GL1200 GOLDWINGS

Is it really necessary to use 60 molly grease on the final drive splines and if so why? I have found some grease with molly in it but I don't know at what percentage. It's hight disc brake grease from napa.

Moly 60 is what Honda calls for....considering the cost of a rear end, I wouldn't second guess that spec.

Be careful when looking at the auto store moly grease....I looked at several, and the moly percentage was really low, like 2%. When I changed my rear tire, I sucked it up and bought a tube of moly 60 grease from the Honda shop. Pretty pricey, but worth it if you ask me. You don't really use that much, one tube should last for several tire changes. Plus you have the peace of mind knowing that you are putting what the manufacturer calls for on your splines.

There may be a moly 60 out there in the automotive stores, but darn if I could find it. I checked 4 or 5 places.

This has answered my questions on why 60 molly grease. It's not easy to find.

The other thing is when I look at the manual it mentions that taking off the final drive requires specialized tools. Maybe I am over complicating things but I don't have these tools.

I have never removed my final drive, if you're talking about removing the entire unit. I'm sure it is covered in this forum someplace, do a search if that is what you want to do.

If you are speaking of needing moly grease to lube the final splines when you take the rear wheel off to have the tire changed, or whatever, that takes no specialized tools. Just some patience. The final splines come apart when you pull the wheel, you need to clean those and apply moly 60 during re-assembly.

Hope this helps.........

got the final drive off and I noticed that the shaft at the final drive end was a bit oily and the other end looked a little greasey. This is the first time that I have had it off since I bought it 4 years ago. Since then I have changed the tires 3 times. I really never knew about about greasing the splines before. I owned bnike with chain drives before

Also grease the rubber sections that the spider slips into

That moly grease must be necessary to prevent tooth wear between the final drive gear and the rear wheel spider. (Metal on metal)
My 86I was worn so badly (after 140,000 mi) that I could not sure that it would not leave me broken down on the side of the road. I looked into getting replacement final drive components for a 1200. But parts from other high mileage bikes showed similar wear. I looked into getting 1500 parts and doing a conversion, but the parts were expensive.

What I did may sound crazy, but it works. I JB-Welded the spider into the drive gear. Now there is no slop in the final drive. I can still get the wheel off just fine for a tire change. I can't change out the rear drive gear bearing. But I don't think that it is a part that is likely to fail if I keep fresh oil in the rear case.
I have put over 1000 mi on this quick fix and it seems to be holding up just fine. The bike used to make an awful clunking noise on accel/decel. Now it is quiet.

Harky Wrote:What I did may sound crazy, but it works. I JB-Welded the spider into the drive gear. Now there is no slop in the final drive. .

Harky:

Given the fact that I have an extra final drive and driven flange, (both with severly worn splines, this fix of your interests me. Can you expand upon how you did this? If it actually continues to work, it could be a great way to get around having to find used final drive parts for the GL1200.

Marty

I took the final drive housing off the bike and cleaned the splines on the gear and the drive hub with solvent to remove all of the grease and dirt. I used q-tips for this and kept at it until they came out clean. I discarded both o-rings. I buttered the drive hub splines pretty good with JB Weld and inserted it into the drive gear. It slipped in easily the first time, so I took it out and applied more JBW until I could feel some resistance pushing it in. Then I knew that the air spaces were filled with epoxy. Some excess epoxy squeezed out around the housing so I just wiped it off before it hardened. Make sure that the drive hub is pushed completely down into the drive gear!! I verified this by measurements I made before I slathered on the epoxy.
I let it cure for 2 days before I put it on the bike.
I have run it for almost 1200mi and it's still tight.

Has anyone used amsoil Synthetic Heavy-Duty Grease, instead of molly grease in the final drive

Loctite makes it.
51048 - Moly Paste, 8 oz. Net Wt. Brush Top
It is 65% moly
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I ordered it from Acklands-Granger.
It is expensive.... But much cheaper than replacing your splines.
Douce

For what it's worth. I asked my local Honda shop if they had moly paste in stock. They asked me what I wanted it for and I told them to lube the rear splines. They told me they use some sort of synthetic grease. I didn't ask what it was, I just ordered some Moly from Service Honda.

I don't know what's right or wrong, I'm just reporting the facts.

My Honda store stocks the Moly60. $9.95 for the tube. I've done three differentials, two drivelines, two universals, and still have lube left. That's not expensive. :wink:

vleighty Wrote:For what it's worth. I asked my local Honda shop if they had moly paste in stock. They asked me what I wanted it for and I told them to lube the rear splines. They told me they use some sort of synthetic grease. I didn't ask what it was, I just ordered some Moly from Service Honda.

I don't know what's right or wrong, I'm just reporting the facts.

And one wonder why the drive splines wear out.

The best thing you can do for your bike is keep it away from a dealer.

Keep it away from that dealer for sure! hock: