[Wayne C.]

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I'm new to the forum, and also a first time owner of an old goldwing.

The bike is a 84 modle with 122,000k. It runs good except that it

seams to have a lot of drive line lash when you change greers. Is

this common on the older 1200?

Thanks in advance for any info.

Wayne C.

 

[Jason]

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Welcome to the forum Wayne. Slightly sloppy drive was always a "characteristic" of the 1200, until the 1987 model year when it was finally sorted. If the slop is excessive there could be one of several causes, specially at that mileage. If you pop the bike on the main stand and put t into gear, see how far rhe wheel will travel before meeting resistance. Anything over about an inch of travel is too much. You will need to remove the wheel next and check the condition of the cush drive rubbers, thats the most common cause as the rubbers break up after a few years.
If the rubbers are okay then check the drive splines. You should then pull back the rubber boot on the driveshaft (gearbox end) and get someone to turn the diff whil you examine for wear in the joint on the driveshaft at the gearbox end. If that's okay then get a vicegrips onto that same end of the driveshaft so it stays steady while you rotate the inner part of the diff. Excessive slop here means the problem is in th ediff itself.

This should get you through the basic procedure, I'd be surprised if you didn't find the problem after doing this.

 

[Eamonn1200]

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my 1200 only has 58k miles but the wheel rubbers fell asunder (almost like powder) and the amount of play in the wheel was about 12". This used to result in a huge clonk when I opened the throttle or took off from the lights. New rubbers fixed it and I was lucky that the drive fins hadn't broken from the stress.

 

[Goldwinger1984]

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I wonder it the rubbers broke down due to the type of lubricant(or too much)someone may have used? I've got over 100,000 K's on my 84 1200 and the rubbers are in great condition and I drive my Wing very hard.

Vic

 

[Wayne C.]

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Thanks Jason, and the others that replyed. I'll check it out.

Wayne

 

[exavid]

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Has anyone got the part name or number for the rubber drive couplers? It would make it a lot easier for me to get them. Today in the Pacific Northwest (near Seattle) it was a beautiful day, temperatures around 63F, sunny and no wind. It was so nice I was forced to take a 150 mile jaunt up to Paradise on Mount Rainier. It just doesn't get much better than that, the old machine just purred her way out and back. Felt sorry for all the folks in spam cans.

 

[austinstreetman]

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An article in the August 2001 Rider magazine about JBJ Cycles, a wing service shop, they say that they lube the drive shaft splines every other rear tire change. They say this has eliminated final drive failure. Does anyone know if this would refer to the splines at the rear wheel or the splines at the transmission?

 

[wingnut]

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That article refers to the drive splines that engage the wheel (ie not inside the differential). It's long been accepted that greasing the splines does put spline slop and eventual failure on the long finger. Well worth the small effort

 

[jsmith24]

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wingnut wrote:

That article refers to the drive splines that engage the wheel (ie not inside the differential). It's long been accepted that greasing the splines does put spline slop and eventual failure on the long finger. Well worth the small effort

Hi all,

I have to remove my rear fora tire change anyway, and part of that is removing the final drive so I'm going to lube mine too. What type of lube should I use on this? Something like a white lithium, a high heat bearing grease, what?

Jack

 

[FitzAl]

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Ordinary LM grease will do for this Jack. There is little heat in the spline area so a small smear all around the splines will be plenty. I think it's the rain taht gets into this area that causes the rust in the first place.

 

[Hobie1]

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http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Consumables.html

What do you make of this article? I was told to use Moly 60 on the splines but my OEM maintenance manual just mentions the Lithium based grease as you indicated.

I've got some Moly 60 ordered and am going to grease the splines with it. We'll see how it goes.

Hmm.

Hobie

 

[jsmith24]

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FitzAl wrote:

Ordinary LM grease will do for this Jack. There is little heat in the spline area so a small smear all around the splines will be plenty. I think it's the rain taht gets into this area that causes the rust in the first place.

Hi FitzAl,

LM grease? Is that a Lithium based grease? Will the local (US) auto store know what I'm asking for?

Thanks!

Jack

 

[RedWinger]

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[Hobie1]

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That's where I ordered mine. Shipped on the 2'nd should be here anytime. I like the concept of the moly holding up under extreme pressure. A little more expensive but so what. If it makes my '83 Interstate last longer, I'm for it.

Hobie:grinner:

 

[Eamonn1200]

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LM is just standard grease used in wheel bearings etc. It will do fine for the splines and you can use it on other parts of the bike as well. I regulaurly grease my main stand pivots liberally with this as well as my drive splines.

 

[Dave Campbell]

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Is heat breaking the rubber down? Ive not seen one that looked "pasty" due to being attacked by chemical? That would cause terrible looseness.

Id use EP Moly grease (regular grease with moly-disulfide for extreme pressure service) theres a lot of pressure on those splines and pins. Also change the O-rings and seals, especially the left axle seal. i remove the bearing seals and clean and relube the bearings as well, they are no fun to change.

Wayne, Honda cycles have always had a lot of "shifting" noise, the GL1200s clunk terribly in some gears. Especially if youre a nut like me that doesnt use the clutch!!:gunhead:

 

[Goldwinger1984]

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Could it be that you are accustomed to driving an automatic transmissioned vehicle?

When driving your Wing try to match the engine speed to the road speed when shifting and you'll find that the clunkiness goes away almost completely. If you learn to do this very precisely, you could even shift without using the clutch because the shifts will be so very smooth, although it's always best to use the clutch.

Vic