Time to replace splines?

[Guest]

Today I was changing my rear tire on my '79 GS 850 G and decided to take everything apart and clean it all good before regreasing the splines.

It was then I noticed that the splines that are on the rear wheel have a nice "notch" in them. Looks like about 1/4 to 1/3 worn and there is some "lash".

My basic instinct says replace it. But sometimes I get carried away buying stuff I don't need. Is it time to replace the rear wheel splines or can a get a few thousand more miles out of them before worrying about it? Bike bandit has the part I need (or says it does) for about $115.

Thanks.

[Planecrazy]

Mark, think about it this way ... if you properly lube your splines they will last almost indefinitely. Do you REALLY want to take a chance at getting stuck by the side of the road when you're going to have to replace them anyway AND you'll probably never need to do it again?

By the way, before you buy new parts, look for somebody whose parting out an old one, especially '81 and older -- they used a harder metal in the splines than the newer ones. If I'm not mistaken the brand new replacements are also made of softer material, but you might want to do some research to verify that. Anyway, assuming the used parts were properly lubricated you'll more than likely find a good set of replacement splines with little or no wear, but don't wait until you're stranded...

Good Luck!
Steve 8)

[focus frenzy]

145K miles on mine and still going good. (80 1000G)

[Gary Lich]

Re: Time to replace splines?

Today I was changing my rear tire on my '79 GS 850 G and decided to take everything apart and clean it all good before regreasing the splines.

It was then I noticed that the splines that are on the rear wheel have a nice "notch" in them. Looks like about 1/4 to 1/3 worn and there is some "lash".

My basic instinct says replace it. But sometimes I get carried away buying stuff I don't need. Is it time to replace the rear wheel splines or can a get a few thousand more miles out of them before worrying about it? Bike bandit has the part I need (or says it does) for about $115.

Thanks.

REPLACE IT I noticed the exact same thing when replaced my rear tire last year. with only 23K on the bike I thought they would last quite a while longer. I cleaned/lubed the splines and put it back together 4K miles later the splines were completely worn out and I was stranded. Fortunately I was close to home, had it happened a week earlier I would have been stuck out on some backroad on the North end of Vancouver Island

[bwringer]

REPLACE!

If you want new, order from http://www.ronayers.com . Last time I checked (I use this part number to quickly gauge pricing), it was about $20 cheaper at RA. They are also very well respected here, but they don't provide parts diagrams.

I don't have the part number at hand, but someone should cough it up shortly.

If you're being patient and willing to gamble, then haunt eBay for a rear wheel.

Either way, it's a heckuva lot cheaper than just one chain and sprocket set!

[mark]

Thanks everybody. Suzuki part number is 64680-45113 (Joint Assmbly RR H), I found it on another thread.

[duaneage]

Try to find one with a D or lower letter in the part number. I think they are the older, harder variety.

A guy on the forum recently downshifted and lost the spline , almost had an accident because he was expecting the bike to slow down a bit more.

[DaveDanger]

Mark, Make sure when you put that assembly back together to lube it with a good "Moly" paste. (Molybdebum Disulfide). The Moly pastes are designed for exactly that application... heavy shock loading between splines and gears. There are motorcycle specific brands available.

[mark]

Thanks again for the help!

[SqDancerLynn1]

Once the outer hardened surface is worn, It's life is very short. You can find them on ebay. Usually it involves buying the complete wheel, You could ask the seller to send just the adapter. Honda has a good grease, i don't recall what they call it.