcycle, but their customer service needed a whole lot of work.
3. Puente Hills Motorsports was a godawful mess of a dealership. Their workers were clueless, the staff was rude, they didn't check out my whole motorcycle electrical system, even though it was completely covered by the warranty and indicative of the inherent problem, and their solution involved me buying a new $100 battery... which wasn't the problem.
4. Quinsey Powersports in Lemon Grove lied to sell a motorcycle ("Yeah, if your bike breaks down, we'll completely cover the tow charge!"), and wouldn't take responsibility for a lemon they sold.
5. Bert's Mega Mall knew what it was doing, but "neglected" to mention some of the costs owed, and charged an arm and a leg for simple maintenance.
6. Fun Bike Center in San Diego is (present tense here!) the most kickass Suzuki dealership, ever. Their service is excellent, they know what they're doing, and the people will work closely with you, and on time every time, to make sure your ride is going smoothly. If you live in or near San Diego, TRUST THESE GUYS.
7. The warranty I purchased barely, just barely, paid itself off after almost a dozen trips to several different dealerships, and didn't cover half the things wrong with the bike (fork seals out of alignment, ever-squeaky brake pads and a new battery with the new stater). If the bike was in good condition, I would have wasted the money on the warranty, and since it wasn't, I barely got my money back. In either case, what's the point of paying for the warranty?

And most importantly:

8. For anyone reading this: don't be lazy like I was and learn to service your own bike. 4/5 dealerships bending me over a table in some way is not good odds, and the same odds may apply to you.
9. Next time, I'm buying a Honda.

[Aussie Steve]

Unfortuanatly Honda have their own gremlins and they are as disinclined to own up to them as Suzuki is to theirs. You would be best advised to do a little research into models before parting with your hardearned cash on another one. Personally I have had little problems with my B12...but any sophisticated machine such as the motorcycles of today will have some problems...best to go for a tried and trusted model and steer clear of the newer ones.

Good luck

[krob63]

Yesterday, after riding my 02 Suzuki VL 800 about 60 miles, I stopped by the local elementry school parking lot to practice U turns, stops, etc, a lot of friction zone work. Everything was going good, the bike was doing like it always has, no slipping from the clutch or transmission. After about 10 minutes of practice, I get out of the clutch coming out of a U turn, and nothing in first. Nothing in second. Nothing in any of the gears. The bike will go into gear from neutral, but it just rolls in each gear. Even though it will go into gear, it won't engage a gear. It has 5300 miles on it.
I trailered it home, and adjusted the clutch. I drove it to the end of my driveway 100 feet (slipping along the way) and then I lose all my gears.
The engine oil has about 2000 miles on it and smelled burnt. I changed the oil, but still can't engage any gears.
Any ideas if it's the clutch or the transmission, and if it's the clutch, how much of a pain is it for a not so talented do it yourselfer.