Final Drives DriveShaft

[LilJOhn]

HI Gang Any one got any good ideas Seems I bit the Bullet and removed my final drive to regrease it and low and behold my drive shaft sliped out of the ujoint up front and i cant get it back in the ujoint for the life of me. I can manage to get the tip of the spline in the ujoint about 1/4 inch however i can not get the shaft to go in all the way even when i smacked it with a rubber hammer, I even went as far as to take off the circlip on the end of driveshaft spline, still no go
never in my wildest dreams would i have thought the drive shaft would have just slipped right out of the ujoint there was no mention of this whne i read post on greasing the fnal drive,,Looks like prevent maint gonna cost me this time. any ideas greatly apprciated
TIA
LilJohn

[Ken Talbot]

Make sure you're in neutral, get it gripping by the 1/4 or so that you can, then spin the shaft about 180 degrees and try to smack it in a bit more. That should help straighten out the flexing part of the joint so you can get it aligned to go together again.

[xssiveone]

Re: Final Drives DriveShaft

Originally posted by LilJOhn
I even went as far as to take off the circlip on the end of driveshaft spline, still no go

The clip on the end actually holds the shaft in the yoke. It compresses as the shaft goes into the yoke and then expands into a groove. I think you will have to remove the middle gear box in order to seat the yoke back on the end of the drive shaft. I think it's the only way you will get the yoke to stay straight enough to go onto the shaft.

[LilJOhn]

Hi gang thanks for the info and advice, after a lot of frustration,bruised and bloody knuckles, blisters from where my thumbs rubbing against the boot,16 hours later of trying I was successful, Here how i managed it, removed rear wheel from bike and set aside looked down drive shaft tubewith a trouble light I could see the end of the yoke I pulled the Back of the boot up to the front of the middle gear this gave me a little more room to get a hold of the ujoint and wiggle it around while I looked down the tube centering the yoke. With the other hand I slid the drive shaft in. I could get the spline into the yoke just enuf to turn the shaft and let the ujoint move about a 1/4 turn and felt a lilttle give on the yoke end and I sent it home with a rubber mallet. IMHO I believe I was very lucky this is something I dont want to try again nor recommend it.Let it be a lesson to all of the begginers even advanced riders out there DONT let that driveshaft slip out of that yoke while your greasing that final drive
Unless your bored and have nothing better to do

[Pat Kelly]

And I have 2 middle drive boots to replace, yikes.