First blood..and spline pics.

[Larry D]

oooo its the soft silver one.

I need to make the rounds and stock up on vintage hardened black ones.

I wonder what a metalurgical shop would charge to heat treat one?

I disagree....from everything I've read, Black or Silver are good. The Gold ones are soft.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=138536&highlight=spline

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=137759&highlight=spline

[twr1776]

I would even just say softer on the Gold ones. I pulled the OEM Gold one out of my 831100 at 37K and if I get that kind of mileage from the new silver one I got for it I will not be unhappy. It lasted longer than a chain would have anyway. Right George ?

[BassCliff]

Hi Larry,

That is a pretty gear!

Cover it in Moly 60 Paste and you should be on two wheels soon, for a good long time.

The silver ones may not be as hard as the black ones, but they are certainly harder than the gold ones. And for that price, you can hardly beat it. You can't buy a good chain/sprocket set for that. Plus the gear will last a lot longer.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[bwringer]

The silver ones will last pretty much forever, just the same as the black splines -- the same part has been used in every Suzuki shaftie since the late '80s (except the new M109), and the splines have pretty much ceased to be a problem.

With that said, I've seen a badly neglected later model spline (no moly paste or even grease EVER ) showing quite a lot of wear. However, this was after a lot of miles and it was nowhere near stripping out.

If you order a new spline unit, you will get the same updated and durable part number that Larry got. There's no need to scour the earth for black splines -- the silver ones are just as durable.

Later Suzuki shafties included:
All Intruders (VS700, 750, and 800)
GSX1100G
VX800
S50 and C50 cruisers (pretty much a later model designation for the Intruder)
Cavalcade sumo-tourer (not sure when they switched to the new spline)

[koolaid_kid]

I would even just say softer on the Gold ones. I pulled the OEM Gold one out of my 831100 at 37K and if I get that kind of mileage from the new silver one I got for it I will not be unhappy. It lasted longer than a chain would have anyway. Right George ?

That reminds me, I need to adjust my chain again. The second time in 10k miles, what a drag. I figure in 30-40k miles I'll have to replace it. What a shame.

[Calvin Blackmore]

That reminds me, I need to adjust my chain again. The second time in 10k miles, what a drag. I figure in 30-40k miles I'll have to replace it. What a shame.

Yes one wonders how long a modern chain lasts with minimal care compared to a shaft drive mechanism.

when you kick in the plus of latering final drive ratio then the choice is clear.

[koolaid_kid]

Yes one wonders how long a modern chain lasts with minimal care compared to a shaft drive mechanism.

when you kick in the plus of latering final drive ratio then the choice is clear.

That's a good point. I plan on changing the final drive ratio soon and seeing how I like it. It revs too high on the highway for my liking, and has gobs of torque on take-off. Plus it may increase gas mileage closer to 50 mpg.