I have a good deal for you on some used dampers for final drive. :)

[John Schmidt]

These are used but a little Gorilla glue should put you back on the road, you pay the shipping.   When I laid them out next to the new one I noticed a slight difference so decided to go ahead and replace them. I'm really blown away by this, they're Honda items and don't have more than 12k on them. I've noticed recently a lot of slop in the driveline and a noticeable loud click if I shifted under power/acceleration. Now I know why. Thankfully I had two spare sets in my stash. I had pulled the rear wheel to replace the tire, good thing I did. The splines look OK, will know more after a good cleaning.





Can you tell the difference between the old and new?  

[Grumpy]

You need to stop doing wheelies every time you take off, leave that to the younger crowd.   

[pancho]

Wow, 12K.....   they were about ready to let the flange eat up the wheel!

[wiggydotcom]

Wow, John, I've never seen any that were that dried out and crumbled. You must have really gotten some from a bad batch!

[Roidfingers]

Now that I saw this, I'm a little concerned. LOL. Had my valk std for about 5 months. Haven't removed the wheel yet. But when I do, I want to replace every thing I need to in there. What is it I need to replace and where to buy. Just planning ahead. Thanks all.

[..]

Wow, John, I've never seen any that were that dried out and crumbled. You must have really gotten some from a bad batch!

+1 

[mark81]

I wonder how well window weld would work to repair them. Ive seen several automotive engine mounts repaired with it.

[Hook#3287]

I wonder how well window weld would work to repair them. Ive seen several automotive engine mounts repaired with it.

maybe, but why?  New set is under $35.00.

Those sure are toast, any chance they were from "shock bushing Gary", he had a bad batch sometime ago.

Now that I saw this, I'm a little concerned. LOL. Had my valk std for about 5 months. Haven't removed the wheel yet. But when I do, I want to replace every thing I need to in there. What is it I need to replace and where to buy. Just planning ahead. Thanks all.

3 o-rings for sure.  I always have a set or 2 of brake pads, dampners, bearings, etc just in case I need them for reassemble w/o waiting for the mail.

Do you have a Honda shop manual?  Go thru it a nd list what they suggest you replace and there are many OEM parts supplier's on the web.  Some items they suggest replacing I concider optional, like rotor bolts, but some feel the need to follow the book. I've reused rotor bolts several times w/o issue, just careful not to over tourqe.

[pancho]

What it looks like is that they were attacked by a solvent that destroyed them. I wonder if you cleaned the wheel up with something before installing them new, or used something for lubrication to ease installation into the pockets?

Sometimes it only takes a small bit to affect a large thing if it is specific.

[John Schmidt]

What it looks like is that they were attacked by a solvent that destroyed them. I wonder if you cleaned the wheel up with something before installing them new, or used something for lubrication to ease installation into the pockets?

Sometimes it only takes a small bit to affect a large thing if it is specific.

That actually was my first thought....what did I use for cleaning?!? But when I installed them a while back the pockets were clean so all I did was wipe them down, no solvent needed. However, I did try some different lube this last time; Loctite moly paste(see link). It's metal free, contains 65% moly. Could that particular compound give off some damaging fumes or residue under the heat of operation? I'll never know because I'll not use it again even though the splines appear fine. These actually were a factory replacement for a set of Gary's dampers which I had no trouble with but were starting to fit a little sloppy in the pocket where they sit. I'll go back to using the lube concoction I've used in the past and "schmooie" (a borrowed technical term  ) it on as usual.

http://www.grainger.com/product/LOCTITE-Anti-Seize-Compound-WP53740/_/N-9iq/Ntt-moly+paste?EndecaKeyword=loctite+moly+paste&NLSCM=15&nls=3&searchBar=true&searchRedirect=loctite+moly+paste&ssf=3&sst=All&s_pp=false&picUrl=//static.grainger.com/rp/s/is/image/Grainger/5E200_AS01?$smthumb$

[Gryphon Rider]

Are you sure the bad dampers aren't Gary's dampers?  In the first picture they look like the wheel was used as a mould to make them, just like Gary's dampers.

[pancho]

Yeah, that locktite moly paste is good for the splines and flange, but because it has petroleum products in it, not the best choice for a rubber like compound. That is probably the culprit. Sometimes a small bit of contaminant can affect a large item if the chemistry is correct,, or I should say, incorrect. 

Not quite the same but, 1/2 gram of potassium cyanide will destroy a 160 pound person.

[John Schmidt]

Are you sure the bad dampers aren't Gary's dampers?  In the first picture they look like the wheel was used as a mould to make them, just like Gary's dampers.

Absolutely sure, these replaced Gary's which as mentioned.....had started to fit a little loose. Goes without saying....it took a while to get the wheel cleaned up but the new ones are in and the plate torqued down. Tomorrow I clean the final and wait for the new tire to get here.

[PAVALKER]

Those sure don't look like OEM...and do appear to have the same make up as those of Gary's.  Those just don't look right at all....

[Thunderbolt]

John my Gary's dampers were that bad too.  I posted pictures last year.  There was a lot of slack in them too.

[John Schmidt]

Those sure don't look like OEM...and do appear to have the same make up as those of Gary's.  Those just don't look right at all....

I assure you, they're OEM right from mother Honda. Whatever it was that penetrated them caused them to eventually crumble like a dry cookie. I only had one set of Gary's and had nary a problem with them, but they eventually felt like they were fitting a bit loose so as stated earlier....I replaced them with factory parts. I was blown away by the consistency of them when I started to clean it all out. They literally crumbled when you squeezed them with your fingers. Oh well, it's all clean now, the new ones are installed and the plate torqued down. My new Kuhmo 195/69r16 arrived today so will get it installed by Friday. Still need to clean the final of all the debris from the dampers plus the grease left over. I'm tempted to pull the top cover off the final to expose the innards just in case any go through. Not a big job and would give me some piece of mind. I'm really liking the looks of the new Kuhmo, nice and rounded on the shoulders but still has a broad footprint. I plan to take a couple pictures of the old 205 and the new 195, just for comparison and viewing.

[pancho]

" I'm tempted to pull the top cover off the final to expose the innards just in case any go through. Not a big job and would give me some piece of mind."

If you are talking about removing the gear case cover to take a look inside Stuffy, I wouldn't bother if it was me as nothing can get in there from the splines area. You can pull the distance collar out to clean the through hole area if necessary, but the "innards" are sealed on both sides from that passage. Save the time and that finicky sealing pattern to lock it back up correctly.

[Tfrank59]

What it looks like is that they were attacked by a solvent that destroyed them. I wonder if you cleaned the wheel up with something before installing them new, or used something for lubrication to ease installation into the pockets?

Sometimes it only takes a small bit to affect a large thing if it is specific.

If you determine that a certain lube or cleaner caused this failure, please let us all know what it is.  By the way, how was your drive train behaving just prior to disassembly?  Lots of slop/backlash no doubt, but how about noise, vibration, or some indication the dampers were toast?

John, unless I'm mistaken, didn't you have a mystery sound in your rear wheel last year--did you determine what that was?   If memory serves, you thought it was coming from your rear brake.

Here's the link:  http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,77690.msg760618.html#msg760618

you never figured out the cause of the "clank"?  Must have been your spent dampers.

[John Schmidt]

TFrank, re. the clank in back last spring, yes....I found it. See link, go towards the bottom, a rubber doodad #11 was the culprit. http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,81699.0.html

I wasn't hearing or feeling any noise or vibs from the rear at the time, just the annoying clank. The current issue seemed to have developed gradually, more so in recent months to the point I could hear it really "bang" on a hard shift or when the cruise kicked in. When I heard that I knew trouble was abrewing. As for cause, I really have no idea other than POSSIBLY the Loctite Moly Paste I referred to earlier. That's the only thing I did different the last time, used it to lube the final drive splines in place of my usual concoction. Seemed to have worked great on the splines but must be something in it that affects rubber, possibly given off from the heat of being used over a period of time. I don't really know, but it's the last time I'll use it on the rear end.

As for pulling the top cover off the final, probably not. I've done it many times on other finals and it's no big deal but like Pancho said, it is sealed. In the past on other finals, when I've pulled the cover off there was a lot of old lube residue sitting in the bottom. I was able to clean it out real good using some WD40 with a little pressure behind it, helps clean the bearings as well. Let it drain while doing something else, wipe it down and close it up. Mount the final then refill it before mounting the wheel.

[Tfrank59]

okay, thanks for the update...guess I won't be using any Loctite products on my drive splines. 

[..]

Wow, John, I've never seen any that were that dried out and crumbled. You must have really gotten some from a bad batch!

+1 

Until I took mine out yesterday 

[hubcapsc]

Hmmm... the Honda ones don't have "tubes" for the aluminum
inserts, they have these little winged frobs - you can see the wings
at 7:00 in the lower picture... Gary's had "tubes"...

[..]

Hmmm... the Honda ones don't have "tubes" for the aluminum
inserts, they have these little winged frobs - you can see the wings
at 7:00 in the lower picture... Gary's had "tubes"...

Yep they look just like the ones I found falling apart on my bike.

OEM look completely different.