2005 Suzuki VL800 Electrical system Problems
- Complaints
- 5about this part
- Share
- 56%of 9 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 10,600miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 5 complaints about the electrical system of the 2005 Suzuki VL800, 56% of the 9 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 10,600 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved and 1 a fire, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Riding my 2005 Suzuki boulevard s50 motorcycle (less than 10,000 miles) to work this morning when the odometer and speedometer quit working. The consequences was that I had no way of knowing how fast I was going in morning rush hour traffic. Suzuki claims it is not their problem, but the bike is not used except for transportation to work and back and should not have problems in less than 2 years.”
NHTSA complaint #10187047, filed 2007-04, 9,500 miles“I have 2 2005 Suzuki c50 boulevards motorcycles. I added a light bar made by Suzuki. It attaches electrically to a plug provided by Suzuki inside the headlight can. When used, it overloads the ignition switch, causing heat, melting plastic inside. This is not a problem on the 2004's (VL800 vulsia) which run off a carburetor. The 2005's are fuel injected, and require a fuel pump. I believe the ignition switch is the same on both. Those that have the light bar on the 2004's and earlier do not report this problem. Those with 2005 and up, do report this problem. …”
NHTSA complaint #10221322, filed 2008-03, 20,000 miles“A genuine Suzuki tachometer causes the Suzuki c50 boulevard motorcycle to stall and quit after 20-30 minutes of normal operation. The tachometer part number is 990a0-72001. Suzuki is aware of this but has not issued a safety recall notice. Three dealers were involved in fixing this problem over a period of months. The first dealer could not fix the problem, the second dealer first insisted that the mufflers needed to be replaced (for which they charged me) after verifying this fix with Suzuki. This did not fix the problem and the dealer finally disconnected the tachometer. …”
NHTSA complaint #10154190, filed 2006-03, 8,560 miles“The contact owns a 2005 Suzuki VL800. The contact stated that the vehicle would not start. The wiring harness melted and was replaced by the dealer at the cost of $800. One year prior to the failure, he received recall notice for NHTSA campaign id number 05v566000 (electrical system:ignition:switch) and immediately scheduled an appointment with the dealer. The contact was repeatedly informed that they did not have the parts to complete the repair. He is in the process of notifying the manufacturer. The failure and current mileages were 11,000.”
NHTSA complaint #10249325, filed 2008-11, 11,000 milesRelated recalls
- 05V566000Dec 21, 2005On certain motorcycles, the ignition switch wiring harness may have been improperly routed at the time of production. If the wiring harness is not routed…Covers: Suzuki VL800 2005–2006, VZ800 2005–2006
Related service bulletins
- 10017800Oct 28, 2005Additional service manual information.
Electrical system: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 2 | 29% |
| 2005 | 5 | 56% |
Other parts of the 2005 Suzuki VL800
2 complaintsEngine
1 complaintsExterior lighting
1 complaintsOther or unknown
1 complaintsBody and structure
1 complaintsSuspension
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2005 Suzuki VL800
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology