Anyone else have K8 problems?

[Tybalt]

This guy bought a K8 and has put 600 miles on it and it is rusting like crazy and the paint on the frame is fading away?:surprise:


:confused: Yikes!

[Mimic]

Let me start by pointing out that the stuff in the pic is not due to defect in the manufacturing but has to do with the owner and conditions the bike is kept in.

1- the fade on the frame is due to constant bot rubbing. Maybe he wears bulky race boots but with enough rubbing with a boot you will eventually rub the powder coat off. I've seen this on Gen I models as well where the guy always rode with his big boots and I guess has straddling the bike too hard.

2- that "rust" you see might just be corrosion. It looks like corrosion on the nut and that can be caused by a multitude of things. 1- too much salt water in near fascinity, too much humidity hell I remember over the winter of 2006 I had an old can of this acidic substance that was used to clean industrial ovens in my garage. Well over time the acid ate through the can and leaked in my garage but I didn't know about it for about 3 weeks. Well finally when cleaning I foudn the can and tossed it and cleaned up the mess but it was too late. It had rust/corroded all my tools that were on shelves as well as all the screws on my busa and started staining the frame. Luckily most of the stuff wiped off the bike with a bit of elbow grease but all my tools that were made of steel or SS or hardened steel are all still covered with this brown shit that I can't wipe off. the steel tools all rusted. Here's some pics. I have a full fledge machine shop in my garage and everything was in prestine shape prior to this incident.

Thanks god the stuff in my toolbox weren't affected!:rant:

So anyway, this is not suzukis fault, that bike is being kept in harsh conditions.

[crome]

Let me start by pointing out that the stuff in the pic is not due to defect in the manufacturing but has to do with the owner and conditions the bike is kept in.

Hi Mimic

I take on board what you are saying to a point but I think you are being a bit harsh on the owner here. (not me btw)

Firstly the silver finish that was sparingly misted on my heel plates has already rubbed through on the edges. (started wearing through at about 450 miles :surprise:) I therefore decided to remove it completely by polishing. The coating only seems to be a few microns thick as it polished of with a motorized mop in seconds.

Secondly where I live the roads very rarely get salted and corrosion/discolouration on the bolts and fasteners is not uncommon and has happened on most of my Suzukis. I have owned two Honda Blackbirds and they suffered no rusting/corrosion at all. I also own a BMW r1200GS which gets covered in all sorts of crap, left for a few days before it gets a clean but it still looks brand new.

I do not believe that the finish on Suzukis is as good as it should be. Certainly looking at the electroplated coating on the nuts/bolts etc, it would appear they only get dunked for a nano second...cheap skates.

It all comes down to cost cutting heck Suzuki did not even bother lacquering over the decals on the front fairing.

Don't get me wrong here I would agree with you that a bike kept in harsh conditions and not looked after correctly will of course suffer. However I am lucky enough to own several bikes and I spend hours cleaning/polishing my Busa and 1098 Ducati but I can see signs of discolouration on the plated parts (Suzuki).

My personal view is that most motorcycle manufactures do not put enough emphasis on corrosion control or durability of finish. My cars stay outside 24/7 365 days a year with absolutely no issues. However if I left my bikes out like that without pampering them, after 12 months there would be nothing left, even the GS would look shite. Okay to some it looks shite anyway and perhaps a bit of rust would improve it's looks:rofl:
Just my 2 bobs worth

[Tybalt]

Hi Mimic

I take on board what you are saying to a point but I think you are being a bit harsh on the owner here.

Firstly the silver finish that was sparingly misted on my heel plates has already rubbed through on the edges. (started wearing through at about 450 miles :surprise:) I therefore decided to remove it completely by polishing. The coating only seems to be a few microns thick as it polished of with a motorized mop in seconds.

Secondly where I live the roads very rarely get salted and corrosion/discolouration on the bolts and fasteners is not uncommon and has happened on most of my Suzukis. I have owned two Honda Blackbirds and they suffered no rusting/corrosion at all. I also own a BMW r1200GS which gets covered in all sorts of crap, left for a few days before it gets a clean but it still looks brand new.

I do not believe that the finish on Suzukis is as good as it should be. Certainly looking at the electroplated coating on the nuts/bolts etc, it would appear they only get dunked for a nano second...cheap skates.

It all comes down to cost cutting heck Suzuki did not even bother lacquering over the decals on the front fairing.

Don't get me wrong here I would agree with you that a bike kept in harsh conditions and not looked after correctly will of course suffer. However I am lucky enough to own several bikes and I spend hours cleaning/polishing my Busa and 1098 Ducati but I can see signs of discolouration on the plated parts (Suzuki).

My personal view is that most motorcycle manufactures do not put enough emphasis on corrosion control or durability of finish. My cars stay outside 24/7 365 days a year with absolutely no issues. However if I left my bikes out like that without pampering them, after 12 months there would be nothing left, even the GS would look shite. Okay to some it looks shite anyway and perhaps a bit of rust would improve it's looks:rofl:
Just my 2 bobs worth
Hey crome, thats your K8 posted about the fading bro?

[Mimic]

Hi Mimic

I take on board what you are saying to a point but I think you are being a bit harsh on the owner here.

Firstly the silver finish that was sparingly misted on my heel plates has already rubbed through on the edges. (started wearing through at about 450 miles :surprise:) I therefore decided to remove it completely by polishing. The coating only seems to be a few microns thick as it polished of with a motorized mop in seconds.

Secondly where I live the roads very rarely get salted and corrosion/discolouration on the bolts and fasteners is not uncommon and has happened on most of my Suzukis. I have owned two Honda Blackbirds and they suffered no rusting/corrosion at all. I also own a BMW r1200GS which gets covered in all sorts of crap, left for a few days before it gets a clean but it still looks brand new.

I do not believe that the finish on Suzukis is as good as it should be. Certainly looking at the electroplated coating on the nuts/bolts etc, it would appear they only get dunked for a nano second...cheap skates.

It all comes down to cost cutting heck Suzuki did not even bother lacquering over the decals on the front fairing.

Don't get me wrong here I would agree with you that a bike kept in harsh conditions and not looked after correctly will of course suffer. However I am lucky enough to own several bikes and I spend hours cleaning/polishing my Busa and 1098 Ducati but I can see signs of discolouration on the plated parts (Suzuki).

My personal view is that most motorcycle manufactures do not put enough emphasis on corrosion control or durability of finish. My cars stay outside 24/7 365 days a year with absolutely no issues. However if I left my bikes out like that without pampering them, after 12 months there would be nothing left, even the GS would look shite. Okay to some it looks shite anyway and perhaps a bit of rust would improve it's looks:rofl:
Just my 2 bobs worth

I apologize if I seemed harsh towards the owner but that was not my intention. I'm the kind of person who takes great care of my bikes and the same thing happened to me in my garage so it's not necessarily the owners fault.

I'll give you another example. A friend of mine who lives in Laval, quebec, canada 10 mins drive from me had a Vrod. Thing was mint. He took it down to florida and rode it on the coast for a week or 2 and when he got back, he had corrosion signs all over the bolts from the salt water by the cost and the air.

I've owned 9 suzukis and none of them have ever shown signs of corossion except the 01 busa as I mentioned with the acid cleaner incident.

But I've seen other peoples bikes look like crap and have corrosion marks around the disks and such but since I've owned so many and never have problems like that, I can only assume that the bikes around me that are in poor condition are not being well kept.

Again, the one in the pics, not saying it's the owners fault.

But the powder coat rubbing, that's not a factory defect. That looks like boot rubbage to me.

[crome]

But the powder coat rubbing, that's not a factory defect. That looks like boot rubbage to me.

Hi Mimic

I'm sure you are right, it is most likely boot rub on that guys bike but remember the bike has only 600 miles on it. Thats some savage rubbing:umm: I wouldn't want a back rub from him:rofl: the reason for my interest in the above post is that although i do not have the same corrosion issues as the bike mentioned in this thread but my foot peg heel plates are starting to wear through where my boot must rub it. This started with a lot less miles than this guy and as mentioned when I decided to remove the silver coating it came off really easily. The paint or whatever they sneezed on it, ain't very substantial:surprise:. Now this is an area that will get some abrasion from a boot. I do not have really heavy boots or boots with buckles and I like to think I ride in a fairly relaxed mode so I do not think I am gripping on for grim death. In any case my Ducati heel plates have not started to rub through.

The above thread beat me to it as I had thought of bringing this matter up myself. The Busa retails for about 9 grand in the UK, I just felt the quality of finish could be better. Having said that Suzuki have more than made up for an inferior fiinsh by producing one of the finest engines ever built not to mention a supurb fuel injection system.

At the risk of provoking an avalanch of protest I wish they had spent less time and money on the silly gimmick power mode switch and more on the quality of a durable finish.

I feel that I can speak with some knowledge of the mode switch as I purchased a K7 gsxr 1000 last Feb. I played with it for a few thousand miles, found no benefit whatsoever and never used it again. I have not even bothered to activate the one fitted to my K8 Busa. If you cannot ride a bike and moderate the throttle for the conditions you are riding in then perhaps you shouldn't be riding a bike this powerful. Im not against technology I think that proper traction control could be useful but this switch just limits power. Anyone riding around in mode C would be better off on an SV650:whistling:

Of course these are only my personal views and I cannot speak for others.....it would be interesting to know what other people think though

[Skomansteve]

I'd agree with Mimic + Crome on your views - My K8 is 3 months old and has been ridden for 450 miles mostly in shitty conditions in rain and on salty roads - I have to say I am a bit worried as the discs are already rusting slightly and there are some hard to get to nuts looking a bit furry from the salt - Bear in mind, after each ride I wash and dry the bike after every ride and I've sprayed every nut and bolt with ACF50 - it's a bit worrying. :roll eyes:

Otherwise - I'm beginning to open her up a bit now and the bike is just awesome - can't wait for after the 1st service to give her some real serious throttle. :thumbs up:

[SteveO]

I hope the guy whos bike it is doent mind me copying his post onto here.

I like the first bit :rofl:

Alright Alright Alright! I will post some pics in the morning. Christ NAg Nag Nag, I come here for peace i could talk to the missus for Nagging! http://www.hayabusa.org/forums/non-cgi/emoticons/corner2.png

Anyhow an Update. I complained to my dealer, he took some pictures, emailed Suzuki and they replied yesterday. And get this, they have authorised them to re paint the frame. RE PAINT THE FRAME! He said two weeks workshop time at least, take everything off, paint it and re assemble.
Only for it to wear off again in another 600 miles?? No thanks I need my toy on the road not in the paint shop.
They said they see it alot on K7 GSXR's with black frames, they get authorisation but never do it, they just add a carbon scuff pad and get over it.
Frankly i just think its a bit crappy for Suzuki's flagship bike to be so thin on bloody paint! I envisaged the beatuiful black frame to be powder coated not sprayed with a $10 aerosol.

[mcbean]

My two pennyworth - we have some proper shit in our salt for Uk even the damp air can fur a cheap cad plate bolt when its been salted. Coming from a Blackbird i also thought the quality on my 03 (year) Busa was not as good as the big H - both kick plates wore as in the posts above quite quickly and i was a little disappointed but it didnt get any worse so i lived with it . My buddy had a KZ special with the black frame and his paint wore a little at the same point on those pictures - may be could do with a bit a CF like the tank protector after all we accept some rubbing there so prevent it. I will be looking to do this as i tend to grip with legs ( just my riding style) and not stick my legs out !!!

My new bike is at the dealers - i will examine with afine tooth comb for corrosion !

Just a point the cost savings on the K8 are as mentioned no lacquer on the stickers and the S badge which i dont like as much as the lacquered Suzuki on the 03 .

BUT i cant wait for March 01 - have just ordered Yoshi slip ons from starcycle as Skoman steve so hope they arrive before the big day :banana:

[Skomansteve]

BUT i cant wait for March 01 - have just ordered Yoshi slip ons from starcycle as Skoman steve so hope they arrive before the big day :banana:

Well done Adam, You won't believe how much different they are from the standard cannons - sound, size and weight :thumbs up::thumbs up:


Roll on March 1st - I'm pleased for ya matey :thumbs up:

[Mimic]

I've seen a few people mention that the stickers aren't clear coated on the K8, but they're not clear coated on any suzuki. The only ones ever cleared is the tank one prior to suzuki using the S plate.
Allother stickers on the bikes were were never cleared.

I don't know guys, I've always found my zuks to be well built when I compare them to the finish of say the first model ZX10 (which is about the only kawi I ever looked at)

the heel guards scuff quick but I remedied that but jsut sending them out for black powdercoating. I've never seen the frame wear like that on any Gen I busa and wasn't aware they change process for the Gen II.

just another reason for me to stick with the Gen I lol

[crome]

I've seen a few people mention that the stickers aren't clear coated on the K8, but they're not clear coated on any suzuki. The only ones ever cleared is the tank one prior to suzuki using the S plate.
Allother stickers on the bikes were were never cleared.

You are quite right about that but it's still cheap, much better to have the decals lacquered. I hate all the crap that collects on the edges of the decal and the wax polish when I give her a good buffing. The bike that is:whistling:

At the risk of sounding like a whinging twat I do not like the S badge on the tank either especially as it ladders my nylons.....er I mean polishing cloth:rofl:

Still I absolutely love the bike so a few minor quibbles are not worth worrying about.

Heck I could whinge about some things on most bikes for example: the mirrors on my 1098 Ducati are a freakin joke, I'd need to be a thalidomide with stumpy arms to be able to see anything behind me. No disrespect to the afflicted and no handicapped persons were injured in the experiment. I also owned a Multistrada for a while and it would fall over all by itself cos Ducati could not design a proper side stand for it.

So I suppose the moral is to accept a few minor flaws and ride the ass off her:oh yeah:

[Mimic]

Agreed!

[crome]

Well done Adam, You won't believe how much different they are from the standard cannons - sound, size and weight :thumbs up::thumbs up:


Roll on March 1st - I'm pleased for ya matey :thumbs up:

I will second that although cannons is being very kind, they remind me of freakin torpedoes:rofl:

I desparately want to change the pipes, maybe a full Yoshi system trouble is my insurance co. I called them up to let them know what I was intending and they asked: do they cost more than £250 sterling to replace, are they road legal and do they add more than 10% in performance. I f the answers yes-no and yes then they won't insure me.

I wouldn't say you get more than 10% increase in power but the Yoshi does not tick the other two boxes.

My reason for wanting a full system was so that I could get rid of the cat which I think is housed in the collector?

A few years ago I would have just fitted it but I know some one who was recently T boned (not his fault) and because he had not informed his insures about an Ackrapovic system he fitted they refused to pay out:head meets wall:

I have asked my broker to see if there is another underwriter that will accept these mods.

On the same subject it is quite shocking what the insurance companies will not accept nowadays with regards to mods, they don't even need to be performance enhancing. If it's not standard equipment some of them are using it as an excuse not to cough the lolly:surprise: outrageous....

[BUSGO]

Thanks for the warning on the corrosion issue.
I live on the coast of Australia and will be watching carefully.
My K8 is just over 1 month old.

[mcbean]

Crome whose your insurance company ? its an interesting point about the cover - i havent paid yet as my insurance starts on march 01 i will ask - might be the same people

[crome]

Crome whose your insurance company ? its an interesting point about the cover - i havent paid yet as my insurance starts on march 01 i will ask - might be the same people

Groupama. have just changed to Norwich Union who as long as you inform them of your mods have no problem. A bit more expensive but at least I'm legal

[Tybalt]

I have a K8 coming and i tell you i am very excited about it however, every write up in magazines, busa boards etc..... a lot of guys are talking about certain vibrations?:umm: can anyone clarify on this? I must admit i am a little concerned about this.-Duane, what kind of vibrations and where are they resinating from?:wacko:

[crome]

I have a K8 coming and i tell you i am very excited about it however, every write up in magazines, busa boards etc..... a lot of guys are talking about certain vibrations?:umm: can anyone clarify on this? I must admit i am a little concerned about this.-Duane, what kind of vibrations and where are they resinating from?:wacko:

Hi Duane

The only vibes I'm getting are at about mid rpm and they come up through the seat. I never noticed this on my 01.

Funny thing is they are identical to the vibes I got on my K7 gixer 1000, which I did not get on my K4 gixer.

They are not intrusive but they are noticeable just. On the K7 I put it down to the fact they had moved the red line up a grand, but I can't remember what the red line on my 01 Busa was.

Either way I am not in the slightest bit concerned and it most definitely does not spoil my riding pleasure. Don't forget that when you design a bike thats near to perfection and all you can find to pick on is a slight vibe up through the seat (which does disappear) then I reckon your doing well.

The build quality is however typical Suzuki but no worse than a Kwak and Honda are not quite as good as they used to be.

My K8 is however much smoother in the clutch/gearbox department...in fact it's silky smoooooth. The new brakes once bedded in are a massive improvement over the old six pots.

Once I set up the static sag the handling is light and sharp for such a heavy bike and man that engine it's absolutely awesome. Just don't be too gentle running her in be brave and open her up a bit without labouring the engine and she will be a peach.

The torpedoes however have got to go, they are freakin enormous:surprise: and warrant a wide load sticker :rofl:

My over all impressions especially with the more advanced fueling etc etc is that 10 years was well worth the wait for the new Busa you WON'T be disappointed.

Hopefully this will squash any concerns you may have had the bikes a bewt.......happy wet drams til she arrives mate.:oh yeah:

[mcbean]

Rang my insurance company about exhausts as i have ordered a set of Yoshis . They asked if they were road legal , i said i didnt know they are coming from the states , they then asked if they would pass an MOT , i said yes and they said that would be fine, i also told them what i paid for them ( there is no stamp on US ones unlike europe ones that have a stamp not for road use which is a bit obvious). I then rang my dealer who would do the MOT he says now that passing the noise test is up to the tester - bike shop - good customer not sure one would fail unless ridiculously noisy. So we should be alright with our slip ons :banana:

[crome]

...

[crome]

Rang my insurance company about exhausts as i have ordered a set of Yoshis . They asked if they were road legal , i said i didnt know they are coming from the states , they then asked if they would pass an MOT , i said yes and they said that would be fine, i also told them what i paid for them ( there is no stamp on US ones unlike europe ones that have a stamp not for road use which is a bit obvious). I then rang my dealer who would do the MOT he says now that passing the noise test is up to the tester - bike shop - good customer not sure one would fail unless ridiculously noisy. So we should be alright with our slip ons :banana:

I did not realise that that the US market do not stamp there pipes. However it won't come with the necessary EU markings denoting that it is for road use in the UK.

Just to piss you off a bit, we do not have mot's here in the Isle of Man:banana:

Could you post a link for the company suppling your yoshies, I am after a full system 4-2-1 with a single silencer but apparently the full system is not available in th UK yet. Might even get the pipes cheaper from the US.

Re insurance I have now changed from Groupama and moved to Norwich Union who do not care what I have fitted providing I tell them. Cost me a bit more now paying £416.00 for a multi bike policy fully comp/protected N/C. Bikes insured K8 Busa. 07 Ducati 1098 and an 05 BMW r1200GS. Previously I was paying
£ 298 but the increase is worth it for me as I have installed Termigonis on the 1098 and a full Remus on the r1200GS and a full Yoshi on the Bus when I get it. At least if I have an off I have the knowledge of knowing I am fully insured and won't end up in the shite.:head meets wall:

[mcbean]

http://www.yoshimura-rd.com/ps-3479-1241-trc-stainlessstainless-slip-on.aspx

This is the Yoshi site courtesy of Skomansteve which show all thats available - use the back function to show the range - then as he did i bought from EBAY on the Starcycle ebay shop, they should arrive tomorrow after a little altercation with Parcel Force in Coventry , he said there were not for road use stickers on the pipes but they obviously got lost in the post ! - unlike my mates F4 MV titanium pipes that have a stamp - which would be a MOT failure as it would be glaringly obvious :thumbs up:

[crome]

http://www.yoshimura-rd.com/ps-3479-1241-trc-stainlessstainless-slip-on.aspx

This is the Yoshi site courtesy of Skomansteve which show all thats available - use the back function to show the range - then as he did i bought from EBAY on the Starcycle ebay shop, they should arrive tomorrow after a little altercation with Parcel Force in Coventry , he said there were not for road use stickers on the pipes but they obviously got lost in the post ! - unlike my mates F4 MV titanium pipes that have a stamp - which would be a MOT failure as it would be glaringly obvious :thumbs up:

Excellent thanks