Well, it’s been quite a while since I’ve done a proper update on the GSX. I must admit that general lethargy got the better of me, and I’ve been procrastinating on posting a detailed update on the bike
BHPian TRR recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
The last proper update on the bike was almost a year ago, when the bike was just at 43XXX kms. As of today, the odo has just crossed 53,500 km, and the last ~10000 kms has been incredibly eventful, while also being a bit worrying (read, expensive) on the parts front. The GSX has just done 40,000 kms with me in the 4 years I’ve had it, and it’s been an absolutely delightful experience, mostly.
The current odo reading
The big 50,000 mark
The old girl has started to show some age with more parts coming up for general wear and tear replacement. While I’m happy to spend to keep her in top shape, it is getting slightly annoying to have new issues keep popping up every now and then. These aren’t reliability concerns, and it’s probably mainly because the use case for this bike is a little more stressful than usual (office commutes on BLR’s famously bad roads, along with riding on some not-so-great roads outside BLR).
I’ll split this update into 2 parts – the service bit and the riding experience part.
Servicing updates over the last 1 year.
A brief on the service history in the last 1 year and the parts replaced:
1. Cone set replacement (~45000 kms) – Shortly after my last update in July 2024, the front cone set from All Balls Racing seemed to have given way. The handlebar would click under load, and when going over potholes. Had got the part tightened correctly once, but it seemed like the cone set would just work itself loose after a bit. So I went ahead and procured a new OEM coneset through WeBike. This was fixed during a routine service.
The OEM cone set parts
The OEM cone set is fixed on
2. Crankshaft position sensor error (~45000 kms) – The bike was also randomly throwing up errors regarding the crankshaft position sensor. This would sporadically show up when stopped at traffic lights after some riding. The bike would refuse to crank, and I would have to switch off the key fully and switch it back on to get it running. Spoke to Hafiz, who said this was a regular occurrence on GSX-Ss and said that he would just need to open up the starter motor cover and clean out the position sensor (it would get clogged with impurities in the engine oil). When procuring the OEM coneset, I also bought a set of gaskets that would be needed as replacements when opening up the motor covers. This work was also done when the con set was replaced, and the error hasn’t shown back up since.
The starter motor cover was covered up
3. Rear suspension replacement (~45000 kms) – During one of my rides, I noticed some weird clunking noise at the rear when going through potholes and rough roads. Decided to take the bike down to Hafiz, and this was diagnosed as the rear suspension having gone kaput. Procured a replacement suspension part, including the linkage, and had the entire unit replaced. This cost a pretty penny and was one part replacement that irked me a bit more as I wasn’t expecting the suspension to give way only 48K kms into its life. But I guess I need to also factor that running the bike routinely in Bangalore’s terrific roads would have some impact on shortening its lifespan.
A piece of the rear suspension linkage. Missed getting more pictures of the entire replacement
4. Wheel repainting (~47500kms) – The bike’s bi-annual service came up in December 2024, and I decided to spice up the look by getting the bike painted in the Metallic Triton Blue that adorned the body panels. Hafiz has contacts who undertake these jobs, so I chose to give the bike to him for the general service + wheel repainting. Routine service with nothing unusual. The rims were completely removed and sent in for sand-blasting + painting. The bike was handed back to me in ~2 weeks. And man, did the alloys look stonkingly good. Hafiz’s contact had done an excellent job in colour matching, even bringing through the metallic sparkle on the rims. It was definitely worth the price and brought in a fresh new look to the bike. Honestly, it looks OEM enough, but still stands out on a closer look.
The wheels go through various stages of the painting process
Through the first coat of paint
With the final clear coat
The new look (taken during a 3AM start)
5. Brake pad + fluid replacement (~48200 kms) – The Brembo brake pads that I had procured had run through their life over the course of 8,000-ish km, and this necessitated their replacement. Along with this, even the rear EBC brake pads were worn out, though these lasted significantly longer. Procured the brake pads through MotoUsher and got them replaced at Highlander for the change. Routine brake pad replacement along with a full brake fluid replacement.
6. Tire replacement (~49500 kms) – The last time I visited Madhu’s, only the rear unit was swapped out with a new Vredestein Centauro NS. After ~9000kms, even this rear unit had worn through, and a tire replacement was due. I decided to replace both the front and rear tires with Pirelli Diablo Rosso IIIs. I decided to ditch the Centauros because the rear seemed to pick up punctures way too easily, and + the life seemed to be considerably shorter than my previous stint with the DR3s. The last Centauro NS I fixed at the rear picked up a puncture within 1500 km of fixing it on, plus I had 2 more punctures during this 9000 km duration. I got the DR3s for a decent price and decided to slap them on. I can go deeper into the differences between the 2 compounds, but man, do the Pirellis feel so much better. I’ve done 4000 kms since replacing the tires and, touch wood, haven’t had a single puncture so far. Even the tire surface isn’t infected with numerous cuts and blemishes, unlike the Centauros. The bike is so much easier to tip into corners, and the grip levels are far better. For the 40% premium that these carry, I think I’d recommend the Pirellis over the Centauros. Plus, the tire life seems far better as I have plenty of tread left even after 4000 km.
Removing the old tires
New Pirelli Diablo Rosso IIIs installed. Back to my first tire set
The tires were replaced during a routine general service at Hafiz’s, and the wheels were balanced as well.
7. Chain sprocket replacement (~49500 kms) – The chain sprocket set installed at 20,000kms into the bike’s life was starting to give way, and I could feel the clunking when running the bike at low speeds. Decided to pick up a JT chain and steel sprocket set when I was in the UK recently, and had these fitted on during the tire change service, since the tires would anyway come off fully.
The old Vortex aluminium rear sprocket
The old front sprocket
Grime behind the front sprocket cover
New JT sprocket fixed on
A closer look at the new chain and rear sprocket
8. Clutch cable replacement + throttle body cleaning + fuel injector cleaning (49500kms) – The bike was still on the OEM clutch cable, and this was starting to fray a bi,t so Hafiz decided to change it out with a new OEM piece. Along with this, I asked to have the throttle body cleaned up as the on-off throttle transitions were getting a bit jerky. During this service, Hafiz also noticed that the fuel injectors needed cleaning and went ahead and had them thoroughly cleaned out.
The heart of the bike opened up
General pics of the clean-up
9. Disc brake rotor replacement (~53300 kms) – I had previously noticed that all the brake rotors seemed to be forming a lip around the outer edge. Hafiz had pointed this out to me as well during the wheel repainting job and asked me to prepare for a rotor replacement in the 5000-6000 km range. During the brake pad replacement, Karthik at Highlander also pointed out that the rotors were thinning out and would need to be replaced soon. I kept an eye out for the thickness, regularly stressing out, and once they reached the threshold of 4.5mm thickness, I went ahead and placed an order for the OEM disc rotors (2 front rotors and one rear) through Webike. The parts were delivered to me within 10 days of the order (although at an eye-watering cost when customs was tacked on). Proceeded to have them replaced at Hafiz’s during the 53000 km bi-annual general service. The brakes now feel a lot better, and I don’t have to stress out about the wear for a long while, hopefully. I think the regular use of EBC pads, plus my front brake heavy riding style, definitely shortened this out.
The bike opened up during the 53000 km bi-annual service, rear tire removed for replacing the rear brake rotor
Shiny new front disc, fresh out of its packaging
The new front and rear discs
The old disc rotor. The lip formation can be clearly seen when zoomed in
The new rear disc rotor fixed up
Another thing of note was a brief scare I had when some moisture entered the display console. Some roadworks happening outside our house prompted me to put the bike cover on immediately after a wash, which mostly led to some condensation inside the cover and subsequent moisture buildup in the dash. This led to the console illumination in the bottom left to dim completely. I was terrified that this was permanent damage and would cause more damage to the wallet. But the moisture cleared up after a few hours in the daylight, and the dash illumination returned to normal after a few days. Heaved a sigh of relief, but this definitely had me worried sick in that short period.
Backlight dimmed at the bottom left. Can see the moisture drops under the 10K – 12K RPM marks
This cleared up, as seen in the odo shot at the beginning of this post.
Like I mentioned above, the cost of general upkeep of the bike is significantly higher now, with wear and tear requiring replacement of some non-routine parts. It’s an eye-opening aspect of big bike ownership that I was prepared for to some extent, but I’m getting slightly weary now, more from a time and stress aspect than the money aspect. Of late, I prefer to stay back at Hafiz’s and watch the work being done. Considering I work a routine 5-day-a-week job and with multiple other personal commitments, it becomes a bit of a task to find time to get these large repair/replacement jobs done. Not to forget the constant jibes from the family on the money being poured into the regular servicing and parts
But taking the GSX out on the way home from work or an early morning jaunt to the highways, I always end up giggling like a schoolkid, listening to that glorious exhaust note from that inline-4. You end up instantly forgetting the tedious service jobs lined up and make all of it totally worth it.
Side note: The GSX is still on its OEM battery, and I think this might be the next bit that needs replacing. The bike still cranks to life instantly, and the battery health indicators give back a healthy reading. But I am coming up on 6 years on this OEM battery, so I am mentally preparing for this to be the next replacement item.
Will update on the riding experiences section in another post. The bike is well settled into a 30:70 city vs highway usage pattern and has been on some eventful rides over the last 1 year, especially with a newer riding company.
Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.
