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Battery explode

6K views 18 replies 11 participants last post by  roy826 
#1 ·
So I picked up my GSX S1000 about 4 weeks ago. I rode it a few times and put like 500 miles on it. I was travelling the last 2 weeks and came home and was going to go for a ride. looked at the bike and there was a puddle of battery acid underneath and started looking at the bike.

There is now acid all over pegs, rear shock, frame, swingarm, chain , engine covers etc... who knows where else without starting to strip it down.

What is my recourse?

I took the bike to the dealer they are blaming Suzuki. opened a customer service request with Suzuki and they are going to let me know. They are talking about replacing all of the damaged stuff but it would be like having the dealer service dept rebuilding like the whole thing. I am not sure what is worse, cleaning it as much as possible or having the dealer strip and rebuild..

What would you do.?

i have many many pictures but a few just to give you an idea..
 

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#2 ·
Well the acid is going to bite into all the paint work and ruin it and probably mark all the bare ali, only way is to replace the parts just depends how much faith you have in your dealer to do the job right.
I personally would be over it with a fine tooth comb and photograph everything I could that had the slightest mark on it and before it left the dealer I would do the same to make sure they replaced all the parts.
They have 3 tries to get it right, after that you are entitled to refund or replacement
 
#3 ·
yes , all new parts !!!

(WTF man that s sucks....)
 
#5 ·
No big deal.....I know this sucks, but still....

It might end up being better. If acid got on the swingarm, or suspension linkage, the dealer will likely use some grease on the bearings.

I know, for me, nothing is more fun that working on a brand new machine, and the mechanic will likely be into what he is doing.
 
#10 ·
After 600 miles my battery had issues like yours, not as bad though. I came out and saw small drops below the bike and investigated the problem. Yep, battery was leaking and running down to the floor. I contemplated calling Suzuki but had zero confidence in them. So I cleaned with warm water/ baking soda and replaced the battery with a lithium Shorai. I used some touch up paint here and there.
 
#11 ·
I'd be soooooo pi$$ed if this happened to mine. Why on earth wouldn't Suzuki use an AGM battery, I can't believe they would need to save the tiny difference in price.

First thing I'm going to do when I get to my bike is look at the battery and if it isn't AGM or gel it's going to be replaced!!
 
#12 ·
Long Story Short, they gave me a new bike so now I have 2016 blue non ABS no more grey 2017 ABS.

Broward Motorsports in Fort Lauderdale. They did the right thing and were amazing even when i was a D1ck!

Everyone from the GM to sales to Service were very cool, professional. It very rare at least in my experience with dealers so I am/was impressed. ( I was not the same when I worked at a few motorcycle dealers in my teens and early 20's.)

Broward Motorsports Fort Lauderdale - Fort Lauderdale, FL - ''You Gotta Ride!'' - New & Used Motorcycles, Bikes, Slingshots and More for Sale

I would highly recommend them to anyone and will certainly buy my next bike from them. Hopefully I can enjoy this one for a little while though.
 
#14 ·
Has anyone speculated on what caused this? Seems to be (hope it is) a pretty rare thing. Maybe they overfilled it? Did you have it on a a battery tender? Bike's charging voltage too high? Even in Florida this time of year it wouldn't have been subjected to extremely high temps. If there is a cause (other than manufacturing defect) it could help others avoid the same fate.
 
#15 ·
I think the dealer and Suzuki USA disagree. Dealer says it came that way and Suzuki thinks something may have happened during dealer Prep. Maybe something else? When I brought it in they did put it on tender and said it was fine. I could have kept it and taken the chance and maybe have them fix everything but decided to just swap it since the option was there..
 
#16 ·
This subject has really caught my interest, especially because I don't want it to happen to my bike and I'm probably about to drop £60 on a Yuasa AGM battery to replace the OEM Furukawa battery which looks like it's sealed, but not AGM.

The OEM battery has a -BS suffix which makes it a dry charged battery, so someone will have needed to fill it with the supplied acid. Any idea who? My guess would be the dealer as I can't see these bikes being shipped with the battery prep'ed, but I don't know for sure.

Digging a bit deeper, it looks like dry charged batteries need careful preparation including a 'standing' period followed by an initial charge at a prescribed rate, so because both incidents in this thread were new bikes, maybe the initial prep wasn't carried out correctly which lead to the acid leak through the over pressure vent?
 
#17 ·
in my case I only picked the bike up new, road it a few times and then noticed the issue. beyond that, I can only guess. Based on the fact that the dealer needed to and did provide resolution, it certainly supports a theory that the dealer did or did not do something. not much help sorry.
 
#19 ·
Battery comes in a box dry with a chemical fill pack you snap onto top of the battery at service time. Once the liquid fills the cells you remove that and cap it with the provided cap. Clearly says do not hammer the cap in place. Also when it is filling the cells you do have to tap lightly on the fill container for some of the cells to accept the fluid.

How do I know all this, because I did my own. I bought a bike through my local dealer, he didn't have the bike so I picked it up from another dealer 100 miles away. I was handed the bike and the battery pack. Once home I serviced the battery and I am the one who installed it. I did it by the book like I have done on these type batteries for years now. Nothing wrong with this type battery if installed correctly.

Your dealer did the right thing since his staff was most likely the cause of the battery failure not Suzuki.
 
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