Suzuki RF900 feedback wanted

[Redstar]

On July the 10th 2004 at 12.15pm I will trade my zxr400 for another bike. and I,m considering a Suzi 900RF.
So far i've heard that.

the needle slides wear so they run rich and lumpy
the gearing is tall and they vibrate at 100klms/hr
they get notchey from 1st to second
the alternator seal bearing packs

all very fixable

and other probs?

[What?]

Struth! that's a lot of things going wrong... I'd been led to believe thr RF was "Mr Reliable.

Ask mikenash@xtra.co.nz I think ha has probably stacked up more miles on an RF than anyone else in NZ.

[SPman]

Originally posted by Redstar
On July the 10th 2004 at 12.15pm I will trade my zxr400 for another bike. and I,m considering a Suzi 900RF. 

Nice to see someone who knows exactly what they want to do :p

[mangell6]

RF900RR - Great bike - Sold ours at 69,97?kms. Dealer didn't wan't us to ride it home so it would stay below the 70,000kms mark.

Wife road it around the South Island March 2002 with pack on packrack and tankpack, She's 5'6 and we only sold it cos she wanted her bike seeing as I had mine, FZ1.

The vibration and the other stuff are minor. The alternator/starter rubber bearing lasts about 40-50,000 kms depending. The bike handles well and is very forgiving if you get the line wrong or bounce through corners (sudden dips).

The bike was great for touring and on the track. The damn thing cost me 55 demerits and $600 last year, open road no traffic on my side of the road. :Oops:

Mike

[SPman]

A great sport/tourer, Baz from Leading Edge put up  over a 100K on his with stuff all trouble and a mate in N.P traded down? from a ZZR11 and really enjoyed it - lots of 2-up 800k weekends. Cheaper to run than a ZZR he reckoned and he could still cover the miles, comfortably, at similar speeds. Still a great value for money, real road bike .:)

[MacD]

Originally posted by mangell6
The vibration and the other stuff are minor. The alternator/starter rubber bearing lasts about 40-50,000 kms depending.
Took one of these for a test ride on the weekend and was fairly impressed. Is there any way of telling whether the alternator/starter rubber bearing is worn, or is it just something that is going to wear at that mileage?

[mangell6]

MacD wrote

Is there any way of telling whether the alternator/starter rubber bearing is worn, or is it just something that is going to wear at that mileage?

MacD,

The term 'bearing, is misleading, it is actually called a generator damper according to the service manual, the rubber is to prevent the sudden 'shock' of starting being passed through to the generator.

The easiest way to tell if the bearing is stuffed is that you have a flat battery, the headlight is dim, or it is hard to start, like a car with a flat battery. :D :D

On the weekend I saw my, oops, our, old RF900 at the RustyNuts Grand Challenge, got chatting to the new owner and he is really enjoying it.

Mike

[MacD]

Thanks, Mangell6, for explaining that. I guess if the rubber goes, no drive is transmitted to the generator?

Most of the reviews I've read have been fairly positive about the RF900.

[Redstar]

On July the 10th 2004 at 12.15pm I will trade my zxr400 for another bike. and I,m considering a Suzi 900RF.
So far i've heard that.

the needle slides wear so they run rich and lumpy
the gearing is tall and they vibrate at 100klms/hr
they get notchey from 1st to second
the alternator seal bearing packs

all very fixable

and other probs?
Bought one at 12.15 from Holeshots 1997 RF900 :D

[Kwaka-Kid]

now how did you know the exact time matey?! did you have a lump of money coming at midday that day that u knew about a year ago? crazy... and what a mistake :P what about the ZXR400! wicked little bikes. Ah well, RF900's are nice bikes so well let u off! :D

[moko]

Good solid bikes.One of our top bike journos has one as his personal wheels,and that`s a bloke that`s ridden everything.They didnt sell well here when they were current,GPZ900 was the one everyone wanted.Now they`re becoming sought after,same as the CBR1000 of the same era,and prices are edging up.All the ones I`ve seen have been in excellent condition which points to decent build quality,and the motor is supposed to be a gem.RF600 was the same,in the shadow of everything else but everyone I know that`s owned one raves over them.

[F5 Dave]

I replaced my touring bike & the RF was the obvious choice. Ugly as sin with a fat arse but so cheap for what you get it’s hard to pass up. They have several dumb-arse faults if you want to use one for a sport-tourer but they are all easy to fix.

1. Handlebars are too angled. Wrists get sore. It’s not the height it’s the angle is unnatural. F1 engineering make some handlebar replacements. They seem expensive at over $200 but they are well made & are worth every cent. This guy does make some nice stuff it seems.

2. Pillion pegs are too high unless you have a 4’ Japanese girlfriend. I made some plates out of 10mm ally & lowered then say 50mm & 30 further forward. You have to then cut the exhaust pipe take out a section & reweld it, but it is down by the original weld & out of sight. The pipe doesn’t drag & it means the muffler is less likely to burn a hole in your panniers.

3. Which brings me to the next point. The rear indicators are so far forward you can’t mount panniers without taking up the space over the pillion pegs, even with them moved. I made some tags to move them back (welded to the packrack bars if you have them).

4. The thermostat is a ballsup & is too cold which doesn’t help carburetion. Replace with Automotive Tridon p/n TT2003-195, which is around 90 deg. Drill one small hole at the top like the original (but not the other 4 on the inner).

5. The rear spring is Waaay soft. Well it was on mine, we got them from several markets mine was an E6 (on sticker on headset) & the rear would slump with the girl on the back even on full preload so the kickstand would be hard to put up & neither of us are big. I measured the spring to be ~65kg/cm which is pathetic. Replaced it with one of a GSX600 + a couple of adaptors so the width & length were the same & would fit the RF shock. Not sure if the GSX spring was std as it was a little bit stiffer than the early GSXR750 I tested. Only just done this but the bike turns a lot better so hopefully will steer less like a chopper with a pillion. Had to adjust the headlight it made that mush difference solo.


Vibration at 100? Nah, can’t feel it. My friend’s fairings rattle, but I RTVed the ones by the screen & no problem

[Kwaka-Kid]

i gotta RF900 shock on a GSX750 swinger on the GS1000, bloody firm i thought! need to soften and lower the GS atm... awesome shock for a 1978 bike designed only with twin shock... i say dont complain :P

[White trash]

Yeah I bought one of them.

It's not quite like any other, however. <_<

[Redstar]

now how did you know the exact time matey?! did you have a lump of money coming at midday that day that u knew about a year ago? crazy... and what a mistake :P what about the ZXR400! wicked little bikes. Ah well, RF900's are nice bikes so well let u off! :D :sneaky2: Perceptive little bugger arent you.
I was always planning this 10th is pay day and 20years bonus from work.
but yeah it was 12.15 and yeah it was a 900RF despite they gave me a SV1000 for the weekend ..Bastards talk about temptation with scorpion cans it sounded awesum :brick: but out of my range. had a bit of fun.
This weekend gone was a gooden bumped into Petethepom he had his T on
nice chap too! I am a pig in shit! :doobey:

[madandy]

Good Ole RF's! wish mine had 130hp...lol

[moko]

[QUOTE=F5 Dave]
2. Pillion pegs are too high unless you have a 4’ Japanese girlfriend [QUOTE]


Good bike for Auckland then from what I saw there :)

[Lou Girardin]

Great bike! Allow a couple of hundred for the carb jets and emulsion tubes and keep an eye on the alternator charging rate and the rest is sweet.

[James Deuce]

Congrats Redstar - I take it you are enjoying the RF900?

I nearly bought Mangell's one, but because I see him every now and then I didn't want to be the one to tell him I killed it :)

[fastford111]

my last bike was a rf900 it was an aewsome bike cheap to run heaps of go but i to had aultinator prob cost me $250 to get the shop to fix it then the batt shit witch took the cdi with it because it over charged due to a faulty voltage regulator but that dosent mean you would have that problem i was told you can fix this problem with a gixxxer part all this wouldnt put me of buying another :first:

[ManDownUnder]

They don't like the water either... the deep cavities the plugs sit in fill with water if they sit in the rain and they miss like a bastard for a while.

Early models needed 2nd gear replacement at about 30,000kms asw the case hardening wasn't up to it at time of manufacture.

Otherwise - all good with mine!

[moko]

I dont know if this still holds but back in the bad old days of combusting Suzuki electrics in the 70`s the answer used to be to replace the Suzuki parts with Honda,I think it was pretty much a straight swap reg/rectifier e.t.c. the old CB250N model stuff used to fit all the Suzukis.there`s a company just down the road from me made a fortune in exchange re-wound Suzuki alternators as well but a bit far for you lot,better if the factory had sorted it out in the first place,got Suzi a real bad rep here at the time.Word was that keeping your lights on all the time stopped it for some reason too technical for me.
As for the wet plugs,Yam Fazers have a real lash-up but it works,theres a strip of rubber runs along in front of the plugs!!Yep,they came out of the factory like that but at least it works and I`ve never had any trouble.

[ManDownUnder]

As for the wet plugs,Yam Fazers have a real lash-up but it works,theres a strip of rubber runs along in front of the plugs!!Yep,they came out of the factory like that but at least it works and I`ve never had any trouble.

The RF has a kind of rubber "cap" that fit neatly into the top of the plug well but I think it doesn't work too well sometimes, and if/when water gets in, it probably stops it all getting out!

I swapped out the plugs in my RF a while ago and the thread on #4 was rusty... really really rusty.

I wonder why it was missing?

Apparently (so I've heard) the GSX1100 has the same problem with water - same engine essentially just sleeved down/not bored out so much

Having bitched and moaned about the RF's all through this thread, I have one - I like it, they're good, strong and reliable bikes, comfortable as and pull like a schoolboy (I heard that somewhere - I like it)

MDU

[F5 Dave]

. . . and pull like a schoolboy (I heard that somewhere - I like it)

MDU


Goodbye Pork Pie. When they put the ally head on the mini.

[F5 Dave]

Hey I just remembered

the fuel tank needs a mod or two.


Fuel light comes on only after a miserable amount to time. :ar15: Just makes you panic unnecessarily. Take the tank off & use a big spanner to take out the fuel level sensor (Big nut with wires). Unsolder the sensor & move it down so it’s top is where it’s bottom is std & resolder. This will mean the fuel light won’t come on till about 255km, about 5 km before when reserve needs turning. This is good because the reserve tap needs a lot of effort to turn it so it gives you some time.

While you are there, reserve is 85km!! Crazy, :shit: means you are carrying all this fuel you never use. Take the fuel tap out & pull the filter off the end. Cut the brass tube in half & refit the filter on. This will give you much more range & still leave you with a decent reserve.

I made a new tap which is easier to turn if anyone is interested in how to make one.

[ManDownUnder]

Hey I just remembered

the fuel tank needs a mod or two.



Fuel light comes on only after a miserable amount to time. :ar15: Just makes you panic unnecessarily. Take the tank off & use a big spanner to take out the fuel level sensor (Big nut with wires). Unsolder the sensor & locate it so it’s top is where it’s bottom is std. This will mean the fuel light won’t come on till about 255km, about 5 km before when reserve needs turning. This is good because the reserve tap needs a lot of effort to turn it. :disapint:

While you are there, reserve is 85km!! Crazy, :shit: means you are carrying all this fuel you never use. Take the fuel tap out & pull the filter off the end. Cut the brass tube in half & refit the filter on. This will give you much more range & still leave you with a decent reserve.

I made a new tap which is easier to turn if anyone is interested in how to make one.

Odd - my fuel light kicks in at 210km... which is about right as I run around the city in 3rd or 4th all the time (a crime I know...)

Maybe justa one off. Lou - you out there... what does your's do chap?
MDU

[Lou Girardin]

Odd - my fuel light kicks in at 210km... which is about right as I run around the city in 3rd or 4th all the time (a crime I know...)

Maybe justa one off. Lou - you out there... what does your's do chap?
MDU

Light used to come on at 220 to 240 km's. Used to average a fairly consistant 15.5 to 16 km/l.
The Bandits much the same.

[pete376403]

I dont know if this still holds but back in the bad old days of combusting Suzuki electrics in the 70`s the answer used to be to replace the Suzuki parts with Honda,I think it was pretty much a straight swap reg/rectifier e.t.c. the old CB250N model stuff used to fit all the Suzukis.there`s a company just down the road from me made a fortune in exchange re-wound Suzuki alternators as well but a bit far for you lot,better if the factory had sorted it out in the first place,got Suzi a real bad rep here at the time.Word was that keeping your lights on all the time stopped it for some reason too technical for me..
Only two phases of the alternator output were regulated. The third phase was only switched into circuit when the headlights were on, and this phase wasn't regulated. As long as the lights were ok, it (sort of) worked ok, but if the headlight blew (and you might not notice it if you had the lights on during the day) then the battery got hit with the full voltage from one phase of the alternator (75+ volts AC at 5000 rpm according to the GS850 service manual)
Once the battery boiled dry the alternator had no where to put the juice it was generating and it overheated and died, soon after. And you thought Lucas electrics were bad. Eletrex http://www.electrexusa.com/ do a proper three phase regulator. There is also a very good fault finding chart at http://www.electrexusa.com/electrex_fault_finding.html

[GSVR]

MacD wrote


MacD,

The term 'bearing, is misleading, it is actually called a generator damper according to the service manual, the rubber is to prevent the sudden 'shock' of starting being passed through to the generator.

The easiest way to tell if the bearing is stuffed is that you have a flat battery, the headlight is dim, or it is hard to start, like a car with a flat battery. :D :D

On the weekend I saw my, oops, our, old RF900 at the RustyNuts Grand Challenge, got chatting to the new owner and he is really enjoying it.

Mike

Hey YOD this sounds like it may be your problem. Its just a drive coupling rubber. Probably just a few bucks from PTs.

[yod]

Hey YOD this sounds like it may be your problem. Its just a drive coupling rubber. Probably just a few bucks from PTs.

mint

will look at this today...

[rf900flyerUSA]

mine seems to run rich, never needs choking, mechanic said I don't ride hard enough ...thus the carbon buildup blown out when I blip the throttlle
tall gearing .......i suppose.......i'm not a wheelie king/tire burner...@ 6k rpm it's doing 90MPH

[rf900flyerUSA]

Mine almost always starts after sitting for 2 weeks upon 1st cranking.
I got it up to 140 , on way to work, it boes buzz around 100mph.

I went from a SECA 600 to the RF900.....i liked the massive brake light,
very comfy on rides, not too low or high,

I managed to get 11k miles on a dunlop D206 on it