2007 Suzuki VZR1800

I got on the highway going to [XXX] on [XXX]. When I merged into traffic I almost got hit from behind because the Suzuki M109R slipped out of second gear. Fortunately the driver of the dump truck behind me noticed that I was not speeding up and he slammed on the brakes saving my life. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

In late 2020 while in a turn on the interstate while in 2nd gear the motorcycle jolted like it slipped on ice. The second time it happened is when I attempted to accelerate to 3rd gear the bike shuddered like it was not getting gas. Not being able to provide gas caused the vehicles behind me to swerve into the other lane. After 8 months of the bike sitting at another Suzuki dealer because they said they had to rip out the engine I towed the bike to a dealer over 700 miles away. That dealer said it was the clutch plates. They replaced the entire clutch system at my cost and the problem remained immediately upon picking up the bike. The same dealer now says it’s the gears and they have to replace them which means approximately another month at the dealer. The bike had not been inspected by any other agency. There were no warning lights of any kind. The RPMs never changed when the issue occurred. I called USA Suzuki and they said they’ll call me back. They never did. I will now have to get an attorney because Suzuki has a failed mechanical part they claimed they fixed years prior but the same thing is happening with the new models.

The contact owns a 2007 Suzuki VZR1800. The contact stated that while riding at approximately 35 MPH, the motorcycle independently shifted from 2nd gear to neutral. In addition, while shifting from 1st gear to 2nd gear there was an abnormal grinding sound coming from the motorcycle. The contact mentioned that when the motorcycle shifted into neutral, the speed decelerated causing the motorcycle to stop in the middle of traffic. The dealer was not contacted. The motorcycle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 13,500.

WHEN YOU SHIFT INTO 2ND GEAR AND ACCELERATE HARD IT FEELS LIKE IT SKIPS AND SHUTTER HARD INTERMITTENTLY. IT DOESNT DO IT EVERYTIME. SCARY FEELING. I USUALLY SHIFT INTO 1ST INTO 3RD WITHOUT ACCELERATING IN SECOND IF POSSIBLE. I CANT BELIEVE SUZUKI BEING A PROMINENT BIKE COMPANY HAS NOT CORRECTED THIS PROBLEM. I WISH I HAD READ UP MORE ON THE THOUSANDS OF THREADS ABOUT THIS SAME TYPE PROBLEM WITH THIS BIKE BEFORE I PURCHASE

MAJOR LOSS OF POWER TO THE GROUND. MAINLY IN SECOND GEAR IF I OPEN THE THROTTLE TO ANYTHING ABOVE SAY 20% TWIST OF THE WRIST THE RPMS GO UP BUT BIKE WONT GAIN SPEED WHILE ALREADY DRIVING. CLUTCH DOES NOT SHOW SIGNS OF BURNING UP AND ALL SEEMS NORMAL THERE. IVE ADJUSTED IT PER SUZUKI'S MANUAL AND FOLLOWED THEIR UPDATED METHOD VIA SERVICE BULLETIN THE NEXT TIME I MADE ADJUSTMENT. IN ALL GEARS I GET THIS SLIPPING SENSATION TOO WHERE THE MOTORCYCLE FEEL LIKE ITS DRAGGING OR NOT PICKING UP SPEED ALONG WITH THE RPMS WHENEVER I TRY TO USE SOME OF THE BIKES STRONG POWER WHILE ALREADY DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. THIS POTENTIALLY CAN PUT ME INTO A DANGEROUS SITUATION WHERE I CANNOT PICKUP SPEED TO AVOID ANOTHER VEHICLE NEED BE AND PLUS IT JUST PLAIN OLD TAKES THE CONFIDENCE AND FUN OUT OF RIDING THIS MACHINE I SPENT A LOT OF HARD EARNED MONEY ON. SHIFTING INTO SECOND GEAR IS ROUGH AND DIFFICULT AT TIMES. I ALWAYS SHIFT IN LOW RPM (4K RPM) AND EASE ON THROTTLE FOR ALL GEARS TO NOT ABUSE IT. THE GEAR INDICATOR I HAD INSTALLED NO LONGER SENSES WHAT GEAR I AM IN MORE TIMES THAN NOT. I SUSPECT THE SHIFT FORK FOR SECOND GEAR ALONG WITH THE GEAR ITSELF TO BE BADLY ENGINEERED AFTER GATHER INFO ABOUT THIS ISSUE ON THE M109ERS.COM FORUM. THINKING THE SECONDARY DRIVE MIGHT BE WORN OUT WHEN I DON'T ABUSE THIS BIKE. THIS BIKE HAS ALSO HAD A TERRIBLE "STUTTER" IN FIRST GEAR WHEN DRIVING FROM A STAND STILL THAT I NOTICED GOES AWAY WHEN YOU PARK THE BIKE WITH THE HANDLE BARS TURNED TO THE RIGHT TO STAND UP THE BIKE MORE UPRIGHT (MORE OIL GETS TO THE CLUTCH STACK) 24000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER, THIS IS THE THIRD BIKE I HAVE EVER PURCHASED OUT OF THE 5 IN MY LIFETIME. WILL BE FILING A COMPLAINT AGAIN ONCE I HAVE MORE INFO AND DOCUMENTATION.

TL* THE CONTACT'S WIFE OWNS A 2007 SUZUKI VZR1800K7 MOTORCYCLE. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE GEAR INTERMITTENTLY SHIFTED FROM FIRST INTO SECOND GEAR, AND THEN DOWNSHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL WITHOUT WARNING. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS TAKEN TO SYSCO HOUSTON (10710 GREENS CROSSING BLVD, HOUSTON, TX 77038, (713) 672-8080) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE GEAR WAS STUCK AND NEEDED TO BE LOOSENED. THE MOTORCYCLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 30,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 SUZUKI VZR1800. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE SECOND GEAR SLIPPED INTO THE NEUTRAL POSITION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ALL OHIO MOTORSPORTS (23361 AURORA RD, CLEVELAND, OH 44146, (440) 786- 2230) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE SECOND GEAR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED WITHIN THE TRANSMISSION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING REPAIRED BY THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 22,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 SUZUKI VZR1800K7 (NA). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HESITATED WHILE SHIFTING INTO SECOND GEAR AND WHEN ACCELERATING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 40,000.

JUST LIKE OTHER DRIVERS, 2ND GEAR WOULD DROP TO NEUTRAL AND WHEN SUZUKI REPAIR THE WARRANTED BIKE, THEY TOOK ALMOST 6 MONTHS TO FIX IT AND IT HAPPEN 3 MORE TIME WITHIN THE NEXT 4 YEARS AND LESS THAN 20,00 MILES...ALONG WITH THE CLUTCH GOING OUT 3 TIMES AND A BROKEN SWINGARM THE BIKE HAS BEEN GROUNDED LONGER THAN IT'S BEEN ON THE ROAD... *TR