Missing Maintenance Item, IMO

[STJIM]

Anyone with a high mileage Trophy have an issue with the splines wearing on either end of the driveshaft ?  I noticed there is no service interval for spline lubrication.

BTW :  After I bought my '08 Kawasaki Concours a few years, I noticed when I spun the rear wheel,  I was hearing a periodic "click, click" sound that seemed to be coming from near the front of the driveshaft.  That next spring, I removed the final drive and driveshaft and inspected the front splines on the driveshaft.  The splines weren't dry or worn, but not exactly what I would call, "well lubricated ".   So before re-installing, I liberally lubed them with the moly paste I use on the rear wheel drive splines on my old ST1100.  That eliminated the "clicking" sound.

I think I'll pull the driveshaft on the Trophy this spring and inspect and lube the splines just as a PM measure.  It should be cheap insurance.  Then I can set a maintenance interval based on what it looks like then ( around 20K miles ).

And one other question :  Has anyone with a high mileage Trophy have a driveshaft failure ( "spun" or u-joint failure ) ?
I noticed in the parts list, the driveshaft looks like it a similar design to BMW drive shafts.  I know several BMW owners who have "spun" a driveshaft.  The elastomer bonding fails and the two ends of the driveshaft aren't linked anymore.  One guy first thought his clutch was slipping.

The good news is a Trophy drive shaft is "only' USD $365 compared to USD $1,200 for a BMW driveshaft.

What a deal !!

[GarminDave]

Hi STJIM,

I think you will find that the final drive is much more than $365, I think they are much closer to the BMW price as there are no serviceable parts within the final drive, supposedly!

[STJIM]

Hi Dave:

Yes the F.D.'s are pricey, but I was talking about the driveshaft, not final drive, BTW.

And BTW, I bought a used F.D. off EBay for my Concours for $50 - cheap insurance.  That way I'll never need to use it 

[Yaga1973]

Originally Posted by STJIM

And BTW, I bought a used F.D. off EBay for my Concours for $50 - cheap insurance.  That way I'll never need to use it 

I have so many spare parts that I've never used.  LOL!

[STJIM]

Yaga:

When I saw that F.D. for $50 , I just couldn't pass that deal up.  And I also bought a spare driveshaft including the trans right-angle output gears for $35.  If I never use them, it will be worth the money.

[Yaga1973]

That is too hard to pass up and I would have done the same.  You can't have too many spare parts.