so my 06 was stolen last Tuesday, and i got a call last night that it was found abandoned in a alleyway, and for me to come pick it up. when i got there, it was standing up, but had some pretty bad low speed damage to it. ignition was cut off, my bags were taken off, and the gas tank was drilled out. it had a little switch that had been hooked up to where the ignition was cut away from, and the mirrors and windshield had been removed, and it looks like the rear right blinker had been sheared off in a crash.

i managed to get it started, but had to get a tow truck home because when rolling, either clutch out or clutch in, it scrapes like I'm grinding brake pads. front and rear brake don't change the noise, it just slows down with rolling speed, and sounds like its coming from the gearbox.  i'm thinking its got to do with the gear that the belt sits on, or maybe a bearing on the rear wheel on the left side? kinda clueless here.

i've got to get a ignition for it now and a gas cap to match, and i guess now i want to install a disable switch. tow truck guy was talking about a sim card gps unit he got off ebay for 30 bucks that takes a a sim card and is a extra couple bucks a month on his phone bill for hardwired gps that im going to check out too.

i guess i dont have any particular questions, other than the overall scraping noise, but ill have to pull the pulley cover today and see whats happening. does anybody have any suggestions for things i should be checking for or looking at?

the (expletive) even had the audacity to sand off all the branding, so now my nice shiny maroon suzuki is now sandpapered and unidentifiable  :'(

all in all though, Im happy to have my bike back.

the kind where i post online and ask how to fix it...

right, thats what im doing now, asking if anybody has dealt with this before, i was asking for help troubleshooting.

and i dont really feel like i got ripped off for getting called by the cops at 2 am and not being willing to ride a stolen crashed bike home after inspecting it by cellphone light in the dark, i bought this bike to work on and tinker with for a long time, and id be pretty remiss if i just abandoned it because someone on the internet told me it might be expensive. fact is, i didnt care about he windsheild, ive already bought LEDs for the blinkers and just have gotten to replacing them yet, and a ignititon and gas cap will be like a hundred bucks. not everything is about the money.

The only issue i have that im unsure of is the noise coming from the gearbox.

Does anybody ELSE have any experience with a chuffing/grinding worn-out-brakes noise coming from the gearbox area? im thinking i need to pull off the pulley cover first, then inspect it while rolling by foot? then if i dont find anything obvious, its the gearbox cover next? i probably shouldnt roll it then, can i move the gears with a wrench? ill need a gasket or that make-a-gasket stuff to get it back together, right?

If you never checked the cam chain and tensioner , I'd start there ,it may be the gear box noise your hearing,   The Jerk that stole your bike sure wasn't riding it with care! Buy a side cover gasket ,even at the dealer it's only $20.00 .  If the tensioner released it may have caused damage ,and the spring or the piston or body or chain flopping around could cause all kind of noise ,and could be the reason the Jerk abandoned your bike.

batman wrote on 08/18/19 at 09:21:01:



Excellent starting point.
Cam chain tensioner next.
You know you can solve the things you can see, so, yeah , starting with the grunching racket seems like the way to go.
Checking the pulley, gee, maybe a rock between pulley and guard, I've seen that before.

What a bummer. The grinding gearbox is concerning.  Who knows what they did to the bike to cause that.  Sort that out first.  If it gets expensive, part the bike out and finde another one.

If you get a locksmith to make a key for the tool kit, and have the other
Locks pinned to use that key, then you can carry one ignition key.
The gas cap is easy to mess with.
You CAN remove the pins and any key will open it. Pretty easy to do.
And really,really cheap.

okeedokee i got a bit of time to give it a look-see yesterday before getting called into work midday and having to leave it.

i unbolted my seat, and pulled the plug that used to lead to the ignition switch, so there weren't any wires sticking out the side to hot wire it, you'll hafta lift the seat and short out the plug to start it now. ive also chained it down, but for now that the best i can do to secure it.

i actually had pulled the tool-case cover off the bike about a week before, and hadn't gotten to replacing it, so i do have intact lock that matches my key. i still have my key though, i hope they can just use that. i think ill look into pulling the pins out of the gas tank cap and just use a screwdriver for that.

as far as the shifter linkage rod, i broke that about a month ago and fashioned myself a new one out of a bolt, a 1 1/2 nut, and a tap and die kit... that was intact still.

if i had ran it for more than about 45 minutes or so, id get the dreaded "cam chain sound" from the right side, so i know i was needing versaglens adjuster but just hadn't bit the bullet yet. the motor didnt, sound different from before, so i dont think its gone yet but i only rode for about 30 feet before stopping... it was my impression that the motor simply seized once the adjuster died, so i think im partially ok, however i know this is something that will blow up on me soon so this will get fixed with everything else.

id be very willing to purchase the ignition switch and gas cap from you verslagen, and probably your tension-er and plug too, i get paid Friday so ill contact you then... i gotta call a locksmith too to get a quote for what it'll cost me to re-key too. Will the local Suzuki dealership be able to do that?

the rolling chafting/metal-on-metal noise happens even while the engine is off and you are rolling it by foot, so a rock wedged where its shouldn't be might be a good guess at the culprit, and a easy fix too if thats the case. ill try to get a phone recording of it making the noise, and take a few good pictures of that before i tear into it further.


dealership isnt open Sunday or Monday, so ive got to wait a bit to get a gasket before tearing into it, I'm in a apartment i dont want to start without being very ready. the pulley cover looks like it comes off with just a wrench, is the belt cover the same way?

SoC, honestly, i was hoping to learn about jetting, and maybe doing a carb swap and a wiseco piston, and while right now a engine swap feels beyond my skill/tool level, but, if i get to a point where i think i will need it, I will happily take you up on the offer...

I think Im wiling to spend, both in time and money, more than what i put into the bike to get it working again, just as a "(expletive) you, thief, you wont ruin things for me, ill fix it" sorta thing. This bike will ride mountain roads again, so help me.

thanks guys ill get some pics of it torn apart and well figure out where to go from there. who knows, maybe this'll be a new unknown problem that'll get fixed and added to the knowledge here.