Note: We all patronize the motorcycle dealerships in the Indianapolis area from time to time. I am posting this email from a friend of mine as a warning to anyone considering this model Suzuki as a second, third, fourth or fifth bike. Equally disturbing is the lack of response from the Dryer Motorsports service department regarding a serious problem on a new bike. I will post any followup on the part of the dealership. This bike has only 900 miles.

Mark and Michelle-

I purchased a 2011 Suzuki 1250 FA from you guys on May 29th, 2012. I am sending you this email because I don’t have an email for the service guys. Please see this goes where it needs to.

I brought the bike in last week because the engine just shut down on me as I shifted to 4TH gear and has been running rough intermittently since I bought it. Also, it had trouble restarting after it shut down.

I was originally told that I was most likely hitting the kickstand with my left foot, which was shutting the engine down. I disagreed with that completely, and asked them to keep the bike and investigate further.

Then, on Tuesday, I was told that the Suzuki rep had suggested not to fill the tank all the way up because this could affect the EVAP system on a hot day and cause the bike to shut down. As ridiculous as that sounded, I agreed that on the day it shut down I had filled up the tank. I came to pick up the bike and was told it would be $120 for labor because they found no problem. I told the service manager I would not pay the fee because this is a warranty issue and Suzuki should cover it. I left Dreyer with my bike and no clear fix. And dumbfounded that I was asked to pay anything.

Today, Saturday, August 18th, I carefully put gas in the tank making sure to not fill it. In fact, the fuel gauge was a full bar on the indicator low. I rode the bike to work at 8:30 am. At 4:30 pm, I went to the bike, fired it up, and rode off. Everything seemed ok until I shifted to 4th gear. Immediately, the engine began to loose power and start to shut down. I downshifted to 3rd and kept the engine going. I wound it out a little, put it back into 4th gear, and the engine ran very rough for almost a minute, but finally leveled off.

This tells me that it doesn’t need to be a full or nearly full tank to cause this problem. I have been researching many forums online and this seems to be a problem going all the way back to 2008 models. It does appear to be a defect in the EVAP system. Many owners are taking the EVAP system off of the bike to correct it. I’m sure that they are out of warranty and are doing what they can to fix it. In almost five years Suzuki hasn’t been able to vent a tank properly?

This needs to be resolved. This is not rider/pilot error. This is not because I don’t know how to shift gears on what is now my 10th street bike. It isn’t because I overfill the gas tank. This is a major defect in the motorcycle. The high temperature was 83degrees F today. High heat is not the issue.

This seems to me like a recall issue that is being neglected by Suzuki. Owners are supposed to live with this? Ride around on fumes so the engine runs ok? Ride only in 70 degree weather? If I would have known all of this, I would have kept my BMW that I traded for this.

I noticed that this bike is not available in black for 2012. Is it because the black color conducts too much heat in the gas tank? Seems far fetched, but it looks like the problems from owners isn’t being addressed on any level.

Here is a link discussing it on 08 models and newer:

http://www.maximum-suzuki.com/forums/index.php?topic=73401.msg1008154#msg1008154

There are many other links/forums out there discussing this.

I will not just live with this. Obviously, I’m pissed off. I am not happy with the seeming brush off by Dreyer service, or the answers from Suzuki. I buy a lot of bikes. I have never seen anything like this before. A customer buys a new bike because of a warranty and hopes they will be taken care of. Not to worry about getting nickel and dimed and hearing how it is something you as a rider/owner are doing wrong.

I want the bike fixed or replaced.

Thank you Mark and Michelle. You made buying easy. Please help me make servicing it just as easy.

Phil Gibson
2011 Suzuki 1250 FAL