Anecdotal Drive Shaft / Pinion Cup maintenance results...

[Jabba]

I tore the IS apart today... and this is what I found...











We did this one with anti-Seize too.  Inside... everything is sloppy wet, and beautiful.  When we split the final drive off the swingarm, it actually dripped rear end oil out of the joint a little. 

In the above photo of the pinion cup, you can actually see the oil pooled in the bottom of it.

This reinforces my thought that this thing is supposed to be lubed from the final drive.  It just makes sense to me, and that the grease that the manual calls for is assembly lube, and only intended to work until the final drive fluid is pumped up into the joint.

The final drive oil is pretty and clear.  We did not replace it. 

Take this and $5 and buy a cup of Starbucks coffee.

I plan to get to the rear end of the Blue Standard soon, but I am whipped for the day, and over all the up down up down up down, required of motorcycle maintenance.


Jabba

[Chrisj CMA]

Glad its working.  Ill stick to the slathering of moly and 150cc in the pumpkin.  Sometimes I get a tiny bit of oil on my greased PC splines and sometimes I dont.  Id rather not care if Its actually spashing up in there or not

[Jabba]

Me too.

I greased up both of the ones I did in the last 2 days.

I figure a little grease in my final drive oil is better than no oil OR grease in my PC joint.

I am coming to the "Grease it up" philosophy.

But still... if that was the PLAN from Honda... why all the fancy machining on the Pinion Cup?

I need some GOOD grease though.  My other thing is... from now on, I am going to do mine EVERY year in the winter when I cant ride anyway.  I swear. I am.  I swear it. 

Jabba

[Novavalker]

I just followed Daniel Meyer's instructions from the Tech sessions at InZane. He used a light coat of grease to assemble the pinion cup and drive shaft making sure the pinion cup holes were not plugged up. I used Belray water proof grease. Just a light coating for the assembly. After 10,000 miles I could still see some grease on the teeth. I also use Belray water proof grease on the splines. In few weeks I'll have over 100,000 miles racked up. 
The tech sessions at InZane are well worth while.

[Valkpilot]

When we split the final drive off the swingarm, it actually dripped rear end oil out of the joint a little. 

This might be a piece of the puzzle relative to why some dry out and why some don't.

The oil seals (yep, that's what that donut shaped seal is called in the manual) may be failing.

The manual calls for them to be changed at every service, but I don't know of anyone who does that.  But, our bikes are getting old enough that it might be time to start changing them out.

I reinforce the seal by packing its groove with grease before pushing it into the cup,  (The manual implies this step with an icon for a grease gun pointing at the seal, but it could be intending to point to the splines and just be badly drawn.)

I then smear what oozes out around both the interface with the pinion cup around the outer circumference, and around the interface with the drive shaft.  I like this extra insurance.  I think it helps the seal do its job, keeping lube in the pinion and any water that happens to enter the swingarm out of the pinion.

75k on one and about 60k on another and so far, so good.

[Fudd]

Take this and $5 and buy a cup of Starbucks coffee.

I remember when you could take "good advise and 50 cents" and get all the coffee you wanted.  I really miss those days.

[Brian]

Nice report Jabba. You should consider getting a lift table. It really helps to stop all the up and down.

[Jabba]

Yeah... I know.  Unfortunately... I need to store said lift table when I am not working on the bike... which is a problem, if I want to park in my garage... which I do.

Like all men, I need a bigger garage... or dedicated shop.  Unfortunately, I don't. and am not going to any time soon.

Jabba

[salty1]

Thanks for the updates Jabba! I've been follow your threads on shaft and pinion cup maintenance closely.

[Jabba]

I have done 5 this year... four that I have done previously, and one that I have not done previously.

I am planning to do two of them again as soon as I can get to them.

I will report.

Jabba