C6H12O6
SILVER Star
In the middle of repacking the front end for the first time in my five year ownership (25K miles). I think I've heard a very faint click a couple times when locked up in low, but never driving around town. Pulled the birfs to clean and repack and there is probably 1/4" of wiggle before the balls even move. By this, I mean you can lay the inner axle and birf flat on the bench and you can move the outer shaft back and forth about 1/4" (maybe a bit more) before the balls move at all. In addition, you can push/pull the inner and the outer together/apart, when in the sloppiest position. It's just plain loose.
I've spent hours reading old threads on wear, and everybody seems to use clicking as the only assessment of whether or not to replace the birf. Would this kind of play also be cause for alarm? As you flex the joint from one extreme to the other, 180°, the joint is nice and snug, then completely sloppy in the middle, then snug again. The grooves in the bell and in the star inside the cage don't look all that horrific. I'll post pics in the morning.
Seems to me (and my local go-to cruiserhead, CreeperSleeper) that it's time to turn these into trail spares.
I've spent hours reading old threads on wear, and everybody seems to use clicking as the only assessment of whether or not to replace the birf. Would this kind of play also be cause for alarm? As you flex the joint from one extreme to the other, 180°, the joint is nice and snug, then completely sloppy in the middle, then snug again. The grooves in the bell and in the star inside the cage don't look all that horrific. I'll post pics in the morning.
Seems to me (and my local go-to cruiserhead, CreeperSleeper) that it's time to turn these into trail spares.