Motorcycle Safety & Driveability: Motorcycles, suzuki vx 800, suzuki service

Question
My 91 Suzuki VX 800 with 42k miles in now burning a bit of oil.  It was dumped at about 5mph in some dirt.  It burns about 1/2 quart every 500 miles and mostly from the rear cylinder upon start-up. It clears after that.  Any ideas?  Should I keep riding

Answer
John,

Thanks for the question. I always liked the VX800, it was a great idea and everyone I've known that owns one refuses to part with it. It was ahead of it's time for sure.

It doesn't sound like it's a "huge" problem, and the little tipover probably has nothing to do with it (unless you started to see the increase in oil use afterwards). Most likely, it's just time for some new rings, valve guides, and maybe some new valves (or at least some valve work). 42,000 miles is a lot for a motorcycle engine, even a lower-revving V-twin. And if you aren't the original owner, there's no telling how it was used (or abused) before you bought it.

If it's still running "correctly" but smoking some on cold start up, it's most likely just time for new rings, an overhaul or rebuild. Not cheap, but cheaper than a new bike. I won't say "stop riding immediately", but I would get it into a Suzuki service department as soon as you can and at least have it looked at, tested and given a compression test. See what a mechanic says about the oil consumption and let them start it up from cold to see what's coming out the pipes.

One thing is for sure, it's not going to fix itself. A solid rebuild, ring job, or doing whatever else needs to be done may give you tens of thousands more miles from the bike. Even if it's $1000 to make it all better, that's money well spent on a good bike.

Best of luck,

Bill Roberson