[Spok]

My pleasure, but now I'm wondering if I should have posted it elsewhere. Most of the folks that have already read this sticky probably won't bother again.

Well, perhaps when lube time comes around they will.

This is something I will always lube at every rear tire change, because once the wheel is off, you're 95% there.

no kidding hey? i was amazed that when i pulled the rear end, once the wheel was off, how fast the rest came off. I plan to pull the rear end again this winter on my 1500 for many reasons, one practice, two - sumptin to do, and three just to reinspect everything.

 

[G]

thanks for your time to post thread with pic's , this will be very usefull .

 

[NomadNorm]

I gotta ask, since the driveshaft feature on our bikes is really zero maintenance (change rear dif oil on schedule) did you really need to do all of that?

Nomad Norm.

 

[Spok]

I gotta ask, since the driveshaft feature on our bikes is really zero maintenance (change rear dif oil on schedule) did you really need to do all of that?

Nomad Norm.

thats been discussed over and over on this thread. my bearings looked good, problably didn't need to go thru it however the manual calls for it so you'd have to think they know what they are talking about.

its up to you if you want to go thru the experience or not.

 

[2WheelFun]

Adding to what Spok said...would you want to ignore doing that maintenance only to find out that your bike actually needed the grease in the select places and because it wasn't there you lost your drive line? On the 750 Vulcans there has been a histroy of dry splines and premature wear due to no lubrication and many found out to late and it cost them $$$ to fix it.

Also, doing the work that Spok outlined is actually very easy to do. Before you begin take pictures like he did to document orientation of parts in case your worried about how things go back together and you'll not have any problems getting it back together...or just look at his pics and you'll see it's an easy task you can do yourself.

 

[Scruffy]

And it works for AND applies to ANY shaft driven motorcycle.

Having gone through a catastrophic drive shaft failure (cost me a 1950s BMW), you can bet I'll tear Lisa's Intruder down before this riding season.

I'll stick with my chain and belt driven bikes (unless someone has a low mileage 1999 Burgundy/Ebony 1500 Drifter they want to dispose of cheaply).
-Scruffy

 

[CaddmannQ]

(I couldn't find this thread yesterday, and have previously posted this in the Cruisers room. I hope nobody minds that I've posted it again here, as this is really where it belongs. <edit: Oooh, now I see that Spok has added this info to the first post in this thread as well. I think I'll leave it here too, as some folks seem to start at the end and work backwards. HehHehHeh...>)

Recently I changed the "defective" U-joint in my 2004 Nomad, and have posted details and some photos here:

http://forum.motorcycle-usa.com/defa...319693#m319693

Look for the posts starting "day 1268", about half way down the last page.

(This does not include the driveshaft removal as that's been well covered in this thread.)

Anyhow, this would save you about $250~$300 + labor over having a dealer do this, as they will only change the entire driveshaft.

Of major interest is the reason why I changed the joint: It appeared to be getting stiff on one axis, and I thought the needles hadn't been properly lubed at the factory.

In fact the cups were binding on the spider a bit, as one of the cup bores in the front yoke had not been properly de-burred at the factory. When the circlips were installed it sucked the cup in just a bit tight causing the bind.

Disassembly of the original U-joint revealed the bearings to be still perfect condition and well lubricated.

 

[Plato]

Being on dialup makes it a 30 minute wait to see the pics and carefully read this thread... so my apologies if this question has been answered already :frown:

But just exactly what grease was used for this project ? I've got plenty of standard wheel bearing grease, but is there something else that should be used here ?

 

[Spok]

Being on dialup makes it a 30 minute wait to see the pics and carefully read this thread... so my apologies if this question has been answered already :frown:

But just exactly what grease was used for this project ? I've got plenty of standard wheel bearing grease, but is there something else that should be used here ?

I used Mobil 1 Synthetic Grease for the ujoints and mechanical joints and Hondy Molly Grease on the Bearings.

 

[CaddmannQ]

I use Mobil-1 synthetic grease on the splines, swingarm bearings, and the new u-joint as well.

Any good extreme pressure grease will work, if you change it often enough. Honda moly lube (which has like 10 times the moly found in "moly lube" grease commonly sold at places like Kragen) is a great choice for the splines, if you want to extend lube intervals; but I do this shaft & swingarm lube every time I change the rear tire. I get around 7000~8000 miles on a tire, and if you do it that often, most any good quality grease will be sufficient in my opinion.

I actually let the factory grease go about 12,000 miles, and it was still OK, but I'm glad I didn't wait longer. It was about to the end of it's lubricating life.

 

[Plato]

...I actually let the factory grease go about 12,000 miles, and it was still OK, but I'm glad I didn't wait longer. It was about to the end of it's lubricating life.

Yea, I just turned 14k on my 05 Nomad -and I'm getting ready to tackle this job. I'll be sure to get the good stuff (M1) as I want an extended service interval.

I suppose if I did the tire change work myself I'd re-grease at each change...

Thanks

 

[taydiggs]

nice bike!

 

[CaddmannQ]

nice bike!

When you own a Nomad, you hear that a lot.

 

[streakerman]

Appreciate the pictures and info Spok. Another reminder how good this forum is. Where else could you go from showing a shaft drive disassembly to a bald guy wearing a leather skirt but here. I got a feeling I'm gonna need to be humored again during the process plus a couple of brewskies should get me through it. Thanks! Streakerman

 

[Plato]

Okay I finally got this job done last weekend at just over 16k miles. I had never done such work myself and thought others might benefit from my novice observations.

First it would really help if you have an extra set of hands -that alone would have helped me quite a bit.

But it helps you if understand and organize this process before you even get started. I printed out gadgets info on rear tire removal and swingarm removal. Then I studied my Kawasaki 05 Nomad service manual to make sure I knew what I was getting myself into. And of course I scanned through this thread a bit. The following is not intended to replace the material mentioned above -but rather is just a few observations of the work I did and stuff I made some mental notes about.

Make sure you have the right tools:

Metric allen head wrenches, metric socket set (make sure you have one big enough to fit whatever size bolt your swingarm uses), Torque wrench (standard bar type from Sears will do), Circlip plyers (need to be skinny with long reach to get into the slipjoint -I used the screw type criclip plyers), and obviously some type jack/lift (need to get the bike about 14" in the air -I use the Harbor Frieght jack).

The process is: 1)remove rear wheel, 2) remove final gear case, 3)remove swingarm, 4) remove propeller shaft. With propeller shaft in hand you will remove the slip joint and begin the lube process. Lube slip joint and re-attach to shaft. Lube swingarm bearings. Lube front driven gearing (near transmission) and re-attach shaft. Re-install swingarm and re-install final drive. Lube final drive splines and rear wheel splines. Re-install rear wheel.

I gave myself a whole weekend to do this and it was a bit more work than I had expected, but I think that was mostly due to my cautious nature and the fact that this was my first time. And I was quite sore on Monday from all the getting up and down and hoisting around that rear wheel

The hardest part as others have mentioned is just getting the rear wheel off. On my Nomad (with V&H Baggers), I totally removed the left pipe as a unit (two nuts at the jug and two bolts at the muffler). Then go ahead and remove the left side bag support along with the rear cross bar (again thats two hex bolts and two allen head bolts). You might consider going all out and removing the right side pipe and support as well -would make the job a bit easier as they can get in the way, but not like the lefties do.

Now cut the looms holding the brake line to the swingarm -on my 05 Nad there are 3 wire looms to cut (hacksaw, but be careful) and 2 more open clamps that you will just need to spread open. Now remove the brake and bungie the whole thing up out of the way (Nomad upper bag support works good for this). Follow instructions to finish getting the rear wheel off -I strongly recommend putting something under the front tire when the bike is off the ground (it can really rock and roll on the jack when the rear weight is removed).

The rest of the job was pretty much as gadget's site mentioned...

The swingarm and slip joint did not IMO need lubing very badly on my 05 Nomad here at 16k. But that front driven gear (front of propeller shaft, the part just inside the rubber boot) was practically dry. I'm very glad I got some fresh lube there.

Also as others have noted, the slip joint seems to have some of the final drive oil in it when removed. As it glopped out on the floor in liquid form. There was no oil in the swingarm tube that surrounds that joint and hopefully I got it back together without harming that O-ring.

Anyway, just thought a few 05+ Nomad owners might enjoy the read

 

[Spok]

^^^

glad you got thru it, excellent observations on your work

 

[CaddmannQ]

Just a few observations on what Plato posted above. I've done this service three times on my Nomad, once on an '01Nomad, and once on a '99 Vulcan Classic.

At no time did I cut or spread those welded loops that hold the brake hose. I unclipped it from the spring clip on the front of the swingarm and just feed all the slack through as the swingarm slides back.

I only remove the left muffler on my baggers, and not the head pipe. I don't touch the right one.

I do not remove the swingarm completely from the bike. The brake hose remains attatched as mentioned, and the caliper gets tied up with a bungee cord. The right shock remains attached. I push the swingarm back from the engine about 4 inches, pop the front splined coupler pin & seperate the coupler, push the shaft back into the swingarm, then drop the front edge of the swingarm down onto a (pre-positioned) jackstand. Once you push the slack forward, there is enough slop in the brake hose to allow you to tip the front edge of the swingarm way down--enough to slide the complete shaft forward and down, past the left rear quarter of the engine and under the left floorboard. Using this method, I am able to do the entire job without assistance.

I put a box under the front tire to prevent rocking, but the bike is also strapped down to the jack at all four crash bars.

When removing & replacing the tire, I want the bike to rock slightly. I jack it down to the position where the axle is almost aligned, then lay my chest over the rear seat & use my weight to jocky the alignment as I align the splines & insert the axle.

All metric tools mentioned are a must, but for the rear axle nut I use a 1 1/16" box end wrench, which fits perfectly.

(It works on a VN2K axle nut as well.)

I'm not sure what type of circlip pliers Plato used, but I'd really like to see a photo of them. I have about 8 pairs, and none of them will fit. I have used a set of small needle-nosed pliers each time, which work OK, but with some fumbling.

 

[Plato]

...At no time did I cut or spread those welded loops that hold the brake hose. I unclipped it from the spring clip on the front of the swingarm and just feed all the slack through as the swingarm slides back....I only remove the left muffler on my baggers, and not the head pipe. I don't touch the right one....I do not remove the swingarm completely from the bike....

Frankly, I studied the situation for an hour trying to see a way to NOT cut those looms to free the brake line. In the end it looked like the best approach -wish I had a video of your proceedure as I really didn't want to cut em...:redface:

As for removing the entire pipes -I really thought it was easier to just get the whole left one off the bike. But like you mentioned the right one could be avoided -and its one of those things I'll probably have a better understanding of the next time I do this. I've already thought of things I can do to make this job easier next time, nothing like experience :wink:

...
I'm not sure what type of circlip pliers Plato used, but I'd really like to see a photo of them. I have about 8 pairs, and none of them will fit. I have used a set of small needle-nosed pliers each time, which work OK, but with some fumbling.

Just go to amazon.com and search in their automotive section for "snap ring", you'll get a page of various snap ring plyers. I picked the screw type simply because from the photo they looked to have the longest reach, and I got lucky as they worked great. Here's the one's I got : Amazon.com: Snap Ring Pliers KDT2011: Automotive

 

[CaddmannQ]

Oh, I like that design! Thanks.

As for the hose loops, I have not done a 1600 Nomad (Though I think we did to Top Dawg's '03 1600 Classic,) and as I recall there is some difference in those loops from year to year and model to model. There may be less slack on the brake hose as well. I'm not certain. Perhaps what I did is not possible on your bike.

 

[pitchinguy]

Just did the driveshaft this week-end on my 1600. Was a much easier job than I had been dreading. Spok's picture instructions were fantastic!! Many thanks to you Dave!!

I went ahead & took off my rear brake caliper & pulled the brake line back through the wire clips instead of cutting them. This was what my Kaw manual said do & I wanted to change the brake fluid anyway.

If you take the caliper off 1st , turn the caliper so the brake line is on top & then remove the brake line, you won't loose 4-5 drops of brake fluid! Screw the banjo bolt back in & set the caliper somewhere with the banjo bolt on top. Quickly pull the brakeline back through the clips, then tie it up high. I fully expected to have brake fluid all over the place and was surprised at how very little I actually lost. But, I went ahead & changed it anyway.

Thanks again Dave! :biggrin: 8)