Driveshaft and Chain Question - hehe

[koolaid_kid]

TCK and Lynn, I replaced the front 15 tooth sprocket with a 16 tooth to drop the RPM at highway speeds. Dropped the RPM by about 400, which helped a lot in mitigating the buzz in the bars.
I know the standard philosophy is to replace all parts at the same time, and if any wear was showing I would agree. You do need to know how to read the rear sprocket. I have a spare rear for the GS, so it will go on. It will shorten the life of the sprocket but not the chain.
I have never heard any noise from the GS chain during the 16k I have put on it, so I can't comment on that. But I also do not ride balz to the walls on that bike either, so that may have something to do with it. And guessing when it was installed would be a swag, at best. Personally, I would estimate closer to 15k for a 1983 chain, but that is also a swag.
AFA the GPz, the rear sprocket is in excellent condition and was probably replaced when the chain was replaced. With only 15k on the clock, that could not have been that long ago, mileage wise. I just don't like the way the chain looks and I have a spare. This bike will be ridden hard, so I want the chain to be just right. Once that goes away I will be looking to go to a smaller chain, since weight does matter on that machine. Dropping 5 pounds of unsprung weight would be worth it to me.
The sad fact is that most riders do not maintain their chain and sprockets correctly. At rallies I have attended I have seen examples of that, not to mention bikes I see in parking lots. (You should see the chain on Brian's new-to-him KLR, yuchh! And it only has around 13k on the clock.) This is why the philosophy of replacing everything at once works the best, IMHO.

[7981GS]

I don't believe the 650s ever had the soft spline issues, did they?
I have never heard of them wearing out.

Less torque and horsepower probably have something to do with it.

Just a thought.


Daniel

[koolaid_kid]

Less torque and horsepower probably have something to do with it.

Just a thought.


Daniel

Do the 650s have the same (whatever you call it, where the splines are) as the bigger bikes?

[7981GS]

Good question. I may know the answer after I pick up this '82 650GL that I have had contact with over the past few weeks.
Just waiting for him to come to my terms.
It will happen.

Daniel

[bwringer]

Do the 650s have the same (whatever you call it, where the splines are) as the bigger bikes?

Yes, the 650 splines are the same part number as in the bigger shafties, and the 82-83 650G/GL models suffered from the same soft spline problem.

However, I'd guess that the smaller engine puts less stress on the splines, so they'd probably tend to last longer. The soft splines usually last 20,000 - 30,000 miles in 850 duty, maybe less in an 1100.

Anyhoo, to answer the question, once you have a proper spline in place and properly treated with moly paste, they pretty much last indefinitely. My 850G has 114,000 miles and has been wearing a black spline since the original went blooey at around 28,000. I installed new tires not long ago, and the spline was unworn.

As koolaid_kid remarked, with chains, maintenance is everything -- I just bought a KLR650 with 12,800 gentle road miles and the original chain is pretty much roached, simply from lack of attention (OEM chains normally go at least 20K on these bikes).

On the other hand, I'm at over 31,000 hard miles on the chain I installed last year on my V-Strom DL1000, and it's only now showing signs of being near the end. As a long-time shaftie fan, perhaps I was a bit paranoid and over-maintained my chain...

[koolaid_kid]

That sounds about right afa mileage, bwringer. When you get full mileage out of your set, then you replace everything at once and go another 30k miles.
For maintenance, once you get into the habit of doing it regularly and correctly (no WD-40, folks, it is not a cleaner, degreaser, or lubricant) it is kind of like checking your oil or the air in your tires. You just get the proper tools, have them at hand, and make it so. It only takes a few minutes once you know what you are doing.

AFA why I am making these particular choices at this time, this is why:
A few years ago I got a great deal on a new o-ring chain and sprocket set for the GS. It appealed to me, not only for the low price, but also because the front sprocket was one tooth larger and the 630 chain fits both the GS and the GPz. I installed the front sprocket a couple of years ago to lower the engine speed at highway speeds. It dropped the rpm by about 400 and removed most of the buzz in the handlebars.
Once I got the GPz running I noticed the chain was stretching too easily, but the sprockets looked like new. So it is getting the new chain. The rear sprocket is just sitting there, so it will go on the GS. It will dress it up a bit also, in case someone makes me an offer this spring.
Win-win-win.