Dry splines

[Chiefy]

I live in Florida where it's always very humid, and most of the time very hot.

Is it possible that the splines can be dry after having been greased 7000 miles prior?

I've been caught in a few brief light rains, and one 15 minute downpour in that time.  I don't ride in the rain unless the rain finds me.  It's been 7000 miles and 20 months since they were greased.

[Fudd]

What kind of grease did you use?  Did you change the O-rings?

[old2soon]

If the lube was done correctly i would THINK yer good to go fer awhile. BUT if you are having concerns then by all means tear it down have a look and clean and regrease. Whats the old saying-better safe than sorry.   And besides-we have a good cost guesstimate if they are ate up.   Doen't take that long to get her on the lift and tear her down. Iffin i wuz closer i'd come over and give ya a hand.   RIDE SAFE.

[Chiefy]

What kind of grease did you use?  Did you change the O-rings?

A shop I had grown to trust did it for me 7000 miles, 21 months ago.  Today the splines are dry and toast.  I'm trying to decide if I misplaced my trust.

Please, to some out there, don't turn this into a crooked mechanic thread.  I'm just trying to learn if it's possible for them to dry up so quick.

[old2soon]

Not dissin the wrench cause i DO NOT know him at all. We have folks on the board that go 12000 miles between spline services with out problems. But the caveat here is they are doing their own sevice. I'm using Guard Dog moly and i'm in that 10500 to 11200 range when i service mine. It's not an exact science but i'm thinking it may NOT have been serviced properly 7000 miles and 21 months ago. Did you have an O-ring failure?? Was the proper lube and amount put in at the service?? Do you wash your M/C with a high pressure hose?? I'm grabbing straws here but i'm leaning towards service not being done correctly or wrong lube type and/or amount. Maybe it's time to do this yourself OR find a board member thats willing to lend a hand. Sorry to hear you toasted a set of splines. Good luck with the repairs.  RIDE SAFE.

[Chiefy]

Not dissin the wrench cause i DO NOT know him at all. We have folks on the board that go 12000 miles between spline services with out problems. But the caveat here is they are doing their own sevice. I'm using Guard Dog moly and i'm in that 10500 to 11200 range when i service mine. It's not an exact science but i'm thinking it may NOT have been serviced properly 7000 miles and 21 months ago. Did you have an O-ring failure?? Was the proper lube and amount put in at the service?? Do you wash your M/C with a high pressure hose?? I'm grabbing straws here but i'm leaning towards service not being done correctly or wrong lube type and/or amount. Maybe it's time to do this yourself OR find a board member thats willing to lend a hand. Sorry to hear you toasted a set of splines. Good luck with the repairs.  RIDE SAFE.

I don't enjoy wrenching one bit.  But I have no doubt I can handle greasing the splines on my own from now on.  I probably should start checking it every 3-4 thousand miles until I decide what happened here.

[Patrick]

When you say 'toast' , do mean replacement kinda toast ? I'm with the others, they really shouldn't be like that in your time frame if you're not pressure washing it. Try doing this your self and check it in a couple years.

[old2soon]

I can understand the not wanting to wrench anymore. I farm my cage work out only BECAUSE i have a mechanic i truly trust. My Valkyrie on the other hand-$65.00 an hour at the Honda dealership-well thats rough and coupled with the fact that a very large percentage of the mechs at Honda DO NOT know what a Valkyrie is.  And after reading the horror storys like yours-well when i get done i KNOW in my heart it's done RIGHT.  Besides-it's my ass in the saddle and when i REALLY decide to turn up the wick-I want to KNOW that when i get mid triple digits she gonna stay under me.  It sums up thusly-the only person i trust at speed is ME.  RIDE SAFE.

[Daniel Meyer]

The assembly order is as or more important than the type of grease. The 4 nuts that hold the pumpkin on the swing arm must be loose when you torque down the axle, then tightened after that.

[Chiefy]

If an Oring fails, or the assembly order is wrong, what are the symptoms (besides destroyed splines?)  I had no grease dripping on the garage floor, and no grease being thrown up under the fender or on the bags.

[Chiefy]

When you say 'toast' , do mean replacement kinda toast ? I'm with the others, they really shouldn't be like that in your time frame if you're not pressure washing it. Try doing this your self and check it in a couple years.

Yeah, toast as in being just an RCH from spinning out on a throttle roll up.  When I saw them I was surprised the bike still moved.

Well, gonna have to learn to do that job myself.  I'm capable, I just hate wrenching.

[old2soon]

Daniel hit the nail on the head AGAIN. Torquing sequence EXREMELY important. And SEQUENCE is extremely important on the front wheel reinstall also. RIDE SAFE.

[Oklahoma_Valk]

 I would be willing to bet that they used a regular grease, and not moly paste....If they tightened those pumpkin nuts before the axle, which they probably did, that would have also contributed to the problem. I had a similiar situation last Summer when I bought my valk. The p/o hadnt done any maintenance ever. I had to buy new wheel flange and ring gear from HDL. Looking back on things, I wish I would have looked into pressing those bad splines out...and finding a goldwing ring gear to salvage the splines from. hubcapsc recently did an awesome write up on this very thing. BUT if you dont like wrenching, I dont reccomend it. In fact, if you dont like wrenching it's pretty hard to own a valkyrie. These old beasts require a lot of wrenching. People will argue that the vakyrie is a maintenance free reliable machine. I couldnt disagree more. I think it's a maintenance heavy, awesome awesome machine.

If you do decided to order new parts from HDL, dont forget to order the brass collar that is pressed into the ring gear. I believe it's part number 13 or 14 on the final drive schematic.

To answer your question (because I realized I havent done that) I DO believe splines can go bad without warning in 7000 miles. It can happen. And has happened before.


hey... at least its winter. : )

[old2soon]

Chiefy-P M Grumpy cause he gots lotsa machines AND knows how to use them-ie-the G W final drive swap out. I know Fl. is a big state but  yer both in Fl.  RIDE SAFE.

[Chiefy]

Thanks guys.  Not sure if the mechanic felt guilty or was being a pal.  But he had a set of new take off splines from bikes he triked new from the factory.   I saw them, they're as new.  Gave them to me cheap compared to retail.  Oh well, it's done.  I can't prove he screwed the pooch last time, but I'll be doing this kind of stuff myself from here on out.   Back on the road same day.  This chapter is closed...

I don't like fixing plumbing either,     but I do it.  (Yuck)

[old2soon]

Thanks guys.  Not sure if the mechanic felt guilty or was being a pal.  But he had a set of new take off splines from bikes he triked new from the factory.   I saw them, they're as new.  Gave them to me cheap compared to retail.  Oh well, it's done.  I can't prove he screwed the pooch last time, but I'll be doing this kind of stuff myself from here on out.   Back on the road same day.  This chapter is closed...

I don't like fixing plumbing either,     but I do it.  (Yuck)

  Turd in face=$95.00 an hour. RIDE SAFE.

[HayHauler]

If you didn't see him torque the rear axle THEN tighten the four nuts on the swing arm housing, I suggest you take them loose, loosen the rear axle nut, torque the rear axle nut (81 ft lbs I think), then tighten the four nuts. 
This aligns the rear axle, splines and loads the bearings in an exact alignment. 

Like Dan said, the sequence is way important than the kind if grease used.

Hay
Jimmyt

[PhredValk]

I think it's as much time as it is miles. If you ride a lot, do them every 10K or so. If you ride casual, each spring just to be sure. It only takes a jack and 2 hours. I ride between 12 to 15k per year, and do them every spring. Still sticky and look like new.
Fred.

[Kylenav]

Hey Steve, sorry to hear about your troubles.  I have a lift and all the tools to grease the splines. Done it at least 5 times on mine after having back tire troubles...  I use Guard Dog now and have for the past 20K miles or so.  I usually tear mine apart right around or before 10K miles, since going dark side it's all the rear tire comes off for, and it looks new and wet in there every time thus far.  Stuff ain't the cheapest moly on the market for sure, think I paid around $40 for a small container but it's worth knowing it's keeping stuff together and happy in the rear end.  If you need a hand in the future before you take it to the steelers give me call or PM me.  I've been fortunate enough to meet some great fellas and learn a lot about the fat lady from them.  Glad to hear you got er' running again so quick!

-Kyle

[Chiefy]

Hey Steve, sorry to hear about your troubles.  I have a lift and all the tools to grease the splines. Done it at least 5 times on mine after having back tire troubles...  I use Guard Dog now and have for the past 20K miles or so.  I usually tear mine apart right around or before 10K miles, since going dark side it's all the rear tire comes off for, and it looks new and wet in there every time thus far.  Stuff ain't the cheapest moly on the market for sure, think I paid around $40 for a small container but it's worth knowing it's keeping stuff together and happy in the rear end.  If you need a hand in the future before you take it to the steelers give me call or PM me.  I've been fortunate enough to meet some great fellas and learn a lot about the fat lady from them.  Glad to hear you got er' running again so quick!

-Kyle

Thanks Kyle.  Ever since I bought it I had a slight "buck" in the drive train if I rolled on or off easy.  I guess I just figured it was normal.  That's gone with the new splines.  The splines must have been worn for a long time.  I'll be taking good care of the new ones from here on out.  First thing I need to do is loosen everything up and retorque things in the correct order, as described above.

[GOOSE]

I USE THE GOOD GREASE IN BOTH OF MINE, BUT THERE ARE SEVERAL ON HERE WHO USE JUST PLAIN OLD AXLE GREASE AND HAVE SEVERAL HUNDRED THOUSAND MILES ON THEM, AND THEY LOOK BRAND NEW.  SO, THE TYPE OF GREASE DOESN'T MATTER, IT ALL THE SEQUENCIAL POINTS THAT DO .... LIKE TIGHTENING THE 4- NUTS ON THE FINAL DRIVE LAST.

[Oklahoma_Valk]

I used plain Moly lithium grease (not paste) for 10,000 miles recently, and had no wear. The splines were still wet and fresh. I decided to try some BelRay assembly lube as suggested by attic rat. Gonna see how it works.

[sandy]

I used plain Moly lithium grease (not paste) for 10,000 miles recently, and had no wear. The splines were still wet and fresh. I decided to try some BelRay assembly lube as suggested by attic rat. Gonna see how it works.

Bel Ray's assembly lube isn't good for this application. It's not meant to last. Use Bel Ray's waterproof grease. I last inspected mine at 112K miles and the original splines are perfect. I switched to Lucas EP #2 then with a new Cobra tire. Now have 132K and can't wear out the tire. I'll tear it down soon for an inspection. No problems in the drive train so I don't expect trouble.