ST1300 transmission shunt

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caerphilly, wales, uk
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2010 ST1300
Hi,
I;m considering buying my second ST1300, but there's a question mark in my mind about the bike.
On the first one, I'd set it up for a bend and just use a small amount of throttle to propel it around.
However on each occasion there would be a minor transmission shunt around the diff area.
At the time I found it annoying, but now I'm wondering whether it could have been caused by the throttle bodies being out of balance.
Any thoughts? Kev
 
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In my experience, virtually all bikes have some driveline lash and shafties (like the ST) tend to be somewhat worse than chain drive bikes.

It is a consequence of the stack-up of the clearances among all of the gears, splines and other gubbins in the drivetrain between the crankshaft where the torque is produced and the rear tire where it is “consumed”. I don’t know a solution - but I think it is something that the amazingly adaptable “human control system” can get used to and compensate for, given sufficient practice.

FWIW.

Pete
 
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Put your bike on the centerstand and slowly turn the rear wheel back and forth by hand and feel how much play you have in it.
You may have a U-joint that is failing.
Another thing to check is adjust your throttle cable so there is only 2-6 mm of play. You may be feeling the jerk of the FI with the throttle cable adjusted too loose.
If the U-joint is is OK, and taking the slack out of the cables help, you may want to consider ordering a G2 Throttle Tamer (search forum) this will allow you to be smoother when using your throttle in turns.
 

CruSTy

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Put your bike on the centerstand and slowly turn the rear wheel back and forth by hand and feel how much play you have in it.
You may have a U-joint that is failing.
Another thing to check is adjust your throttle cable so there is only 2-6 mm of play. You may be feeling the jerk of the FI with the throttle cable adjusted too loose.
If the U-joint is is OK, and taking the slack out of the cables help, you may want to consider ordering a G2 Throttle Tamer (search forum) this will allow you to be smoother when using your throttle in turns.
++1 on Larrys checklist. These are all good suggestions. Wont cost you anything unless you find a failed u-joint or decide to add the G-2 Throttle tamer.
 

bdalameda

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Also check the rear hub bearings, dampers and condition of the drive spline in the hub. If the hub spline has not been greased with a moly type lube the splines may be worn. I'd bet about 90% of the time that when a tire is changed at a Honda dealership or any other for that matter, the spline lube is not done.

Dan
 

DavidR8

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Also check the rear hub bearings, dampers and condition of the drive spline in the hub. If the hub spline has not been greased with a moly type lube the splines may be worn. I'd bet about 90% of the time that when a tire is changed at a Honda dealership or any other for that matter, the spline lube is not done.

Dan
Now is that Moly 60 or Moly 77?
[emoji44][emoji44][emoji44]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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Now is that Moly 60 or Moly 77?
:eek::crackup:potstir1: Way to go, just after I spent all that time at ToddC's around the fire pit :cf1::tent3::chat1::beer3: trying to mend the international relationships... :spank1:

:potstir1::potstir1::potstir1::potstir1::potstir1::potstir1::potstir1::potstir1:

Why not mention oil and air filter brands, Oil brands and weights, tires... :eek:
 
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dduelin

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The generation of computer controlled fuel injection that the ST1300 belongs to had a difficult time with smooth off-idle transitions. Combined with shaft drive the throttle can be described as snatchy or it has a shunt when the injectors begin to meter fuel into the engine as the rider picks up throttle leaving a corner. A second ST1300 isn't likely to be any different and certainly will never be described as smooth or buttery. As noted there are some things we can do to make it better but the best fix is lots of saddle time.
 
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how much play should you have when turning the rear wheel back and forth?? How do you tell if the universal needs help??
 

bdalameda

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Now is that Moly 60 or Moly 77?
[emoji44][emoji44][emoji44]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I actually believe that using the magic Honda Moly grease is not as important than just making sure the splines get lubricated with a good EP grease. I use WS2 Grease made by Lower Friction. The WS2 (Tungsten Disulfide) is a much better lubricant than moly and burnishes into the metal surface it is applied to under load. This grease is seriously tough stuff and very resistant to water and washout. See link below:

http://www.lowerfriction.com/product-page.php?categoryID=5
 

jfheath

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I found new cush rubbers helped in my old 1100. I've never felt the need in either of my 1300s.

If you bear in mind that when you slow down by closing the throttle, the wheel is going to catch up with the drive from the engine. Do it quickly and you will feel the lash. When you accelerate, the engine will begin to drive the wheel - but only after it has taken up the free play in the final drive gearing - again jerking if you do it too quickly. (This is also true of a new bike, but older bikes tend to have more 'lash'.)

This is similar to a bike with a chain which on acceleration has the slack part of the chain at the bottom, and on deceleration, the slack part is at the top. The trick is to make sure that the tight bit is at the top before any rapid acceleration.

I ride with hardly any free play in the throttle cable and I find that this helps - but this comes with a health warning. There has to be enough play to cope with changes in temperature, and there has to be enough so that the engine doesn't rev when turning the handlebars left and right. (They check for that on the MOT in the UK). So I am in the habit of feeling for the amount of play when I get on the bike.

But by far the best way of preventing it from happening is to be aware of what is happening at the rear end and decelerate slowly to allow the wheel to catch up with the drive from the engine, and to accelerate slowly enough to let the engine start to drive the wheel again, before opening the throttle.

Better still, on the twisties and particularly on tight bends, you don't want this jerkiness to happen at all, so don't let the rear wheel speed overtake the engine speed. One way of doing this is to ease off the throttle, but not allow 'engine braking' - ie keep the engine driving the rear wheel, but just not as fast as you were before. Another way is to use the brakes if you need to when you reduce the throttle input. The engine will always be driving the rear wheel and the throttle is then always read to power you through and out of the bend. It requires a bit of thinking ahead to plan where you want to be starting to accelerate - but that is no bad thing.

I always slightly roll on the throttle before a bend - not much, it is simply so that I can feel that the engine is driving the wheel rather than taking up the slack - because I want to know that the power is driving the wheel before I need it to 'balance the lean'. It also helps in making it a more comfortable ride for the pillion, who doesn't care much for bashing helmets.

I've seen a couple of riders fall off at low speeds when they didn't have the power that they expected to have. One started his manoeuvre on a slight downhill, leant in anticipation of the junction ahead, applied the power to balance the bike and fell over. Reason - he'd forgotten to put it into gear !
The other was a too rapid application of power. The take-up of the lash made the bike jerk and this initiated the kangaroo start that many of us will have experienced when first learning to drive a car. He braked to stop it, with the bike a tad away from upright, and couldn't catch the bike as it toppled over.
Always a good idea to make sure that the engine is driving the rear wheel before you need it, I find.

None of which takes away from Larry's comment about the universal joint.
 
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