Lemon Bike

[jmesax]

I bought a Suzuki DL1000 from a guy on Trademe about a 1 1/2 months ago. From the first long ride on I had problems with the bike. I had a mobile mechanic (recommended on kiwi bike) come out to look at it and he couldn't figure out what was going on with the bike. Finally I took it to Coleman Suzuki and they're even mystified but it's looking like it's the ECU (electronic control unit) which is going to cost $3500:gob: The previous owner seems nice enough and he says he never had any problems with the bike (he even recommended kiwibiker and some other things) and he didn't ride it much so I can imagine he didn't have an idea although it didn't work from the get go (only on long rides though - it seemed to be ok on short rides in the city). He has agreed to pay half of the repair bill but I'm wondering if this will happen now that it's this expensive. I'm wondering if there is anything I can do through trademe or a "lemon car/bike" organization - there are some things like this in the US (where I come from).... or any other good options? I bought the bike for $5500 so I'm not sure the repair is even worth it. Thoughts?

[98tls]

If me i would get on to a DL devoted forum and see what you can pick up,cost you have been quoted is absurd.

[onearmedbandit]

The only recourse in a private sale that you can rely on is if the bike was incorrectly advertised. If it was bought second hand from a dealer you're covered by the consumers guarantees act, however that doesn't really apply in this instance. You could possibly persue it in small claims court if the bike was advertised as 'running mint' or 'in perfect condition', however this is something that should really be confirmed before handing over the money (which I realise isn't always possible with trademe. You say you're wondering whether he'll pay now that it's so expensive. Have you asked him yet? He may be a decent guy who is gutted for you and willing to help out.

Has anyone swapped an ecu from a good running bike yet to determine if this is actually the issue? It would be a huge waste of time, money, and concern if the ecu is replaced and the problem is still evident.

[miloking]

I bought a Suzuki DL1000 from a guy on Trademe about a 1 1/2 months ago. From the first long ride on I had problems with the bike. I had a mobile mechanic (recommended on kiwi bike) come out to look at it and he couldn't figure out what was going on with the bike. Finally I took it to Coleman Suzuki and they're even mystified but it's looking like it's the ECU (electronic control unit) which is going to cost $3500:gob: The previous owner seems nice enough and he says he never had any problems with the bike (he even recommended kiwibiker and some other things) and he didn't ride it much so I can imagine he didn't have an idea although it didn't work from the get go (only on long rides though - it seemed to be ok on short rides in the city). He has agreed to pay half of the repair bill but I'm wondering if this will happen now that it's this expensive. I'm wondering if there is anything I can do through trademe or a "lemon car/bike" organization - there are some things like this in the US (where I come from).... or any other good options? I bought the bike for $5500 so I'm not sure the repair is even worth it. Thoughts?

Ebay is your friend!!! You can probably find used ECU for around $400-ish... does it have key with transponder coded to the ECU or something like that? (if not ECU swap should be relatively easy)...but as 98tls said, dedicated forum advice is definately worth the try because its not first time i heard dealer wrongly blaming ECU for something they cant explain or dont understand....

[MSTRS]

It could be something as simple as a poor earth. This creates greater resistance in the affected part of the loom, leading to hot wires and 'stuff'. Electronics don't like that.
I had a 'problem' with fault codes that was being blamed on the ECU. It turned out to be corrosion on the battery terminals.

[98tls]

Just re-read your post,if the ECU was fucked then the there would be no difference from short to long trips,if its going bad when up to temp i would be looking at the likes of a coil etc breaking down.Did Colemans put it into dealer mode and check for codes etc?

[marty]

2 second google search

http://www.fixya.com/motorcycles/t2547242-suzuki_dl_1000_k5_hiccups_2200_4300_rpm

[98tls]

These guys seem to know there stuff from what ive heard.http://www.stromtrooper.com/

[imdying]

From the first long ride on I had problems with the bike."Problems" ?!?

the ECU is going to cost $3500Nup, you're being taken for a ride, no DL ECU is that much even retail.

He has agreed to pay half of the repair billYou're lucky, he's under no obligation.

I'm wondering if there is anything I can do through trademe or a "lemon car/bike" organization - there are some things like this in the US (where I come from).... or any other good options? I bought the bike for $5500 so I'm not sure the repair is even worth it. Thoughts?Unless it was misrepresented to you, you're screwed :(

[cowboyz]

if guarentees of a good bike that wont cause trouble is what you wanted you should have brought off a dealer. Huge ups to the seller for offering to pay half. Friked if Id be doing the same! Who is to say you didnt break it on the ride home?

[Squiggles]

If it turns out to be the ecu i'd be on ebay/dedicated v-strom website/the phone to the wrecker before shelling out... there's a dl650 ecu on ebay for $170US, no good to you but gives you an idea of second hand price...

[dogsnbikes]

I bought a Suzuki DL1000 from a guy on Trademe about a 1 1/2 months ago. From the first long ride on I had problems with the bike. I had a mobile mechanic (recommended on kiwi bike) come out to look at it and he couldn't figure out what was going on with the bike. Finally I took it to Coleman Suzuki and they're even mystified but it's looking like it's the ECU (electronic control unit)

Has anyone tested the ECU regulator??

As already said though cheak the basic's before jumping in with both feet

Cheak for Loose Plug connections make sure they are secure and pressed home tight also cheak for any discolouration on the plug terminals,
cheak your fuse's too, are any of them heating up causing the plastic to bubble but not blowing the fuse itself,

Run some injector cleaner through next time you head out on a decent ride,Use half a bottle of Calibre injector cleaner from super cheap then use 1/3 every 3rd or 4th tank and use above the min octane recommendation,

[98tls]

Was in town this morning and decided to check the quoted price at the local Suzuki agent,yep $3354 + i guess Casbolts added in some labour,jesus H thats expensive.If indeed it turns out to be the ECU then try the guys at the link i posted earlier and no doubt you would get one for far less,actually about $3000 less at a minimum.

[imdying]

Was in town this morning and decided to check the quoted price at the local Suzuki agent,yep $3354 + i guess Casbolts added in some labour,jesus H thats expensive.If indeed it turns out to be the ECU then try the guys at the link i posted earlier and no doubt you would get one for far less,actually about $3000 less at a minimum.

Pffft, $756USD (http://www.ronayers.com/Search/N/687/PartNumber/32920-06G20/Source/SU). Robbers.

[miloking]

quoted price at the local Suzuki agent,yep $3354 +

Pffft, $756USD (http://www.ronayers.com/Search/N/687/PartNumber/32920-06G20/Source/SU). Robbers.



Dealers = theiving cunts

What else is new?

[onearmedbandit]

Fuck me, that's fucking ridiculous. You didn't happen to ask them why exactly we kiwi's should be shat on like that?

[Katman]

Dealers = theiving cunts

What else is new?

Not the dealers - Suzuki NZ.

[98tls]

Not the dealers - Suzuki NZ.

Yep,should have added thats EX Japan so its Suzuki and not there dealers as such,interestingly they have never sold one in this country,wonder why.:sherlock::gob:

[98tls]

If it turns out to be the ecu i'd be on ebay/dedicated v-strom website/the phone to the wrecker before shelling out... there's a dl650 ecu on ebay for $170US, no good to you but gives you an idea of second hand price...

Wouldnt be to bothered about wreckers myself,my last experiance with one was getting a quote for $400 +post for a part that i ended up buying in Germany and getting it to my doorstep for $100.No doubt they would know the silly money Suzuki sells em for and offer it to him for only slightly less stupid money..

[onearmedbandit]

Quite right, but it's the dealers at the end of the day that get the bad rep. They should see it of personal interest to the survival of their business to pull the importers into line. Or maybe they are just not interested in servicing a market like ours, and would prefer if we just cut down their costs by buying overseas (referring to the importers).

[imdying]

If every Suzuki dealer pulled the pin on their dealerships, Suzuki Japan would come and clean house pretty quickly.

[miloking]

Take it to independent motorcycle shop and get second opinion...i dont buy this ECU bull

[Crasherfromwayback]

If every Suzuki dealer pulled the pin on their dealerships, Suzuki Japan would come and clean house pretty quickly.

Problem is...Suzuki NZ is basically Suzuki Japan.

[TripleZee Dyno]

What are the "problems" you are having?

[BuzzardNZ]

Before you go down the ECU path, do some research into 'the green connector issue' The DL's and SV's are known for this problem and if yours has it, should be under $100 to fix.

[Oscar]

I bought a Suzuki DL1000 from a guy on Trademe about a 1 1/2 months ago. From the first long ride on I had problems with the bike. I had a mobile mechanic (recommended on kiwi bike) come out to look at it and he couldn't figure out what was going on with the bike. Finally I took it to Coleman Suzuki and they're even mystified but it's looking like it's the ECU (electronic control unit) which is going to cost $3500:gob: The previous owner seems nice enough and he says he never had any problems with the bike (he even recommended kiwibiker and some other things) and he didn't ride it much so I can imagine he didn't have an idea although it didn't work from the get go (only on long rides though - it seemed to be ok on short rides in the city). He has agreed to pay half of the repair bill but I'm wondering if this will happen now that it's this expensive. I'm wondering if there is anything I can do through trademe or a "lemon car/bike" organization - there are some things like this in the US (where I come from).... or any other good options? I bought the bike for $5500 so I'm not sure the repair is even worth it. Thoughts?

1. That sounds pretty cheap for a V-Strom.
2. I'm amazed that the guy wants to pay half.

What is the bike doing?

[avgas]

Bummer. I was always suspect of DL's..........but put it down to them just being ugly ;)

[Laava]

just being ugly ;)

HA HA! But we loves them anyway! As said, find someone who has one and beg borrow steal their ecu for a test run. Check the earthing and such. Go on to Stromtrooper.com and post in the aussie kiwi section. You will get this bike going for a lot less than you think, I am sure. Ask Triplezee if he can test your ecu. They are not that bad generally so you may find fault elsewhere. Has the bike had modifications, ie TRE?
The absolute first thing I would do is remove the ecu and check, clean plugs re-install with CRC 6.6 along with checking out all the major plugs on the loom. Do a tank lift and open the airbox to check the filter. Unless that has been done. How many km?
Be aware the 02-03 has a different ecu to later stroms[I think?]

[Oakie]

You didn't really describe the symptoms but it reminds me of something in my deep dark past that I heard of happening to someone else.
Bike started fine and ran around cold just fine. It was only after quite a bit of time that it started running rough. Now I'm not an auto-electrician's arsehole and have now idea on how it all works but the problem apparantly was in a rear indicator light which was shorting out when things got nice and warm and this caused the rough running. May be a wild goose chase but I guess you could get that sort of stuff checked out.

[Oscar]

You didn't really describe the symptoms but it reminds me of something in my deep dark past that I heard of happening to someone else.
Bike started fine and ran around cold just fine. It was only after quite a bit of time that it started running rough. Now I'm not an auto-electrician's arsehole and have now idea on how it all works but the problem apparantly was in a rear indicator light which was shorting out when things got nice and warm and this caused the rough running. May be a wild goose chase but I guess you could get that sort of stuff checked out.

A rear indicator???
Bit early for April Fools ininnit?

[Jantar]

I'm another DL rider who is a bit mystified. Like others have already asked, just what are the symptoms?

I would be suprised if it is the ECU as if that were the case it would happen right from start-up.

Does the FI warning light come on?
When do the syptoms (whatever they are) occur?
Does it happen suddenly orprogressively?
Is it predictable?

The answers to those questions may help us narrow the issue.

[Big Dog]

Try mrcycles.com for your part (ECU You mentioned?), just paid 1/2 what colemans quoted for a landed product.
Genuine.

[imdying]

I know a guy who has had one of those ECUs in bits, soaked it in acetone for a week, drilled holes in it, and soldered directly to the board, and still hasn't killed it. They're pretty robust, I'd be surprised if it was dead.

[miloking]

I know a guy who has had one of those ECUs in bits, soaked it in acetone for a week, drilled holes in it, and soldered directly to the board, and still hasn't killed it. They're pretty robust, I'd be surprised if it was dead.

Agreed that they are robust, however they do age as anything realy and can throw errors...just like any electronic device, but most likely bike would not run at all...

[imdying]

Throwing codes doesn't mean that it's broken, in fact it's more likely a sign that it's fine. The mechanical bits (i.e. sensors) feeding it info are a thousand (million?) times more like to be the cause of problems with an EFI system on a DL or SV. I've yet to see anyone kill one of those ND units.

[The Pastor]

Yeah what are the freeking problems? Is it a flat spot? is the engine dieing?

[Oakie]

A rear indicator???
Bit early for April Fools ininnit?

That's the way the story was related to me.

[Laava]

So did you get it sorted yet?

[Blackflagged]

That's the way the story was related to me.

What Day did they relay it to you on ? :yes:

[Pixie]

Hello ?hello?

[Big Dog]

What Day did they relay it to you on ? :yes:

My xs 250 started misbehaving in the rain.
After several hours of poking and digging I noticed the right rear indicator was not flashing, rather was fulll of water.
Drain it, drill a drain hole at the lowest point and she stopped being sluggish in the wet.

So stranger things have happened. No logical explanation but there you go.

[MarkH]

Finally I took it to Coleman Suzuki and they're even mystified but it's looking like it's the ECU (electronic control unit) which is going to cost $3500

No fuckin' way I'd pay $3500 for what it 'looks like' to a mystified mechanic. My first stop would be another Suzuki mechanic to see if he might be less mystified - maybe he'll hit on the real problem and fix it for a couple of hundred bucks! Take it to Haldanes for a start and get their opinion.

Or if it is already sorted now then please update us.

[paturoa]

These guys seem to know there stuff from what ive heard.http://www.stromtrooper.com/

+1 - join up and start a thread. If your clear about the symptoms then they are a lot of help

[Laava]

My xs 250 started misbehaving in the rain.
After several hours of poking and digging I noticed the right rear indicator was not flashing, rather was fulll of water.
Drain it, drill a drain hole at the lowest point and she stopped being sluggish in the wet.

So stranger things have happened. No logical explanation but there you go.

So you drained all your indicator fluid and it still works OK?

[AllanB]

At that price I'd say Colemans were also changing your indicator oil - in all 4 turn signals.

[Big Dog]

So you drained all your indicator fluid and it still works OK?

So I drained the rain our and the sporadic missing on the left pair of cylinders stopped.