2008 Suzuki Boulevard M109R

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SUZUKI BOULEVARD M109R MOTORCYCLE. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH WHEN THE GEAR FAILED TO SHIFT FROM FIRST INTO SECOND GEAR. AFTER NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS, THE GEAR BEGAN TO SHIFT CORRECTLY. ON SEPARATE OCCASIONS THE VEHICLE WOULD EXHIBIT A HARD SHIFT. THE FAILURE WOULD RECUR AT LEAST TWO TO THREE TIMES PER MONTH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE THEY INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS FUNCTIONING AS DESIGNED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,000. UPDATED 07/08/11*LJ UPDATED 07/22/11

INTERMITTENT CLUTCH SHUDDER, THIS OCCURS AT RANDOM BUT MOST PREDICTABLE ON FIRST TAKE OFF AFTER ENGINE WARM UP. IT IS A VIOLENT SHUDDER OF THE ENTIRE BIKE AND HAS THE POTENTIAL OF CAUSING THE DRIVER TO LOSE CONTROL WILL TAKING OFF AND WRECKING. THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL MOTORCYCLE. BY READING ONLINE FORUMS, WAY TO MANY PEOPLE ARE EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM FOR IT NOT TO BE A RECALL. SUZUKI DOES NOT RECOGNIZE AN ISSUE OR PROBLEM AND PROVIDES NO ASSISTANCE IN THE REPAIR. I CANNOT AFFORD TO HAVE EXPLORATORY MAINTENANCE PERFORMED SO THE PROBLEM HAS YET TO BE REPAIRED ON MY BIKE. I PERSONALLY FEEL THIS TO BE A SAFETY ISSUE, I AM AN A.S.E. MASTER CERTIFIED AUTOMOTIVE TECHNICIAN AND HAVE WORKED FOR A FLEET OF VEHICLES BOTH AS A MECHANIC AND NOW IN ADMINISTRATION FOR THE PAST 15 YEARS. *TR

I BOUGHT A BRAND NEW 2008 SUZUKI M109R IN MID JULY 2008. FROM DAY ONE THE CLUTCH LEVER DIDN'T HAVE THE USUAL STIFF FEEL THAT I AM ACCUSTOMED TO FROM SUZUKI?S, I HAD JUST TRADED IN A SUZUKI M50. I TALKED TO THE DEALER ABOUT THIS AND THEY SAID THAT AS LONG AS IT HAD A 1/4IN PLAY IN THE LEVER THAT IT WAS NOT AN ISSUE. AFTER THE 600 MILE SERVICE I NOTICED THAT THE CLUTCH WOULD ONLY START GRABBING ABOUT AN INCH TO AN INCH AND A HALF FROM BEING ALL THE OUT. I TOLD THE DEALER ABOUT THIS AND AGAIN AS LONG AS IT HAD A QUARTER INCH PLAY THERE WAS NO ISSUE. AFTER ABOUT 3000 MILES I STARTED TO NOTICE SLIGHT VIBRATIONS WHILE RIDING UP HILLS BETWEEN 3200-4000 RPMS. I TOLD THE DEALER OF THIS ISSUE AT WHEN I DROPPED THE BIKE OFF FOR ITS SECOND SERVICE ALONG WITH THE CLUTCH LEVER STILL NOT FEELING RIGHT. THE DEALER SAID THEY WOULD CHECK IT OUT. AGAIN THEY CAME BACK FINDING NOTHING WRONG BUT THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID HE WOULD TAKE THE CLUTCH COVER OFF AND CHECK IT OUT AND MAKE ANY ADJUSTMENTS. AFTER HE DID THIS HE SAID HE MADE A MINOR ADJUSTMENT AND DIDN?T SEE ANY ISSUE. I WENT FOR A LONG DAYS RIDE ALL THROUGH SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, ON MY WAY HOME I NOTICED THAT WHEN I WOULD ACCELERATE HARD THE BIKE DIDN'T SEEM TO GO BUT THE RPMS WOULD RISE. I STOPPED OFF THE HIGHWAY, CHECKED THE ADJUSTMENT FOUND IT WAS OK AND CONTINUED ON. AFTER ABOUT 30 MILES THE CLUTCH WAS SLIPPING SO BADLY THAT I COULDN'T GIVE THE BIKE MORE THAN QUARTER THROTTLE WITHOUT THE ENGINE REVVING LIKE IT WAS IN NEUTRAL. I HAD THE BIKE TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER GAVE ME THE BIKE BACK AFTER ABOUT A WEEK, THEY SAID THEY TORE THE CLUTCH APART AND EVERYTHING WAS OK NO BURN MARKS OR EVIDENCE OF IT BEING WORN DOWN. I WAS TOLD THE CLUTCH COULD HAVE BEEN INSTALLED WRONG FROM THE FACTORY AND IT SHOULD BE GOOD, I PROCEEDED TO RIDE THE BIKE HOME AND AFTER 20 MILES I HAD THE SAME ISSUE AS BEFORE, SO I RETURNED THE BIKE TO THE DEALER THE NEXT DAY AND THERE IT SITS. *TR

"VIOLENT SHUTTER/VIBRATION WHEN ACCELERATING " BIKE IS 2 MONTHS OLD AND HAS PROGRESSIVELY GOTTEN WORSE. NOW AT 2000 MILES AND VIOLENT SHUTTER/VIBRATION WHEN ACCELERATING HAS BECOME UNSAFE. AT IDLE YOU CAN HERE CLUTCH NOISE (KNOCK), WHEN YOU PULL THE CLUTCH IN IT GETS QUIET. ALTHOUGH DEALER HAS TEST RIDDEN BIKE AND AGREES THE EXCESSIVE VIBRATION SEEMS ABNORMAL, THEY SIMPLY ADJUSTED THE CLUTCH TENSION AND CALLED IT GOOD. *TR

2008 SUZUKI M109R (AKA VZR1800) BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE LOUD RATTLE IN CLUTCH BASKET WITH BIKE IN NEUTRAL AT APPROXIMATELY 6000 MILES. THE RATTLE GET NOTICEABLY LOUDER UNDER ACCELERATION. I TOOK BIKE TO DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS NOTHING DEFECTIVE IN THE CLUTCH, AND THAT THE RATTLING WAS DUE TO TORSION SPRINGS IN THE CLUTCH HUB VIBRATING WITH THE ENGINE, AND THAT THIS WAS 'NORMAL'. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT IF THIS IS TRULY 'NORMAL' OPERATION, THAT THE NOISE WOULD HAVE BEEN PRESENT FROM THE DAY I BOUGHT THE MOTORCYCLE. HOWEVER, THERE WERE NO UNUSUAL NOISES COMING FROM THE CLUTCH UNTIL AFTER 6000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. INVESTIGATING AN ONLINE FORUM, I FOUND NUMEROUS OTHER RIDERS WHOSE BIKES EXHIBITED THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. MANY OF THEM HAVE ALSO BEEN HANDED THE 'ITS NORMAL' ANSWER FROM THEIR DEALERS. IF IT WERE 'NORMAL' OPERATION, ALL M109RS WOULD HAVE THE SAME SYMPTOMS, YET OBVIOUSLY THIS IS NOT THE CASE. *TR