Suzuki V-Strom (VStrom) Owners Club DL250, DL650, DL1000 & DL1050
Other Stuff => The Blue Oyster bar => Traitors Corner => Topic started by: Brockett on January 11, 2025, 09:44:54
-
While this is about a race engine it may shed some light on the subject that affects all bikes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmIdW4TNEEs&t=13s
-
Very interesting. I wonder how committed a manufacturer of a production bike is before they test a bike. In my opinion the best way to test, say a Suzuki V-Strom 1050, is to take at least two bikes as production finished then give them to very good riders to ride them to the limits, race tracks (yes even a V-Strom) for many hours, off road, for many hours and on the road for even more hours then and only then strip the engine and find out if it is still in the condition it was before the test was started.
If any part has let the standard down replace it with a product that won't. But, how committed is the manufacturer before they start the test. If they have already tooled up and started the manufacturing of thousands of bikes are they going to strip each of those bikes and replace redesigned parts?
Many years ago, 1980 ish) I bought a new Suzuki SP370. After 5 months the kickstart broke and was replaced under warranty. After 7 months the output shaft broke and I had to pay for the repair and was told that as it was an endurance bike the warranty was only 6 months?
I had a local motocross garage do the repair and when the broken output shaft was removed and the new one arrived, they were not identical. So that means (to me) that tests had not been done by the manufacturer but left to the buyers to test the bike and pay for repairs they should not have had to if the bike had been tested before mass production.
I swore I would never buy a Suzuki again in my life. Many years later I was introduced to the Suzuki V-Strom 650A. It took me a month of research before I test rode one then bought it. Suzuki had made the finest bike I have owned and I have owned many different types of bike 50cc to 1200cc.
My conclusion is don't buy the latest bike, or anything, when it has just been released but wait until they have sold many and they have been tested in real life and the reliability has been proven, or not.
Just my humble opinion for what it's worth. :thumb:
-
Well said The Doctor 46.
-
I may be wrong here but I'm pretty sure motorcycle manufacturers have many ways of testing what they build bikes with nowadays long before they eventually build it. Software is available to analyse parts in many stages of design & manufacture.
Even then, before main production, I believe they build a number of the bikes to test, in practical terms, within whatever medium they are to be used.
However as good as the 'new' bike is when it leaves the factory the manufacturer cannot legislate for owners who don't service it correctly or abuse the bike under ownership. :shrug:
Obviously there will be a Friday afternoon or Monday morning bike that gets through but just a small percentage of the total.
-
KTM camshafts had software problems !
-
I think it was more wear-soft problems...