Driveshaft

Drive Shaft Lubrication

Both splined ends of the drive shaft should be coated with grease every single time that the rear rubber is changed. If there is a problem it is because Yamaha has assumed too much and failed to add that as a maintenance step for owners. Their owner’s manual makes the assumption that you will only go to a dealer to have your wheels removed.

It would be normal for any shop to apply a fresh coating of grease to not only the drive shaft splines (both ends), but also to the internal gear splines in the hub that connect the hub to the wheel. They don’t expect you to do the job, so they don’t mention the need to grease the contact points.

Metric Magic (TimB1007)

The rear portion of the shaft is lubed with the final drive lube, so there is no need to pull the shaft from the final drive unit to lube that portion.

Ray Major

Here's Rays cut at lubing the back end - based on his write-up - edited By Silverback for space considerations:

Caution - can be dangerous - proceed at your own risk, etc, etc, etc

1. Drain the final drive oil -- avoids oil spilling, & should be changed regularly anyway. Leave the bike in gear. Remove exhaust from the rear to gain clearance/access.

2. Remove rear muffler mount, brake line clamp, remove brake caliper, put wood spacer between pads in case someone hits pedal., hang caliper out of the way with wire/rope/zip-tie, remove caliper support bolt.

3. Remove axle nut, 2 final drive bolts just in front of axle nut - left side

3. Remove right side axle clamp blots - note: arrow on clamp must be reinstalled up!

4. Slide wheel assembly rearward until it just rests on lip of swing arm - see pix below

5. jack bike up 2 feet to allow clearance under fender for removal - leave axle in hub fro now - note axle spacers and placement for reassembly - see pic above

6. Support wheel on blocks to avoid any pressing on disc -- Using the axle as a lever, wriggle the hub free of the wheel. See above for what it looks like removed. "As you can see on my 10 month old 05, there was plenty of fresh grease. Note, however, there is no proper seal to hold this grease in if over greased, or stop water/mud/snow washing the grease away as it makes its way into the hub – only an O Ring. If you ride in all weather, I would regrease this hub every 12 months to be sure." Note the spacer on top of the drive in the picture which sits inside the hub. Also unless you want oil dripping all over the ground, keep the vent upright.

7. Above, hold the final drive securely in a vise using sleeves to protect paint. Undo cap nuts at the front of the drive while holding the hub (careful – sharp edges). Grasp the shaft in one hand, the drive in the other, and pull apart - takes a bit of effort. A 2nd set of hands would help. Next pic is after cleanup. The nose of the hub stays on the shaft - out of the picture to the right - can be removed via a circle clip on the front of the shaft. To the right of the spline is the oil seal that stops final drive oil leaking out of the unit.

8. Above - front of the drive unit where the driveshaft slides in. "I’ve seen this dry as a bone – mine was well greased with a small amount of rear axle oil mixed in. If you hold the drive up splines pointed down, oil from the drive will dribble from the oil filled sealed drive into the splines area, suggesting it should get some oil provided the rear axle is filled up. I greased mine well. Also note the lack of sealant around the outside of the hub from new. While this hub is not designed to be sealed – there is a drain at bottom in case seals fail – I would suggest some sealer will minimize water dribbling into the top of the hub and onto these splines, causing rust."

9. After cleaning and re-greasing (Moly-based anti-seize grease - see Note below), reassemble with some sealant between the nose and drive, and some Locktite on the cap nuts. The final drive is now complete.

10. The left photo above shows the splines inside a rubber boot, looking from the rear of the bike forward, where the driveshaft slides into the uni-joint/gearbox. The boot is extremely difficult to remove, and must be pried out with considerable force. (I ended up removing the plastic cover on the left side for room,-- a 90 minute job to be avoided.) The right photo above shows the rubber boot removed. Clean out the old grease, fill with new.

11. . Reassemble and tighten in the order specified in the manual. I’m not going to specify what this is because you should use this guide in conjunction with a manual. Use Locktite on the hub mounting bolts, axle nut and brake caliper bolts. Torque all bolts as per the manual. Refill or check the rear axle oil level before riding.

Note: from BioHazard (Vrated)

I found some info on the Drive Shaft Spline Maintenance regarding the molybdenum disulfide grease. I was trying to find some or something like it. Even went to the Yamaha dealer and guess what, they didn't know what it was. So I did a little research and here is the info.

Drive Shaft Spline Maintenance

Honda Moly 60 paste, pn 08734-0001 at your Honda dealer,

Cut and past from above link: While Mobile Synth lube is okay and appears to match the slight hint of lube used by the factory, Honda Moly 60 Paste is the preferred choice. For years Gold Wing riders have known how great this product is. Many non-Honda shops use it too. The high moly content means that it resists the high temperatures and pressures to which drive line components are subjected. It's less likely to flow away from the areas needing protection; even when stressed under extreme use. Many a Wingster has found their splines crumble to dust if neglected. If Honda Moly 60 can hold up under the stress of a fully-loaded Wing, (2-up, pulling an overloaded trailer), then it should be okay for the FJR1300. I couldn't find any Honda Moly 60 paste prior to the first tire change, so used the Mobile 1 that was on hand. Since then I have found and bought some and use it instead.

More info: Motorcycle Drive Shaft Grease Info

Moly greases with 60% + molybdenum disulfide content:

* Honda Moly 60 paste, $9 for 3oz, pn 08734-0001 at your Honda dealer, or $8 from Kim Leong, STOC 3073, California Sport Touring.

* Locktite Moly paste, 65% molybdenum disulfide. $20 for an 8oz tube from Enco, part #505-1197, 800-873-3626

* TS-70 Moly Paste, 4 oz. ctg. $14 from TSMoly. (800) 508-5545

Drive Shaft Cover Tube

The rear seal where the drive shaft enters final drive can wear out causing the metal spring to cut into the metal tube surrounding the drive shaft. In some cases it can cut all the way through. It's a good idea to check the condition the seal once in a while to make sure it is intact. It appears that the retaining spring round the seal may be causing this issue. Some riders have simply removed the spring.The seal is a Yamaha part number 5EL-46297-00-00. #32 in the diagram link below.