GSXR Master Cylinder Recall, the Dealers and the Bull.

It was long overdue.
One thing you should know from the start - I can't abide anyone else working on my stuff. I will always try to do it myself. Working in car dealerships for over twenty years does that to you - you see a fair variation in workmanship. So the letter from Suzuki had been festering in my rucksack for six months but, then again, any corrosion present in my master cylinder could've been present for eight years now anyway (it is a K6). 

Any signs? Sponginess?
Nothing. On original hoses, the lever still felt as good as ever. Fluid is changed regularly, or at least while I've owned it. It's not a solid lever, but the brakes are still adequate for hauling the old girl up - and light years ahead of my sixty year old Beesa:) What more could you ask for?


But eventually...
I popped down the dealer and booked her in. While making this rare appearance at the dealership, I tried to get genuine fork seals and dust covers from the parts department, but they only had aftermarket seals, and would have to order the dust seals in. Online it is then. 

Anyway, dropped her in this Saturday. A lad comes out and says it won't take long, twenty minutes. Twenty minutes? To stick a new master cylinder on, plus the hose down to the right caliper and, finally, bleed/roadtest it. Jog on pal, take your time, I want it done right! Here's my number, give us a bell when it's done. Jump on the back of Dave's Superduke and time for a brew.

Two hours pass, no call so back to the dealer we go. Sure enough, it's sat outside the front ready to rock. I walk over and grab the lever in the hope that it'll be solid or different, but it feels the same (I suppose it was to be expected). Then a geezer from the dealer comes towards us, desperately trying to finish off the remnants of his breakfast and hands me the key. Barely able to talk with half a bacon roll in his cake hole, he pulls faces and gestures wildly about being careful.

"Just be careful, the brakes are unreal!" he splutters. "It just wants to stoppie."

The excitement is obvious, and his arms go through the motions like he's just done the perfect one-eighty on my Gixer. My eyes light up because 1) I like stoppies, and 2) the brakes are gonna be better!

"So, have they changed the dimensions of the cylinder?" I ask.

One would assume that if the brakes have suddenly improved, something major must have been altered. After all, there was no actual problem with them before. He just looked at me blankly before digging a bigger hole.

"We've replaced the master cylinder, hose, reservoir and throttle cables."

"Throttle cables?"

Hmm, ok then. Sounds great, now give me my key I'm out of here. I hadn't read, or heard, anything about cables being changed, but I'm happy with that. A quick look at them and Dave says they're the same ones. And there you have it. Someone with no clue talking to a customer. Baffle them with bullshit and science, an old trick from years past (and obviously still the done thing). But anyway, let's give it a whirl.

Marquez-style stoppies into the next corner!
Stroll on, where do they find these people? I ride up their driveway and gently pull the lever - after all, I don't want to flip the thing right over! Sure enough, there is absolutely no difference in feel from the brakes at all. End of. They work properly, and as intended, but no differently to before. 

Maybe the road tester had just been out on a sixty-year old Beesa.

Here's  a couple of boring pics of the new pics in case anyone's interested. It's good to get a new reservoir, the old one was crazed/cracked from the sun's rays.