Update on screamin eagle venture

[ediddy]

Just got a call from the yamaha tech rep. They are going to rebuild the rear end of my bike starting at the rear swing arm and going back. Maybe this will be the end of my problems.

[ediddy]

Just talked to the yamaha rep again. They are going to replace the swing arm instead of rebuilding it. Said there wasn't one in U.S. so it may be a while before they get one. The rep said he put my bike on the lift and ran the bike and listened with a stethoscope and it isn't the transmission or clutch basket, it is the rear end. They can't understand why my bike is as he said "chewing up rear ends." The bike was perfect until the 16,000 mile service so he says something must have been done then that put the rear end out of alignment. He said the only time they have ever seen anything close to this is where some people were pulling trailers with their bike. I am encourgaged and hope this solves the problem.

[ediddy]

I called Tallahassee Powesports friday to see when the parts that had to come from Japan would be in. They have already received the parts from Japan and are waiting for a part coming from Los Angeles. Isn't that interesting?

[Thom]

you gotta lov it :rotfl::rotfl:

[ediddy]

The service manager from the dealer called today and my bike is ready and he said it wasn't screaming anymore. This is the fifth rear end. I'm going to see what happens but if this one goes bad I am going to ask yamaha to swap my bike for another. There is one thing that concerns me a little and I would like to hear from some of you. The factory rep questioned me about pulling a trailer. When I said no, I've never pulled a trailer he asked about the amount of weight I carry when I ride to the mountains and what kind of terrain I ride in. I didn't think too much about it then but today I was questioned again about the weight I carry. My wife and I like to take weekend trips and sometimes if we can get off early we will leave on thursday afternoon for a long weekend trip. I weigh 200 lbs and my wife weighs 160lbs. We then fill up each saddlebag with light items that probably wouldn't amount to 5 or 10 lbs. We put our frog toggs that are sealed with a foodsaver, clear glasses for cloudy or rainy weather, a cycle pump air pump, tire gauge, couple of small towels, a can of what used to be called honda spray cleaner, our caps and maps. Between 2 saddlebags this isn't much weight. We pack our clothes in a yamaha bag designed to fit in the trunk. I don't know the weight of this bag but I wouldn't think it would be around 10 lbs or 20 lbs at most. We then have a bag we strap to the luggage rack where we put our dirty clothes and carry such things as tylenol, cell phone and my wife's makeup. I don't think this would go over the 419 lbs that is listed as the maximum weight limit. Surely this wouldn't be enough weight to cause the rear ends to go bad. What do you think?

[wizard]

If that kinda weight was enough to break the rear end, my bike would have been in the shop months ago! Just me is 235 lbs, and I can't say about Robin, but she ain't small!

Leonard

[wizard]

Damn it, she was reading over my shoulder!

[BuddyRich]

Leonard, You are still with us after that comment ? :rotf:

[Guest KitCarson]

Hi: Glad you got your bike fixed. I would think the Yamaha rep would be able to tell if you pulled a trailer, even if you had removed the hitch........what about the wire harness?? They ask pointless questions sometimes. Honestly I do not think weight has any factor on this situation at all. I see some guys who have those saddlebags and trunk packed to the maximum, you have to work to get the lids closed, plus they pull a trailer. In any event you are average in weight I would think, not a factor in the rear drive problem. I bet it is forever fixed, if the rear was out of line.....bent or damaged in shipment, or just plain out line......sometimes metal when welded will pull or warp as it cools..most likely it was like that and just never discovered till now. ......I betcha it is fixed. Kit

[Rick Butler]

Eddie,

 

I went through 2 rear ends in my 02 before I realized what my problem was.....where I didn't change out the initial hypoid soon enough. On my 3rd one, I took it on a 400 mile trip and changed it out on the road (motel) with a Mobil I synthetic and then again when I got back home. I was told that my 2 previous final drives had wore out the needle bearings in the pinion shaft. It was my opinion that since I had not changed the initial fluid within 500 miles that some metal contaminated hypoid had made it's way into the internal parts and caused premature wearing.

 

On my 3rd change, I went with a high pressure Redline 70/240 heavy shock synthetic and just recently changed it out with AMSOIL extreme pressure 75/140. These heavier synthetics just wear better and run cooler. I have put another 60K on this 3rd drive and it's been doing just fine since 2003.

 

I beleive it's critical to get the initial hypoid changed out within the 1st 500 miles and changed out with a good heavy duty synthetic hypoid.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Rick

[Squeeze]

Hi Eddy,

 

good to hear that ayour Bike is fixed. I hope this is the last Time in Shop with this Issue.

 

As for Weight and/or Trailering ...

 

There are so much People out there which do what is not recommended and their rear Ends are not going bad. Why should it happen on your Bike ?? And why that often ??

 

No, there is something other wrong with your Bike. I don't know what causes the Failures, but i sincerly don't think Weight is or trailering would be the Culprit. In Addition, this Pumpkin is used in many other Yamaha Bikes, even with a Lot more Power and mostly a taller Gear Ratio, but the Failure Rate overall is very minor. At Least as far as i hear from other Riders and Models in Europe and US.

[ediddy]

Hey Rick,

Thanks for the info. When the fourth rear diff was installed the service manager asked me to bring my bike in after 600 miles so they could change the oil in the rear in case there were metal flakes from it breaking in. I did that and it still wore out. I don't know what kind of oil yamaha puts in the rear end.

[cmiles3]

How's that knot on your head, Wiz?

 

Damn it, she was reading over my shoulder!

[wizard]

still hurts.

[Denden]

Eddie,

 

I went through 2 rear ends in my 02 before I realized what my problem was.....where I didn't change out the initial hypoid soon enough. On my 3rd one, I took it on a 400 mile trip and changed it out on the road (motel) with a Mobil I synthetic and then again when I got back home. I was told that my 2 previous final drives had wore out the needle bearings in the pinion shaft. It was my opinion that since I had not changed the initial fluid within 500 miles that some metal contaminated hypoid had made it's way into the internal parts and caused premature wearing.

...

 

I beleive it's critical to get the initial hypoid changed out within the 1st 500 miles and changed out with a good heavy duty synthetic hypoid.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Rick

I think Rick is right on the early oil change for the rear drive. I bought a used '06 with about 4k miles on it. When I change the final drive oil, it was obviously not changed since new. The oil was BLACK and the magnetic drain plug was covered with more metal mud than I've ever seen, covered the whole drain plug about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch. Of course the rear drive now has a whine. I pulled the rear drive and found that the lash was WAY out of spec...hold the spline drive still and see how much you can turn the input drive back and forth. The amount of lash is what will cause the whine. I'm sure that the lack of an oil change in the first 4k miles has ruined this rear drive.

I compared it to a V-Max rear drive that I have with about 8k miles on it...the V-Max rear drive has almost no free play (near zero lash, about the best you can get it) and it makes no noise at all.

[ediddy]

Went to Tallahassee yesterday and trailered my bike home. I didn't get to ride but 10 or 15 miles but I don't have a screaming venture anymore. I had the dealer put avon venom tires on and the bike is quiet. Once I put 5,000 miles on the bike I will know if it is fixed for good. The yamaha factory rep pulled the records on my bike and the rear end was being replaced about every 5,000 miles. I sure misdiagnosed the problem. I just knew the whining was coming from the transmission but it was the rear end. Right now I don't have a chirp or whine at any speed so the I basket did cure that problem. I'm anxious to put 5,000 miles on the bike to see what happens.

[Denden]

That's good news, Eddie. Did the factory service rep say if they did anything else to the bike besides just replacing the rear drive? Replace the swingarm? driveshaft? rear axle? Adjust swingarm bearings?

Anyhow, if I was you, I'd replace the oil in the rear drive after 200 to 400 miles, to make sure it doesn't self-destruct from break-in metal filings.

And I'm sure you're gonna love those Avon's.

[ediddy]

Hey Denden,

 

Thanks for the encouraging words. I didn't get to talk to the factory rep when I picked up my bike. The service manager said they replaced the swing arm, rear diff and some bearings that weren't really worn too bad but they replaced them anyway. He said they made sure everything was done to factory specs and all bolts were torqued to specs. They want me to come back after approx 500 miles to change the oil in the rear end.