Once and for all, Truth about Timing Chain Failure

25887 Views 76 Replies 29 Participants Last post by jasonpinson143, 2 mo ago

zbiker

Discussion Starter · Nov 24, 2013

There has been a lot of talk about timing chain failure on the C 50 Boulevard engine. I find it hard to believe Suzuki built a motor and continues to build the same motor with a timing chain weakness considering todays advances in motor technology. Any well designed motor should be able to go 100,000 miles with proper maintenance today. So here is the question. has anyone ridden their C 50 motorcycle 100,000 and did you have to replace the timing chains and tensioners. And if you did have the Timing chain problem, how many miles were on your motorcycle. Please include the year so we can look for problem years.
Thank you for participating.
I just bought a 2007 C 50 Boulevard with 13,000 miles on the clock and want to know whether I can plan on riding it another 87,000 miles without a timing chain failure or whether I should sell it at 25,000 for something better designed. Thanks and hopefully we can get to the bottom of this timing chain issue

Save

1 - 6 of 77 Posts

dfinitlydisturbd

· #22 · Nov 25, 2013 (Edited)

zbiker said:
There has been a lot of talk about timing chain failure on the C 50 Boulevard engine. I find it hard to believe Suzuki built a motor and continues to build the same motor with a timing chain weakness considering todays advances in motor technology. Any well designed motor should be able to go 100,000 miles with proper maintenance today. So here is the question. has anyone ridden their C 50 motorcycle 100,000 and did you have to replace the timing chains and tensioners. And if you did have the Timing chain problem, how many miles were on your motorcycle. Please include the year so we can look for problem years.
Thank you for participating.
I just bought a 2007 C 50 Boulevard with 13,000 miles on the clock and want to know whether I can plan on riding it another 87,000 miles without a timing chain failure or whether I should sell it at 25,000 for something better designed. Thanks and hopefully we can get to the bottom of this timing chain issue

Past 150K, BUT that mileage does NOT include the 12k that was showing on the clock when my timing went wonky and caused the rear piston to meet the valves. Still on the original bottom end except for bearings and the front jug only got new chains, but the entire rear head, piston, con rod, bearings and jug were replaced. $2,600 parts and labor thankfully covered by the extended warranty

Other than a little more oil consumption than at 100k showing she still runs like a champ. I think like some of the VL800's other issues the timing issues are luck-of-the-draw.

Save

Reactions: 2

dfinitlydisturbd

· #28 · Nov 28, 2013 (Edited)

voldigicam said:
I'm just wondering about the details. If the jugs need pulling, then it's a big deal. I'd normally be honing and putting in new rings, and probably doing a valve job. That gets to be tiresome. If it's just dropping the engine, pulling some covers, and feeding through a new chain, then replacing the tensioner through some access system, that's not bad.

Looks to me to be about as much fun as smacking yourself in the nuts with a ballpeen hammer. Doesn't look like you have to pull the heads, but, looks like you do need to pull the cams to get to the tensioners. Of course if the cam chains have a master clip or are splitable with a chain tool threading the new chains by connecting them to the old would be a lot less BS than pulling the covers and every componant that is in the way...the manual specifies pulling the engine out for the swap...If you can use the connecting the chains trick it would be tight but you could probably leave the engine in.
CLUTCH SIDE

GENERATOR SIDE

See less See more

Save

Reactions: 1

dfinitlydisturbd

· #29 · Nov 28, 2013 (Edited)

Wellz, if you was careful you should be able to split it....maybe. Anyone here ever split one?

See less See more

Save

Reactions: 1

dfinitlydisturbd

· #33 · Nov 28, 2013

OzriderC50T said:
If it's the second one were in trouble....(where'd the pics go..?)

Looks like the first one according to the manual. The second looks like the oil pump drive chain.

Deleted, a bit more digging revealed as we both expected that the other was the oil pump drive sprocket and chain. It was definitely the first. I pity the poor bastard that orders the second one (though why the heck somebody would install a used timing chain is beyond me!!!).

Save

dfinitlydisturbd

· #44 · Dec 4, 2013

DrBLVD said:
A motorcycle engine?!?!?!
100K miles?!?!?!

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Thanks, needed a good laugh today...

Why's that sound so ludicrous?
I've had several ancient Yami's well past that mark, a couple Kawi's, an old Indian enduro, and even a couple suzi's that outlasted 100k before having issues. None babied, most fed vile cheap oil and fuel, all abused (Cept for "Lucky Lucy").

Hell, "Lucky Lucy" (my 04 VL800) is showin 168,XXX with all but the first (had 6,600 on it when I bought it and timing failed at 12,xxx) 6,000 miles of that trouble free in every way. Only repairs: brake pads, a new rotor, new plugs, wheels and tires. I've more time and money sunk into mods and goodies than maintenance. Either I am and have been extremely lucky or 100k without anything major going wrong really isn't all that big a deal for a bike engine when properly maintained.

Save

dfinitlydisturbd

· #70 · Sep 10, 2020

much like this thread mine refuses to die, she's been past the 50k mark five times and is well on her way to go past a sixth...smokes like a b----, makes very noticeably much lower hp, but no timing issues since the rebuild when the timing failed at the 12k mark...on the bright side she uses so much oil that I haven't needed to do an oil change in several years now.

Save

1 - 6 of 77 Posts

Once and for all, Truth about Timing Chain Failure

zbiker

dfinitlydisturbd

dfinitlydisturbd

Attachments

dfinitlydisturbd

dfinitlydisturbd

dfinitlydisturbd

dfinitlydisturbd

Top Contributors this Month