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Shaft drive newb question

  • Thread starter Thread starter Macmatic
  • Start date Start date
M

Macmatic

Guest
I just picked up a '79 GS850G last weekend and ran across an '81 GS850G in a parts yard today with the final drive ready to unbolt. Once I had it off there was about 1/8in of slop total when I turned the input by hand. Does this sound okay? I can proably get it cheap since this is mostly a car yard and they have a few bikes and mowers etc off to the side. Should I get the driveshaft too and if so what do I need to pull it?

FYI there is also a Pacifica fairing in good shape minus the windscreen mounted on this bike, located at Gary's U-Pull-it in Binghamton, NY.

/\/\ac
 
Sounds about right as far as the play is concerned, maybe a little more slop than new but I've seen worse. Not sure of the year cutoff but somewhere around 78-81 (I think) they changed the metal composition of the splines and not for the better. :confused:
 
Mid model year of 81 they switched over...

Though the NEW splines you can get (they still use this same drive design in a few of their current shaft drives) are GOOD. mid 81 and on STOCKERS are trash. I blew thru 2 of them in less than 10K miles.. 79 and 80 units are fine. Can be had on Ebay as well...
 
I assume I have a mid-year 81 because I have the old style splines. 30K on them, and no visible wear.
 
doctorgonzo said:
I assume I have a mid-year 81 because I have the old style splines. 30K on them, and no visible wear.
Click to expand...
The old splines, the "good" ones, are black...the bad ones are a goldish colour. the NEW ones are supposedly silver.
 
Hmmmm....... mine are not black, closer to silver than gold... maybe replaced at some point by PO and I didn't know it.
 
Huh. I THINK this had more goldish splines but I didn't look at them that closely other than to make sure they were not chewed. They were dark but not BLACK I don't think. Are the gold ones "gold paint gold" or blackish gold?

How about the drive shaft, should I get that? Do I need snap ring pliers or something to pull it? I'm away from home right now and have a fair number of tools but not the whole shop.... and this computer is really, really slow for downloading manuals.

/\/\ac
 
The drive shaft, once unbolted from the engine, just slides out. It's not secured at the wheel end, just slips into place.
 
So is that the six or eight bolts going into the case or is their a pinch bolt? I guess I'll just look and see, I'm sure I've got the wrenches for that.

Maybe I'll pop the head off and get that too if the cam journals look good.

Thanks!
/\/\ac
 
Shaft comes out of case ending in a plate with 4 bolts. That plate bolts to a plate on the engine end of the shaft.
 
Macmatic said:
Huh. I THINK this had more goldish splines but I didn't look at them that closely other than to make sure they were not chewed. They were dark but not BLACK I don't think. Are the gold ones "gold paint gold" or blackish gold?

How about the drive shaft, should I get that? Do I need snap ring pliers or something to pull it? I'm away from home right now and have a fair number of tools but not the whole shop.... and this computer is really, really slow for downloading manuals.

/\/\ac
Click to expand...
If you clean the grease off of them, they will have that gold annodized look you see on hardened bolts from the hardware store... shiney metalic gold, with sort of a rainbow hue in the light...
 
TheCafeKid said:
If you clean the grease off of them, they will have that gold annodized look you see on hardened bolts from the hardware store... shiney metalic gold, with sort of a rainbow hue in the light...
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'm going to guess they are gold but we'll see when I take a rag to them and get a better look at the splines.

/\/\ac
 
Macmatic said:
Thanks, I'm going to guess they are gold but we'll see when I take a rag to them and get a better look at the splines.

/\/\ac
Click to expand...
If they are gold, dont waste your time, and replace them ASAP. It WILL eventually leave you stranded somewhere.
 
TheCafeKid said:
If you clean the grease off of them, they will have that gold annodized look you see on hardened bolts from the hardware store... shiney metalic gold, with sort of a rainbow hue in the light...
Click to expand...

The color of fall leaves, as they rustle in the Autumn breeze. The smell of harvest well under way. Hoppers bulging, augers blazing... Oh wait, wrong fourm! :eek: :p
 
doctorgonzo said:
The drive shaft, once unbolted from the engine, just slides out. It's not secured at the wheel end, just slips into place.
Click to expand...

Macmatic said:
So is that the six or eight bolts going into the case or is their a pinch bolt?
Click to expand...

doctorgonzo said:
Shaft comes out of case ending in a plate with 4 bolts. That plate bolts to a plate on the engine end of the shaft.
Click to expand...
If I recall correctly, you have to remove the swing arm and pull the shaft out the front end of it. :-k

.
 
Steve said:
If I recall correctly, you have to remove the swing arm and pull the shaft out the front end of it. :-k

.
Click to expand...

Yes, or (as was my case) remove the engine then it will slip right out with the swingarm still in place. :dancing:
 
Soak in gas and clean off to see...

GOOD black color spline that holds up...from an '80 850G
100_9731.jpg


BAD gold color spline that wears out from an '83 1100G:

100_7481.jpg
 
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TheCafeKid said:
Mid model year of 81 they switched over...

Though the NEW splines you can get (they still use this same drive design in a few of their current shaft drives) are GOOD. mid 81 and on STOCKERS are trash. I blew thru 2 of them in less than 10K miles.. 79 and 80 units are fine. Can be had on Ebay as well...
Click to expand...

Josh,
Not sure about mid year switchover?...my '81 850G with 33k has a 12/80 mfg date on the frame but has a gold spline that still looks ok...but I am in the market for a replacement spline if you know of any. I let my spare spline go to a forum user in IL, thinking I was done with the G models:(.
I stopped by CycleMart(bike parts place) in Manchester, NH, because they had an '80 or '81 850GL parts bike...but that had a frame mfg stamp of 1/81 and I didn't want to go through the hassle of tearing the rear wheel off to find out for him whether it was good or not.
 
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The splines in question are in the WHEEL, not on the rear end so unless you are taking the rear wheel, the splines don't matter.

Regarding interchangability of the rear end, all 850 and 1100G rear ends interchange. The drive shafts are different in some way although I don't know the break point - some time in 1981 maybe.
 
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