Suzuki GSX650F Forum - www.GSX650F.biz

I realise it's a little soon to be talking about this, but anybody who saw my first post will realise that I'm a complete novice with most of this stuff, my question is this;

I'm going to be taking my baby with me to Uni where it's going to be kept on the campus car park, I'm going to be investing in a decent cover for it but is this going to keep it in good condition? and i also hear that riding in the rain is a bad idea? anybody from the UK will know that it rarely does anything but rain.

Of course I'm not going to be riding it once it gets icy and such and it will be kept in the garage at home by then.

Any advice about this subject would be very much apreciated

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Suzuki's are well known in Britain as the worst "winter bikes", due to the thin paint, and chrome. If you want a better bike for winter, get a Honda CBF600. You should ask around your area to confirm this. Ask the same question on the UK-only GSX650F forum for a better response. http://gsx650f.me.uk/
You will have to join to post messages there.

In many locales, people put their bikes away for the winter, so there is no disadvantage to owning a Suzuki (since they are lower priced, it is actually an advantage). But if you live in the UK, and ride frequently in a cold rain, there are better bikes to buy.

You can successfully keep a GSX in good condition through the winter; the thing is you have to keep it clean. A clean bike will dry off where as a dirty one can stay wet for days the most difficult place to clean is around the rear suspension and this takes time which you might not have. As for a cover they are only useful if the bike is dry to start with, no point putting a cover on a wet bike, they also increase the chance of it being blown over.
I ran mine through last winter washed it a least once a week and its fine.

Steve

I have only ridden in thick fog, and no problems, but looking at used GSX r at my local dealer
Concord CA, the ones ridden during the rain season , the exhaust headers changed from dark
grey to a odd dark tan color very ugly.

Yet i think if proper preventive and post care of 650 it should be ok. I know our headers not running
as hot as a GSX R. the frame has a hi gloss finish so, off the body work and tank and seat and
do a four coat wax. Then do the same for the body work and tank. Also lower fork that is a sand cast finish rough,
so a good cleaning first then wax. Then a good waxing of swing arm.

And after final ride if you have covered parkng use a small garden sprayer filled with di water, spay down
bike and then headers, wipe and dry. Yes a lot of work but any brand will corrode. But if You take
proper steps winter rain should not ruin 650. The big thing on headers is to keep really clean Noooooo
wax, but after oil change or coolant really clean up. And if parked in rain use some type of exhaust
can plug.

I rode in the cold the other night ,frooze my ass off and I have all the good winter touring gear.
As long as your feet and head and hands are warm the rest of you will be OK for short runs.
Tips...
buy a bandana ,put it over your neck and face ,like your a cowboy about to rob a saloon ....and do the helmet strap up over it so it won't fall down ,keeps you neck warm and stop cold air coming up threw the helmet.
If your touring and doing long trips in the cold ,go to the supermarket and buy rubber gloves like the doctors wear ,you find them in the cleaning sections ,box of 100 cost a few dollars.
Put them on under your gloves ,your hands will be warm as no cold air comes threw your gloves and if it rains they will be 100% dry. I've had people laugh at me when I put them on ,when riding around our snowy mountains area...then 20 minutes later ,they will pay $100 for one set, worth 50cents .
Get a news paper ,put it under your jacket ,it stops the cold getting threw where the zip is down the middle of your chest.
Buy heated grips from the bike shop ,pretty cheap.

Hey good ideas, wait "cold" in OZ. here still 85 to 50 f.

Yep - it's winter here now. Typically down to low single digit temperatures and up to low teens during the day, but frequently approaching 0'C at it's coldest (32'F).

It's beginning to improve though, and as I sit in my office I'm looking out to a nice garden where I'm seeing the first signs of spring.



Gear makes a big difference. I ride every day (almost) through winter, and I've yet to have a day where I felt really cold.

Heated grips make a big difference riding here in Pittsburgh. I got spoiled growing up out west in the bay area, where it may get moist, but rarely that cold. San Diego was even more of a spoiler, but now I know what a snow shovel is.
Anyone who deals with ski gear should have glove liners. I've done the rubber glove thing but those don't "breath" so I now have some high end winter gloves, and glove liners. Also, as suggested above I have a NOJ rider bandana that velcros together. Keeping the wind out makes the ride much warmer.

I was snow skiing last weekend {yes we have ski resorts in OZ} and I was warmer on a chair lift in a blizzard then when riding home from work at midnight threw a national park .
Just one of them cold nights riding at 120kph .

Hello ,bandit sa here, the subject on winter riding in OZ facinates me as I still ride in the winter here in the uk at 72 yrs old and I would like to say that all the talk of suzuki inferior finish is a lot of dingo dung"""""""" .Here unless you hose down after every ride in the winter months you WILL
have issues with corrosion and other issues no matter which bike you ride. This is because we now have a salt solution wedded to a gel , IT IS A. NIGHTMARE.My 2nd bike although it has 116,000 km,s on the clock since 1998 it is still in very excelent condition because of my washing regime .I wish to sell it but the Km,s on it say it is not sellable because 6-7000 Km,s is seen to be the norm for those majority of summer only riders.Just in case anybody out there thinks I am a grumpy old biker I and my wife did Tasmania on our first Suzie a 250 super six in 1966 from Bright (vic) to Tassie and back and that was the trip that kept us to Suzuki ever since .Ihope that I have not rambled on to long. Just one last thing , my sister is SEc of the BS a Club of victoria , does anybody know her. Yours Robin &isobel Norton

Winter, Let's see, oh ya I remember, That's when it's low 70's during the day, and maybe low 40's at night, ya I remember them days, ya lasts about 90 days around here, should be here about December, then once in a while there is actually this white stuff on the cars, I think it's called frost or something like that, but it's usually gone by an hour after sun up, ya it's really rough that time of year, have to put the liner in the jacket and everything,, well gang enough fun for now, later DaveG

Sleddog & TomcatVet: I have done the rubber glove thing, too! I thought I was the only one!

Last year I went out and bought the BMW Pro Winter II gloves. They were pretty expensive for a non-heated glove ($150.00). On a dry, sunny, winter day I tried them out. The roads were clear of snow and ice. It was 7 degrees F out. With the windchill it was -5 F. I could only last a few miles before my fingers felt numb and frozen. So much for those new $150 gloves! I went home, warmed up and went back out. This time, I put on some latex surgical gloves underneath the BMW gloves. I lasted about 20 minutes doing freeway speeds (70 -107 mph), however, that was it. My fingers really hurt. So, the rubber gloves did make a difference for me. I still need something better!

I am going to try these out this year: Ansai Mobile Warming Gloves -
http://www.compacc.com/p/Mobile-Warming-Mens-Heated-Softshell-Gloves

Even with heated grips, that without gloves were too hot to hold, the backs of my fingers got too cold. The glove liners helped tremendously but I think ultimately one will need something to stop the wind chill on the hands. Thought of buying electric gloves but then it starts to get to be a large pain in the butt to gear up, plug in, etc., and the handle bar mitts like I saw in Europe and Japan just don't look right.
My past survival training in the Navy taught me to keep your hands, feet and head dry if you can. Hence I use to carry surgical gloves in my personal survival gear, and a swim cap and a couple of plastic bags for my feet. Obviously on the motorcycle having a helmet and goretex or water proof boots help, as do goretex gloves and a rainsuit. Can't do much when the ambient temperature is well below freezing, except keep the bike in the garage and drive. I love riding, but not when in pain from the cold.

Just picked up a 2008, and absolutely love it. I am looking to install heated grips, and Barkbuster S1 grip shields. That combo should get me through Seattle winters on a 45 minute commute just fine. Does anyone know if the heated grip install is pretty straightforward, and if so, which product they used? Thanks much.

Hazari,
I heard heated grips installation is little complicated.
I'm planning to buy the Oxford Hot Hands which is cheaper than heated grips, easy installation and easily portable (but there are some downside). You can read the review here
http://www.webbikeworld.com/r3/heated-motorcycle-grips/