hey all, please excuse the moly 60 grease stains all over this post:(. I have followed Fergy's procedure (kudos Fergy) to the "t". But when I reinstall the the final drive unit into the swingarm it won't sit flush, there is a 1/4 inch gap. I can get it flush if I push the final drive forward compressing the spring on the final drive shaft. I believe the spring is inserted correctly on the end of the shaft (looks the same when I pulled it) and the drive shaft seems pushed forward all the way (pulled the boot back and so it appears and I can't push it forward any more). Should the final drive fit flush against the swingarm without any pressure? Am I missing something???

Appreciate am comments and suggestions...John.

hey all, please excuse the moly 60 grease stains all over this post:(. I have followed Fergy's procedure (kudos Fergy) to the "t". But when I reinstall the the final drive unit into the swingarm it won't sit flush, there is a 1/4 inch gap. I can get it flush if I push the final drive forward compressing the spring on the final drive shaft. I believe the spring is inserted correctly on the end of the shaft (looks the same when I pulled it) and the drive shaft seems pushed forward all the way (pulled the boot back and so it appears and I can't push it forward any more). Should the final drive fit flush against the swingarm without any pressure? Am I missing something???

Appreciate am comments and suggestions...John.

did you make sure the drive shaft went in past the keeper ring on the coupler,and you didn't put so much grease in there it is compresses down so far and wont let the shaft go all the way in.did you use the correct amount,when the drive shaft is installed properly it sits far enought back in the swing arm that the splines will engage the rear drive and you should be able to push it in enough to get the bolts on by hand,Are you encountering spring pressure or is it solid?

hey all, please excuse the moly 60 grease stains all over this post:(. I have followed Fergy's procedure (kudos Fergy) to the "t". But when I reinstall the the final drive unit into the swingarm it won't sit flush, there is a 1/4 inch gap. I can get it flush if I push the final drive forward compressing the spring on the final drive shaft. I believe the spring is inserted correctly on the end of the shaft (looks the same when I pulled it) and the drive shaft seems pushed forward all the way (pulled the boot back and so it appears and I can't push it forward any more). Should the final drive fit flush against the swingarm without any pressure? Am I missing something???

Appreciate am comments and suggestions...John.

did you make sure the drive shaft went in past the keeper ring on the coupler,and you didn't put so much grease in there it is compresses down so far and wont let the shaft go all the way in.did you use the correct amount,when the drive shaft is installed properly it sits far enought back in the swing arm that the splines will engage the rear drive and you should be able to push it in enough to get the bolts on by hand,Are you encountering spring pressure or is it solid?I see by your post that you ae probably just encountering the spring pressure,bolt it up and turn it by hand and see what it sounds like,It is probably fine.

But when I reinstall the the final drive unit into the swingarm it won't sit flush, there is a 1/4 inch gap. I can get it flush if I push the final drive forward compressing the spring on the final drive shaft.

I beleive that is correct the spring keeps everything tight. When I reassebled mine it was the same, need to compress the spring to bolt it back together.

hey denny. what i feel is resistance from the spring, imo. i jiggled the final drive unit and with a bit of forward pressure finger tighted the bolts all the way till the unit is flush with the swingarm. I can rotate the final drive ring gear freely with no binding. My question, i guess, refers to the statement in my clymers manual, page 398, "#7. Push the final drive unit all the way forward until it is seated correctly (figure 39)." In looking at the pic, fig. 39, I see that all is flush and the nuts are tightened down. That is how mine looks also. I just had to overcome the resistance of the spring, not so tremendous, by pushing forward in order the finger tighten the nuts. nowhere have i read that there may be slight resistance when you reinstall the final drive into the swingarm. Maybe i'm just being paranoid but this is my first time and i'm doing this alone...i like this bike and would be sick if i screw this simple maintenance up. the good news, while pondering this installation it was the perfect time to drop the r/r from the bottom of the battery box for the relocate!

spin the gear on the final drive that connects to the wheel while you hook it up and it should go flush then!

thanks guys....back together and all seems right, wheel spins free, etc. When I get her finished up and take her for a ride I'll report back if it ain't!

Sounds like your's was normal John.

The problem comes when that spring is forgotten, cuz it popped out and rolled away....

Ride and enjoy.

Little details like that I need to update in the writeup. There is a little spring tension when you push the final drive onto the swing arm. Hopefully soon, I'll update it with the bits and pieces I've picked up from others here.
Once the bike is back together you need to put it in neutral and spin the back wheel while looking under the rubber u-bolt cover so you can see the drive shaft spinning, and also to make sure you haven't bound anything up, like Charlie had the large ring come loose and pinched it in the re-install. Things can happen... Hopefully you will report back with good news. Maybe you're still riding...:smiley_th

Anyone have way to get a new final shaft that stripped. I had to replace my final drive...$$$$. I have the old drive and wanted to fix it for a spare or sell to someone that needs it. Kawaski will not let you order just the short drive shaft that stripped.
Any thoughts? fasteddie

Is it shown here? http://partsfinder.onlinemicrofiche.com/cheapcycleparts/Kawasaki_OEM/KawasakiMC.asp?Type=13&A=570&B=22

These can be ordered individually.

BTW, in the future, if you start a new thread, you're apt to get a quicker response, and not hijack someone else's thread.

That's the wrong microfiche as I understand. If he's asking about the final drive bevel gear shaft, ordering that I believe comes as a matched pair with the final drive gear assembly. You'd be much better off watching for a parts bike and buying a used complete final drive to keep as a spare. Although, once you have a good working final drive in good shape, and you keep the splines lubed with moly 60 or better, you should never need another one. The old one you have is not much more than scrap metal that you could maybe sell to a scrap yard. I bought one, my first one, that the splines were in good shape, but I found out later that it had a bad seal and was leaking gear oil. I paid around $100 for it and the drive shaft. I found my second one that doesn't leak and paid around $80 for it. I gave the first one away to someone who was going to replace the seal and keep it for a spare. You should be able to find them for under $200 when one comes up.