Why does this forum exist?

[Keith1500]

Funny, I bought a suzuki and came to this forum to find information and meet some fellow suzuki riders. Turns out my first post was to ask for assistance. So far no responses, good thing it was only a dead bike and eventually I could fix it myself without any help. I posted on the Streetbike forum...one answer...go somewhere else for help. Good advice. I guess this is pretty much a dead forum. Anyone know any good suzuki forums?

[87gsxrnut]

Keith,

I can tell you, that there are a lot of good forums around. Maybe you will want to find a forum dedicated to the Intruder for mechanical assistance with guys and gals who know that bike inside and out. That being said, it is almost impossible to diagnose a bike correctly sometimes, unless you are right there. Most requests for help are extremely vague.

Your original post was fairly complete, and more detailed than most. But, I have no real experience with an Intruder, and don't like to give advice on a bike like that until I get to work on one. I'll give advice all day long on the old Suzuki O/C bikes/motors, because I have been working on them for 15-years. I have worked on several hundred other types of bikes as well. It looks like yours was a model specific problem.

Case in point, I just got done troubleshooting and repairing a 1982 Magna 750 tonight. Turns out that it had intermittent firing problems. Most people would say "it's not running right", or "it runs at idle, but not when you give it gas past 3K RPM. HELP!".

What was the culprit? First I rebuilt the carbs becasue they were wasted. I also had to replace the fuel inlet lines because some ham-fisted moron broke one and tried to repair it w/tape and RTV. Once I had those done, and the airbox finally installed correctly, after cleaning all of the RTV and other crap someone put around the edges, I fired the bike up.

The bike idled fine like before, but still had the same rev problem. Carbs were not the problem, but they had to be fixed correctly FIRST to make sure. I then tried to pull the wire off each plug to see if I could find the culprit. Well, BOTH front cylinders seemed to be the problem. I hooked up a spark tester. It turns out, that the front two cylinders had a weak spark, compared to the rear. When the motor was revved, the spark would disappear altogether at about 3K RPM, then it would be intermittent, causing backfires, etc.

Well, after swapping the coils, swapping wires, checking plugs for the second time, and checking the CDI box, the problem persisted. I then had to get the manual down. When looking at the schematic, I had to see if my eyes were decieving me or not. This bike has TWO CDI boxes. It was the SECOND CDI BOX that was bad. I plugged in a spare and BOOM, there it was. A model specific problem to the VF750C as it turns out.

CDI boxes rarely go bad, but this was a case where it happened. Now, tell me, how am I suppose to diagnose a problem like that to someone on a bike that I have never worked on? Am I supposed to tell someone how to LOGICALLY troubleshoot a bike EVERY TIME they say their bike won't start??? Sorry, but I just don't have the time or patience.

I think it is important that EVERY rider know basic mechanic skills, because it proves very useful when trying to explain a problem to someone else. Like I said, your original post was decent, but I would have assumed you would have immediately pulled the plug wires to see if there was a spark or not. Especially if you pulled the fuel line to see if it was getting gas. Checking spark is usually the FIRST thing you want to check for if the bike won't start (that and making sure the petcock is on RESERVE, and not ON).

Other things now that we are back on the topic of your bike:

1. Modern day charging systems should be plenty adequate to keep your battery charged, even if you only take short trips (as opposed to your old GT-750).

2. Check the electrolye in your battery and make sure that it is still strong. If it is a sealed battery, check the static discharge and the voltage in the morning. It should be in the neighborhood of 12-volts.

3. Run an ohmmeter across the battery terminals while the bike is running. Rev the bike. Above 3K RPM or so, the voltage should climb to somewhere between 13.5 and 14 volts. If it doesn't, there is an issue with your charging system.

4. Be careful when jumpstarting a bike. You can trash parts of these newer electrical systems very easily. If you feel you must, connect the negative cable to the frame of the bike. Only keep the cables on as long as absolutely necessary to get it running.

I believe some people aren't very comfortable on giving advice when dealing with other people's bikes, or if it is a bike that is unfamiliar to them. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to help every single post that pops up. I have four race bikes that I maintain, in addition to two street bikes, and other "projects" (like that freaking Magna) that get dropped on me from time to time. I have a full-time job, and still wrench 20-30 hours a week. That is when I am not at the track racing or wrenching.

I know there are mechanics out there that can run circles around me, so I help when I can, and only when I am fairly sure I can guide someone in the right direction to get their problem solved.

The best advice I can give is get a manual, read it, and become intimately familiar with your machine. The more you know, the easier it is to diagnose the problem.

- Nut

[Keith1500]

You are correct in that I should have pulled a plug to check for spark. I didn't because they are not easy to get to in the 1500 (opposite side from fuel pump) and like I said...it was a new bike for me and I hate to tear into it 10 days after purchase. Besides my batter was too low before I got to that part and in the process of jumping it was able to start it with the higher voltage. What I was hoping for was a quick fix or response as to possible problems with this unfamilar bike. After talking to a mechanic it seems this is a common problem with newer suzukis because their CDI box requires a higher voltage to engage than any other bike, thus the problem...enough juice to turn over but not to engage the CDI box and spark. Seems like this is an important point for many suzuki owners and something many should have known and been able to relate. I've owned (and repaired) many bikes from my first Sears-Allstate motorcycle through every rice burner brand known of which I currently have four. I don't think the problem here is that people don't know (like I said this is a common problem according to a MC mechanic) but the lack of forum posters to care about anything except how their new bags look. Being a "car guy" (yes I have those too, from the 50's through the 80's) I visit a number of forums where advice, kind words and interactions other than check out my new paint job abound. The forums in general are ok, but a mechanics forum with an average of 1 reply per post for help is likely not needed and gives people a false sense of thinking someone may respond. So they wait and wait and go elsewhere for help. I realize there is only so much one person can do, and I am not admonishing you for your efforts. I was just hoping for a more interactive board from other riders besides the "yuppie" biker. Thanks for the reply.

[87gsxrnut]

I was just hoping for a more interactive board from other riders besides the "yuppie" biker.

It is a sign of the times these days, and I can understand your frustration. But we are all bikers here to some extent, so we need to help each other when we can, regardless of skill or experience. Don't forget, this is a generalized board for all Suzuki motorcycle, so you will have a large juxtaposition of ages, skills, mechanic knowledge, opinions etc.

but a mechanics forum with an average of 1 reply per post for help is likely not needed and gives people a false sense of thinking someone may respond

You have an excellent point. I hang out on another board for the O/C motors which has very quick mechanical responses by guys who have been working on them since their inception. That includes yours truly. Hopefully there is an Intruder site like that if you have more problems.

After talking to a mechanic it seems this is a common problem with newer suzukis because their CDI box requires a higher voltage to engage than any other bike

I was totally unaware of this problem. But, you learn something new every day! Thanks very much for sharing it. I am a bit out of touch with many of the newer bikes since I haven't worked in a motorcycle shop since 1995. When you are not around other mechanics and a wide range of bikes all day long, you don't get all of the tidbits and other info (like service bulletins) that comes along with it. Occasionally I'll work on one for a friend, but that is far between.

I guess I should have bought that GSX-R 1000 last year. Maybe I would be more up to speed with the goings on of the newer Suzukis. Of course then I wouldn't be able to afford to race this year! Oh well, maybe one day I'll get one. Of course, if I did, it would most likely end up on a track somewhere anyway.

Glad you got your problem solved. You can e-mail me if you want, if anything else creeps up.

- Nut

[Uncle Bob]

The forum is the combined knowledge of it's members, when people come here for help and don't get it don't put down the forum members for not knowing what you don't know.

This is a fairly new site ( 6 months ) and steadily growing, as it grows and a more diverse blend of members come on board so will the knowledge base of the site.

This site is not dead, it is in it's infancy and "learning " all the time. On the other hand we offer a place to post your question and also point people in the right direction when we can.

Now if you stick around and someone post the same question you will be in position to help them out. Thats what this site is about, helping each other when we can.

[geirbl]

Hi! Anyone here who can help me with my problem My 01 gsxr 750 engine is to be built into a hillclimb chassis and I suspect that the powervalve-servo is broken. Therefore I would like to remove the powervalve on my engine. Can I just plain and simple unwire and remove it, or will I in such case get problems starting/running the engine? If it won`t run, is there a way of bypassing the system so it runs anyway?

[wsharp]

geirbl,

You should start a new thread with this question, since the original posters probably feel the original post has been resolved. You are more likely to get a response that way.

[The Chad]

well stated by uncle bob. I myself try very hard to answer as many questions as I can. If I didn't respond to your qiestion, it was probably because I didn't have an answer for you. If I don't know something, I try not to just guess, for the simple fact thet I don't want to lead anyone in an incorrect direction.

[Roaddog]

I wouldn't say this is a dead site, it takes time for a site to grow and become active, sometimes people don't respond to a post because they don't have the answer. personally I enjoy this site.

[Zookie]

After talking to a mechanic it seems this is a common problem with newer suzukis because their CDI box requires a higher voltage to engage than any other bike, thus the problem...enough juice to turn over but not to engage the CDI box and spark....... Keith do you think that would apply to a 93 gsxr with cdi box?