I Hate Shaft Drive!!!

[Dirtcrasher]

They are bulletproof. Between my brothers owning it and me, I'd bet my Foreman that there are close to 95,000 miles on the sx. My friend has it now and doesn't ride it as much as I did.

You just made me laugh my ass off, Thank You!!

[PowerTrike]

95k! sure about that? personally i like shaft drive/but replacing is a pain in the ar$e WHEN you have to do it (if ya beat on it or just bent an axle like me)

[als250]

@ATCcrazy-95,000 coool, means I got 90,000+++ left on mine!lol @bbechtel16-As for the shaft drive, it's not that bad. Buy a Clymers manual (a must for me).When I got my '85sx, the rubber boot covering the u-joint was torn allowing water into final drive.Had to pull entire swingarm to change.Went smooth and I got to check bearings and gears while I had everything apart. Got to learn alot about my trike! @Dirtcrasher-As for suspension, (guess it wasn't made for jumping)but hell it's fast enough and tough enough, why not? I don't get "big air" but I still like to jump , so i've put a 200x frt. end on it (better rebound, seems to be lighter, wheelies easier, and I like the hydraulic frt. brake,looks cool too!) and have just now purchased a 350x shock, off e-bay, for the back!!! Not even sure if it will fit :? ,but with a welder, torch, grinder and a little imagination it might work @Powertrike-bent you're axle? BIG AIR or what, those axles are pretty well protected, where did it bend and how ? Just curious,so I don't do the same thing(or maybe something I can do to beef mine up?) Thanks

well, that's about my .04 worth :arrow: :Beerchug


Al

[als250]

thought I'd add some pics!

Al

[jeswinehart]

nice pics als250 ! badlands was a great trip, i never noticed your front end conversion. clean swap, nice.

having had to pull my es motor a couple of times i found the shaft drive to be a real pain in the butt to dis-engage + re-engage. i thought it would be easier to drop the rear end after i got motor back in, put shaft on and then rear end. i just kept fighting it the way clymers manual said too and finnaly got it. not as easy as the book say's it to be.

other then that i don't have any troubles with my shaft drive on big red or the sx i used to have.
thanks als250,,, now i am missing the sx i sold,,, had a blast on it !

john

[Dirtcrasher]

NICE PICS! Funny but I too have a bent rear end on my SX and I got it that way. I tore it down when I bought it to grease and check everything, when I popped off the drive side hub with the bearings the axle was not centered? When I reinstalled it, the bearings were forcing the axle to go where it didn't want to, so I shimmed that hub with spacers with three spacers on one bolt and 1.5 spacers on the adjacent bolts thus cocking it to mate the axle. It slid together very well and has lasted 4 yrs. , I assume the swingarm itself got tweaked when a tire hit a tree or something. Now a word on shaft drives - if the gears are set correctly and the fluid is changed and kept full and no water enters the system, they will last a hell of a long time. My splines are dying in the axle to the ring gear hub area. Ever take something apart that presses or splines together and there's rust under it? Well make sure you put some good waterproof grease under that area to prevent it from happening again. I have something called Moly Paste I use it on all spline set ups, it is like tar and never displaces. One dot on your elbow and you will contaminate your entire vehicle and clothing! It is also called Open Gear Compound and adds years to assemblies. It creates a barrier preventing metal to metal contact and laughs at water.
You guys gotta understand that if you don't take it apart maintain it and inspect it, you WILL have a failure. I don't care if its the dam rear brake pedal, if it gets muddy clean it and grease it as soon as you can.

[Dirtcrasher]

@ATCcrazy-95,000 coool, means I got 90,000+++ left on mine!lol @bbechtel16-As for the shaft drive, it's not that bad. Buy a Clymers manual (a must for me).When I got my '85sx, the rubber boot covering the u-joint was torn allowing water into final drive.Had to pull entire swingarm to change.Went smooth and I got to check bearings and gears while I had everything apart. Got to learn alot about my trike! @Dirtcrasher-As for suspension, (guess it wasn't made for jumping)but hell it's fast enough and tough enough, why not? I don't get "big air" but I still like to jump , so i've put a 200x frt. end on it (better rebound, seems to be lighter, wheelies easier, and I like the hydraulic frt. brake,looks cool too!) and have just now purchased a 350x shock, off e-bay, for the back!!! Not even sure if it will fit :? ,but with a welder, torch, grinder and a little imagination it might work @Powertrike-bent you're axle? BIG AIR or what, those axles are pretty well protected, where did it bend and how ? Just curious,so I don't do the same thing(or maybe something I can do to beef mine up?) Thanks

well, that's about my .04 worth :arrow: :Beerchug

Nope the shocks not gonna fit BUT you have the right idea! I don't know how much trave the 350X has. I too wanted better rear suspension for the SX I got an 200X shock made a new lower mount and ground away material on the top mount for the nitrogen hose. Also had to move the battery back with brackets I machined one inch. Now learn from my mistakes - first off just to look at a 200X shock it seems to have like no travel I need to find a linkless shock witk some travel. Hmmm son of a trailprotrailprotrailprotrailprotrailpro! my Blaster shock looks like it would work! Coincedentally I bought one yesterday on ebay for 18$!! This time I will mount it more on the same angle as the Blaster. I'm gonna try and duplicate the same points as if it were one big triangle as the Blaster has. This is the weak point of my SX so I have to come up with something. Bear in mind that the battery box has a lot of room back there and can be moved back and up alot. And don't make it too high when your done or you'll overextend the driveshafts proper running angles. I'll keep ya posted and try to send pics as I do this. Oh for the record the 200x setup sucked it just had no travel and I didn't try to duplicate distances and angles, I just wanted it on there!!
Al