Thoughts on an '02 oil usage

[Mr. Mjollnir]

Hi guys.  This is my first post here, but I have been lurking for a couple of years.  Any way, there is an 02 model that I am looking to buy.  It has about 15k on the odometer, which isnt' too bad for miles.  The potential problem is that I think that it may be in the serial number range of the ones with the bad pistons.  I don't have a specific serial number yet, haven't heard back from the current owner.  He did say that it uses about 1 quart for about 1200-1500 miles.

To the best of his knowledge it has not had the pistons replaced, which I assume to be true given the fact that it uses waaaay more oil than my '77, which is minimal usage.  So to get to the point.  What are the current thoughts about this issue.  Is it going to fine to ride this bike for a year or two as is?  Is there a potential cylinder washdown issue that just hasn't occured yet?  The owner did say that he has not had any issues with plug fouling.  Apperently the thing smokes a bit after an extended constant speed run, like down the interstate.  If he flogs on it, there isn't much smoking at all.  That sounds kind of odd, but maybe the varying rpms have something to do with it.  Thanks for any input.

[Justin]

Oil usage does seem a bit high to me. What's the model?

[Mr. Mjollnir]

Oops, sorry.  It's a Bandit 1200S.  I thought that the oil usage was a bit high, but I wasn't sure if it could become a problem.  My mechanic had a ball park figure of about $2,000 to replace the pistons.    Pistons are only $67 each.  

[Blunder]

You should check with a Suzuki dealer to see if Suzuki is still replacing pistons on the bad ones for free. If they claim no such program ever existed (likely) or that it's just an internet fable (more likely) have them read the attached.

BTW, there is no blow-by problem with the rings. The problem is badly machined oil holes in the ring grooves in the pistons themselves. The problem occurs when burnt oil residue collects on the piston crown, combustion chamber and valves. This is a bad thing as it can create hot spots in the chamber that lead to bad and premature ignition and it only gets worse over time.

[Blunder]

Oh, here's page 2 of the bulletin.

BTW, my '01 used a quart anywhere from 200 miles to 1,500 miles. It didn't matter how I rode it or what the weather conditions were (where I live it can be freezing or go up to 115 F depending upon the season).  

[Mr. Mjollnir]

Thanks for the bulletin.  I do not hold much hope that any dealer will even go up the ladder one rung given the fact that I could be the potential third owner of this bike.  But nothing ventured, nothing gained is a very popular saying.  I will have to find a dealer around my area, western Minnesota.  

Is there any way shy of removing the cylinder heads to check this out?  Would shooting the cylinder head with an IR temp gun yield any usable information?  Yeah, I know...  A ton of questions for a bike that isn't even mine.    Any way, thanks for the bulletin information.

[Blunder]

If you can get ahold of a borescope (you can probably rent one) you can peer through the spark plug hole.

[Mr. Mjollnir]

Hmm, never thought of that.  Maybe my mechanic would let me borrow his on the chance that he would be able to get a goodly chunck of change out of me in the future    Well, thanks for your thoughts/opinions.

[MadMax96]

There are enough non-oil burner Bandits around - I'd just move on and find a different bike.  If you were the original owner and had discovered the problem you might get some dealer support.  As of now I'd say you're probably on your own.  Dropping $2k into a bike that's barely worth $4k is  

[Blunder]

The Bandit of that age is hardly worth $3K. However, aftermarket support is still excellent. I've heard good things about Dale Walker's 1216cc big bore kit, plus anything else you might want.

http://www.holeshot.com/

[Mr. Mjollnir]

Thanks guys.  I was kind of thinking the same thing.  I did get the VIN from the seller.  According to that it is way above the serial number range for the bad pistons.  If I recall correctly the first group was the same but after the break it was like 772XXXXX, or something.  So, I don't think that this is the bike for me.  I did see another '02 Bandit with 19K for $3750, stock seat, exhaust, but it did look to be in good condition.  We'll see.  Thanks for the input, though.

[MadMax96]

Thanks guys.  I was kind of thinking the same thing.  I did get the VIN from the seller.  According to that it is way above the serial number range for the bad pistons.  If I recall correctly the first group was the same but after the break it was like 772XXXXX, or something.  So, I don't think that this is the bike for me.  I did see another '02 Bandit with 19K for $3750, stock seat, exhaust, but it did look to be in good condition.  We'll see.  Thanks for the input, though.

For $3750 you should be able to get a 2003 or newer model - that way the oil burning isn't even an issue.

[Thunderbox]

If you can get ahold of a borescope (you can probably rent one) you can peer through the spark plug hole.

What will you see that is relavent to this topic using a borescope?

[Blunder]

What will you see that is relevant to this topic using a borescope?

Possibly large amounts of burnt oil residue on the piston crown, if you're looking at a Bandit with bad pistons.

When I had my bike's pistons swapped at 18K miles the shop manager showed me the old ones. Three of the four had a nice uneven crust of crap on them.  Not good.