I have been riding dirtbikes, atv's and streetbikes all my life.
My wife and I just bought a vinson 500. I got home, put it in
reverse, backed off the trailer and proceeded to sit there in
reverse as the machine would not shift into forward (hi) no
matter with brakes on or off or with gentle rocking or two
people pushing back and forth. Finally, I looked at the lever
on the side of the transmission that the shifter and cable connect
to. With one hand shifting the shifter and the other pushing the
lever back and forth, finally it shifted. I thought it would loosen
up after riding but after two days it almost never shifts into
reverse or from park to Hi or hi to park, ect. The bike was amazing to ride with tons of power and a great ride but the shifter is
totally unacceptable. I've always owned hondas and yamahas. This
is my first suzuki and I will see if they stand behind their name.
We own the quad a week now and will pay a visit to the dealer.

 

Please do go and see your dealer about it. It is his problem. The shifter adjustment is part of the pre-delivery inspection on the Vinson and Eiger automatics. Have the dealer go over the entire inspection list again because chances are if he missed that, he probally missed something else.

 

Thanks Knowsalot. I will be paying the dealer a visit tomorrow.
Hope they fix it. The machine is an awesome ride, just too bad
it doesn't shift. Hope to put up a good post this week on suzuki
and the dealer standing behind their product.

 

Suzuki should be ashamed. They re-adjusted the bike. When we got
to the dealer, they drove it forward and then reverse a few feet
in their garage and said it shifts fine. I drove it out of the garage
around the lot and back, put it in reverse and it stayed stuck in rev. I told them to come out and show how i'm shifting wrong. They Could not argue...it wouldnt shift back to forward, with rocking, tapping the gas or anything. We had to shut it off and on to shift. Then they called suzuki cust. serv and said the exact opposite of what happened. This is our first and last suzuki. The bike had this problem on the first day, 2nd,3rd,4th and still does. Suzuki says we
have to take it even though it wont shift and my fiance cant drive it. We own it a month and took it back 3 days after purchase.Anyone considering suzuki, think about it. I owned Hondas 18yrs and had one
problem, which they fixed completely and without problem.
Thanks Suzuki...

 

I am wondering if any other Vinson owners have experienced this problem? I am leary of buying one now after reading this post. I was just about sold on one, but when i keep hearing about shifter problems, I am cautious. What can you Vinson owners tell me that will ease my concerns?
ScottOne





1985 Honda 200 fourtrax(Sold)

 

ScottOne, I was also sold on the Vinson, but the more I read, the more I hear of people having trouble with it. I asked 3 different dealers this week about the problem with the Vinson's gear selector. Each dealer gave me a different answer, and none of them seemed confident about what they were telling me.. Im not knocking Suzuki because I have owned suzuki 4wheelers in the past and they were as tough as they come, and Im not knocking the Vinson because it is a nice machine. but it seemed a bit of a gamble to spend 6K and hope to get one that worked right, so I bought a Honda today.
If you have a Suzuki dealer that you are confident in, I think you should still consider the Vinson. A good dealer will let you know that he's willing to stand behind the product no matter what. I just couldn't find that sort of confidence in the Suzuki dealers around here when it came to the Vinson.

 

I have had my Vinson for a couple of months now with no problems. sra6969 has been whining on all the boards about his problem. Everyone has told him the same thing....go to a different dealer. He even says that when the dealer called Suzuki they told them the opposite of what the problem is. If he spent as much time trying to get his problem fixed as he does whining on these boards he wouldn't have a problem.

 

Phoneguy
You are right about the dealer. I had 2 LT_F300 and the dealer sucked.
He even went as far to tell me that he was going to void my warranty because I would not pay a bill. lol no shi_ [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] I went to a new dealer and had NO problem at all with them. They fixed the problem AND It was covered by my warranty!! AND didnt cost me nothing at all except for shipping. In return, I traded that 300KQ in on the Eiger and that dealer has bent over backwards for me. So if sra6969 would quit crying and go find a new dealer, I am sure they would fix his shifter problem, 1; because they want his business and 2; it is still covered by warranty.
SO FIND A NEW DEALER [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] At least where you are you have choices close to you, not like me and have to ship the machine 300 miles or more to another dealer. (The first dealer was 200 miles away) AND have to pay for shipping! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img] Let your fingers do the walking for you look in the yellow pages and stop crying!!

Even though I have had problems with my 300; Suzuki is still the best machine out there today. I have not had any problems with any of my other machines. Suzuki can not control all the dealers and their attitudes. If you look around you, thats why most companies have more than just one dealer in a given area, to provide a level of customer service that the customer is looking for. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]
.................
2002 Eiger
2001 KQ 300

 

Here's my two cents...

I've had a Vinson since last Oct. My shifter is a little sticky. By that I mean it's not smooth, not that it won't let me shift.

I've plowed a lot with it this winter so you know I was constantly going from reverse to low, in and out of 4x4. No problems. My machine has 235 miles on it.

I'd suggest you test ride one and shift a lot with it. If you can live with the shifter behavior and feel, then buy it (the machine you test ride) if you like it. It shouldn't get any worse.

It sounds like someone has bought a lemon from a lemon of a dealer. It makes me wonder if the thing was set up properly in the first place.

There are a few dealers in my area and the service I get varies greatly depending upon where I shop. This is in line with what others on this forum are saying.

I don't mind traveling a few extra miles to feel that my business is appreciated. The older I get, the more important this is to me. I work hard for my cash and don't want a minimum wage teenager behind the parts counter calling me 'Bud' when I'm old enough to be his granddaddy. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

Mark
"There might be snow on the roof, but there's still fire in the furnace."

 

I would give you $5800 cash for your Vinson and you pay the shipping! I have talked to 2 different dealers and they both told me exactly what is wrong with the machine. You said the machine is still under warranty, they will put in a shift kit for me for nothing, because of the warranty. You pay the shipping to Alaska and I will take it off your hands.



2002 Eiger
2001 KQ
2002 Hopefully Vinson [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]