when I replace my rear tyre, I will of course be re-greasing the rear wheel splines before the wheel is re-fitted. just wondering as anyone found they need to re-grease the rest of the shaftdrive, heard a few rumours of the shaft drive failing. theses may be just one off's or due to not replacing shaft oil when required. the Tetra-Lever shaft drive is supposed to be virtually maintenance free, with the exception of regular shaft oil changes.
See this thread: http://www.gtr1400.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,77.0.html
'shaft drive greasing' !!!!! another thread that is sure to get lots of hits.... mostly from people searching for 'Alternative interest' web-sites :censored:
:mfr_lol:
Which reminds me, my bike needs the splines greasing. I'll probably do it in the next few months
:oops: It appears I've opened a old "unwanted" wound :surrender: I was not awear that this topic had been strangled to death. so is there a potential problem "looming" with the Tetra-Lever shaft drive or is it as good as kawasaki states and is virtually maintenance free.
i took out my rear wheel when the bike had only done 2k miles, i was shocked to see that the spines were dry and void of anything greasy at all, i put some moly on them , very lightly
Quote from: viper on March 11, 2012, 10:41:27 AM
i put some moly on them , very lightly
oooooooh :oops:......
Quote from: viper on March 11, 2012, 10:41:27 AM
i took out my rear wheel when the bike had only done 2k miles, i was shocked to see that the spines were dry and void of anything greasy at all, i put some moly on them , very lightly
you may as well re-grease the rear wheel splines while the wheel is off. just woundering if the rest of the shaft needed regular re-greasing, and at what time and mileage intervals "if needed" should this be done.
There's no recommend interval and the manual doesn't list it as a serviceable item. Given that there have been reported issues in the US forums, it's probably wise to service them.
I tend to do it every 15 to 20k. The rear wheel spline is greased whenever the wheel is removed.
20,000 miles seems reasonable enough for full re-grease/mainteance, after all there are supposed be "virtually maintenance free" only asking because heard a few are failing, but not sure what the cause was. Mr kawasaki as always been a but tight when applying grease at the factory, so was concearned this may have been through "lack" of grease applied from assembly at the factory. would have thought the kawasaki would have applied sufficient grease to all the shaft internals to keep everything running smooth way past the warranty period.
mine was bone dry at new .
just got back from a spirited ride and while i was putting the bike away I felt the rear hub that contains the splines, it was hot, so there is a fairbit of friction going on in there, surely it cant be a grease free zone as mr kawasaki planned ?
Quote from: viper on March 11, 2012, 04:34:04 PM
mine was bone dry at new .
just got back from a spirited ride and while i was putting the bike away I felt the rear hub that contains the splines, it was hot, so there is a fairbit of friction going on in there, surely it cant be a grease free zone as mr kawasaki planned ?
its normal for the rear hub to get very hot after a good long ride. I'm sure you allready know that :smiley: I'm not suggesting kawasaki failed to grease the splines adequately :nono: that would not be in there interest one little bit! and I'm sure the shaft drive on the gtr will well last the life of the bike, if the main thing which is the gear oil is changed regularly with the correct oil specification which is heavy gear oil S.A.E EP80W/90 A.P.I GL5. sorry for any confusion or concearn caused, I had heard some had problems with the shaft drive failing. this could be many reasons all of which most likely have nothing to do with kawasaki workmanship or inadequate greasing at the factory. most likely the wrong gear oil as been used or as never been change, or as been allowed to run low. I change the gear oil when I change the engine oil and filter every year or 3,000 miles "which ever comes first" for the amount of gear oil it takes which is "approx 160ml" time involved to change and the cost of the gear oil, it's a no brainer as far I'm concearned.
when i had my first service ( 600 i think ) i premarked the shaft oil cap and they failed to change it, when i challanged the service manager asertively , he admitted that as a kawasaki dealer he just wasnt used to changing shaft oil, he admitted to not looking at the schedule as the first service is usually oil and a general check over, me suspects this is part of the shaft drive failures. I now change my shaft oil every time i do a main oil change, easy and cheap to do.
Quote from: viper on March 11, 2012, 07:26:53 PM
when i had my first service ( 600 i think ) i premarked the shaft oil cap and they failed to change it, when i challanged the service manager asertively , he admitted that as a kawasaki dealer he just wasnt used to changing shaft oil, he admitted to not looking at the schedule as the first service is usually oil and a general check over, me suspects this is part of the shaft drive failures. I now change my shaft oil every time i do a main oil change, easy and cheap to do.
well thats dealers for you! I reluctantly gave my bike to the dealer for it's first service, and told them I wanted the shaft oil changing. they weren't even awear that kawasaki recommended the shaft oil to be replaced on the first service so was :shocked: when I collected my bike I wanted to buy GL5 gear oil to do my own future changes and was told they don't keep that grade in stock, so I asked what grade did they use? they said what they allways use which is GL4. well that went down like a lead balloon with me :angry: so ended up buying a bottle of putoline GL5 gear oil off ebay and changing the gear oil my-self. I don't trust dealers to do the job correctly, when you do it yourself you know it been done right!!
Quote from: 2kwacks on March 11, 2012, 08:13:15 PM
well thats dealers for you! I reluctantly gave my bike to the dealer for it's first service, and told them I wanted the shaft oil changing. they weren't even awear that kawasaki recommended the shaft oil to be replaced on the first service so was :shocked: when I collected my bike I wanted to buy GL5 gear oil to do my own future changes and was told they don't keep that grade in stock, so I asked what grade did they use? they said what they allways use which is GL4. well that went down like a lead balloon with me :angry: so ended up buying a bottle of putoline GL5 gear oil off ebay and changing the gear oil my-self. I don't trust dealers to do the job correctly, when you do it yourself you know it been done right!!
too right, only use them to keep the warranty tickity tooboo, hell i even did my own valve shims on the 12 , simples
Its actually quite satisfying to work on your own bike.
Hi guys,
New to this forum as just researching possible alternatives to the current steed ( FJR) and this is a definite maybe... also considering the ZZR as a bit lighter ( good ?) but really don't want a too "head down / sporty" ride, as I like long days, almost "endurance touring"..
Anyway...
Looking through the list of topics, this caught my eye, as, on the FJR, greasing things is critical ( vital even where the linkages are concerned !! ) and I was wondering what the recommended intervals are for spline greasing on the GTR ? Sorry for the "newby" questions, but haven't got a bike or handbook and the perceived wisdom might be different anyway...
( where is best to post the list of the other queries I have, to keep to the "rules" ?)
Nick
Quote from: nickhlx on March 20, 2012, 08:15:32 PM
( where is best to post the list of the other queries I have, to keep to the "rules" ?)
There are rules? :wacko:
welcome to the forum :smiley: first of all the zzr1400 isn't "arse up head down" :nono: it's a very capable tourer :yes: infact the only thing the zzr1400 lacks for touring long distances is panniers and top box. I've still got my zzr1400 and I've toured france/italy covering over 3,200 miles in 7 days with no problems at all :smiley: the gtr1400 is more comfortable as a long distance tourer due to the more up-right position, the taller screen and fairing provides more weather protection and of course the big sod off panniers and top box comes in handy :smiley: and if you plan on doing a lot of touring it would be your better option :smiley: but for everyday use and the odd touring here and there! the zzr1400 with panniers and topbox if needed, is more than capable off hitting the spot just right. so if your in 2 minds between the zzr and gtr it will depend on what you want the bike for. sorry if I've confused you, but don't dismiss the zzr as just a missile :rolleyes: it dose touring just as good as pulling your arms off :smiley: As for the re-greasing the splines on the gtr1400, I will be doing my wheel hub splines everytime I remove the wheel. as for the rest of the shaft, I've heard the recommended re-greasing is at 20,000 miles.
Thanks, 2Kwacks, that's really encouraging... I will need to test ride both one day to see which "fits best" for long days...
I have found the FJR to be almost ideal, but, if anything, would prefer ( I think) something a touch lighter sometime but of similar capability, and initially I started looking at the ZZR, saving I think around 30-40 kgs. This I had largely discounted, thinking it must be too "race-orientated", although never ridden one, so your comments are very welcome. I just need to find out a bit more about its quirks and foibles ( like the FJR's linkage assembly, which will likely kill you if you let it be dealer serviced !!) and the many other things that come with time
I have been greasing (all) the splines on the shaft / final drive each time the wheel comes off ( approx 6,000 miles) - I like servicing and probably definitely overdo it :smiley: because I can, and reliability for me is key on the few occasions we get to tour far and wide, when an avoidable breakdown would be a massive disappointment.
I used to tour with my riding buddy (Mike) at least 3 or 4 times a year, although we used to ride together several times a week most of the year, but then I had "my accident" and I am still in a wheelchair, 3 years on, although have a replacement "new" FJR sitting in the garage on SORN, ready to go, just waiting for me ( won't be long now) :smiley: Both legs seriously damaged ( one crushed and folded in half below the knee ) following a no-fault accident ( a Blonde in a Discovery :rolleyes:) but I have managed to grow both back again ! :smiley:
However, Mike has also had problems and fingers crossed is also on his way back to the saddle and we will hopefully be off again on the tours.. He has a house just south of Alicante, and both of us had decided that Spain was the country to tour in, although still have a few to trial !! France seems to be getting a bit less biker friendly these days from what I have read, although the reality may be "no change".. This year I was (am) hoping to get to do the NW side of Scotland as we always seemed to get up to the top right corner whenever we ventured up there, and I definitely want to see Applecross next time.
I notice that people's summary here, on the left of posts, don't state the area they are from, unlike on the FJR forum, which is really helpful for us newbies..
Is there a "club" workshop for the "1400"s like the excellent Fudge workshop we FJR owners have when things are beyond owners ? Or possibly a list of places that come highly recommended where the guys do know the machines intimately, and do do what they should and say they do ? Until I am familiar with the machine I would like (need) to be sure all was OK by having someone else independent check any critical points over..
Anyway, time to close...
Thanks again,
Nick
Hi Nick,
You can view where the members are from on the member map (http://www.gtr1400.co.uk/forums/index.php?action=googlemap).
Welcome Nick, you'll find lots of info on this forum.
I had a ZZR in 2008/8 it didn't suit me, but I do suffer with a back problem anyway..
Hi nick that sounds like a really nasty bike accident you had. the fact that it was not your fault must be really frustrating, but glad to hear your on the mend and it hasn't put you off biking :smiley: where all, so vulnerable out there! yet, we still choose to ride bikes. well they it's hard to give up what we enjoy so much :wink: good luck with finding a suitable replacement, either it be the zzr or gtr you can't go wrong, they are both excellent machines and are "spot on" at what each do best. hope to see you on one of the forums bike meet's in the not so long future..!
Nick .. "Hello and welcome" .. glad to hear you are on the mend ... enjoy this forum, we all do ! :laugh:
Thanks guys...
Hours of reading ahead of me !
Nick
I've sent a query about this to someone at Kawasaki UK, by chance he has just replied that he is at the factory in Japan! So here's hoping we get some feedback directly from source. I even managed to do the link thingy, quite by chance, so your words may well be being translated into Japanese. You've been warned.