Suzuki M90 output shaft noise

I had just arrived at work this morning and noticed a jingling noise coming from the output shaft cover assembly on my 2009 Boulevard M90. I rode it in the 7 miles home after work and pulled the cover off and found a broken bolt that is supposed to hold the bevel gear on to the output shaft. Looks like I'm going to be doing some Drilling. :-(

[@ThePreacherseed]

Jeff, thanks for putting this video up. This happened to mine two days ago. I couldnt believe it. My bolt snapped it looks like the same place yours did. I hope they get a harder bolt to put in there.M ine happened at about 31,000 miles. Hope it doesnt happen again. Cheers.

[@evil03mustang08]

Not even necessarily a harder bolt, but maybe one that has been tempered after heat treating? I’m not sure what the process is that they use. 🤷‍♂️ I caught hell for this when I posted it to forums.. people kept telling me I was abusing my bike. Not happy to be seeing others with the same issue, but I at least feel somewhat relieved that it wasn’t just me?

[@jeremymonthony9265]

Great video. I'm in the middle of the exact same issue. Were you to remove and replace that bolt with the engine in the bike? It appears if I pull the swingarm I can get at it. In concerned about extracting the remnants of that bolt. Any information you can share would be greatly appreciated.

[@evil03mustang08]

I pulled the swingarm and the transfer shaft (if that’s what is called?)

[@blackonepac]

Great troubleshooting!!! I have same bike would you happen to know where the air filter is located thk you!!!

[@juandrf]

Great vid Jeff D. I own a 2008 c50 and it leaks motor oil by the rear tire. Should I only change the seal that is close to the shaft's front end? Thanks for sharing.

[@evil03mustang08]

juandrf good question.. I was out today for a 150 mile ride and my rear differential was not only HOT, but also covered in hypoid gear oil and dust.. looks like I’ll be making another video. 🤷🏻‍♂️ Not sure if this applies to a C50, though. I haven’t browsed the service book for that model.

[@douglasanderson153]

Did you do a following video. My M90 with 13000 km sounds like a coffee grinder and I suspect a problem with the same shaft end because I also have a cutch slipping issue.

[@evil03mustang08]

Sorry, I’ve since sold the bike. New job, no time to ride. It stayed together after I did the repair, however.

[@coastriderscc3939]

Happened to my '09 (repaired with proper spec bolt) but the bolt ticked off the gears causing the tiniest little burr on one spot only, buts its a deceivingly loud tick. Mechanic said noise should go away with use.

[@evil03mustang08]

Might go away, but if you went at the burr with a little bit of crocus cloth you might be able to knock it down … assuming you can get to it.

[@douglasanderson153]

My transmission is making noises and I’m wondering if it the same thing

[@ricardorosasiii6148]

jeff did the noise happen if you pressed on the clutch? i believe i have a similar problem my c50 it just died on me while driving arround the block.

[@evil03mustang08]

If the bike was in motion, there was noise.

[@jasonfranklin1354]

same thing happened to my 2013 m90

[@RichardsModellingAdventures]

Geez, interesting video thanks for sharing this. Has this bolt been replaced with a stronger one on later models of the M90? mine is a 2015

[@evil03mustang08]

Richard Seekins without testing those bolt myself, there’s no way to know for sure. We can only hope?

[@RichardsModellingAdventures]

@@evil03mustang08 Thanks Jeff. I'v only just got the bike. It only has 4.5 k Miles on it and I don't ride it hard so I guess it should be ok for a while

[@WayRoo34]

Hey Jeff, excellent post. Well my bolt didn't snap but I was hearing a clunk when coming to a stop. Never heard it before was thinking maybe the bolt. So since it was due for a oil change I figured I would open up and take a look. Ok so do you need to put a gasket type sealant and also how much oil do you put know with oil change.

[@evil03mustang08]

Hondabond or “right stuff” is fine. It doesn’t take much, just make sure the mating surfaces are clean. A tiny bit extra at any pinch points. Oil? Idk. I just put the bike level and added till the dipstick says it’s full. 🤷‍♂️. I forget how much that was.

[@WayRoo34]

Thanks , I appreciate it

[@WayRoo34]

Jeff how and where do you add the gear oil in this gear case

[@evil03mustang08]

@@WayRoo34 all I ever did was just top off the general crankcase oil thru the dipstick hole. 🤷‍♂️

[@marklong9107]

Cheers for the comments JeffDidn't see them at time. The job is done and hopefully test ride tomorrow night By the way did anyone contact Suzuki about this possible weak point..? I emailed Suzuki GBDidn't really get anywhere. But makes you wonder, how many others had this problem!!

[@evil03mustang08]

Mark Long Plenty, I'd bet.. mine broke again. I'll be making a better video soon since I have the opportunity.

[@leemarshall8228]

I was told it couldn't be drilled out ..

[@chefBradb]

This has happened to mine as well. How did you get the bolt out?

[@evil03mustang08]

chefBradb I removed the shaft and drilled it then backed it out with a snap-on bolt extractor

[@evil03mustang08]

@@leemarshall8228 sounds like the person who told you that has a lot of quit in ‘em. Once the driveshaft and 90° shaft are out of the way it’s easy.

[@eh6969]

I had the same issue on my 2009 M90. I was driving through a parking lot at low speed, and the rear tire locked up on me. I had to rock it a little to get it to free up, rode it a little bit further just to see if it would do it again, and it did, so had bike towed to a shop. Shop could not recreate the tire locking up, but heard a wine from the secondary drive and found that this bolt had sheared off, and that the washer behind it was actually down by the clutch push rod. Hoping one of these just got caught in the secondary drive gears causing the tire to lock up, however the gears show no damage, but I was barely moving at the time it occurred. Crossing fingers they can easily back the bolt out, get it replaced, and it shearing is not a sign of something worse coming.

[@evil03mustang08]

Eric Holliday thanks for sharing your experience! All I had to do was drop the swingarm, pull the shaft, drill and ez-out the bolt.. getting the new one torqued properly was a bit frustrating, and I had to wait for the bolt.. other than that it wasn't a huge deal. I did change the oil a couple times in rapid succession to make sure all the shavings got flushed out. Hopefully everything goes well for you and you dont have the problem again! I was lucky in that I had the tools and all i paid was like $15 for the bolt and a few bucks for a tube of RTV. ..plus the oil and filter. Under a hundred bucks.

[@matthewebanks-fullerton1465]

Same exact symptom happened to me tonight tire just locked up out of know where , going in shed now to pull it all apart to see what's going on

[@evil03mustang08]

matthew ebanks-fullerton best of luck to you! It's assembled pretty logically and if you dig around for the shop manual online, it makes sense pretty quickly. I suck at how-to videos or I'd have done this one right... sooo.. sorry about that.

[@matthewebanks-fullerton1465]

Yes I just ordered the new bolt , seems they knew the bolt wasn't strong enough because they have a new part number for it , what method did you use to drill it out without damaging the threads? Seems like this was a common issue , also noticed it uses a 1 sided swing arm just as the m109 does think it looks better with out the cover that bolts to the rear wheel

[@evil03mustang08]

matthew ebanks-fullerton MAC drill bit and a snap-on ez out.

[@marielong7095]

Really glad you posted this on KZbin. Thanks to this I have just discovered the same issue with mine. After suffering from the rear wheel locking for no reason... Fingers crossed I can get the bolt out!!!

[@evil03mustang08]

Marie Long the rear wheel and pumpkin need to come off, and the swingarm pivot will need to come out. I believe there was a circlip on the output from the bevel gear assembly where it connects to the driveshaft universal joint. Once you have that out of the way you can unbolt the remaining 2 8mm hex bolts that hold the bevel gear assembly in place.. dont drop that, as it kinda wants to just fall out.. my recommendation is a GOOD set of cobalt drill bits and a professional-grade e-z out. I started with a 1/8" drill bit and stepped up to about a 1/4" before inserting the e-z out. The bolt remnant came out easily. Getting the replacement toqrued to spec was challenging, as the manual calls for about 114 foot pounds.. all I could get was about 110 foot pounds against engine compression. I used blue thread locker compound when i reassembled it. Make sure you get the proper bolt, and don't forget the washer. I have a post up on the m109 riders . Org site in the m90 section... I got flamed for complaining about how hard it was to find the bolt, but I did upload photos and other info there for reference.. you'd have to join for access to photos. I can email them to you, if you prefer. Best of luck to you,, and I hope your repair goes smoothly!

[@evil03mustang08]

Marie Long ALSO!!! Make sure you use a sturdy bike jack, and strap the bike down to it. I also used ratchet straps to my ceiling to steady the bike, as removing the rear wheel and dropping the pumpkin and swingarm changed the bike's center of gravity, causing it to feel unsteady. I didnt have to unbolt the monoshock from the swingarm, though, so at least that was one less bolt to worry about. Make sure you tie up or bungie cord the rear caliper securely, as it'll want to flop around.. there are also bolts that mount the rear brake line to the swingarm that will need to come out so the line won't be damaged by the swingarm droop. Be cautious, take your time, think everything through and you will actually have a pretty good experience. If you're organized (I'm not) then you won't end up fretting over lost bolts (like I did) or forget to reinstall things like the speed sensor or clutch pivot.... just stare at it for a while and it'll all make sense. :-)

[@evil03mustang08]

ht tp://ww w.m109riders.com/forums/showthread.php?t=319330

[@evil03mustang08]

Idk why I was so salty in those posts, but it is what it is.. I wasn't able to ride... it was getting to me I guess.

[@Yohoho151rum]

Jeff D someone just asked for advice on that thread, same thing happened to them.

[@leemarshall8228]

How did you get this fixed I have the exact same problem

[@evil03mustang08]

Lee Marshall I put a new bolt in it. Had to drill and ez-out the remains of the one that broke. I used the Suzuki replacement part.

[@Hortense812]

Actually, that 10 stamped on the head of the bolt is not the bolt grade; often that is the thread count. Get a grade 8 metric with the right thread count and this will not happen again.

[@evil03mustang08]

🤷‍♂️ I used the superseded part supplied by Suzuki.

[@charlespletcher6330]

Just bought a 2013 m90 with 3400 miles on it. Put 250 miles on it so far and just today after a short ride I was rolling it back into the garage in neutral and noticed a noise like a bicycle chain. Not sure if I'm just overly freaking out or if I had mine shear off on me also

[@evil03mustang08]

Charles Pletcher it’s possible.

[@evil03mustang08]

If you find the new bolt before you dig into it, it’s an afternoon job.

[@charlespletcher6330]

@@evil03mustang08 mine sounds like it's coming from the final drive though. Still haven't taken it apart yet because I'm not sure that's what it is. I changed the final drive fluid and it made it quieter but still there. Almost sounds like the gears are turning and bouncing around a bit

[@newwoodworking7061]

Hey Jeff good video but I have a question I tried to take cover out but have 2 bolts from the side that I can’t reach. How you did it??? Thank you

[@evil03mustang08]

New Woodworking you have to remove the driveshaft to get at the other bolts.. rear wheel off, swing arm cross bolt out and let it droop.. remove the rear diff .. i cant remember what all I had to do, unfortunately.. if you search the m90 board on m109riders.org you will find my post about the process though.. my username there is evil0990

[@newwoodworking7061]

Jeff D thanks a lot man I’ll see it

[@kewintaylor7056]

'Just the bolt shear off!' =_='😱 How the fk???lol

[@evil03mustang08]

MaximusV MahaVeda all I can think of is that it’s a helical year and apparently deceleration puts a lot of strain on it?

[@ralliart10006]

Think I have the same problem,,,,,,,tire locked up tonight...... I’m to the point of removing the shaft cover with all the bolts out and the two Allen head bolts out ....dir you just pry it off ? I see it has dowl pins..... or do I have to remove the two back Allen head screws to get the cover off?

[@evil03mustang08]

Back allens

[@evil03mustang08]

Work smart. Stare at it as long as needed. Don’t rush.

[@ralliart10006]

Got it all apart now to order the parts

[@evil03mustang08]

@@ralliart10006 best of luck to you!!