Just bought a new Suzuki Vinson 6 days ago. The first two times I rode the thing I smelled plastic melting, but wrote it off as newness. I then noticed the rear rack being especially hot. I felt the fenders and they were so hot it burned my hand and they were soft. I then noticed a hole melted in the rear fender above the exhaust. The heat shield is in place, and the engine hasn't overheated (light hasn't came on and engine hasn't put out excessive heat). I broke it in as the manual said, and havn't ran it especially hard after the break in period. What could cause this problem? The dealership said they would take care of it for me and replace the rear fenders.

 

This does not sound good. For the fenders and rack to be hot to the touch indicates a serious exhaust restriction or leak. You might check the clamps along the length of the pipe. Also, start the motor and check for backpressure along the pipe and also at the end. If not a leak, it could be a blocked spark arrester, which would affect engine performance as well. Hope it is something simple, but the dealer should replace the fender. Don't let them change it out until you repair the problem or it will happen again.

Good luck!

 

mine did the same thing.the dealer replaced it under warranty. they think i let it idle for a period of time, wich i did not. even if i did it still shouldnt do that. i think the thing is running on the lean side causing it to run hot, i plan to jet up. my new plastic came with a heet shield . the old one didnt have one. i added another heat shield on top of the rear exhaust mount, now everything seems fine

 

I have had the same problem adn still waiting to hear back from the dealer since my machine is out of warranty. To me it sounds like there is gas getting back to the muffler adn then igniting. On occasion, I hear a POOF in the muffler when I shut i toff like there is gas firing there indicating running too rich. It also has a "dieseling" sound at take off.

 

Mine also makes the POOF sound when it is turned off. I haven't let it idle for any length of time either. Souns like a serious problem.

 

just put some high temp/reflective tape(actually i think its called chimney tape) on the bottom side of the fender, right above the exhaust pipe. any fireplace store will have it for sure, its silver on one side and peel the back off and stick away

there was another thread that was describing the same problem and the new fender that was put on had a heat deflecting "pad" or some other material to help keep her from melting.

we use this stuff on sled belly pans all the time it sticks like crazy and does a great job in keeping temps under control

 

My Eiger "poofs" or farts when you turn her off, only when the motor is hot...Jerry

 

beck:

Get yourself some relective heat tape and use it liberally on the inside of the fender. Tape the length of the muffler and 4-6 inches on each side. Also, make sure you tape up in the hole the holds the rear rack bracket. I taped the hell out of mine and have kept a close eye on it and so far, no problems. The patch kit that might come on your new fender won't cover much, so tell you dealer to cover a larger area. It's a **** poor stock setup. Curious to see if Suzuki corrects the problem on the 03's.

 

Heat tape is what I plan to do, but it is sad when you pay that much for a new quad and then have to fix it for a sorry design. Suzuki is onto something with this quad, it is powerful and handles great, but I am getting concerned about reliability.I am also having problems with the shifter, the black plastic shroud doesn't fit right, squeaking brakes, and a leaking front brake caliper.My last two quads were Polaris and didn't have the problems some people talk about, I bought the Vinson due to it being a true sport-utility quad, and it is, hope I didn't make a mistake.

 

Mine gets pretty hot and hopefully the fenders will be helped once I get the tape. What really bugs me is the amount of heat that hits my leg on the right side-does anyone else have this problem or is it normal?

ScottOne

02 Vinson Green