U-Joint

[Alemayehu]

Hi every body I just wonder if any one help me out as usual where to get a new U-Joint for my 1987 goldwing 1200 Interstate and advise better brand if there is any as well.I have seen to many of them on ebay but all are secondhand and no point to fit used item in such sensitive area.
Thank you and God bless!

[WingAdmin]

Hi every body I just wonder if any one help me out as usual where to get a new U-Joint for my 1987 goldwing 1200 Interstate and advise better brand if there is any as well.I have seen to many of them on ebay but all are secondhand and no point to fit used item in such sensitive area.
Thank you and God bless!

I'm pretty sure Honda hasn't had any new ones to sell for quite some time, and nobody has ever made an aftermarket one. The best thing to do really is to buy the best used one you can find.

[Alemayehu]

Hi WingAdmin may God bless for quick answer I will do as you advice and it is a shame if Honda doesn't make any more spare for such great bike.
Thank you!

[WingAdmin]

I have a brand-new, still-in-the-package GL1500 U-joint sitting at home for precisely this reason - just in case mine goes someday, and Honda no longer has them available.

[Alemayehu]

Thank you Wing Admin & every one at last I am safe after I imported the second hand from ebay it is not the U-joint that makes such dull clicking sound during take off but it is from the shock absorbers.I was not expecting such strange sound was very interesting any way it took all my time,energy but now I got some thing new which I didn't know about before.
Thank you and God bless.

[WingAdmin]

Thank you Wing Admin & every one at last I am safe after I imported the second hand from ebay it is not the U-joint that makes such dull clicking sound during take off but it is from the shock absorbers.I was not expecting such strange sound was very interesting any way it took all my time,energy but now I got some thing new which I didn't know about before.
Thank you and God bless.

Incidentally, the universal joint on my GL1500 failed four months after I wrote that message, so I did end up using my "new in the package" universal joint.

[Rednaxs60]

Thank you Wing Admin & every one at last I am safe after I imported the second hand from ebay it is not the U-joint that makes such dull clicking sound during take off but it is from the shock absorbers.I was not expecting such strange sound was very interesting any way it took all my time,energy but now I got some thing new which I didn't know about before.
Thank you and God bless.

Incidentally, the universal joint on my GL1500 failed four months after I wrote that message, so I did end up using my "new in the package" universal joint.

I was just thinking about this. From what I have gleaned off this and other forums, a 1500 universal will not fit on a GL1200 LTD. I did; however, find information on another forum.

This fellow did some research and found a u-joint - NEAPCO P/N 5-0400QG - that is apparently the same size as the OEM. This u-joint comes with c-clips that fit into a grove in the yoke - much like a car. He ground off the crimping tabs in the yoke that keep the original u-joint in place and removed the old u-joint. He had c-clip grooves machined into the yoke and installed the new u-joint. He also mentioned that barring having grooves machined, one could possibly mig weld to hold the u-joint in place. I checked the P/N online and it does come up as available.

Interesting concept and may be worth pursuing.

Cheers

Ernest

[thompsoj22]

just a quick question as long as your on this "U" joint subject. how significant is the spline lubrication maint?. my interstate has 78k miles and has quite likely never been apart. this bike runs like a champ and is a daily commuter, is it worthy of a teardown/inspection now or wait for a rear tire replacement?.

[Rednaxs60]

just a quick question as long as your on this "U" joint subject. how significant is the spline lubrication maint?. my interstate has 78k miles and has quite likely never been apart. this bike runs like a champ and is a daily commuter, is it worthy of a teardown/inspection now or wait for a rear tire replacement?.

I will be doing mine at end February. From what I have gleaned off this and other forums, this is a necessary evil maintenance wise, and from the stories and pictures regarding this issue, I will have to say it is a significant issue. It is one thing for the splined parts to self destruct, so be it - parts break all the time; however, it is the potential for collateral damage that is a result of any splined part failing that you don't want. If doing this type of maintenance every 2 or 3 years, or every second tire change, as has been mentioned, can minimize the potential for splined parts failing, the hours spent are probably a good investment.

My $0.02 worth. Cheers

Ernest

[thompsoj22]

thanks for the advice/opinion, ill opt to do it sooner than later and avoid a catastrophic failure based on neglect. JT

[keikel]

Hello Alemayehu,

Further to your post on 1/24/16 w.r.t. "... it is not the U-joint that makes such dull clicking sound during take off but it is from the shock absorbers."

I have been trying to diagnose the cause of the clunk noise when starting out in 1st gear. How did you determine it was the shocks? I thought it was my imagination when I filled the rear shocks to 55 psi and it seemed the noise was a little less noticeable than when there was no air in them.

Thanks in advance for your reply.

Keith

[Rednaxs60]

You can also check/replace your swingarm bearings. These wear over time and can be loose. Wouldn't hurt to repack as a minimum.

The springs used on the prop shaft also compress over time and can affect the performance of the drive train.

Have been thinking about the 1500 u-joint in that many have done a rear swap 1500 rear for the 1200 and use the 1500 prop shaft. This would suggest to me that the 1500 u-joint would have the same spline size as the 1200 on the prop shaft side. Not sure about the 1500 u-joint to 1200 engine output shaft but going to investigate. If the splines are the same, it could possibly be the length of the u-joint that would be in question. and possibly machining it to match the 1200 u-joint would be an option. To further this case is that the pinion joint and pinion bearing for the 1500 FD is the same as the 1200.

Some additional thoughts to consider.

Cheers

[Alemayehu]

Hello Alemayehu,

Further to your post on 1/24/16 w.r.t. "... it is not the U-joint that makes such dull clicking sound during take off but it is from the shock absorbers."

I have been trying to diagnose the cause of the clunk noise when starting out in 1st gear. How did you determine it was the shocks? I thought it was my imagination when I filled the rear shocks to 55 psi and it seemed the noise was a little less noticeable than when there was no air in them.

Thanks in advance for your reply.

Keith

Hello Keith <
Sorry for the delay for some reason I just sow it now,first what I did was put the bike on the center stand with a help from friend start the engine and then engage to the first gear try to break & try to listen in many different way but nothing happens but what we did was put the bike again on side stand jump on the bike as if we intend to ride put back the side stand to its position & load the bike to the first gear and before it rolls an inch apply hard front and rear break and the bike intend to rise a little bit and back to its position the noise start to come and we did try 4 / 5 times until I get convinced to know from where the noise is coming from and in my case the noise was coming from the right side of the shock and nothing to worry about decide to change at some stage when ever I come across the part.I knew some kind of bushing is worn out.Thank you!