final drive had a "stiff" section

[winguyjo]

currently on the operating table is a 1981 gl1100 interstate.
i have the rear wheel off awaiting a tire and the final drive is on the bench for cleaning and the moly paste treatment.
spinning it by hand i encountered a stiff section that takes a two-handed effort to turn. this stiff section encompasses about 90 of the 360 degree full turn.
i have never ridden this bike, it is a resurrection job so i cant give any info on how it felt or sounded during operation.
leafing through the shop manual it doesn't look TOO scary but it references something like 8 special tools, plus a dial indicator, none of which i have.
looking for advice from those who have had one of these apart. are all those special tools really necessary or can one improvise in each case ? i can use a dial indicator in my arsenal but i don't think i am going to mortgage the farm in order to buy all the special tools they are showing.

worst case scenario is i pull the final drive off the '83 aspencade (hoping that it's in good shape) but i was hoping to resurrect that one eventually, too.

[DenverWinger]

Put that final drive back on the bike with fresh lube and drive it. Change the lube again after some good miles.

Bet it loosens up just fine with some miles, if it is terminal it will get noisy and give you signs that it needs repaired or replaced.

[winguyjo]

sounds like a plan ! i agree, if it doesn't loosen up it should start showing some symptoms such as excessive heat or noise. thanks for the feedback .

[winguyjo]

a bit of closure to this thread ... it turns out that this final drive had more than just a stiff spot going on with it. the wear is much worse than it appears in the pic. easily bad enough to think it a waste of time to install. i didn't think i had a spare in the hoard but it turns out i did so, bullet dodged there !

[DenverWinger]

Ya, that looks pretty gnarly. Fortunate for having the spare......