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The boot exists for dirt/dust shielding. It is NOT for oil retention. You have a leaking seal at rear of transmission.
On this model, is it a dry driveshaft housing or one with gear oil in the swingarm? I lost track. If not a dry swingarm then the boot also protects against leakage of the bouncing, swirling oil.
Back to my Post #8. I don't really want to go out to the shop tonight to dig out my Airhead manuals. So, I will repeat with greater clarity:
Does a 1995 R100RT have a dry driveshaft housing?
or
Does a 1995 R100RT have a driveshaft housing that contains a specified quantity of gear oil like most of the older Airheads?
I notice from the fiche picture Kent linked to that there is a fill plug shown in the final drive where the swingarm bolts to the final drive, but fiche drawings are not the final answer.
Paul, read pose 9, it is a wet drive shaft. There are fill and drain plugs to change that oil. So, a leaking boot is most likely the fault, not the transmission seal.
Wayne
The boot exists for dirt/dust shielding. It is NOT for oil retention. You have a leaking seal at rear of transmission.
I guess the oil in the driveshaft housing that is there from the factory isn't supposed to be there?
I am "reviving" this old thread as I came across it doing a search on oil dripping off the rubber boot on my 1972 R 75/5.
I don't have any experience on this and just started looking for some advice as I had the bike on my lift and was running it to sync the carbs so it was running for awhile (with fans in front of cylinders). I had noticed previously that there was a bit of oil around the boot and on the center stand (from blow back from the boot, I presume), but this is the first time that I noticed a fair amount of dripping.... I think, because the oil was hot and I had never seen the undercarriage when the bike had ever been at those temperatures.
I am wondering if a '72 /5 model has a similar set up as the model discussed in this post, as one of the posts said this was similar on all airheads. I am hoping that it just needs a new boot, or possibly loose clamps(haven't checked that yet).
Thanks for any advice.
Under normal conditions the gear oil at the end of the drive shaft where it connects to the rear drive stays there and the boot at the swing arm pivot only has to keep dirt out and oil mist in. However, there is almost always some oil which collects in the bottom pleats of that boot over time from the oil mist. So, if you drive shaft boot is failing, then there's your leak.
I would start by cleaning the boot and then going over it with a flashlight and my fingers to see if I could find any damage, wear, or tears. Finding none, then check the hose clamp tightness. If they are very loose, then tighten and test ride. However, those clamps tend to stay put, so if they are ok then I would pull back the end attached to the transmission and look for signs of gear oil coming through the transmission vent hole (drilled into the face of the gear box cover behind the output shaft flange). You might need to rotate the drive shaft flange to see that hole. This may not be a conclusive inspection, in which case I would also check the transmission oil level. It's kind of hard to over fill, but it can get water contamination because of a failed speedometer cable boot and water can make the gear oil foam which might cause some to pass into the drive shaft housing.
Having said all that, your most likely problem is an bad drive shaft boot. Unless you have changed it or know that someone else did, then it's 50 years old and even the good German rubber of the day doesn't last forever.