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Rear Wheel Lock Up @ 75 km/h

  • Thread starter Thread starter Alex Keith
  • Start date Start date
A

Alex Keith

Guest
Hi folks! I recently had my rear wheel lock up during a ride. I was in fourth gear when the engine cut out completely and we skidded along the pavement for a couple hundred feet.

The bike is now back in my shop. With the bike on its center stand, the rear wheel has a small amount of play but is locked in place, even with the tranny in neutral. I can move the gear shifter into neutral, first, second, and third. No luck with fourth and fifth. The engine will not crank, even with the clutch in and the tranny in neutral. I can crank the engine by hand using a wrench and can see the piston moving through the spark plug hole.

Needless to say, I am baffled. Any help is much appreciated.

1980 Suzuki GS850L
 
I am quite curious about this... Too bad you cant crank it, a compression test would be revealing...

EDIT: Im pretty sure youll need to get at the pistons, sounds like they are somewhat seized... maybe it overheated?
 
Last edited:
doesn't sound good ! Let us know ! have you tried jumping the started solenoid to see if the motor turned
 
Greetings and Salutations!!

Greetings and Salutations!!

Hi,

I would suspect a busted rear wheel spline or something in the final drive unit. (Didn't this happen to Mr. dpep or Mr. Grandpa a year or two ago?) You'll find lots more information in the next two links. It's your "mega-welcome". :D

Anyway, I just stopped by to welcome you to the forum in my own, special way.
big_hi.gif


If there's anything you'd like to know about the Suzuki GS model bikes, and most others actually, you've come to the right place. There's a lot of knowledge and experience here in the community. Come on in and let me say "HOoooowwwDY!"....:)

Here is your very own magical, mystical, mythical, mind-expanding "mega-welcome". Please take notice of the "Top 10 Common Issues", the Carb Rebuild Series, and the Stator Papers. Now let me roll out the welcome mat for you...

Please click here for your mega-welcome, chock full of tips, suggestions, links to vendors, and other information. Then feel free to visit my little BikeCliff website where I've been collecting the wisdom of this generous community. Don't forget, we like pictures! Not you, your bike! :D

Thanks for joining us. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
Whoa, that's VERY scary! I can see how the final drive might lock up, but if you put trans in neutral,it should be free of output shaft problems. And then, you said even pulling clutch in, it would not crank. Clutch in, the crank is free of trans problem. ????
My 650 shaftie has a odd 5th gear method of operation. In 5th, the input shaft (clutch end) is locked to output shaft direct to bevel gears. Maybe the 850 owners here can tell me if the 850 trans works same way.
 
Cavalcades have experienced rear-wheel lockup because of secondary gear failure and universal joint failure. Don't know why it wouldn't crank if that was the cause. Is it possible the failure to crank is unrelated to the lockup?
 
Start at the back and work your way forward. Get the wheel off and see if the bearings locked up, then check the spline, then the drive shaft, ect.

Somewhere along the way you will find the issue, post up more info when you got it.

First thing I would say is good save keeping the bike up and not getting hurt, locking up like must have given you a good scare.
 
Hi,

Thinking "worse case scenario", I wouldn't be surprised if the engine suffered some damage when the drive line locked up. I agree with Mr. Skateguy50. Start your inspection in the back and work your way forward. Keep us informed.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
Wow! I didn't expect so many responses! Thank you all!

So I took your advice and started from the rear and worked my way to the front. Took the rear wheel and swing arm of as one unit. The shaft drive checks out okay. Then removed the bevel gear from the rear of the gearbox. Unfortunately, when I pulled the gear, no oil spilled out. There be the problem. Just a few puddles of gear oil left on the bottom of the gearbox. Looks and smells okay, just not enough of it to go around. Son of a... Anyway, the bike has always leaked oil, but only engine oil. I've never seen drops of the red gearbox oil on the concrete.

My next step is to remove the bevel gear from the side of the engine block but that baby is stuck in there and there is no good place to leverage. Any advice?

Also noticed some black spotting around the bearing opposite the remaining bevel gear. If that bearing is shot, does that mean no go on pulling the bevel gear out? Am I looking at pulling the entire engine?

My poor bike...

1980 Suzuki GS850L
 
Is the bearing seized ?? Pull the shifter and the shifter cover off and the side gear assembly will come out. May take some prying, They should be replaced as a set using the shims that came with the gears !!
 
Me too! I think.

Me too! I think.

Hi, I just acquired an 82 GS1100G, put about 150 miles on it and the rear wheel locked up cruising through a parking lot. If the parts are the same, sounds like were having the same problem. On the stand the wheel will rock like it's in gear even in neutral and when you try to drive away it feels like you have the brakes on and won't move. Have you discovered a solution yet?
 
Got it, pulled the cover and the bolts for the gear carrier but it won't come out. Got it to spin about a quarter turn by hand but won't budge in or out. Just pry harder? Also my guess is the origin of the problem was the missing drain plug and lack of fluid, just a guess though.
 
Use plenty of penetrating oil and pry it at each of the 4 ears that the bolts go through being CAREFUL not to break the engine case.
Rotate it as you soak and pry it out.

Daniel
 
Alex Keith said:
I recently had my rear wheel lock up during a ride. I was in fourth gear when the engine cut out completely and we skidded along the pavement for a couple hundred feet.
Click to expand...

I had this happen on my Z1 in about 1981. Was working on the bike and took a test ride down an old gravel road. Was on a long, wide downhill doing maybe 45 mph. Rear wheel and engine simply stopped and I started sliding. Slid a LONG way down that hill, but didn't go down. Drive chain was tighter than a banjo string. Took it apart on the side of the road and found a rag that I had put in my back pocket jammed between the chain and the front sprocket. I still have nightmares about what would have happened had I been on different road at a higher speed, and I don't carry rags in my back pocket any more.
 
FLHGSRay said:
I had this happen on my Z1 in about 1981. Was working on the bike and took a test ride down an old gravel road. Was on a long, wide downhill doing maybe 45 mph. Rear wheel and engine simply stopped and I started sliding. Slid a LONG way down that hill, but didn't go down. Drive chain was tighter than a banjo string. Took it apart on the side of the road and found a rag that I had put in my back pocket jammed between the chain and the front sprocket. I still have nightmares about what would have happened had I been on different road at a higher speed, and I don't carry rags in my back pocket any more.
Click to expand...

Wow, I usually carry a bandana in my back left pocket for whiping sweat in the summer... I'll move it to my front pocket now.
 
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