Posted May 22, 20241 yr Hello, I tried doing a search on the forum for hub dampers and nothing shows up so I am starting this thread. I have taken off my rear wheel to replace the tire and since I have it off I figured I'd check the various bits and bobs back there. The service manual says to check the hub dampers for wear and damage. I see no damage and I am not quite sure what wear should look like. There is no mention of any tolerance. In the pic below you can see a slight curvature on the larger rubber wedge. I am not sure if the original had a straight edge. When i put the sprocket on I have to push it on really hard so it seems to be a tight fit. I appreciate any help with this. Thanks Mark
May 23, 20241 yr Community Expert I don't think it's anything to worry about, I've never heard of those wearing out. I have 2 rear wheels for my bike, one with a sport tire the other with a touring tire, I remove and replace the sprocket carrier and dampers several times a year to swap between rims and after 80,000 miles I haven't noticed any difference. ***2015 Candy Red FJ-09***
May 23, 20241 yr It’s mostly inspecting the cush rubbers for cracking and hardening/perishing from age. More of a problem with old bikes, e.g. 15 years or older.
May 23, 20241 yr Author 10 hours ago, betoney said: I don't think it's anything to worry about, I've never heard of those wearing out. I have 2 rear wheels for my bike, one with a sport tire the other with a touring tire, I remove and replace the sprocket carrier and dampers several times a year to swap between rims and after 80,000 miles I haven't noticed any difference. Thanks, That's reassuring to know. I have just about 18k kms on
May 23, 20241 yr Author 8 hours ago, someguy said: It’s mostly inspecting the cush rubbers for cracking and hardening/perishing from age. More of a problem with old bikes, e.g. 15 years or older. Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.
May 23, 20241 yr Community Expert If they start to disintegrate and get powdery or resist your thumbnail... Clean and treat them when out with a viynl rubber protectant They do go through hundreds of heat and thousands of pressure cycles...
May 23, 20241 yr 19 hours ago, betoney said: I don't think it's anything to worry about, I've never heard of those wearing out. ... Ehhhhhh, these wear out ALL the time on lesser motorcycles. Maybe they don't wear out as fast on the FJ/Tracer line for some reason. On V-Stroms and KLR650s, for example, shimming and replacement is a pretty regular chore. At anywhere from 20,000 to 40,000 miles they usually start to get sloppy. In any case, the OP is fine; the usual "standard" is that if the sprocket carrier doesn't fall out if you hold the wheel left side down, you're good. It's supposed to be a pretty tight fit. I usually use a little tire mounting lube to make it easier to re-install. Don't lose the spacer... If they're getting loose, then you can shim with small rectangles of inner tube to get them tight again for a while. Start with one rectangle for each rubber, between the rubber and one side of the carrier fin. Progress to another rectangle on the other side of the fin, and at that point it's best to order up a new set. Red 2015 FJ-09, among other things. Co-Host of The Riding Obsession, a Sport-Touring Motorcycling Podcast
May 23, 20241 yr 22 hours ago, MarksT9GT said: Hello, I tried doing a search on the forum for hub dampers and nothing shows up so I am starting this thread. I have taken off my rear wheel to replace the tire and since I have it off I figured I'd check the various bits and bobs back there. The service manual says to check the hub dampers for wear and damage. I see no damage and I am not quite sure what wear should look like. There is no mention of any tolerance. In the pic below you can see a slight curvature on the larger rubber wedge. I am not sure if the original had a straight edge. When i put the sprocket on I have to push it on really hard so it seems to be a tight fit. I appreciate any help with this. Thanks Mark You’ll be hard pressed to find a spec anywhere. But the usual test that I use, is to grasp the rear sprocket and chain with the bike in neutral, on the sidestand while everything is still together, and attempt to rotate the rear wheel by turning the sprocket. Note, you should probably strap the front brake or have someone hold it so the bike doesn’t go off the sidestand (I usually do this in a bench with the wheel chocked) If there’s any amount of rotation back there as you attempt to turn the wheel CW and CCW the dampers are worn. Believe me, it’ll be pretty obvious. As others have mentioned you can do a visual inspection but the only visual to look for IMHO - if the rubber part which connects the 2 pieces of the damper together - is torn, then replace them all as a set. -skip
May 23, 20241 yr Community Expert I thought I was the only one being cheap when I use inner tube shims on the damper rubbers Skip - How do account for the slop in back from the trany and chain when trying to rotate the wheel?
May 25, 20241 yr Author Thanks to all you folks who replied to this. Much appreciated. Lots of good info. Cheers
May 25, 20241 yr Author Quote On 5/23/2024 at 7:39 PM, someguy said: Revzilla video - Cush drives Thanks, someguy, this captured it all nicely. I had searched YT but didnt know it was called a Cush drive. I learn something new everyday 😄
May 27, 20241 yr On 5/23/2024 at 3:45 PM, 2and3cylinders said: I thought I was the only one being cheap when I use inner tube shims on the damper rubbers Skip - How do account for the slop in back from the trany and chain when trying to rotate the wheel? Yeah 2and3. That’s cheap. 🤣 If the rear wheel is on the ground, then any “slop “ that you feel is In the dampers-rear hub assembly. The chain movement on the sprockets is negligible, and easy to isolate from the damper movement, IMHO. next time I run across a worn 390 I’ll video it for you. Those things are junk after 10k km…. -Skip
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