Lube the splines...

[lotus]

Jounrneyman,
After hours of researching, I finally got the Penner map loaded successfully. All I can say is it has turned a spirited barn horse into a thoroughbred.
Wow...
Thanks for your encouragement....... Larry

 

[Journeyman]

Journeyman,
Did you check your U-Joints? Did find the rear joint to have a detent? How many miles do you have on your bike.

Sorry that took longer to get to you than expected- I got a few extra miles out of that rear tire.

I did not feel a "notch" in the movement of that joint. Here a video clip.... Also, I'll add some other photos of the general "lube the splines" process in a bit...

 

[Journeyman]

I did another lube today at over 40K miles. The grease from the previous maintenance still looked pretty good, but time for a refresh. I think it was about 10k miles ago. I use a concoction of Molly grease from the auto parts store mixed with pure molly (I think I posted about this already), but I'm sure any good quality molly grease will be fine.

Lift bike- I backup he ATV jack with an overhead strap, but you could use blocks

Remove tire, remove rear brakes, remove ABS sensor here (T30)...

... drain the final drive and remove the license plate hanger (T50)

As before, lots of dirt accumulates here...

Clean and lube..

Add some extra grease to the end of the spring to help hold it in place

Use a jack, blocks, whatever to get the FD close to position. With the 2.5s you have room to grab the drive shaft and turn and angle it to get it to line up with the FD. Once in the right position it will slide on easily.

Note: I've done this without a jack and also kept the license plate holder on, but it is not worth the hassle. The FD is very awkwardly balanced. It's nice to be able to set it down close to the "goal" if things don't line up correctly and the license plate holder (just three bolts) just makes things worse.

- Torque the nuts and reinstall the ABS sensor. This is also a good time to relube the needle bearings on the outside of the FD.

See manual for further instructions and torque settings

 

[Kiwicol]

So you don't need to lube the other end? These pic's of a how to are superb for someone like me who still has this procedure to look forward to, my bike has only done just over 11,000k's so about 6600 miles.

 

[rick danger]

I did another lube today at over 40K miles. The grease from the previous maintenance still looked pretty good, but time for a refresh. I think it was about 10k miles ago. I use a concoction of Molly grease from the auto parts store mixed with pure molly (I think I posted about this already), but I'm sure any good quality molly grease will be fine.

Lift bike- I backup he ATV jack with an overhead strap, but you could use blocks

Remove tire, remove rear brakes, remove ABS sensor here (T30)...

... drain the final drive and remove the license plate hanger (T50)

As before, lots of dirt accumulates here...

Clean and lube..

Add some extra grease to the end of the spring to help hold it in place

Use a jack, blocks, whatever to get the FD close to position. With the 2.5s you have room to grab the drive shaft and turn and angle it to get it to line up with the FD. Once in the right position it will slide on easily.

Note: I've done this without a jack and also kept the license plate holder on, but it is not worth the hassle. The FD is very awkwardly balanced. It's nice to be able to set it down close to the "goal" if things don't line up correctly and the license plate holder (just three bolts) just makes things worse.

- Torque the nuts and reinstall the ABS sensor. This is also a good time to relube the needle bearings on the outside of the FD.

See manual for further instructions and torque settings

So you don't need to lube the other end? These pic's of a how to are superb for someone like me who still has this procedure to look forward to, my bike has only done just over 11,000k's so about 6600 miles.

I just clicked over 6k miles. When do you think I should get in there and do this. I bought the spline lube. I was going to do the oil and FD lube soon. Maybe I should do the splines too? In case the factory was stingy? Would a very small bead of silicone keep that dirt out?

 

[Journeyman]

I just clicked over 6k miles. When do you think I should get in there and do this. I bought the spline lube. I was going to do the oil and FD lube soon. Maybe I should do the splines too? In case the factory was stingy? Would a very small bead of silicone keep that dirt out?

Now wouldn't be a bad time, as whatever they use does tend to dry out quickly, but I'd say (making this up) by 10K would be ideal. There is a "weep hole" (I guess?) under the swing arm where I think that dirt gets in, especially driving in the rain. I'm not sure why it's needed, so a bit hesitant to cover it, although I may try sticking a foam earplug in there anyway.

 

[Einar]

The front end of the tube is open on the R3, which is where most of the water and dirt likely enters, so that hole is there to allow water and (some) dirt to drain out. I wouldn't plug it, unless you want it to fill with water and crud.

 

[Journeyman]

The front end of the tube is open on the R3, which is where most of the water and dirt likely enters, so that hole is there to allow water and (some) dirt to drain out. I wouldn't plug it, unless you want it to fill with water and crud.

Thanks- I've spent enough time under the bike that I should have noticed that front opening. Poor design, as with enough water some will run past the hole.

 

[Einar]

Yeah, my Tiger 1200 has a gaiter that completely covers that gap. Not sure why the Rocket only has a half shield. Probably packaging constraints, plus I doubt a lot of Rockets are taken off-road. lol

 

[rick danger]

Decided to do the splines when the new tire goes on. Still not to sure how many to miles to expect out of the avon