ATTENTION ALL M50 OWNERS! My issue resolved! FIX YOURS NOW B4 IT'S TO LATE!

[rogerl]

I just replaced my rear tire. That would have been a GREAT time to do this fix when the bike was apart. On my bike I needed to loosen the exhaust pipes to drive the rear axel out of the wheel bearings. There was some corrosion on the axel where it went thru the rear brake housing.

Roger L

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[cchriste]

Wow....I guess I need to do this as well. I will be looking for your how to on the boot install and all that stuff. I never thought about it possibly locking up at 75...that makes me nervous. Time to get the tools out!!!!!

[PerfectStranger]

Roger,

If you think you might do the inspection, let me know. I'll help out in any way possible if we can check mine also. Heck, I'll pick up two of the boots he's referring to.

Matt

[gr8stdane]

If what you say is true, and others also confirm the shaft has not been greased, we can get suzuki to do a recall, and do it at the dealers expense.

[Apertureguy]

If what you say is true, and others also confirm the shaft has not been greased, we can get suzuki to do a recall, and do it at the dealers expense.

Bingo!

That would work great.

[burnchassis]

I've looked for a "main" phone number ,but i can not seem to locate.
I'll call them and start a ball,see if we can get it to roll.
CS

[Quantumcat]

Great news that you discovered the problem burnchassis and even better that you're willing to share it for the benefit of all.

I haven't looked at the process of disassembly yet, so the next paragraph may show a bunch of ignorance.

I await the idiot-proof "how to", but I'd like to ask if there are any other parts that would need to be ordered along with the boot. What I mean is...in order to get in there and service it a lot of things have to be removed before you get that boot. Are there parts that need to be replaced due to removing stuff in order to get in there? For example, if you have to remove the pipes, you'd probably want new gaskets. Are there gaskets, o-rings, crush washers/seals that need to be replaced when removing all the ancillary components?

Sorry for repeating my self, but I didn't want to be misunderstood.

Thanks 1,000,000 for passing along this information.

[burnchassis]

I have not gotten to the internals yet,I just ordered parts today so within a week I should have them,and will gladly post a HOW TO.
I was told I needed no special tools to do this.
If your just going to grease it ,no,you should only need the boot...again I'll know more when I tear mine down fully.
AND
You shouldn't have to remove your pipes to remove the rear wheel.
If your axle bolt is froze in there..just keep twisting it out,it will come eventually.
CS

[dispatchbob]

If what you say is true, and others also confirm the shaft has not been greased, we can get suzuki to do a recall, and do it at the dealers expense.

Should be on Suzuki's shoulders to correct

[Ray Nielsen]

To add a bit to this discussion, I removed the rear drive to lube the forward splines on the drive shaft just before a trip to Alaska two years ago. NO trace of any grease, but thankfully NO rust or wear either. Slathering the splines with Moly 60 paste I was ready to reassemble. But what about the front U-joint?

Took the swing arm off to access this part and found that the internal splines were dry on both front and rear sides. Lots of work, but after using lots more Moly 60 paste all was reassembled and the trip went just fine.

Later I learned that the rear end of the drive shaft, where it enters the rear drive, has a need for grease too. Suzuki recommends a new seal if you remove the drive shaft -- you'll need a circlip pliers too. After checking this I found it well lubricated with lots of grease and NO rust showing at all. Still, I cleaned it out and using Moly 60 paste again I repacked it and put in a new seal. All is well and I feel confident I'll have no problems for a long while.

Someone at Suzuki should have their fingernails torn out with pliers for this oversight at the factory level. Better yet would be castration with a dull hacksaw blade!

Ray Nielsen, in Minneapolis and sitting out rain and tornados today!

[spikes]

Burn , called the shop ,told your situation, he says they checked that and I'm not so lucky .

[dogginit]

Burn you are my mech. The great info keeps comming and comming. Sorry your bike had to break to find this out but I thank you very much for sharing the info, so the rest of us can take note. I would have ended up spending big bucks and now I know how to prevent it. Thanks again man.

[rogerl]

Burn:
I think that you bought the wrong nut and "O" ring. I found a parts list for the C-50 on the C-50 forum. I have listed the link below. I hope that I am wrong but I think that you need "O" ring #7 and nut #11. Your parts list shows Nut #16 and "O" ring number 32. Look at page 31 on the .PDF

VolusiaRiders.com :: View topic - K1 thru K5 parts break down on PDF

Roger L

[rogerl]

Burn:
One other thing I do not see the boot that you need to remove to get to this. I looked thru the parts list and thru the manual and I do not see the boot. Could you take a photo of this boot. The boot is not on your parts list either.
Also from looking at the drawing in the manual this part will not fail by locking up. It will fail by stripping off like yours did and freewheeling. The splines are basically "locked up" by design.

Roger L

[tanddrew]

Evening Burn

do you know if this is an issue isolated to the "M" and if it affected later year models. I have a '07 C50T with 22,000 miles, so far no trouble of any kind...other than those pesky tires wearing out...HAHA