I think my "Baby" is sick!

[Fathertime]

  Went on an "four state" tour today, and think I might have come up with a bad "U-Joint on my 2000 STD with 23K on her.  Bike has no mods on her, and I am the second owner (purchasing it with 12K on her).  I generally consider myself a conservative rider, not "smokin much bacon".
  I started hearing a metallic "click" sound from just under the seat.  This sound occurs more often when coasting with little or no throttle on.  If coasting and I pull the clutch the sound is much more pronounced (perhaps because of less engine/exhaust noise).  When I down shift from 5th to 4th, with the clutch still pulled, the sound goes away for a second or two then comes back.  It is directly related to road speed.  If you remember placing playing cards in the spokes of your old Schwinn it sounds like that, except that the cards would be metallic.  While coming down one of our local mountains, there was also a noticable vibration felt when going from "coasting" (No throttle on) to light throttle application.
  As I said, I think it may be a bad "U Joint" and am looking for some second opinions. 
  Also, some general questions if the group agrees with this.  On a scale of 1 - 10 how hard is this repair?  I think of myself as a fair backyard mechanic, and some work on cars I have done include replacing timing chains and pulling intake manifolds to replace spark plugs on my wifes Mazda. I do not have a bike lift available at this time, nor do I have a jack to lift her up in the air.  I remember plans for an adaptor to use with a standard rolling floor jack somewhere.  I guess my concern is how hard is it to actually remove a rear wheel with out the above mentioned "garage toys"?
  In the absence of the Honda repair manual, what do you people think of the other over the counter manuals such as Clymer or Chilton?
  Thanks in advance for any and all advice or votes of confidence!

[Daniel Meyer]

Sounds like the ujoint or pinion cup/shaft.

1-10? I'd say a 5. Really no big deal, just a long job. We do everything except pull the joint itself at a tech clinic at Inzane (the boot is a pain is why I don't do that last step).

Some good instructions here: (don't need to pull the pipes, or the swing arm)
http://www.rattlebars.com/mtz/ujoint.html

[Fathertime]

Sounds like the ujoint or pinion cup/shaft.

1-10? I'd say a 5. Really no big deal, just a long job. We do everything except pull the joint itself at a tech clinic at Inzane (the boot is a pain is why I don't do that last step).

  Pinion cup/shaft?  This the same as the final drive shaft?
  If it actually works out to be the joint, will the bearings have to be pressed in by a machine shop? I assume the replacement part from Honda does not actually include the spline ends?

[Daniel Meyer]

Sounds like the ujoint or pinion cup/shaft.

1-10? I'd say a 5. Really no big deal, just a long job. We do everything except pull the joint itself at a tech clinic at Inzane (the boot is a pain is why I don't do that last step).

  Pinion cup/shaft?  This the same as the final drive shaft?
  If it actually works out to be the joint, will the bearings have to be pressed in by a machine shop? I assume the replacement part from Honda does not actually include the spline ends?

Pinion cup and shaft is the drive shaft and the cup it mates to at the rear pumpkin.

The ujoint includes the yokes/splines if that's the problem. If the pinion cup, you'll need the drive shaft and the pinion cup (not expensive).

[Fathertime]

  Sorry to be a dunce on this. 
  Ok, as I understand it if I purchase a replacement joint from Honda what I'll get is the complete assembly, bearings and splines all ready to go back on.  Removal and replacement does not look all that hard, assuming I have the equipment to lift the bike off the ground so I can remove the rear wheel.  I'm guessing I'll need a motorcycle jack and the adaptor to lift it.  I'm also guessing that using a standard hydraulic floor jack is not the best idea around.  Or is it?
  I'm wishing right now that I got a lift table and jack for Christmas.
  What do I want to look for when checking the drive shaft?  If its that in-expensive, would I be better off just going ahead and replacing it and the cup at the same time or is this overkill?

[Daniel Meyer]

In this picture:


(the pic is rattlebars)

The driveshaft is the shaft sticking out of the rear end. The pinion cup is the cup it's stuck into.

The shaft just pulls out (may have to tap the cup with a hammer while pulling). Look for worn splines. If so, always replace the shaft and cup together. The cup is held on with a nut inside it. You'll need an impact wrench to spin it off if you need to replace it. Not necessary to remove if you're just inspecting.

If not worn, don't bother replacing...but my experience is if this is not checked/cleaned at each tire change or 10,000 miles, that it is likely worn.

[Daniel Meyer]

Here's the ujoint as it comes:



The pic is wanderererereres. The hand, and the ujoint, are mine. (130,000+ on that joint)

Coming to Inzane? Check the tech session schedule. I'll show you.