Investigation PE04055: 1994–1999 Suzuki DR350SE

Status

CLOSED

Opened

Aug 3, 2004

Closed

Nov 12, 2004

Model years

1994–1999

Subject

Rear wheel lockup

Component: Engine and engine cooling

Summary

A business specializing in servicing dr350's alleged that the counter-balancer gear-indexing pin is not properly retained and may become displaced.the displaced pin then causes catastrophic engine failure with possible rear-wheel lockup.after opening this pe, odi gathered information from american suzuki motor corporation, suzuki dealers, independent motorcycle repair shops, and subject motorcycle owners.we focused on the dual-purpose variants of the dr350 model lineup as these are the only street-legal versions that, consequently, are within our jurisdiction.the lone crash, occuring in 1997, involved a my 1997 dr350se dual-purpose motorcycle, with one minor injury.the crash allegedly occurred when the engine's counter-balancer became mis-timed and collided with the engine's connecting rod, resulting in rear wheel lock-up.however, based on the fact that there are 3 failures on vehicles that are 5 to 10 years old, no defect trend has been identified at this time.further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances.

An NHTSA investigation looks into whether a safety defect exists. Opening one is not a finding. Outcomes can include a recall, closure without action, or further inquiry.