Spares or put in stock for inevitable
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Maybe
Mr. Murphy says, if you have those spares, you'll never need them. Depending on the age of your bike, instead of letting the spares sit on the shelf, I'd install them. Of course, then you let yourself in for infant mortality, installation error (hey, no one's perfect), and the possibility that Suzuki will put out better-quality replacements in the near future, rendering your efforts moot. Unless you really need the bike to be operating day in and out, probably a waste of money and shelf space. And unless you've got a nice nitrogen-sparging set-up, and refrigerated storage space, the parts will age on your shelf, not quite as quickly as they'd age on your nice warm bike. So no telling if they'd be good if/when you needed them. I'd put the money into periodic battery replacement and a volt meter if you tend to load the electrical system heavily so as to minimize stress. For decades the aviation industry operated on the theory that parts fail from age, and some parts were replaced on that basis. They're finding that most failures occur immediately after installation (part faulty or installation error) or from wear (as opposed to age).
Mr. Murphy says, if you have those spares, you'll never need them. Depending on the age of your bike, instead of letting the spares sit on the shelf, I'd install them. Of course, then you let yourself in for infant mortality, installation error (hey, no one's perfect), and the possibility that Suzuki will put out better-quality replacements in the near future, rendering your efforts moot. Unless you really need the bike to be operating day in and out, probably a waste of money and shelf space. And unless you've got a nice nitrogen-sparging set-up, and refrigerated storage space, the parts will age on your shelf, not quite as quickly as they'd age on your nice warm bike. So no telling if they'd be good if/when you needed them. I'd put the money into periodic battery replacement and a volt meter if you tend to load the electrical system heavily so as to minimize stress. For decades the aviation industry operated on the theory that parts fail from age, and some parts were replaced on that basis. They're finding that most failures occur immediately after installation (part faulty or installation error) or from wear (as opposed to age).
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Good list -- some additional stuff I keep in stock. Maybe it's all those years of riding vintage bikes daily:
Cheapo clutch and brake levers (carry on longer trips just in case)
Tires & brake pads - Last set of decent take-offs stay on the shelf
Clutch M/C and slave cylinder rebuild kits (the rubber in the clutch hydraulics gets a real workout compared to the brakes).
(For other bikes, I always keep a spare clutch cable around and some temporary cable ends)
All parts & gaskets to rebuild water pump
Wheel bearings
Engine cover gaskets
Fuel pump o-ring
Set of spare cowling clips and fasteners -- I replaced all these with new and kept the intact stock set
R/R -- I actually have a new MOSFET R/R I'm going to install on the Vee soon, and I'll save the stock one. I also have an R/R from an older Honda -- these make great replacements on older bikes, but this one has enough capacity to work on the Vee if needed.
Spare rear axle & nut -- no real reason other than it was cheap on fleaBay one day, and lots of these seem to strip out their threads.
Spare master link and clip -- don't have this at the moment, actually, but it would be a good idea. I use rivet master links, but you never know...
Plus, there are all the usual consumables/maintenance/shop supplies -- oil filters, brake crush washers, various drain plug and sealing washers, huge collection of stainless metric fasteners, headlight, brake, and turn signal bulbs, wiring supplies, etc. and so on.
(Still looking for a spare stator to keep around... anyone? )
Cheapo clutch and brake levers (carry on longer trips just in case)
Tires & brake pads - Last set of decent take-offs stay on the shelf
Clutch M/C and slave cylinder rebuild kits (the rubber in the clutch hydraulics gets a real workout compared to the brakes).
(For other bikes, I always keep a spare clutch cable around and some temporary cable ends)
All parts & gaskets to rebuild water pump
Wheel bearings
Engine cover gaskets
Fuel pump o-ring
Set of spare cowling clips and fasteners -- I replaced all these with new and kept the intact stock set
R/R -- I actually have a new MOSFET R/R I'm going to install on the Vee soon, and I'll save the stock one. I also have an R/R from an older Honda -- these make great replacements on older bikes, but this one has enough capacity to work on the Vee if needed.
Spare rear axle & nut -- no real reason other than it was cheap on fleaBay one day, and lots of these seem to strip out their threads.
Spare master link and clip -- don't have this at the moment, actually, but it would be a good idea. I use rivet master links, but you never know...
Plus, there are all the usual consumables/maintenance/shop supplies -- oil filters, brake crush washers, various drain plug and sealing washers, huge collection of stainless metric fasteners, headlight, brake, and turn signal bulbs, wiring supplies, etc. and so on.
(Still looking for a spare stator to keep around... anyone? )
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How long do you think it will be before parts are unavailable? I would think it would be years and years from now.
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OEM parts availability for vintage Suzukis is surprisingly good, so I'd expect you'll be able to keep a Vee on the road for at least two or three decades.
The first things Suzuki gets rid of are the large items taking up space in the warehouse -- body parts, exhausts, tanks, wheels, seats, engine cases, etc. So in about ten years you won't be able to get these OEM any more.
The rest they seem to keep available forever, or at least as long as someone buys the parts once in a while. You can still get just about all the smaller bits for models back to the '70s.
In addition, Suzuki never, EVER re-designs a part unless they absolutely have to. So there are lots of parts, even obscure little bits like rubber bumpers and fasteners, that get re-used on new models for decades. For example, the rear wheel drive spline in my '83 GS850 is still being used in their C50 cruisers. The Vee oil filter goes back about 25 years.
Contrast that with Honda and Yamaha, who seem to totally rework all the parts every year for every model. They're also fond of creating goofy oddball fasteners at every opportunity, and for no reason (silly crap like M6X37mm case screws).
The first things Suzuki gets rid of are the large items taking up space in the warehouse -- body parts, exhausts, tanks, wheels, seats, engine cases, etc. So in about ten years you won't be able to get these OEM any more.
The rest they seem to keep available forever, or at least as long as someone buys the parts once in a while. You can still get just about all the smaller bits for models back to the '70s.
In addition, Suzuki never, EVER re-designs a part unless they absolutely have to. So there are lots of parts, even obscure little bits like rubber bumpers and fasteners, that get re-used on new models for decades. For example, the rear wheel drive spline in my '83 GS850 is still being used in their C50 cruisers. The Vee oil filter goes back about 25 years.
Contrast that with Honda and Yamaha, who seem to totally rework all the parts every year for every model. They're also fond of creating goofy oddball fasteners at every opportunity, and for no reason (silly crap like M6X37mm case screws).
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