OB_grandvitesse
Registered
Received a call today from customer rep from Suzuki in So CA in response to my letter of last week. I only addressed the 2000 model cam chain tensioner problem, not the sub-frame.
Said that before calling me he did a query for requests for warranty service from dealers for damage/replacement work due to 2000 model tensioner failures and THERE HAS BEEN NONE.
(Of course, there may be the issue of dealers doing work for this problem but calling it something else.)
So, official word from Suzuki is that there's no problem as far as they're concerned. He said that as long as no modification has been done which would adversely affect function of tensioner AND the bike is not "raced," that owners of the Hayabusa should continue to ride their bikes WITHOUT FEAR OF ANY FAILURE.
I'm not convinced that I should ride without fear as I'm not certain he has all the facts.
I suggest that we get serious about documenting these failures, both tensioner and sub-frame, rather than just give up and go to the after market. Why should a manufacturer get away with shoddy engineering?
One thing we could do is to get up a list of instances, appropriately documented, and send it on to Suzuki with a copy to NHTSA by recording some information as, for example, below:
Who has had a failure? What Suzuki dealer was the bike taken to (name, address and phone)? What did the Suzuki dealer identify the problem as? What warranty work did he do or is doing? And on what date(s)?
That's my two cents, guys.
Said that before calling me he did a query for requests for warranty service from dealers for damage/replacement work due to 2000 model tensioner failures and THERE HAS BEEN NONE.
(Of course, there may be the issue of dealers doing work for this problem but calling it something else.)
So, official word from Suzuki is that there's no problem as far as they're concerned. He said that as long as no modification has been done which would adversely affect function of tensioner AND the bike is not "raced," that owners of the Hayabusa should continue to ride their bikes WITHOUT FEAR OF ANY FAILURE.
I'm not convinced that I should ride without fear as I'm not certain he has all the facts.
I suggest that we get serious about documenting these failures, both tensioner and sub-frame, rather than just give up and go to the after market. Why should a manufacturer get away with shoddy engineering?
One thing we could do is to get up a list of instances, appropriately documented, and send it on to Suzuki with a copy to NHTSA by recording some information as, for example, below:
Who has had a failure? What Suzuki dealer was the bike taken to (name, address and phone)? What did the Suzuki dealer identify the problem as? What warranty work did he do or is doing? And on what date(s)?
That's my two cents, guys.
