Hey, Mike, I have a picture just like that.
Yah, like others said, that be bad, about to fail.
BUt to answer your question: I think your rear gear drive spine will be okay. Reason I say that is contained in amounst all the rambling below - -
I just got a replacemnt the other day, and am going to be installing it today. (then every thing will be good, still rather do this than fuss with chain all the time).
If you put your worn one back onto the gear drive splines (without putting in wheel) you can see how it slopps around, lots of lash. SHould not do that. Those small remaining little teeth are about to completly strip. Then you will find out where Timbucktu is.
Mine that was worn like yours is an 82 GS1100GK (mgf date 4/82) that I recently got. What little grease it had was dried up, like it hadnt been regresaed with at least the last tire change maybe even previous to that also. Splines on the gear drive unit seemed okay.
I put the replacement new hub on the gear drive splines (with out wheel, just as a test), and it fit tight, no slop-lash. So that tells me that the spines on the gear drive are not worn.
Other notes:
- Yep, are about $100. I got mine from Ron Ayers for 95. Later found MRCycleParts list it for 90. Both are in N. Carolina. (B Bandit in Calyfonya.)
- Ron Ayers didnt have fischelook up. Here is Suzuki part number 46680-45112. But that is discontinued nuber, will get -45113.
- Dealers want about $135.
- Lube with axle grease with every tire change and they will work fine last long time.
- Have been told that sometime in early 82 (Febuary?) these hubs were changed to slightly softer material. So if not lubed then the hub wears more than the gear drive splines.
- Others here on GSR will recommend getting a pre-82 replacement from salvage yard. 850 or 1000 or 1100 all will fit I understand.
- Others here on GSR have said that they had no problem with post-82 for 100 thousand+ miles, but they greased thiers every tire change or anytime rear wheel off.
- Have had my 80 GS850G for 12 years, 40K, total of near 70K now, no known problem with rear hub, judging by lack of rear wheell lash. I have always regrease the rear hub when ever rear wheel off.
- Others here on GSR have recommended Honda Moly 60 paste. So now I will use that instead of regulare axle grease. Local Honda dealer didnt have it, but I did find it at a bigger Honda dealer in Grand Rapids, $10.50 for small tube (3 oz) but enough for 3 life times. Oh, I see you are in Sparta, now that I think of it, we may have chatted before. It was Shawmut Hills (on M45) that had the Moly 60 paste, Muskegon didnt have it, dint even think to try Spring Lake.
In your pic, yours seems to be the same brass colored as my original one, so are probably the same design/materail. The older (pre 82) were more black looking. So I would think your drive splines are okay, as were mine.
Leon Focus Frenzy has good pics in his GSGarage albumn that shows a pre 82 hub. The teeth in the hub are more of a black material.
Here is my pic comparing my worn hub to new one. Note that the new hub seems to be different material than even either the pre 82 or post 82.
View attachment 304
Note: The grease that you see on the old failed one is grease I put on the gear drive splines just a few weeks prior, before I knew that had to remove hub from wheel to inspect. I thought it looked okay then, but later took apart again and took hub out of wheel for better inspection and then saw it was bad - near complete failure.
I think I will be buying new. I would rather not wait in anticipation for an ebay find only to discover its no better than the one I have. I am also going to go with the proper year. Since the Pinion is no longer available, and would be a much bigger PITA, I would rather wear out the part I can easily replace every couple of years if need be. The original hub has 18,000 miles on it, and it appear to be the original tire (Cheng Shin Marquis) so I assume this has never been greased.