Question for G owners

[willie]

I going to entitle this "How hot does your rear end get?" butt thought I'd go with what I did instead. Now ya know what I'm wondering though. I rode my GK several times over the weekend in 90+ heat. Just fer the helluvit I touched the differential. Naturally, I expected it to be warmer than 90 degrees but geez didn't expect it to feel like a muffler. Has anyone else checked their differential for excessive(?) heat after riding? I'm curious to know how normal the high temp is.
Willie in TN

[tkent02]

If it's muffler hot you have a problem. Any oil in it?

[BassCliff]

Hi Mr. willie,

Gee, ya know, I never really pay attention to my "rear end" heat. I've been married for too long.

I know there's been a couple of times when I've wiped it down after a ride and didn't notice extreme heat. I always change the gear oil (Mobil synthetic 75w90) every 7500 miles or so and put fresh grease (Honda Moly 60) on the spline gears at every tire change. It hasn't been a worry so far. I'll check it right after I get home from work this afternoon. Now you've got me curious.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[BassCliff]

I guess my rear end is not that hot

Hi Mr. willie,

I forgot to check the final drive unit when I got home last night. But I did check it right after I parked my bike when I got to work this morning. It was just warm to the touch. I could keep my fingers there as long as I wanted to, no pain or discomfort. It was certainly NOT as warm as my morning cup of coffee.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[nisom512]

Hi Mr. willie,

I forgot to check the final drive unit when I got home last night. But I did check it right after I parked my bike when I got to work this morning. It was just warm to the touch. I could keep my fingers there as long as I wanted to, no pain or discomfort. It was certainly NOT as warm as my morning cup of coffee.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

as soon as mine is running I will check but I dont think it will ever run.... hey bass you wanna make a special trip out to Minnesota and help me?......you can have free room and board.....eh.......eh....

[focus frenzy]

it should not get more than just warm to the touch. you have a problem!

synthetic gear oil is the best bet, higher shear strength and reduced friction.

[Skyboy8950]

Funny you mentioned it. I felt mine after a 3hr ride the other day (80 degrees out, very nice) and it was warm - hot. I could touch it for a long time, but wouldn't want to stay there for minutes on end (crouching would start to ache). Certainly not HOT!

[willie]

Thanks for the responses. I hope a few more check and post their findings. Yesterday I put about 200 miles on my GTS. My buddy was on his '07 FJR. I mentioned my concern re: differential temps and checked his FJR's. It was too hot to keep your finger on more than 5 seconds. Air temp was about 80. I'm going to ride my GK today, drain the oil and take a good look at it before replacing it with synthetic. I'll post my findings.
Willie in TN

[willie]

Air temp was in the low 70s when I went for a ride this morning. I rode about 40 miles before pulling the GK into the shop to drain the oil in the secondary and final drive. The differential was very warm to the touch but not hot by any means. The oil in the differential came out as gold and clean as it was when new. The oil in the secondary trans was more dark amber than gold and very watery. The plug magnet had a very slight amount of black fuzz but nothing to worry about. I'll be installing some synthetic blend before I take it for another ride.
Willie in TN

[prosolar]

You know I noticed mine was very hot today after riding only 8 miles in city. I was washing it and was very surprised to find it almost too hot to touch. I'm going to switch to synthetic this weekend. Did your rear cool down after switching to synth Willie?

[prosolar]

P.S. I don't know the history of this bike, should I remove the rear tire and lube the gears there? Honda moly lube right?

[Steve]

Honda moly lube right?

Specifically ... Moly 60
.
Comes in a 3-ounce tube, costs about $10 and will last through a whole stable of shaft-driven bikes.

Looks like this:

[willie]

Thanks for reminding me to post my findings after changing to synthetic (Valvoline FWIW) in the final drive. It definitely reduced the operating temp by a few degrees. Its still hot but not as hot.
As to lubing that rear hub with Moly 60......after what I've been through, I can't stress highly enough for every G owner that hasn't done so already to remove the rear wheel, clean all the old grease from the drive and driven hub splines, inspect them thoroughly and lather on the Moly 60 grease.
I came close to reinstalling the final drive on my 1100G project bike this week. The drive splines were in decent shape. I was shocked though at how little was left of the driven splines on the wheel hub. I ordered a new one from MR Cycle that same afternoon.
I'm still hoping its ready for the WV Rally so I can show up with 2 GS's.
Willie in TN

[Hammered]

The rear hub looks to be fairly thick cast. Im figuring it disperses heat pretty fast.

[Marine36]

My "rear end is hot" or at least it burns. Hemmoroids?

I know TMI.

The shaft drive on the 1100g does not get hot to the touch.