[swparis]

got the rear wheel off last night, only to find trapezoid splines on both parts. :frown2: :lash:
I know this will have to be dealt with, but I'm headed to the outer banks next week, and plan to just clean everything up real good before applying the moly paste and putting it back together. Been dreaming about taking this bike for a nice long ride.
I'll worry about replacing these parts this winter.

 

[DaveO430]

If it makes you feel any better I've seen worse.

 

[swparis]

upon further reading, are they actually that bad? mine don't look much more eaten up than the 'good' examples in this post:

For those that have not seen:


GOOD SPLINE - Coated with MOLY 60 from HONDA

BAD SPLINE - from using wrong grease for 10,000 miles

GOOD FINAL DRIVE - not one eaten with bad spline:

BAD FINAL DRIVE - was made bad with bad spline.

 

[swparis]

Answering my own question here:
yes, it really is VERY bad.
Here's a closeup shot of the splines on the final driven flange.
you can see that the metal is actually being displaced and forced outward (notice little metal 'burrs' on the outside edge of splines)
There is also sign of metal on metal violence towards the outside edge of the splines.

maybe not the worst you've ever seen, Dave, but dang! I hope it doesn't fail on me
if i could source a new final driven gear by next week, what kind of job am I facing to replace the final driven flange and gear?
rear wheel is already off, so I hope it's just a few short steps to remove the rest of the final drive.

 

[Shooter]

Yes they're bad, but like Dave said. "I've seen worse". Guys kept their rides in service until parts were located. Lube well and replace before any planned long trips, wouldn't hurt to do wheel bearings then also. They sure aren't going to get any better...

 

[DaveO430]

Unfortunately you will not be able to find new parts, they are discontinued. People have replaced 1200 finals and the rear wheel with 1500 parts, just something I have read in passing so not familiar with what's involved. Lube yours good and it will still go a long ways.

 

[swparis]

Thanks for the tips, gents.
I've got a 1000 mile trip to the outer banks lined up next week and I really want to take the goldwing.
I'll clean it up and apply moly like should have been done throughout its life, hopefully it'll go for the rest of the summer.
then I can wait till winter and replace entire final drive unit.

one more question: the increased drivetrain lash that results from improperly fitting splined joints- how far back into the motor can that be traced? if the splines on the final drive are getting chewed up, I would imagine that the splines for the u joint are equally worn from rolling on/off the throttle. is that the case? transmission gears probably see accelerated wear from the excessive lash too.

 

[Silicon Sam]

To me, the splines look good on the final drive, (just dry as heck...) it's the ones on the wheel that look shot.

 

[AZgl1800]

That spline joint will still take you many 1,000s of miles.

Just lube it up as you said, and go on with the summer.

When you get back, follow up on these threads and put a 1500 rear end under the 1200 and forget about those problems.


Rear End Rebuild with 1500 components


this link is broken, sorry. it was written by Pete and the best I ever saw.
1200 Rear end rebuild use 1500 rear end


GL1200A Rear End Rebuild


Wanted 87 rear wheel, hub and Drive assembly


http://www.goldwingfacts.com/forums/2-goldwing-technical-forum/352262-final-drive-compatibility.html


Those are all of the valid links I can find, even using Google.... it seems that no other forum on this planet has any similar rebuild threads for the 1200 rear ends.

the best article there was posted was by Pete/Marge but his server is dead now.
I wish I had saved it as an HTML file, and could have hosted it here forever.

If you tackle this job, please take lots of pictures, and put up a thread here for future members to reference.

If I recall correctly, it is most easily done by using a rear end from a '88 or '89 GL1500 because of the bolt pattern will match the 1200's wheel.

 

[Bike...and Dennis]

It's not much more work to check the drive shaft, output shaft and u-joint. Most likely that rubber boot is going to be bad, so you'll have to be careful with it.