I think I got screwed

[wakdady]

nevermind, looks like i didnt get screwed and now i love the bike!

[lilwoody]

Sorry dude, looks like you /your buddy got took. I'm no GS guru but I'd image it take a lot of riding to wear out forks or your driving down rail road track every day. My GSs speedo has been intermittent for most of it's life. Clock reads 14K when it has easily twice that on the bike and about 20k on the motor. I'm pob going to keep it till the wheels fall off or give it to one of my sons but if I did sell it I'd let the person know the milage. Oh and I have a sppedo that has only 3k on it, garage sale find and couldn't be passed up for 5 bucks.

[dread_au]

looking at the pics the bike is more faded one side than the other consistant with the guages. I would say parked with sun hitting one side directly. Possibly partial shade?

[007brendan]

How much do you weigh?  Do you carry any luggage when you ride?  Stock suspension on the GS sucks.  Bottoming out on a sharp bump, especially when the forks are already compressed from braking, is pretty standard.  And the "sliding out" feeling could just mean your rear preload is set too low.  You probably want it on it's highest setting.

[remo2k9]

i reckon u got screwed , its odd that the needles arent the same colour lol... its very easy to swap the inside of the tacho for i have done it u can jst wind the clock back to watever u want it to be.. if u relaly wanna noe the year... i donno if u guys have it but in australia thers a vin plate it shows u the vin number n year built! goodluck   

[jeremy_nash]

I think it was the friend that got screwed, not you.  you only gave 1500 for it.  I agree that it looks like it was parked in partial shade, as its not just the tach that is faded.  as for the front, change out the fork oil with some a little thicker, and some fork springs setup for your weight, and increase the stiffness on your rear shock, it will handle like a completely different bike!

[offcamber]

I agree I think its your freind that got screwed 1500 isn't bad for you got...you said it runs well.....check out your suspension and fix what it needs and I bet you have a nice bike for the money....you can lose sleep over possible mileage thing but its not going to get you anywhere. Fix it ride it, enjoy it....or sell it...

[wakdady]

wait, there is a vin or year stamped on the odo unit?
As for the fairings, they are from an '06, the '07 didnt have that color scheme. and the nose fairing appears to be the color scheme off an '08.

I already have the rear set to the highest preload. I am a bit heavy at 200lbs.

I'm probly going to rip off the fairings and make it naked.

My friend has more experience riding than me and i asked him to ride it and give me his thoughts on the handling. He agreed on the "sliding out" feeling. I was thinking about getting her computracked just to make sure all is straight.

[sveach]

You're not heavy, I'm heavy at 290 lbs, naked. Probably 300 lbs with winter gear. 


I don't really see one side of the bike being darker than the other on my monitor. Maybe it's just me. I definitely see the difference in the needles though. So, if you think it's been wrecked - it's possible that the forks are bent or twisted. This will cause the bike to feel unstable.

Same thing goes for if the swingarm is tweaked.

Make sure your back tire is aligned - if it's not, it can also cause instability.

Look on the frame, right below the gas tank on the right side. There should be a sticker there with the VIN on it. That should help you figure out what year it is, if you're not certain.

[wakdady]

it's definitely an '07. only the rear of the bike seems completely original. i thought there might be something in the odo that had the vin or year on it.

with the bike feeling so unstable in the corners i'm beginning to think my friends crashes werent entirely his fault. poor bastid, now he's afraid of riding and its all my fault!

[pandymai]

with the bike feeling so unstable in the corners i'm beginning to think my friends crashes werent entirely his fault. poor bastid, now he's afraid of riding and its all my fault!

i've always been taught that every rider falls, no matter how cautious and careful. if a few falls (especially when youre new) keeps you from riding, i dont think any other experience would have helped keep you wanting to ride.
that's just me though.

if anything, i  mean to say that you shouldnt feel like it's your fault. riding is NOT for everybody. and unfortunate circumstances arent always the worst things that can happen.

on to the thread:
i agree on checking the suspension in the front. if the springs are stock you'll know because the spacers are 6+ inches long or something like that (i dont remember, took mine out a while back) upgrades to the front shocks will help bottoming out.  the rear shock, if also stock, could be swapped out with shocks from other bikes. I have a katana rear shock and i like it. added about an inch to ride height and a much better ride.  there are other shocks that are compatible though with little to no modification.

good luck and happy riding. =]

[The Buddha]

Tire wear, air pressure and alignment have more to do with that sliding feeling ...
Shocks suck, nothing new there.
Its the same color on the needles dude, what are you talking about.
Cool.
Buddha.

[mister]

Buddha - and others who cannot see the different colored needles: They are both red but the one on the left is a darker red. So the impression is, it is newer than the one on the right and the right one is faded. Maybe your monitor or browser doesn't show you the difference, maybe you have a slight touch of colorblindness.

Wakdady: Maybe the bike does have a Newer speedo and really does have like 20k on it and it was either replaced to dupe you or was damaged in a crash. Maybe a replacement speedo from crash damage showed remarkably less miles or maybe the miles were about right but they came from a different batch so the color is different. And maybe it came like that brand new as the new batch of needles hit the production line and you just happened to have That bike. Maybe the tacho has been replaced and NOT the speedo and the tacho and right rear fairing were damaged and came from an older bike as the replacement parts and the speedo is original. Where is the service log book? Check that for service dates and distances to see. Or... who cares, just ride.

As has been said, checking the Vin on the right side of the frame will tell you WHEN the bike was made. You'll also find it will tell you it was made in ESP, which is Spain. The small circular emblem thing on the bottom of the forks also indicates it was made in Spain.

Bottoming out while hitting something while braking... yeah, maybe you need heavier oil. Maybe the fork seals are damaged due to all the drops and have leaked some out and need replacing and oil top up.  Maybe you are braking too hard all the time and starting your braking earlier and with less sudden deceleration will magically solve your problem. Some days I can ride to work and not hit the brakes until I take the last downhill switchback just before our entrance gate - I make all my adjustments with correct gear choices and engine braking (no traffic lights on the way).

Like Buddha said on the tire pressure. I ride with 33 in the front and 36 in the rear. By the time I get to a gas station to refill with air the tire is a tad warm so I go 34 and 37 to compensate so that it'll be 33 and 36 when it cools down. I like to check in the morning when the bitumen is not so hot and generally do so when I fill up. Sometimes, though, tank up is in the hotter part of the day or after many miles of riding so tire waits until next time. As a result, I have occasionally left it for a few tank fulls and can feel the difference. I can feel the handling is different with a 29psi front tire and a 31psi rear. I feel the difference than check my tires and notice they are down.

And low speed drops - drive way, stop light - are more about the Rider than anything wrong with the bike. Because the steering works slightly differently than at higher speeds. And unless you know how to adjust your weight and use the brake accordingly, you'll drop the bike. If it makes you feel better to shoulder the blame for your friend's riding inability, then continue to do so. Revel in your misery. Embrace it. Grab a bottle of Jack and drown your sorrows each weekend and forever remember that YOU are the cause of HIS crashes. - OR - understand His Crashes are His Fault (you haven't crashed it yet, have you?) and get on with your life (and riding every chance you get) with no more "woe is me" - and - enjoy knowing if it wasn't for you he'd have dropped a Much more expensive bike and/or been a squiddy statistic. Your choice.

Michael

[Chanse]

Check and decode the vin, cause thats an 06 fairnings. looks like the tanks maybe an 07 like mine. 08's tanks have the red pinstripe on top. , if it is an 07 or 08 than the PO probably wrecked it pretty bad and replaced all parts off of an earlier bike. Not uncommon. I'd check the VIN first to know what your looking for then start going through the bike and check everything. air pressure, wheel alignment, bent swing arm, forks, tire wear ( if he laid it down and locked up the tires might have flat spots making it feel a little weird), Im 285lbs and I set the rear preload to the top and changed the fork oil in the front to a heavy weight, made a heck of a difference. Now Ive got a GSXR 1000 rear shock on it with some fa-nig-all-ing rides a little stiff but I kinda like it that way. NO PUN INTENDED.. I dont go that way.... lol   Good luck with it, either way not to bad of a deal. I would say you were screwed till you find that your forks, singarm and rims are all bent....

[wakdady]

lol, thanks Mister! awesome reply.

I do know the bike was sold in phoenix and lived there until it was bought by a dealer and sold to my friend in Oakland. So the faded rear fairing looks original and the faded tach needle supports this. When we picked it up it still had the AZ tags on it.

I don't really blame myself for his riding inability, I'm just glad he listened to me on NOT buying a 600cc SS, he might be dead.

Unfortunately there is no service log book and I dont think Suzuki dealerships hold onto any info like recalls and such.

The sliding out problem is my real issue with it. It's got brand new tires at 36 psi(rear) and rear shock at max preload. I'm going to have the frame/forks/swingarm measured to make sure all is within spec. Then upgrade the fork springs and rear shock.
also, i really gotta step it up and take care of the valves since I have absolutely no clue as to when they were done, if at all, and what the clearances are.

[Chanse]

oh yeah and the 07 silver and black looks like my sig, with the silver upper, black sides with silver decals and black tail with silver decals