Tuesday 18th November 2014

Suzuki GSX-R1000: PH Fleet

Running a bike over winter takes a bit of effort but Jon's found a helping hand in handy bottled form

---

Having sorted the GSX-R's slightly lazy handling with a spacer under the damper and a brand new set of 190/55 Metzeler Sportec M7 RR tyres rather than the OE Bridgestone's 190/55 rear, all was looking good. Then disaster struck.

Getting to work on a punctured tyre...

It's typical, I haven't had a puncture for years on a bike, but within 100 miles of fitting the Metzeler tyres I opened the garage door to find a decidedly deflated rear tyre. A quick inspection soon revealed a slither of metal sticking out so I faced a decision. New tyre or puncture repair? As the rear was virtually brand new and I wasn't planning on any more track days this year, I opted for a professional repair. If I had been looking at taking to the track I would probably have gone for a new tyre due to the stress of track riding, but seeing as I was planning only road riding and the puncture was just off centre I went for the cheap option! It only cost me £20 to get the tyre professionally plugged and after 1,500 miles it has been as good as new and has allowed me to enjoy the Metzeler tyres.

I've been riding bikes for years and yet the development of modern rubber has really impressed me. The grip, stability, durability and wet weather capabilities of modern tyres such as the Metzeler Sportec M7 RRs is simply staggering. After 1,500 miles they haven't squared off at all and on the Suzuki track day they provided more than enough grip to keep up in the fast group. A few years ago a more road-biased tyre such as the RR would have been overwhelmed on track, but nowadays I honestly don't see the point in fitting a full-on sporty tyre such as a Pirelli Supercorsa or Metzeler Interact to anything except a pure track day bike. The lack of grooves may look cooler in the car park, but when it starts to hammer down with rain I'd much prefer the tyre to have some ability to shift standing water. And speaking of water...

Part of a proper pre-winter prep schedule

I'm happy to admit I absolutely hate cleaning bikes. Some people enjoy getting dirt out of all the nooks and crannies, I'm more of a throw water and hope it gets clean type of guy which is why I'm delighted to have discovered SDoc 100 cleaning gel. At £13 for a squirty bottle (a five litre refill is a staggering £50) it is a bloody expensive product and is best used sparingly, but it is absolutely brilliant stuff. You squirt the bike all over with the gel, leave it a few minutes and then watch the dirt literally fall off with the faintest tickle of a hosepipe. The first time I used it the GSX-R looked like it had been through a swamp as the local farmer had handily covered the road with mud, but even this wasn't enough to stump the SDoc, although I did need to use the sponge slightly to loosen the dirt. I know it is pretty tedious to get so excited about a cleaning product, but it honestly is that good. I was so impressed I even had a look to see who made it; typically enough it's the Germans...

As we are now nearing winter, the GSX-R is spending an increasingly large amount of time getting wet and dirty, so my thoughts are starting to turn to protecting its metal parts. Suzukis don't have the best reputation for build quality but so far the GSX-R has stood up well. Usually it is the nut on the rear axle that starts to corrode and tarnish first, but aside from a lack of copper slip from the factory (which we discovered when fitting the new tyre) it is looking quite good. And I intend to keep it that way. Everyone has their own favoured anti-corrosion spray but mine is a combination of ACF-50 and Scottoiler FS 365. I've been using ACF-50 for about seven years and it is seriously good stuff, mainly as it was designed for use on aircraft, but like SDoc it is pricey so I'm more liberal with the cheaper Scottoiler product. I try to ensure that once a week the bike gets a clean and spray of anti-corrosion treatment, although with dark evenings this routine is a bit tricky to keep to.

Tyre back to good as new for £20

Like so many riders, it has been quite hard to see Suzuki struggling like hell over the last few years so I was pretty happy to see it actually release a few new models this year. While I was secretly hoping to see a new GSX-R1000 emerge, realistically this was never going to happen but I am delighted to see it is now offering a GSX-R1000 with ABS. As the KTM Super Duke proved, it can also be really irritating and can suck some of the spirit from a bike and makes hooking up a wheelie at 50mph tricky! Good ABS, on the other hand, is one of those things that you completely forget is even fitted until the time it saves your bacon. I really hope Suzuki has invested in a decent system and I'm looking forward to testing it.

---

FACT SHEET
Bike: Suzuki GSX-R1000
Run by: Jon Urry
On fleet since: April 2014
Mileage: 3,945
List price new: £10,999 (basic rrp)
Last month at a glance: Mud and rain battled as the Suzuki gets prepped for winter

Previous reports
A two-wheeled addition to the PH Fleet!
Beer, ferries and speed in month two. Lots of speed.
Suspension and tyre tweaks tested at a Suzuki track day

[Denver09]

Is this an ad?

[3DP]

ABS stops you wheelieing? I think you are mistaking it for badly executed traction control.

[SteveSteveson]

No need to go through all that with ACF50. Just get a good covering by wiping it on all the bits you can see, and spray it in to areas you can't reach (or even better get a professional to do it with a spray gun) and leave it all winter. Come spring your bike will be caked in st, but clean it off once and your bike will be fresh and corrosion free underneath. Much better than squirting water in everywhere in the cold weather where it will not necessarily dry. You don't even need much of it. Wipe it on as much as you can and it dose not use very much. A can lasts me about three years, doing two bikes every winter, repeat applications through winter and sometimes summer on exposed bits like forks and stands, and using it on all my tools once a year.

Just make sure you keep it of brake parts and tyres, for obvious reasons, and hot bits, as it stinks.

How does SDoc 100 cleaning gel do on removing ACF50, because it can be a pain to remove come spring.

[dukebox9reg]

Id use snow foam. Never used on bikes but cracking on my cars.

[Bluehawk]

Original Article said:

I opted for a professional repair. If I had been looking at taking to the track I would probably have gone for a new tyre due to the stress of track riding, but seeing as I was planning only road riding

....

Original Article said:

After 1,500 miles they haven't squared off at all and on the Suzuki track day they provided more than enough grip to keep up in the fast group.

So you did go to a track with the plugged tyre?!

[PATTERNPART]

If a plugged repair isn't good enough for the track is it good enough for the road?

[garypotter]

Great bike, great tyres shame about the Metzeler customer service....
Never again

[CC07 PEU]

Out if interest, how did you get the punctured tyre to the place where it could be professionally repaired?

[hwajones]

CC07 PEU said:

Out if interest, how did you get the punctured tyre to the place where it could be professionally repaired?

Possibly using a similar method to that he would have used when taking it to somewhere to get the tyre replaced...
Trailer/Van/Blow it up and limp into town...

[J B L]

hwajones said:

CC07 PEU said:

Out if interest, how did you get the punctured tyre to the place where it could be professionally repaired?

Possibly using a similar method to that he would have used when taking it to somewhere to get the tyre replaced...
Trailer/Van/Blow it up and limp into town...

With a stand and the right tool it also takes fewer than 10mn to get the rear wheel off most bikes.

[InsolentMinx]

hwajones said:

CC07 PEU said:

Out if interest, how did you get the punctured tyre to the place where it could be professionally repaired?

Possibly using a similar method to that he would have used when taking it to somewhere to get the tyre replaced...
Trailer/Van/Blow it up and limp into town...

You could always use a DIY plug repair kit, and then take it along to get professionally done.


I'm a big fan of ACF50 too, it's magic in a can for winter protection