this is true hahaha!

 

small problem man i cant get mine to come off and i need it off to take the engine out lol

 

haha, well you probably could get away with loosening the carrier adjustment all the way and slipping the front sprocket off, or if it gets loose enough just derail the chain off of the rear sprocket...

 

alright ill try that when i get up in the morn or afternoon lol

 

i got somewhat of a dumb question for you guys if i was to put on the lt 250 springs on my 230 would i need to extend my a arms? or are thet both roughly the same?

 

lt230sman has 250R front shocks on his and seems to like it a lot. check out his suspension thread out in the suzuki forum. He posted some pics. Looked like they were longer.

 

I've been thinking about the common issues. Not sure where to draw the line actually.

There have been numerous instances of the chain coming off due to a worn chain and worn swingarm bearings, but the worn chain probably came first. Once the chain was tightened to the point that it would no longer come off, the swingarm bearings would get crushed on the next jump or big bump.

The next most common problem is the steering stem. Seems everyone has had it break or has noticed welding which implies it had broken in the past. So, this should probably be right up there in terms of frequency with the CCOS.

What comes next is difficult to say. I know of 2 instances of a broken connecting rod.... In the same week! With pics! I've also heard from the dealer a long time ago about those rods not really being strong enough. So, there must be some sort of issue with that. Additionally, the 250S version has a bigger rod. So, even Suzuki sorta acknowledged a problem.

I'm not sure if screws backing out of the magneto warrants a common issue inclusion since this is the result of failure to apply thread locker. However, this has happened more than a couple times and at least once with catastrophic results (pics too).

Another common problem is a worn intake valve. However, this is a common problem on any engine with intake valves and air filters. So, not sure this is something to include either, but it is something to look out for.

One that just occured to me is the crankshaft slipping on the pressed-in rod bearing and becomming unbalanced. This is something specific to the 230 because the rod and crank are really kinda small compared to, say, a Lakota that is absolutely bulletproof in terms of cranks and rods. In terms of frequency, this happened to me once and to at least one other guy on this forum. I suspect its kinda common because Vince informed me of the issue to begin with.

Things specific to the 230 and is more to do with putting it back together rather than just riding around and having something break:

1) likelihood of getting RTV on the cam bearing when putting the valve cover back on. Use very little RTV!!!!!!

2) Failure to use RTV on the 2 bolts with rubber washer on the valve cover will result in oil leaking from the top of the engine and making a huge mess.

3) As I said before, failing to use lock-tite on the magneto screws can really screw your day up.

This will have to be an on-going list.

 

published!

 

Figured you'd clean it up a little first.

 

Never, ever use RTV silicone on the valve cover, the manual specifies Anaerobic sealant, which is a total different sealant compared to silicone.

My 91 4WD, when I had rebuilt the cylinder, and reassembled the head and cover, I put Anaerobic sealant on the valve cover, I never had a leak after that, my Brother in Law, had rebuilt the head due to a intake valve problem, he assembled it with RTV silicone, it leaked like a sieve, when I got the quad back, took the valve cover off, cleaned the silicone off, put some anaerobic sealant on, and it hasn't leaked since...