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| The information on these pages is accurate to the best of the author's knowledge. The author can assume no responsibility for the use or misuse of this information by the reader. The reader is expected to secure any other information needed from Service Manuals or other sources. It is up to the reader to determine his/her ability to make any modifications noted. If the reader does not feel qualified he/she should enlist professional help. |
Universal Joint
Maintenance
With swingarm in place!
No
special tools needed!
By Chet Walters
NOTE: At this writing, I had 47,000 hard miles on this bike. One could not distinguish these internal parts from new parts, but there was not much grease on the splines - they looked little more than wet. Splines were sharp and did not look stressed at all. U-joint was pristine and appeared to have just come out of the bubble wrap.
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CAUTION! DO NOT PRESS REAR BRAKE
PEDAL DURING THIS ENTIRE OPERATION! |
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STEP ONE: Remove right exhaust (maybe, see note*), rear wheel,
final drive The bike should be in neutral. Inspect the splines for unusual wear. Clean thoroughly. *NOTE: Exhaust removal not necessary according to some, but it sure is easier with it out of the way. No scratches either. |
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STEP TWO: Remove rear brake reservoir cover,
reservoir and bracket Try not to let the reservoir get completely upside down. This is a good time to inspect the fluid. DO NOT DEPRESS BRAKE PEDAL! |
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STEP THREE: Remove the boot Take your time here. Pull the boot off the engine and push it back to expose the front of the u-joint. With a screwdriver, pop off the front u-joint splines from the output shaft of the engine and push the u-joint back into the swingarm. Pull the boot from its seat on the swingarm using the tabs. Hold the u-joint so there is sufficient room to pull the boot from the swingarm and slip the boot out carefully (don't tear it) through the space between the u-joint and the output shaft. Clean the boot. |
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STEP FOUR: Remove the u-joint You may have to remove the left exhaust as well for clearance before removing the lower shock bolts. Remove lower shock bolts and pivot the swingarm. With the swingarm fully down, remove the u-joint*. Twist, pull and turn and it will come out. Check for play or binding in the bearings and listen for noise. Clean thoroughly. At this time, thoroughly clean the interior of the drive shaft cover portion of the swingarm (toilet brush with soap/solvent works good). *NOTE: It may or may not be necessary to pivot the swingarm down. Mine was. |
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STEP FIVE: Clean
and lube the output shaft splines Clean the output shaft of any old grease. Use the Honda EP molybendum disulfide grease available at your dealer or equivilent to lube the splines. |
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STEP SIX: Put the u-joint back into the
swingarm long end in front toward output shaft Insert the u-joint back into the swingarm. The LONG end goes in front toward the output shaft (if you can see the drawing below, it is deceiving). Lube the inner mating surfaces of the boot with engine coolant or WD-40 to make the ends easier to slip on the sealing grooves. Slip the boot back around the u-joint but don't yet put the ends in the grooves. |
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STEP SEVEN: Install
the u-joint onto the output shaft Put the splines of the u-joint onto the output shaft. Since it's hard to grasp the u-joint, a little push with a long stick of wood through the swingarm can help. Put the front of the boot onto the engine mating surface. Pull up the swingarm and re-install the lower shock bolts to hold it up. Put the rear of the boot onto the swingarm mating surface. If needed, perform maintenance on the final drive/drive shaft as per the Service Manual under FINAL DRIVE. |
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STEP EIGHT: Re-install
the final drive unit Re-install the final drive by inserting the drive shaft into the swingarm. If you make a gentle "stirring" motion with the drive shaft, it will slip into the rear u-joint splines much easier. The bike should still be in neutral. Button up the shocks and all nuts & bolts. Re-install the wheel. See service manual for any details not included on this page. |
Chetspages@rattlebars.com