Suzuki has initiated a safety improvement campaign, NOT a recall conducted under the safety act, in regards to a potential frame problem with the GSX-R1000. Please read the details below.
Manufacturer: American Suzuki Motor Corporation
Model Year: 2005-2006
Models affected: GSX-R1000
NHTSA Campaign Number: 09V022000
Potential Units Affected: 26082
Problem: American Suzuki is conducting a safety improvement campaign involving 26,082 model year 2005-2006 GSX-R1000 motorcycles. Cracking or breakage of the motorcycle frame can occur in certain extreme situations where unusually high stress is placed on the frame. Repeated hard landings from hazardous maneuvers such as extreme or extended wheelies or other stunts may generate sufficient stress to cause this problem. If the frame becomes broken during extreme use, a crash could occur.
Corrective Action: Dealers will inspect the frame for cracks. If no cracks are found, a frame reinforcement brace will be attached to the frame using bolts and epoxy adhesive. Should cracks be found during the inspection, the frame will be replaced with a new frame that has the reinforcement brace installed. The campaign began on January 21, 2009. Owners may contact Suzuki at 1-714-572-1490.
NOTE: Suzuki Campaign no. 2A08. This action is deemed a safety improvement campaign and is not being conducted under the safety act. However, Suzuki has informed NHTSA that it will provide the modifications described above free of charge.
Peter Lombardi says
Hmm, wonder what this brace “attached to the frame using bolts and epoxy adhesive” will look like, haha.
-peter
Dave says
Covering their ass against potential lawsuits.
justpete says
Fixing problems owners caused themselves? I understand the CYA aspect of it, but seriously? I know one of the shops here in town will damn near void your warranty on engine work if the find you’ve been doing burn-outs.
Weird Tim says
why should “Repeated hard landings from hazardous maneuvers such as extreme or extended wheelies or other stunts” be covered by any manufacturer? Would Toyota cover a car under warranty if it was jumped?
Gordo says
This is ridiculus. I do not see why Suzuki should pay to fix a problem with a product that is not being used for its intended purpose. Would someone actually sue Suzuki for making them do extended wheelies and the frame breaking from repeatedly dropping the front wheel hard? That is like sueing McDonald’s because they made you fat. Wait…
coho says
A recall that isn’t a recall…clever.
Sounds like at least one of Suzuki’s product liability
attorneys deserves a raise.
dave says
We just got the kits in today @ work… Interesting to say the least. We think it’s funny that a mfg would cover a potential problem caused purely from owner abuse. And honestly, we can’t see how this will ‘fix’ said potential problem. It is just a small frame-brace that epoxies to the underside of the main frame-hoop, behind the steering neck. It does bolt-in as well, but only to existing bolts. BUT, to go with this “non-recall” the inspection procedure is fairly complicated… And if we find any abnormalities, we are required to issue an order for a new frame. Paid for by Suzuki, mind you…
Expect to have you bike down @ the dealer for 2-3 days. It take 24hrs for the epoxy to cure… The engine is NOT to be started until the ‘curing procedure’ is complete.
justpete says
Dave; Do the shops actually have a choice to do this work or if someone brings in a bike that has obviously been abused, can they be turned away? Almost seems like someone can luck out and get a new frame if they broke their other one.
todd says
I think extreme use is exactly its intended purpose. With 160hp it’s not exactly a light duty machine. This does open up a can of worms though; “So? I over-rev’d the motor and starved it of oil during a freeway wheelie stint. You’re not going to cover that? You replaced my cracked frame from my hard landing.”
-todd
Art says
Although some of these bikes may have been abused, I personally saw one which had a 20 mph crash. The frame was cracked almost all the way through. But it was a 600, so not covered under this “not a recall”. There have been enough pics posted all over the web of this issue, more so than for any other manufacturer. Gluing bits on a frame is a totally inadequate baling-wire-and-bubblegum solution. Suzuki should man up and do the right thing. Replace all these frames.
The Phantom says
I think it’s pretty funny. People who buy these bikes want the most powerful and lightest bikes available, Suzuki gives them what they want, then the owners whinge when the thing breaks while being abused well beyond the engineering design limits.
Want a strong bike, buy a Honda – simple. Suzuki are foolish for going down this path.
John says
I don’t feel sorry for Suzuki, what do they think people are going to be doing on those things?
Motoxyogi says
As far as i understand it, aluminium does not have a fatigue limit so no matter how much you over engineer the frame it will fail eventually though it may take decades.
And as far as i remember the 05 model gixer was the lightest one ever. Maybe Suzuki cut too many corners in the design process and the hard ridden bikes will be the ones to show up the design flaw first, then the rest of the 05 bikes will begin to fail.
B*A*M*F says
I thought everyone already knew that the “intended purpose” of a sport bike was to do wheelies. And stoppies. I mean, those things almost go without saying.
Also, in response to Art: Lotus glues and rivets their entire Elise/Exige chassis together. So do a number of aircraft manufacturers. It’s the kind of bubblegum that bonds your teeth together for life.
dave says
justpete:
Actually, it’s a voluntary ‘service bulletin’ issue. Basically, Suzuki is passively acknowledging a potential frame structure issue. This occurs under strain imposed by stoppies- something the bike IS NOT designed to do. Wheelies are a design acceptance, and the frames/motors are designed around it. At any rate, the ‘non-recall’ is a ‘do or don’t’ type thing… If you want it done, fine. If not… then that’s okay too…. Just don’t cry about it in six months- We warned you.
FWIW- the ‘non-recall’ is only applicable to current (original) owners. And only for a limited time, per the service bulletin. AND the frame is then warranted for 5 years!
As far as current floor inventory (bikes not sold) I believe it’s not to be done. What this also tells me, IMHO, is that Suzuki is going to track potential ‘abused’ units.
Oh, and this epoxy- Nasty stuff… Yep, it’s the same stuff used to glue aircraft spars and skins together… Not to mention carbon/aluminum monocoque chassis in race cars. It will probably outlive the aluminum it’s bonded to.
Allen says
I say good for Suzuki for owning up to a potential problem with one of their products. They knew this was a machine that was is going to be used and abused. Now if we could just get BMW to take the same approach to their bikes.
Jim says
“Now if we could just get BMW to take the same approach to their bikes.”
Problem?? Vut Problem?? Vee make the finest engineered and constructed motorcycles in the vorld. Vee do not haff problems. It is your fault.
Back to Suzuki, in the real world there can be too light.
Tin Man 2 says
If this was an American manufacturer it would be plastered on the front page by the Media, And an Investigation by congress would surely follow. At least a recall would be demanded.
Art says
To B.A.M.F., Re: Gluing:
The situations you talk about are done by deliberate design, under controlled conditions with new materials by highly skilled staff. Other than the teeth, of course, but no one is going to die if a filling lets go, short of a circus performer.
Done as an afterthought, on already potentially compromised frames (material inspection is a science/art unto itself) by dealer service staff? Given my long experience with most dealer service dept’s not getting “the details” right, I’m not so sure this is a good idea.
Mike says
Guys – there’s a class action lawsuit over this defect and the recall is a direct response to it. The frame can break even absent hard wheelies, that’s just the corporate spin they use in cases involving actual injuries. The frame can break during normal usage, if you think they’re doing an expensive recall just for their health (or yours) then you’re just being naive. SMC drilled a hole in the frame to mount a horn (even though the manual tells you not to do this since it weakens the frame) and now they have a real problem. Only affects 2005 and 2006 models.