Matt Skeen

Hey guys, I have a mild grinding noise that I hear when I am in neutral and and rolling the bike slowly. It sounds like... well, a little teeth being ground back and forth. It doesnt seen to cause performance problems and I cant hear it as I am riding. Is this something to worry about, or do all shaft drives make that sound?
I havent seen and fluid leaks at hte shaft transfer.

Any advise woudl be appreciated. Thanks.

BearBait

Check the grease (or lack thereof) on your driveshaft splines. Do it now!

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BearBait

'11 Vulcan 1700 Vaquero (Ebony)

b12pointer

Sounds like the same nose i had. When i rode 2up it was very noticeable. Checked the drive shaft and it needed greased.

That is a good link for tire and final drive removal and reinstallation Link to Rusk's Tutorial

rvcycleguy

As BearBait suggested, I'd get on that inspection right away. Can't emphasize it more....

Could be as minor as a the rear brake shoe dragging inside the rear drum and needs adjustment or much more involved like the drive shaft splines are out of grease and could be catastrophic to the rear hub.

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2006 C50c
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2010-Guanajuato, Mexico
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472viper

Lack of grease on the driveshaft splines would be the most likely cause.

Here is a thread on how to inspect.

How to Inspect Rear Drive/Shaft

Don't be shocked by the second picture in that thread, you don't have to tear yours down anywhere near that far to grease the splines, that was just the only picture I had of all the parts.

Once you get the drive off the bike, all you really need to mess with is a grease seal and a snapring.

You are going to want to have a grease seal on hand before you start, dealers do not stock them and it will take a couple days for them to order it.

I use Honda moly paste.

The big thing to look for is if the lack of lubrication has caused the splines on the driveshaft to round over.

If that has happened you probably should look at replacing the driveshaft, as the potential is there for it to leave you stranded someday, driveshaft will spin but final drive will not turn.

If the driveshaft looks good, and it appears as if it has had sufficient lubrication, the other source of the noise could be a universal joint going bad.

How many miles on the bike?

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Bullsco

++1 on the shaft lube however i was fortunate to not have that issue but the first time i heard that noise i discovered my rear axle nut was not properly torqued to the req'd amount... and one of my axle bearings was with minimal to no lube and badly worn. Changed both bearings lubed the snot out of the bearing shaft and axle shaft + correct torque on axle nut and no more noise...

good luck

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06 C50, Royal Purple full synth, K&N filter, 82000 kms (51000 mi), NC shield & bags. MC sissy bar, pillion seat levelled, rear peg swap, reversed saddlebag mounts.

"Live, don't just exist, learn from your mistakes and those of others, don't just go through the motions of life for it's too short and precious. Everything you do, embrace it, live it to the fullest extent." ... anonymous

Matt Skeen

I want to thank all the helpful replies, you may have just saved me alot of money and down time on my bike, I am familiar with the removal of the read drive assmbly as I have done it to replace the tire. The sound does sound like the splines and no tthe brakes, I will be fixing the problem on fri, since I will be going on a 100 mile ride on sat, being the first Turkey ride I am starting in Sacramento, Ca. Thanks to everyone!

MoDZuKi

Make sure to check BOTH ends of the driveshaft splines...Buy a spare driveshaft grease seal and go get some 60 Moly paste from Honda and use that ONLY on your splines..,
Good luck send results and pics if you find anything!
Cheers!

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dfinitlydisturbd

Um....you don't have to remove the rear drive to remove the rear tire! and the splines that engage the wheel, while they should receive lube every time you pull the rear wheel are not the ones that you need to lubricate in this instance! What the folks here are talking about is removing the drive pumpkin and lubricating the splines on the drive shaft at the transmission and in front of the pumpkin.