There is a Website for my low miles '84 Yamaha Venture called "VentureRider.org" One of the recommendations was to remove the rear wheel, then grease the drive shaft splines and rear suspension joints. Sounds easy enough except...
The seat, saddlebags, trunk, rear fender and mufflers all have to come off first. The tire only comes off if the rear brakes are removed too. Never done it on this bike and of course since it's 24 years old many of the bolts are very hard to turn out. Age, rust, corrusion, thread locker and poor prior assembly, work against me.
I tried greasing six posts that make the rear wheel turn but would not come out even with my largest pry bar, 2' long. Forget it. And 2 of 4 small screws had to be unscrewed with vise grips, ruining them. I didn't have any spares so they had to be reused.
The drive shaft would only come out with large pliers instead of with fingers. This did need grease bad on one end, the other had so much grease I used it on the dry end. 1/2 hour to get it back in. Could not get splines lined up.
When the mufflers came off, 2 bolts were so rusty they almost stripped and broke off. Had to replace them.
Taking the suspension apart. 1st 2 bolts came out easy. 3rd had to be pushed out with a punch. 4th one was behind the exhaust pipes. Exhaust Pipes would have to be taken off to get bolt out. That would require 2-4 hours work and buying more parts. NO WAY!
I got out the hand oil pump and tried to get as much oil as possible on the joints, hoping it soaks in.
Put 3rd bolt back in and when I tightened down on it, the suspension would not move. So I took it out, drilled a small hole in the head and safety wired it. That and thread locker should hold it, but not tight. So the suspension will turn.
Cleaned the mufflers, put grease on every bolt and screw so they will come out in the next 24 year cycle. New muffler bolts now have anti-seize on them so they might come off later.
Put grease on the wheel splines and it would not go on far enough, take it off, shift transmission in gear so splines don't move and finally get wheel on far enough to reinstall the brakes. I've got so much grease on the caliper by now I have to use Lacquer thinner to clean it.
Reinstall rear fender and the plastic has a crack in them, repaired with crazy glue. The extra brake light I installed a month ago is in the way, of course.
2 brackets for holding the saddle bags on need to be bent so they line up.
Put the seat and trunk back on, then neither saddlebag will go on. The 2 brackets are now in the wrong place by less than a 1/4"
Take seat back off. Try to figure out why they saddlebags won't go on. "CUSSING is now permitted". I have to bend a different locking bracket and remove a washer off each bag. Takes over an hour. Reinstall seat, saddlebags install much better now.
Put tools away. What should have been 2 hours, takes "5" But it's done "FOREVER" as far as I'm concerned. Never did this on my 100,000 mile Suzuki, and it's only 17 years old!
The space shuttle has nothing to do with my bike other than they couldn't possibly have as many problems as I did today! Ya right!
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