Just for the record......

Last Novemeber, after 61000 miles (97600 km), my Tenere suffered what appeared to be just a failed main bearing. As I am a motorcycle courier I assumed that the engine had just suffered from high(ish) mileage wear and tear. On further inspection my dealer discovered that there had been significant corrosion between the r/h primary drive side main bearing and crankshaft which had in turn resulted in significant wear between both components. This meant a new crankshaft was required as well as the bearings and all the parts needed for a rebuild.
At the same time I was informed that the rest of the engine was in perfect condition and considering the bike's use made the occurance of the corrosion seem very strange.
Fortunately, all the work was carried out under warranty.

Unfortunately, nearly 12 months and 30000 miles later the same thing has happened again. As the bike is now out of its warranty period I am facing very large repair costs - even by doing the work myself. Having stripped the engine I can see the extent of the corrosion and that the crankshaft had been spinning inside the inner race of the main bearing. Not sure if this was caused by the nut not being tight enough or if the nut wasn't tight enough due to wear on the plate washer.

The bike has had sufficient oil & filter changes and was being used constantly all year round so has not been stood still for any great length of time. To further illustrate the lack of abuse my bike has had, at 91000 miles (145600km) the rest of the engine/gearbox is in amazing condition. The cylinder barrel still has honing marks on it, the transmission gears and selector forks show no sign of significant wear and the bike still has the original clutch.

The corrosion is entirely concentrated on the right hand crankshaft/gear cluster/main bearing. There was no sign of water in the oil.


Cue Bruce Willis (Die Hard 2):

"How could the same s*** happen to the same guy twice!"

I've given my fair share of abuse to Suzuki singles over the years (TS125, TS250X, DR600, DR650, DR800 x 3) but NEVER had one wear out/fail due to internal corrosion.

It was suggested that night time condensation (hot engine cooling in cold garage) was making a beeline for the crankshaft and subsequently not being burnt off in time on next use. On a freekin' courier bike!! Have a word! Could I actually not be riding the Tenere hard enough??

I'm flummoxed. And skint......and in need of a new job.

Is the dream finally over??
I'm waiting for details of cost and availability for the parts before I decide whether to fix it or buy a second hand engine or break it up for parts or just stuff it and hang it on the wall as a trophy.