Re: Suzuki GS150R

My GS has run 51000kms till now. It's a 2009 model.

I'm facing a few problems:

Since the past 4/5K kms I'm getting lot of noises from the front suspension. Though it's difficult to convey to you guys in writing how it sounds, I'd say it makes sounds like "dhak dhak". When I go through a not-so-rough patch of road, it makes intense sounds like everything is going to come apart; the instrument console vibrates; and all the vibrations get transferred to the handlebar, on the whole making the ride not-so-smooth affair. Even minor undulations are felt by the rider when taken at more than 20-30 kmph.

When I showed it to a mechanic friend of mine, he said it's because of worn out fork cone set and wheel bearings. And then, I bought coneset + ball/wheel bearings from Suzuki service center and got it replaced from the same guy (which I regret now). But it appears he did a very shoddy job: not only has the problem resurfaced after a day, but also (i) my handle lock would not engage when the bike is not placed on its center stand (could be because of misalignment of fork + H frame + cone set), and (ii) throttle cable would not retract.

I'm thinking of giving it to Saboo Suzuki sometime next week. It'd be great if you guys could chip in suggestions. In sum, I made a note of the list of the current problems:
* hard front suspension; very noisy ride
* handle lock does not engage when bike is not on center stand
* choke cable not working; throttle cable does not retract
* jerks when riding up an incline (more jerks with pillion). I read somewhere in this forum that this could be solved by using Zeus/Slingshot's spark plug. not sure!


PS: I never got the fork oil replaced or topped up till now. Could it be the reason? Not sure!

Re: Suzuki GS150R

Get the fork oil replaced and at that time check the condition of the spring too. As the bike is 51,000 kms old, the key itself may have worn out. Otherwise, the locking problem can be rectified at the SC.
The instrument console is mounted on rubber bushes and it vibrates. There is a gap between the instrument panel and ignition switch. If not, this too can be adjusted.
The choke and throttle cables may be stuck. Get both replaced.
Hope the sparkplug and air filter is in good condition. The plug and plug cap has 5K ohms resistance in it which increases gradually. Though a 5K ohms resistance is enough, it is not easy to remove one from either the plug or plug cap. So, replace the plug cap if the resistance is more than 6 K ohms and, if necessary, the plug too. If the jerking persists, clean the fuel line from the filter in the tank to carburettor and the carburettor and jets.
Zeus’s or Slingshot’s carburettor plug is different and cannot be used on GS.

Re: Suzuki GS150R

Thanks, punarvasu, for the reply!

Not the key! The lock engages when the bike is placed on center stand (less weight on the forks), and not when placed on side stand (~50% weight of the work is supported by the forks). This is completely a new problem introduced after I got the cone set replaced at this mechanic. I hope this is some alignment issue.

Regarding suspension noises: today when I parked my bike at home, I placed it on center stand. Usually, when parked like this, the front tyre touches the ground. So, what I did is lifted the front fork a little by holding it near the front axle (the place where forks support the wheel) and made some forward-backward motion. It appears there's some play near in the cone set (the forks, and subsequently, the wheel move about with respect to the point where the chassis holds the forks as pivot). It could by some 2mm play, but I can feel it. Is this normal? (And, another thing: the tire pressure is not high either, causing this bumpy ride).

How can the resistance of a spark plug be checked?

Re: Suzuki GS150R

I know him.
I thought it was perfect after replacing the cone and bearings. This too can be adjusted easily at the SC.
Measure the resistance between the center electrode and terminal shown here with a multimeter in resistance mode.

Re: Suzuki GS150R

Any of you tried to start moving on GS in 6^th gear? I have never tried it in any gear other than 1^st and 2nd, earlier.
One of our learned biker asked me whether it is possible to pull from standstill in 6^th gear on Ducati 1199 which is not available in our village.
So I tested it on my poor GS (Ducati 1199’s is 132.4 Nm torque while GS’s 13.8 Nm) on a level macadam road and it started to move at about 3000 RPM in 6^th gear and reached the speed I needed without downshifting. Repeated my test for more than 15 times and each time it moved easily.
(Yamaha MT01 produces 150.3 Nm torque at 3750 RPM).

Re: Suzuki GS150R

At what cost? Grinding dog teeth on the plates? The clutch plates. I've taken it from 2^nd and jumped gears at times. Haven't tried even from 3^rdI(& few others) figured it out from your very first post in this thread, it was apparent from the content of the post.

Re: Suzuki GS150R

It was an experiment to find out whether it is possible because I was unable to answer that stupid query then.

Re: Suzuki GS150R

Can carburetor and fuel lines be cleaned ourselves at home? I went through a few youtube videos regarding this and it appears I can give it a try. (I have screwdrivers, pliers and spanners of various sizes with me). Is it safe and advisable? I'm not thinking of tinkering the air and fuel screws though.

After this, I'm planning to change front brake pads.

Re: Suzuki GS150R

Thanks. the manual also says do not ride below 2500rpm in any gear at least during running-in. So just of curiosity i measured the speeds in each gear at 2500rpm. May be helpful for any newbies here like me though one should know by engine sound when to shiftdown
Gear-Speed(kph)(+-1)
6-36
5-31
4-27
3-23
2-16
1-10

This means, do not ride in 6th if speed below 36, 5th if below 31 and so on. Doesnt apply for 1st gear obviously

Re: Suzuki GS150R

went to SVC yesterday for the front disc sound..brake was removed, cleaned greased the pads..
sound was noticeable again..
removed some brake oil ..SVC personnel said there was some air block in the assembly..
didn't notice any sound now..

Completed 1500km today..engine is somewhat rough than before..mileage vary from 49-57kmpl..
power delivery is better after first service..could feel vibrations in 5th gear in foot pegs under 4000rpm.

what is the ideal rpm level to shift in 6th gear?..never crossed 5000rpm under 800kms and 7000rpm under 1600 kms..

Re: Suzuki GS150R



Are these scratches normal in disc ?

Re: Suzuki GS150R

Yes, it's normal; signature from brake pads. Much like vinyl records but not so prominent though. Groves help in better breaking with the increased surface/contact area however insignificant it is.

There is no ideal rpm as such to shift to 6^th gear as GS can pull from 30^ish kmph in final gear. Find a suitable rpm range based on your rinding style & mood.

Re: Suzuki GS150R

You can surely do it yourself and that itself is the best way but, before that, find out the reason of jerking so that we are not breaking anything for fixing it. The air fuel mixture is pre-adjusted for best carburetion. So, better keep it unaltered.
As your bike has covered more than 51 K kms now, check the thickness of the disc and replace if thinner than the required minimum.

Yes as SparKot said but the marks may be different depending the condition of the pads.

Re: Suzuki GS150R

Hey guys, on my new GS, I had filled empty tank with 900rs worth of fuel(approx @60rs/l->15 litres). Considering ~3.1litres of reserve fuel capacity and the fact that i still am not on reserve i am left with 15-3.1=11.9. Now 667km on 11.9ltrs would come to 56.05kmpl and still counting. Am I mistaken anywhere in calculations?? BTW i still get lugs sometimes even at 3000rpm mostly in 2nd, 3rd and 4th gear. And engine goes off at lower speeds in 1st and 2nd gear. Becomes difficult to ride in city. No problems on highways though

Re: Suzuki GS150R

From where did you get petrol at the rate of Rs. 60/- per liter? For the engine stalling at low speeds, adjust the idle RPM to 1300-1400 when the engine is warm.