Drive shaft warning

good investment the lift got mine from machine mart about £130 great for cleaning bike on

Just a thought; the shaft drive at the "front wheel end" plugs into a universal joint. Is there a splined joint on the other side of the universal joint that might need lubrication as well?

Hi All,

I agree that it is a good idea to regularly service the shaft spline but that goes with the whole bike eh!, still I did a search of the suzzie oz site trying to find the service addenum but had no luck so if anyone can point me to the right spot to check it out would be good, as I would like to know if that is part of the 12000km service now and is included in the cost etc.

Hi Len as soon as you get a chance pop in to the C'mon in & say hello section, we always like when a newbie introduces themselves.

In answer to your question, I would advise that you do it! this section has a link to a pdf manual download for your bike which you may find useful

Hi Len

I didn't get around to copying it in but it is something that is to be included in Australian 12000 K service. I am afraid they will bill you for an extra 2 hours to do it. I will try to remember to post it up in the next couple of days.

Here is a copy of the Australian Service Bulletin



As has been said I don't know if there is an equivalent in the UK or the US but it may be worthwhile to agitate the local Suzi dealers so that you can pass it on to your preferred mechanic.

icetechaus wrote:

Hi Len

I didn't get around to copying it in but it is something that is to be included in Australian 12000 K service. I am afraid they will bill you for an extra 2 hours to do it. I will try to remember to post it up in the next couple of days.

Two hours ? :shock:

That's what they charged me for the R&R on mine and when I showed my normal mechanic that is what he reckoned it would take. 2 hours is probably the book time and not the actual time.

Ah, right.

I have just sent this enquiry to Suzuki UK to see what the official line is:

"I understand that Suzuki Australia have now included lubrication service of all driveshafts on their motorcycles at 12,000 km. Can you please indicate if my vehicle needs this to be safe and prevent possible shaft failure. I notice it is not mentioned in my Owners Handbook service schedule - do you intend to amend this to include the procedure on all UK Suzuki drive shaft motorcycles? My mileage is approaching 9,000 miles and I am concerned that the vehicle may not be safe if the said lubrication is not carried out at the next service interval."

It will be interesting to see what they say. I will post any communication I receive from them, in due couse.

Good move Blues, will be interesting to see if or how they respond.

Very nicely worded Blues, totally non confrontational but at the same time demands an answer.

Excellant John will be very interested to see the answer they reply with.

Wow that was quick! Received this on e-mail today from Suzuki UK:

"Thank you for your recent enquiry. We can confirm that service schedule shown in your Owners manual is the recommended schedule set out by the factory and we have not been notified of any changes to the schedule for the Intruder. For your peace of mind we would like to confirm that the driveshaft and related components will be checked at each service therefore if there was a requirement for additional lubrication this would be addressed at that time. Should you require any further clarification on this matter please feel free to contact us on the telephone number below.

Kind regards Rebecca RoyalCustomer Services Executive Suzuki GB PLCSteinbeck Crescent, Snelshall West, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK4 4AE"

Do they open up the shaft to inspect..........I doubt it. What do you guys think?

Well that said just about sod all really

I agree they would not not go to the trouble of renewing the seals or opening up the shaft,a quick fix would be smear a bit of moly on the shaft it will look like it's been done.CC you made a good point.Well John at least you asked the question,a quick reply or a brush off?.

I must admit I'm a bit confused. I was in ThunderRoad, Bridgend today. I asked the service manager, a guy I know quite well and is a big cruiser man himself and knows his stuff, if shafts needed re-lubing. He said categorically, no. I asked if they were non serviceable units - he said, yes. I asked what if they appeared dry ? - he said the end is supposed to be dry. I said that in Australia Suzuki have included the new lubrication service on the schedule - he looked puzzled and said "why?" I'm confused now because Suzuki UK say it will be checked at the next service interval but the guy who will do the job says no need. Maybe I am not understanding some of this. Maybe I should just forget all about it, because my bike is running fine, Suzuki seem happy and many, many Intruders don't have any problems. Storm in a tea-cup?

Bluesman wrote:

I asked what if they appeared dry ? - he said the end is supposed to be dry.

I can see why your confused, might be worth forwarding him the email that you got from Suzuki if you are still going to use him to service your bike

To lube or not to lube that is the question Hmmmmm I have never been the best at maintanance but to the best of my knoweledge these bikes leave the factory greased up so the answer is there

Might be handy also to post the phone number that they gave you I am sure that number deserves a place on the site of its own

captain crash wrote:

Might be handy also to post the phone number that they gave you I am sure that number deserves a place on the site of its own

Good thinking CC

Sorry I missed out the rest of the contact info:

t 0500 011 959e customerservices@suzuki.co.uk w www.suzuki.co.uk

Captain Crash............that was a great answer and I am still chuckling away 5 minutes later.

It could be something to be with the fact that they are upside down

Grease with a high Molybdenum Sulphide content is usually available from BMW motorcycle dealers. Note that some Moly lubes do not have much Moly in them.

Hello all,

I'm late into this topic but I do have some personal  & current in site into this. I bought a 2007 M800 a couple of days ago with 12,000 K on the clock. I bought it very cheaply because it didn't run. Well the engine ran just fine but there was no drive. Getting the bike into my workshop today I began trouble shooting, clutch seemed ok, all gears appeared present so time to start her up and try a gear. Snicked into first no problem so I gently let the clutch in, the resulting cacophony accompanied with some nasty vibrations coming from the lower left hand side had me panicking to get the bike shut down. After giving my frayed nerves a little rest and a big caffeine hit I got the bike on some axle stands and removed the rear wheel followed by the final bevel gear assembly and drive shaft. The engine end splines of the drive shaft although dry looked in fine condition but the other end, oh dear, a lot of red rust was evident. A little more disassembly was required  to see the full extent of the damage and the reason for all the noise, vibration & lack of drive. The drive shaft is captured in the bevel gear housing and removing it requires battering out the oil seal to the point of destroying it beyond re-use then removing a large internal circlip from the final drive coupling. This end of the shaft does not have splines as such but something akin to teeth that engage with corresponding internal teeth in the coupling. These teeth were all but gone, just a pile of red dust in there place. I will add the gear housing had the correct amount of oil in it but as there is another oil seal further inside the housing none of that oil is going to get into drive shaft coupling. It is my guess that the oil seal in front of the coupling is meant to keep grease in and water, dirt, etc out. I also believe in common with other Japanese manufactures Suzuki are very sparing with lubricants when assembling their machines and I doubt there was ever any grease in there in the first place. My question now is do I look for a second hand drive shaft & final bevel gear assembly or bite the bullet and buy the very expensive new parts and rebuild mine? My recommendation to all shaft drive owners is the Aussie service bulletin seems to be right on the mark & if you can't do this job yourself seriously think about  having it done sooner rather than later. If there is any interest I can take some photos tomorrow and post them if I can figure out how to do so 

Good shout but I think this would be one area that the him mechanic or servicer would just often forget about. I would of thought it should of been done every year. As for the amount of grease put on there by Suzuki, I think they put enough on. In a sump situation all oil will be used but not in a greased area. When the splines have been greased anything that is not at the moment of surviving touching the splines will never touch or sit between the teeth or splines. Anything that is not in between the mating faces is no more than surplus to requirement. 
The important thing is to grease at regular/service intervals and all will be fine. Whacking in loads of grease is no more than wasting it as it will never do you any good. Regular servicing is all that is required, miss these intervals at your peril

Hi Rodger, Although this isn't a common problem with European models, It is quite common on American and Australian models, (some as early as 7k miles) I think you should be fine just replacing the shaft as this is what tends to go, it's case hardened from the factory but once that outer surface has worn through (due to lack of grease) it's quite a soft metal underneath, I'll be interested to see your photo's of the drive part to see how it's held up compared the shaft.