2003 SUZUKI SUZUKI MOTORCYCLE — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS FAILED AT ABOUT 6500 MILES. MOTORCYCLE STARTED LURCHING AND I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE AND ONE OF THE FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS WAS ALMOST TOTALLY DESTROYED. THERE WASN'T A SCREECHING SOUND OR ANTHING TO WARN ME THAT THE BEARINGS WERE FAILING PRIOR TO THIS. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM TO OWNERS OF THE SUZUKI AF650 BUT SUZUKI HAS NOT ADDRESSED IT. SUZUKI DID REPLACE THE BEARING. INITIALLY THEY TOLD ME TO PAY FOR IT BECAUSE IT WAS A BEARING THAT'S CONSIDERED A "WEAR ITEM." LATER THE DEALER REIMBURSED ME FOR THE COST OF THE BEARING AND LABOR.

VEHICLE SHOOK UNCONTROLLABLY SHAKING WHEN DRIVING AT 40 MPH OR LESS. WHEN PURCHASING THE VEHICLE CONSUMER HAD THE TIRES CHANGED AT THE DEALERSHIP, THAT WAS THE FIRST THING SUGGESTED WAS WAS WRONG WITH VEHICLE. SINCE THE TIRES HAD BEEN CHANGED VEHICLE STILL HAS THE SAME PROBLEM.*AK

THE SUZUKI VL1500LC INTRUDER (LC FOR SHORT) HAS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH ITS FUEL TANK CRACKING RIGHT BEHIND THE FRONT RIGHT MOUNTING BOLT. THIS IS KNOWN TO THE LC COMMUNITY, AND WE ASSUME THAT IT IS KNOWN BY SUZUKI. THE LATTER, HOWEVER, HAS SO FAR NOT DONE ANYTHING TO REMEDY THE SITUATION. YES, THEY WILL REPLACE THE TANK, BUT THE NEW TANK CRACKS IN THE SAME PLACE, SO THAT IS NOT A 'GOOD' FIX. THE TANK ON MY BIKE HAS DEVELOPED THE SAME CRACK, AFTER LESS THAN 14,000 MILES. THE GAS IS ROUTED TO DRIP IN AN AREA VERY NEAR THE EXHAUST PIPES. (ON A BIKE WITH STOCK EXHAUST, IT MAY WELL DRIP ONTO THE EXHAUST EXPANSION CHAMBER.) BECAUSE THE REPAIR - IE REPLACEMENT OF TANK - IS NOT A SATISFACTORY REPAIR MOST OF US SEE NO REASON TO LEAVE THE BIKE IN THE SHOP FOR A WEEK OR MORE TO FACILITATE REPLACEMENT OF SAID TANK. IN STEAD, OTHER REMEDIES ARE SOUGHT. SOME SUCCESS IS REPORTED USING JBWELD.

I HAVE A 2003 SUZUKI INTRUDER LC1500. IT IS 2 MONTHS OUT OF WARRANTY AND HAS 5,100 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. RECENTLY I STARTED SMELLING GAS AND, AWARE THAT OTHERS HAVE HAD CRACKS IN THEIR FUEL TANKS THROUGH THE LC FORUM, CHECKED THE SUSPECT AREA OF THE TANK. THERE WAS RESIDUE, I CLEANED THE TANK AND RECHECKED IT YESTERDAY. THERE WAS NEW RESIDUE AND THE CRACK IS VISIBLE.*AK

THERE IS A CRACK IN THE WELD ALONG THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE GAS TANK ON MY 2003 SUZUKI VL1500LC MOTORCYCLE. I NOTICED IT AFTER OTHER OWNERS AND I HAVE STARTED COMMUNICATING AMONG EACH OTHER ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. *AK A COMMON FIX SEEMS TO BE TO USE JB WELD TO CLOSE THE CRACK. SUZUKI INTERNATIONAL WILL NOT EVEN TALK ABOUT THE PROBLEM. THEY HAVE RUDELY TREATED MANY WHO HAVE CONTACTED THEM REGARDING THIS SERIOUS PROBLEM. MANY DEALERS HAVE REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS AND IT IS A WIDELYY KNOW ISSUE AMONG CURRENT OWNERS OF THE MOTORCYCLE.