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01' V Star Custom Final Drive (Shaft) spins with throttle but tire doesn't budge.

14K views 23 replies 10 participants last post by  stokoe0990 
#1 ·
Hello,
This is my first inquiring post so please if i have put it under the wrong section or done anything in error please inform me!

I own a 2001 V Star Custom 650 with 26k miles,i am the second owner, there are no modifications (that i know of) besides something that makes my brake light flash when i hold it down. I have had a few problems with the bike since i got it a little over a year ago but they were all minor and I love my bike. I fix my problems myself due to lack of funds and excess of time, I learn with the help of You Tube and friends but i can't seem to find anything on this, although I am assuming my problem is quite obvious.. ok enough rambling.

I know that my problem is in my Final drive which is a Shaft, my bike still runs just fine, yet when I shift into first and give it gas it doesn't move an inch, in fact i can feel that there is no tension in the bike at all, my shaft however, is spinning rapidly.. this happened while i was riding, i shifted into 3rd gear and my bike revved very high so i pulled the clutch downshifted and pulled off the road when I shut the bike off, gave my throttle cables a once over and upon a clean inspection I attempted to make my way, that's when i got back on the bike fired it up shifted to first and got zero power.. followed by a rather long walk home..

I got the housing off of the rear of my shaft and i see metal flakes in the grease.. I may have been too detailed with certain points and not enough in others.. any advice or pointers are extremely appreciated and if any more info is required please let me know..





Not sure if those help but thats where im at lol :D
 
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#2 ·
Time to pull that rear tire off and take a look inside the pumpkin (differential). Please give more pics of what you find. I sure hope it turns out to be a simple fix for you.
 
#3 ·
Wow, that's not good at all my brother, shaft spinning and metal flakes in the oil? Wow. Sounds like to me you need to tear apart the the rear final drive and replace some stripped out gears. Good luck with that project. If the job is to big, I suggest letting the stealership do the work.


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#6 ·
Awesome

Hey thanks guys for your advice, I will begin pulling it apart tomorrow, does anyone happen to know a safe way that i can jack my bike up? without a lift obviously (lol) and I wish i could afford taking it to the Stealership (hope you dont mind my using that lol) but i just can't..

so far ive figured everything out.. by the time i get a new bike ill know everything! lol

but after i pull apart ill post some more pics

thanks again guys the responses surprised me, glad to know i found a community of helpful riders.
 
#9 · (Edited)
the 2x8 lift works great but you don't need the flange,just drill the hole a little larger than the pipe and put a cap on the pipe so it dosent slide out while lifting. once it's lifted in place remove the trip hazard(pipe).not sure about the cap idea, not sure it would have the right feel,you would not be able to lay the lift flat on the floor .but
 
#10 · (Edited)
Got the bike jacked up, more pictures of my differential coming shortly.. gunna need some opinions from the community..

But i dont think its my differential i think its just the shaft

Also i'm going to start a thread on diy bike jacks.. The one in the instructions given was way more than $20.. Ended up making my own design for $11


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#11 ·
Update

Alright everyone so here are the pics of my Shaft and the main gear of my differential,






{[EDIT]} The fins on the main gear aren't as mangled as they look in this picture.. ill get a better one..{[]}

:rolleyes:




the shaft looks like its def. ground... real bad lol.. but im not sure how the main gear is supposed to look so maybe someone can tell me how thats lookin, i see some wear no doubt but do i need to replace?

Also when i spin the main gear with my tire suspended the tire spins so that tells me all the gears inside my differential are properly functioning, which leads me to believe that my only issue is the shaft itself..

Some thoughts please?

Any and all advice is helpful! :D
 
#17 · (Edited by Moderator)
UPDATE;

Yeah pinion is fubar. screwed... im still not sure if i can curse on here but im frustrated... lol live and learn though at least i didnt go puttin it all back together before i looked into it more

but the only reason i even looked into it more is because of what people on here were saying so i guess the forum saved my ass after all.. lol



Some interesting info on shaft failure in the 650s.. not just 01 theres a wide range of years if you have, or you know anyone that has had differential problems.. more specifically pinion failure you should check out my new thread.. apparently some people think yamaha should recall the part.. wont help me but maybe future riders..
 
#20 ·
Learned about this a couple years ago from mag. tech writer Andy Mcdonald; coupling sleeve connects drive shaft to rear end, needs periodic grease pack, especially because water can sometimes get past the rubber seal= rusted worn out splines:(. Our's was not too far gone, so a new sleeve fixed it for now, instead of a new rear end. Yamaha should have been more clear on the maintenance requirement. Waterproof grease, any time wheel is removed, ;)
 
#23 ·
Sorry about your splines. Looks like you on the right track. Good luck.
 
#24 ·
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