Man Claims Motorcycle Broke In Half

POSTED: 5:29 pm EDT June 2, 2006
UPDATED: 6:27 pm EDT June 2, 2006

ATLANTA -- Nick Jerard claims his motorcycle broke in half while he was riding it – sending him to intensive care. He also says that several other riders report similar ordeals – but the manufacturer won’t do anything about it. Channel 2 found a number of complaints on the internet about frames on that 2005 model Suzuki breaking in half under seemingly normal conditions.

Suzuki officials did not return our calls.

Jerard, who bought the model during its first year of production, says his snapped while he drove it at about 25 miles per hour.

It takes two people to wrestle what remains of his prized motorcycle out of the garage.

This time last year, the 21-year-old and his dad bought a Suzuki GSXR 1000 – touted then as the fastest production bike on the road.

The aluminum alloy frames made it light, and the Jerard’s say, more susceptible to frame problems.

Two months into ownership – Nick landed in intensive care.

“I was moving my brother’s stuff, I pulled out of the driveway, it fell apart on me from there,” Nick says.

Less than 100 yards from his house, you can see the trenches carved, Nick says by the muffler after the frame below him snapped in two, and sent him flying.

After several weeks of recovery, and $7,000 in medical bills, Nick says he and his dad started inspecting the bike. They spotted a hole drilled into the frame for his horn.

When they tried to get the bike repaired, they say initially, Suzuki seemed cooperative. Jerard says after he raised that question, Suzuki officials refused to repair his bike.