V7 Owners - Grease your Drive Shaft!

[malik]

Each time I changed a rear tyre, I greased the final drive splines ( and drained the water out), but at least on the 2014 Special, I was lazy & didn't get around to pulling off the swingarm (a 5 minute job once the bevel box is off) and greasing the shaft. This is the result -





I should have known better - I've already had to replace the drive shaft & splines on the V7C when they rusted out & jammed back in the dim past, resulting in a failure to proceed. The shaft & splines were badly rusted, the splines themselves deformed. And usually each time I remove the bevel box, water mixed with the grease and other assorted crud drains out. Even after, in the V7C's case , a liberal application of silicone at the top of  the rubber bellows (the "protection cover"), water still gets in, then sits at the lowest part.

An extra 5 to 10 minutes and a little grease every year, and it likely wouldn't be quite so nasty.

[Kev m]

Perhaps, just perhaps, there are some particular usage or environmental factors at work here.

I say because I've never found any water, moisture, corrosion...

So something's different.

[SmithSwede]

Preach it Malik !!!

Keep this stuff clean, dry and greased.  DAMHIK.

[Andy1]

What about drilling a drain hole in the bottom of the swing arm, at the rear where lowest, say 1/4 inch diameter?  Could have a bung to keep dust out and then unplug it over night to let any water out.
I have only removed the bevel box twice - when changing tyres - and did not notice any dampness but I guess I was not really on the lookout for it
AndyB

[twowheeladdict]

How is water getting in there?

[Toecutter]

How is water getting in there?

In my case, Luigi screwed up installing the circlip that holds in the boot at the front of the shaft. about 1/2" of the boot was "loose", plus the ends of the circlip were sharp as... well... a very sharp thing, and was beginning to cut the rubber as well. Couldn't see any of this until the swingarm was off. Result was moisture and sand inside the swingarm.

[malik]

Perhaps, just perhaps, there are some particular usage or environmental factors at work here.

I say because I've never found any water, moisture, corrosion...

So something's different.

Undoubtedly environment's a factor. The written off 23,000 km Breva 750 I dismantled had no dust under the seat, no evidence of ever being ridden in the rain, & and it's drive shaft was pristine. The Special has done 106,000 km and been through all sorts - in the drive shaft channel in the swingarm there's a lovely lot of red bulldust gravel most likely picked up in the Flinders Ranges a couple of years back. When bulldust gets rained on, it turns to a cement-like clay, sticks to the wheels & is scraped off by the mudguards & swingarm. Took hours with a hose & brushes to get rid of the worst of it. Insidious stuff, gets everywhere. The fine dust under the seat & tank still has a red tinge.

Both the Special & the Classic collect water in the swingarm, and the Classic's boot has been reinforced with silicone.

[malik]

What about drilling a drain hole in the bottom of the swing arm, at the rear where lowest, say 1/4 inch diameter?  Could have a bung to keep dust out and then unplug it over night to let any water out.
..........
AndyB

Worth a try. It has been suggested before, but I've been reluctant to attack the bike with a power tool, it seems so crass. I'll likely overcome my misgivings - just in the interest of experimentation.

Mal.

[Andy1]

Well I drilled horizontal holes through the vertical fins on the top of the bevel-box on my V7 so the water was not trapped there.  A similar fix is done on BMW Airhead cylinder heads.
I used to have a Morris Minor with a leaky roof - the fix was to drill holes in the floor.  Never could get the roof sealed!
So a small hole in the bottom of the swing arm seems logical to me.
I would, however, worry more about grit than water (condensation?) - that needs to be kept out
AndyB

[leafman60]

I used to have a Morris Minor with a leaky roof - the fix was to drill holes in the floor. 

Now, that's a classic! 

.

[sign216]

Each time I changed a rear tyre, I greased the final drive splines ( and drained the water out), but at least on the 2014 Special, I was lazy & didn't get around to pulling off the swingarm (a 5 minute job once the bevel box is off) and greasing the shaft. This is the result -





I should have known better - I've already had to replace the drive shaft & splines on the V7C when they rusted out & jammed back in the dim past, resulting in a failure to proceed. The shaft & splines were badly rusted, the splines themselves deformed. And usually each time I remove the bevel box, water mixed with the grease and other assorted crud drains out. Even after, in the V7C's case , a liberal application of silicone at the top of  the rubber bellows (the "protection cover"), water still gets in, then sits at the lowest part.

An extra 5 to 10 minutes and a little grease every year, and it likely wouldn't be quite so nasty.

Malik,
What's going on?  When i grease the splines on my '09 V7 it never looks like that.

What other factors are at play?
Joe

[Bobic69]

Malik,
What's going on?  When i grease the splines on my '09 V7 it never looks like that.

What other factors are at play?
Joe

Mal's bikes do lots of miles on all kinds of roads and in all weather. He really puts them through the wringer.

[Muzz]

The written off 23,000 km Breva 750 I dismantled had no dust under the seat, no evidence of ever being ridden in the rain, & and it's drive shaft was pristine. Th

Both the Special & the Classic collect water in the swingarm, and the Classic's boot has been reinforced with silicone.

My Breva shaft blooks pristine each time it comes out.  Wonder if anything is different in the later ones.  No doubt you check that the breather is ok.  Mine was obstructed from new; the diff was always spotless.  Now after a fair few miles I get a slight oil mist settling around the breather. 

Actually, it might have been either you or Sign who said to make sure it's clear at every oil change.  Good practice.

[sign216]

...  No doubt you check that the breather is ok.  Mine was obstructed from new; the diff was always spotless.  Now after a fair few miles I get a slight oil mist settling around the breather. 

Actually, it might have been either you or Sign who said to make sure it's clear at every oil change.  Good practice.

Yes Muzz,

One year out of curiosity, I checked the rear diff breather and found it occluded, for no reason.  I cut an opening into, to let air pass, and now I check it every time I change the fluid.

Joe

[Hymes Inc.]

I had my 2013 special apart last year and it was clean.

[malik]

........No doubt you check that the breather is ok.  Mine was obstructed from new; the diff was always spotless.  Now after a fair few miles I get a slight oil mist settling around the breather. 

Actually, it might have been either you or Sign who said to make sure it's clear at every oil change.  Good practice.

Actually, I've never checked that the breathers actually breathe. Must do that. Early in my ownership of the V7C the diff seals leaked oil onto the rim, and I had Motociclo replace the seals. The only other times I had oil on the rims was when I used full synthetic instead of mineral - returning to mineral & adding a little Nulon G70 fixed that. But that doesn't help to explain water & crud in the drive shaft.

[malik]

So, it seems that some let moisture in & others don't. The Nevada I dismantled (60,000km & a hole in the crankcase), I seem to remember had a rusted drive shaft too (I shall check that), but it looks like it was badly maintained - oil in the airbox, particles & all sorts of crud in the sump, a con rod that had lost its big end cap & jumped the crank, noisy bearings in the gearbox, etc. A mate with much experience with his Monza put me onto the greasing of the drive shaft trick. (EDIT - deleted this sentence - nothing to do with it - I shouldn't post before I've had COFFEE). The investigation continues.

BTW Muzz, there's going to have to be an update on the Muzz, Nick Webb & Nola Guzzi instructions on getting at the engine to accommodate the 1TB bikes -  there may not be a "Screw of Doom", but there are other difficulties that the Service Station Manual inadequately covers - Remove this, the man in pristine white gloves says, remove that, disconnect the other, & with seemingly no earthly way of doing so - I'll see what I can manage once I get over the last few hurdles.

[Muzz]

BTW Muzz, there's going to have to be an update on the Muzz, Nick Webb & Nola Guzzi instructions on getting at the engine to accommodate the 1TB bikes -  there may not be a "Screw of Doom", but there are other difficulties that the Service Station Manual inadequately covers - Remove this, the man in pristine white gloves says, remove that, disconnect the other, & with seemingly no earthly way of doing so - I'll see what I can manage once I get over the last few hurdles.

Yes "Senor Whitegloves" tended to gloss over a few things.

Nick did a good job (humorous too) with his re-written manual; best of British with the update.

[hzbloke]

By coincidence I had mine out yesterday. It looked like this:





It's from a 2008 Breva 750 that's done 72,000km. I know for a fact that the shaft has not been touched in the 60,000km /3 years that I've owned it.

[malik]

Abso-bloody-lutely fantastic. That's how it is supposed to be.