Rear drive maintenance at tire changes

Checkswrecks

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A note for when folks are changing tires, especially for those new to Yamaha shaft drive:

When changing the rear tire, pop the 4 bolts that hold the rear differential, the pumpkin easily slides aft for removal, and do 3 things.

(1) Lube the shaft splines. Wipe off whatever is left of the factory grease and apply new. I've never heard of a Yamaha spline set failing but it is a wear point and tire changes are your opportunity. btw, the lower end of outboard motors use similar spline drives, have similar corrosion concerns, the grease works perfectly, and it's available in almost any car parts store.

(2) Spray some ACF-50, CRC, or other anti-corrosive spray on the shaft and other exposed metal. Again, never heard of a failure, but there will probably already be the start of some surface corrosion. The Max, FJR, and Tenere ALL do it. A quick spritz or wipe can stop it.

(3) There is a drain hole in the shaft housing that dirt and bugs can plug. Check that it is clear.

When re-installing, the shaft slides in easily, no circlips or other tricks. And it is EASY to overlook the washers under the 4 nuts that hold the pumpkin in place, so watch you haven't lost one.

Finally, put some anti corrosion spray on the axle, because it will rust and be hard to take out the next time if you don't.
 

Yamaguy55

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Great info. I'm sure many aren't used to shaft drive and you're completely right. Thanks again.
 

dcstrom

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Thanks mate - tire change coming up soon an I hadn't thought about "pulling the pumpkin" but will.

I have Honda Moly 60 grease - I guess that should be perfect on the splines...
 

Rasher

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dcstrom said:
Thanks mate - tire change coming up soon an I hadn't thought about "pulling the pumpkin"
Indeed, sounds a bit rude but will probably make a habbit of pulling my pumpkin once a year ::008::
 

MidlifeMotor

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Some years of the Yamaha V star 650's had a lot of problems with the splines. It had to do with an alignment issue in the rear end of the bike. The Honda Moly is what everyone on the V Star forum was using. For those who had model years not having alignment issues, they had very few problems with the shaft and related splines.
 

Don in Lodi

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One additional thing. When the differential has been loosened from the shaft housing, re-assembly requires that you leave the four screws/nuts finger tight, tighten the axle shaft to spec, then tighten the four nuts to spec. This prevents small little mis-aligment issues through the differential that can cause unusual noises.
 

dcstrom

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Don in Lodi said:
One additional thing. When the differential has been loosened from the shaft housing, re-assembly requires that you leave the four screws/nuts finger tight, tighten the axle shaft to spec, then tighten the four nuts to spec. This prevents small little mis-aligment issues through the differential that can cause unusual noises.
Don, what's the bit about the axle shaft? Checkswrecks only mentions the 4 bolts. "pop the 4 bolts that hold the rear differential"

NEVER MIND - got it now!
 

Rasher

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I assume this operation does not disturb any seals or O-Rings that should be replaced, or require any technical alignment procedures when re-fitting the Final Drive :question:
 

Checkswrecks

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No o-rings or other seals are disturbed. The 4 nuts and washers are visible in the following photos I snapped when doing this. And yes, slacking the 4 nuts (loosen and re-torque) after the axle is re-installed when the axle is re-installed should be done, I just didn't type it.


There's ground metal in that old sludge so clean it well and re-lube.


Scotch-Brite the rust. Using steel wool can take off remaining finish and leave fast-corroding steel particles.


There are other opportunities for anti-corrosive spray too, such as the axle.
 

rem

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And yes, slacking the 4 after the axle is re-installed when the axle is re-installed should be done, I just didn't type it.

Thanks for the good info and picks, CW. What do you mean by "slacking the 4" during reinstallation ????


thanks. R ::024::
 

GrahamD

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rem said:
Thanks for the good info and picks, CW. What do you mean by "slacking the 4" during reinstallation.
Leave the poor guy alone, Hes probably embarrassed. :D
 

rem

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Ah, methinks I just figured it out. Sorry to be so ignert, but .... well, I'm ignert. I cain't hep it. R :-[
 

Rasher

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rem said:
Ah, methinks I just figured it out. Sorry to be so ignert, but .... well, I'm ignert. I cain't hep it. R :-[
Give us a clue it sill makes no sense to me ::008::
 

jajpko

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mcbrien said:
I presume the rear drive oil doesn't come pouring out when I remove pumpkin?
No it will stay where it belongs.. You would need to open the final drive to loose the oil..
 

BWC

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Took these few pics. of the dif. splines and rear hub dampers when the Heidenaus got mounted up at 10,000Km. Looked like a good place to add for them for anyone doing rear drive maitenance.
Cleaned the splines and gave them a fresh coat of synthetic grease with moly before reinstall. Also noticed the axel, spacers etc. needed some anti-corrosion lube.
Pics taken before cleaning and relube.



 

Rasher

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What spec of grease should be used for these gears :question:

I assume a squirt of ACF-50 is fine for keeping corrosion at bay, but am unsure of the type of grease to apply to splines.
 
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