Time to fully inspect your rear end.

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Yea If you are over 50 you should get it done also, but that is not what I am talking about.

I am in the process of changing a rear tire and in the removal of the rear wheel I did a thorough inspection of all the drive components and this is what I found....... My NT700 has 26000 miles on it now and I inspected the splines and they are showing small signs of wear. I also removed the Rubber drive Damper Set and found them to be needed replacement as as they were too loose in the wheel. I have been getting a lot of wheel dust lately, thinking it was brake dust. Turns out it is worn out rubbers. Too sloppy of a fit. They just fall out of the wheel. Also two of the aluminum Damper inserts have been rubbing on the retainer plate and show wear. ( they came loose in the rubber Damper) I might be able to just turn the aluminum Damper inserts around and not have to buy any replacements. Waiting for confirmation from the ST1100 guys on the ST-riders list. The ST1100 and the NT have the same drive setup. If you have over 25k on your bike it is time to start looking carefully at the rear drive components at each tire change.

Things to make sure you or your mechanic inspect/replace. Brakes pads, Wheel bearings, spline wear both on wheel and pumpkin, Rubber Dampers to include the Aluminum inserts. That means you have to remove the retaining plate. The three o-rings. Inspect for wear on the 5 finger drive flange, And don't forget on assembly to use Honda Molly 60, make sure the axle is installed from the correct side and all torque values are followed. Here are a few pictures of my wheel. I am sure I forgot a thing or two so feel free to up date my list.
 

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Warren

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This is interesting. Since we have several riders on this forum that have well over 25K on their NT's including Phil with over 80K I am wondering if any of them have had to replace any of these parts or had a failure ?
 

DirtFlier

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The rubber dampers in my NT at 37k miles are OK. I just had the rear wheel off to fit a new tire and they looked fine. No noticeable "brake dust" outside the wheel hub.
 
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Chucksklrst
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The rubber dampers in my NT at 37k miles are OK. I just had the rear wheel off to fit a new tire and they looked fine. No noticeable "brake dust" outside the wheel hub.
Did you pull the retainer plate and look at them real close. Did they fit snug or just fall out on there own. Next tire change make sure you pull each one and also inspect the aluminum inserts. They should snap in the rubber and not slide around easily









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Chucksklrst
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So now it is time for me to rant a little bit. I really hate it when my bikes have to wait in a dissembled state. I hate waiting for parts which take up to a week to get here. Why can't motorcycle dealers stock enough parts for normal maint. At least one of each, a balance of one each in stock. Demand stock-age. Bench STock for maintenance.

Here she is quietly waiting for parts while her stable mates laugh at her.

 

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Mine has 52 K on it and the dampers looked fine the last time I changed the tire (and I do look at them).

As a long time BMW owner, I know the value of moly grease. Most of us use the Honda Moly 60 because it's much better than the stuff that BMW specifies.
 

Phil Tarman

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I'll probably be getting a rear PR4 in the next month or so. I'll be sure to check those things. Thanks, Chuck!
 
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I will be taking a close look at all that stuff at the next major inspection. Chuck has done a very fine job of detailing what to look for, Particularly if you are not on a extended warranty, then again I wonder if any of it would fall under warranty as compared to fair wear and tear?

Eldon
 

DirtFlier

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[Did you pull the retainer plate and look at them real close?...Chuck]

No, I didn't pull the plate but I did look at the inside of the hub and saw nothing that alarmed me. The rubber dampers are there to absorb shock loads when power is applied to the rear wheel. With the axle nut tight, everything is held together so neither the inserts nor the rubber cushions can pop free. Worst case scenario, you'll have a bit more slack when power is applied to the rear wheel but whether or not this is even noticeable remains to be seen. I haven't looked but I'd bet there is no "service limit" in the NT manual for how much lateral play is allowable in the rubber dampers.

ps. I had a '97 PC800 and changed those dampers at around 80k miles. I never felt any difference.
 

Bear

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The entire rear end on my bike was replaced under warranty at 15K miles. Apparently there was a defective casting that caused a bearing to get out of line. The bike made a growling sound when I let up on the throttle and felt like the bike was rolling along on a washboard. The rear end also spewed oil on the left side of the rim.
 
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Chucksklrst
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So here it is Friday again. Sue is at work, it is a bit windy to Go Ride and my NT is up on the lift waiting parts. So what to do when one is waiting for parts that are not stocked at the local dealer???? Why you go and take another motorcycle apart. Change the tires on the DR650 today. used the old fashion way of spooning them off and on. Found out I still need to work on my technique a bit. I am not ready to do this at 10000ft in the back country on the trail or in the field. Glad I was in my garage with lots of coffee and nobody home to teach new words to.:doh1: Naw it wasn't that bad, but still need more practice. I will be ding my Son in Laws little XT225 in a few days. Good, More practice.
 

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Chucksklrst
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Today is Monday and I am still waiting for parts for the ST700. I wanted to take the ST1300 out for a spin but the weather was much to windy for an enjoyable ride. My poor ST1300 ha been sitting in her corner of the garage just waiting for me to show her some attention. All my effort the last few days has gone to repairing and tire changing on the ST700 and changing tires on my DR650. Coud not ride today so I changed tires on my son-in-laws little XT225. Should be getting my parts for the ST700 and also a new OEM rear shock for the ST1300 tomorrow. Maybe by Thursday or Friday I will be able to give her (ST1300) the attention she is longing for with a reward of a new Shock install.
 

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Chucksklrst
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So now it is time for me to rant a little bit. I really hate it when my bikes have to wait in a dissembled state. I hate waiting for parts which take up to a week to get here. Why can't motorcycle dealers stock enough parts for normal maint. At least one of each, a balance of one each in stock. Demand stock-age. Bench STock for maintenance.

Here she is quietly waiting for parts while her stable mates laugh at her.

So I got all my parts for the ST700 (My NT) and got them installed. Only one mishap and that was when installing the rear wheel I was lowering the lift onto the tire/wheel and it jerked.The bike slipped back on the lift and the center-stand fell into the wheel opening. The tire caught and jammed between the lift and the bike, keeping the bike from falling through the opening and the straps keep the NT from falling sideways. Hijacked three guys laying tile at my neighbors place and they lifted the bike out of the hole and we reset it on the lift and center-stand. No damage except my hand which got pinched between the tire and the lift. It is OK but swollen and sore. But I can use it, as the ST1300 in now in sick bay on the OR Table getting a rear shockectomy.

ST700(NT) is well and now the ST1300 is in sickbay.
 
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Glad you weren't hurt worse!

Last time I changed a tire I didn't double check and mounted it backwards. It was tougher to take off and put back on the second time!! I felt stupid. :)
 

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Thought I would post my inspection results. At 74,383 miles, the rubber dampers, alum inserts, and plate assembly look just fine. Very little wear. The 3 o rings are fine, just wiped off and relubed. The o rings are static to wheel hub and final drive, meaning they don't move or turn to allow wearing, just provide sealing of dust, dirt, and water from entering. Didn't find a pic on this thread, about Phil's worn splines on the hub that goes into final drive, but I saw it somewhere. Mine is worn the same I would say, even with moly on it, does have that worn look, but not at the replacing mode yet. Had a PC800 that had worn splines also, same amount. So it's just good to always look over parts to see how they are doing.
 
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I thought this would be a good time to revive this thread...

I started feeling and hearing a "clunky rattle" from the drivetrain that was getting worse day by day, so this weekend I pulled the rear wheel and did an inspection. Turns out the damper rubbers were wearing fast, possibly due to the bike sitting for years at the dealer and drying out. They seem to be pretty brittle and a couple have started to crack. The wheel bearings are also too stiff to turn with a finger but did turn hard after I put the axle through. One has a definite click in it so a new set of All Balls has also been ordered. The rest of the final drive seems to be in good shape.

My NT only had a bit over 5,000 miles on it when I bought it in May, but it is almost 8 years old now and I will be doing some serious checking of rubber parts when winter comes. The bike's up above 14000 miles now.

Cheers,
 

DirtFlier

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Not that it's impossible to occur but wear on the female splines in the final drive case ("pumpkin") is extremely rare. Those female splines are forged integral with the ring gear (as in Ring & Pinion) so they are made of extremely hard steel.

The male splines are in a removable piece in the wheel hub and made softer than the ring gear on purpose, so almost all wear occurs on that side. Whenever I have the rear wheel off for some type of maintenance or tire replacement, I always clean the female and male splines and apply Honda Moly 60.
 
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My drive splines look fine, but I'm betting the dealer used the Moly 77 that Honda has listed as a replacement for Moly 60. I'll be cleaning them up (both sides) and applying the Moly 60.

As an addendum, the full wheel bearing set - both bearings and seal from All Balls is cheaper than just the seal without the bearings from Honda!!! I'm glad I remembered to check the forum here before I ordered any parts.
Cheers again,
Patrick
 
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