Fuses

[Water Warrior 2]

thedum, sounds like you should be doing a little trouble shooting of your own. Check all the wiring in the headlight bucket. Pull off the tank and follow the wiring. Not hard to do and you will self educate yourself a fair bit.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by Water Warrior

thedum, sounds like you should be doing a little trouble shooting of your own. Check all the wiring in the headlight bucket. Pull off the tank and follow the wiring. Not hard to do and you will self educate yourself a fair bit.

YES...and/or see if any of your friends could help......and if nobody ever changed the headlight BULB, do that.
....AND....
I would certainly be contacting Suzuki Corporate Warranty department (number and address in your book) AND the State Consumer Protection agency or Attorney General's office. You are getting screwed by the dealer. Just a mention of contacting the State might get a quick "attitude change" from them.

[delgado3030]

I had this problem a while ago. Chased all the wires and everything was fine. It got to the point where the fuse would blow as soon as I put it in. I disconnected the battery for a few days and after I reconnected it no more blown fuses. I know there's not much to these bikes(no chip to reset) but it seemed to work. Have you been riding in the rain?

[thedum]

They've looked it over at the dealer more than once and said the problem was now fixed....i'm no mechanic for sure. Honestly, I don't want to mess with any of the wiring in the motorcycle. I definately don't want the dealer saying it's my fault because I tried to fix it or had an un-qualified mechanic...it would be easy for them to blame it my way. I've contacted the BBB over it...but, the company does not participate with the BBB. As far as riding it in the rain..... I try to avoid that. I have very few times when i'm on my way home from a short ride. The bike is garaged and when it was outside on visits/trips it would be under a motorcycle tarp. I haven't attempted to ride or start the motorcycle since I had to get it towed after it blew 4 fuses on a 35 mile ride. So....it's been stuck in the garage since November. The thing that makes me mad is I bought this as a gas saver for driving to college....i'm stuck with the payments + 8.5% interest. The dealer won't even fix the problem they said they fixed after three visits (when in warranty) and after I called like a month after it expired they would only fix it with a $75/hr labor charge. I was considering buying a new Suzuki RMZ450 from the same dealer......now? Of course not! lol
I've had nine+ fuses blow out in random times on major Missouri highways. Yes, they happened random times even after the dealer "fixed it". I love the motorcycle...It looks good and rides nice....amazing on gas. I just don't feel safe riding it anymore and would not feel safe even if the dealer says they fix it. I feel even if I take it into the dealer at $75/hr it's not really going to be fixed. Would I be in trouble if I had the GZ fixed....and sold the motorcycle...then it still blew fuses randomly? Would it be reasonable to ask the dealer for bluebook value on the motorcycle? (I'm taking a $1,500+ loss that way ---and they still can sell it and make profit after fixing) The motorcycle looks new....it's an '08 model.

[thedum]

I'll try these.... State Consumer Protection Agency and Attorney General's office.

[Water Warrior 2]

Thedum, invest in a testlight and a cheap meter. Take the headlight apart and pull off the tank too. Sit and look at the wiring for a while. Then follow the wire routing for places of stress, abrasion and possible loose connectors. Looking is free and you will learn a lot about the bike.

[dhgeyer]

I had a similar, frustrating experience with a Suzuki GS500E. It had a lot of problems, but that was the killer. I bought it used with very low miles from a dealer in Manchester, NH that specialized in used bikes. I can't fault their attitude. Every time I brought it in, they tried to find the problem. As far as I or the dealership could determine, the GS500E only has one fuse - the main one. That made the problem very difficult to find. They kept tracing and looking for problems, but with an intermittent electrical problem, it can be very tough to find. I eventually gave up. I decided that the dealership would never really find the problem, and I didn't feel safe on the bike. The dealership took it back in trade on a Ninja 500 (better bike anyway), and gave me most of my money back. I don't know if they sold it again after that, but I hope they didn't.

So that's my discouraging story. You may find it, and you may never find it, with or without the dealer's help.

I wonder if your state's "Lemon Law" applies to bikes. Might be worth an inquiry. In NH it does. I also would pursue the other legal avenues suggested above. I'm no lawyer, but I think that once a problem has been identified within the warranty period, it should be covered no matter how long it takes.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by dhgeyer

I'm no lawyer, but I think that once a problem has been identified within the warranty period, it should be covered no matter how long it takes.

Absolutely agree BUT.......the owner has to do his part too.
You can't just let it ride for 6 months at a time and expect it to be treated as one continuous problem.

And...........Thedum......you have an owner's manual or warranty book from Suzuki, right ??
In that material, is a number and address to contact Suzuki directly about warranty problems.
You REALLY should do THAT.......really.

Did you keep copies of your service invoices ??

[thedum]

I have contacted Suzuki Corporate about the issue. They said if it's a parts issue it would be replaced but...the labor is up to the dealership...and the dealership said $75/hr.
I'll put it this way....I rarely drive distances more than 5 miles in one direction. I only noticed it blowing fuses when i'm driving usually around 15+miles going at 55-60 MPH. After the third visit I figured it was fixed...and just rode in town short distances. First time a few months later I took it for a 45 mile ride attempt...and it kept blowing fuses again. Very frustrating.....ended up in another call for a tow and a three hour wait along a curvy busy highway. (that would have been the 4th visit for the same problem)
I don't think the lemon law for motorcycles works in Missouri..... I just contacted the Attorney General office here. I'll see what happens. Thanks

[bonehead]

Originally Posted by thedum

I have contacted Suzuki Corporate about the issue. They said if it's a parts issue it would be replaced but...the labor is up to the dealership...and the dealership said $75/hr.
I'll put it this way....I rarely drive distances more than 5 miles in one direction. I only noticed it blowing fuses when i'm driving usually around 15+miles going at 55-60 MPH. After the third visit I figured it was fixed...and just rode in town short distances. First time a few months later I took it for a 45 mile ride attempt...and it kept blowing fuses again. Very frustrating.....ended up in another call for a tow and a three hour wait along a curvy busy highway. (that would have been the 4th visit for the same problem)
I don't think the lemon law for motorcycles works in Missouri..... I just contacted the Attorney General office here. I'll see what happens. Thanks

Sounds to me like you have a small bare spot on a wire that does'nt touch all of the time. You have to look slow and close. Sometimes the bare spot gets dirt and grime on it so it actually looks normal. If it were me, I'd pull the tank and seat and do a thourough inspection of all the wiring, especially where it is wire tied or close to any metal parts of the bike.
Good luck