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Help! Rear axle nut -Aw, Son-of-...

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Discussion starter · #21 ·
On the day following...

Harbor Freight's shelves were empty of inpact wrenches, except for display samples, but there was bustling staff activity at the back of the store, and fresh boxes coming out. A gentleman looked up the SKU on his computer, and found that there was a big re-up of electric impact wrenches among the pallets being unloaded and unpacked as we spoke. He popped a carton, yanked one out, and all was well again. $59, big yellow sucka.



Forgot my list, but did remember about circlip pliers, shop rags, and a better funnel. The sun came full out as I left the store.



Why the axle nut wouldn't come off - The new wrench struggled a moment and then spun the nut right off. The brief struggle was mighty, though, and the corners of the nut showed it.



Examined, the end of the axle had loctite all along the threads and well-spread on the female threads of the nut, but at the distal end, there were two 'tabs' on opposite side at the very top of the thread; like they were "interrupted threads", but shortend to the width of a metal tab.



They must have been intended to crush down and crimp the end of the axle threads when an impact wrench was used to spin it on under power. They weren't gonna just back-off from vibration. Fer sher.



Pulled the axle out, disconnected the brake linkage, pulled out the brake assembly, and dropped the tire down. Handy circlip pliers popped off the clip, out came the sprocket; in went the new 34T, and it all went back together again finger tight. Draped the chain, spun the wheel, and fed it through. The master link was snapped back together, and I moved to tightening everything down.



Ah. The chain of course, because a 14T/42T set was replaced by 17T/34T, was way too long. I backed out the adjusting nuts on each side to the limit, made sure the axle was loose enough, and tapped it rearward with the nylon faced mallet to take up the chain slack. Then I cranked down the adjusters. And cranked and cranked. The belly drew of out of the chain. The adjusters were now maxed out and the chain sag was still too great - the damned chain's too long now. As it would be, with the fewer number of teeth on the rear sprocket.



Aw, Good God in the Foothills...



Maybe another 3/4" inch of adjustment should tighten the chain properly - should the adjusting nuts be shimmed out with more washers? Do I have to cut some links out?



Slow raindrops began to tap on the edge of the tarp.



I moved around to spin the wheel a little just to see how the chain ran, at least, and I couldn't help but notice that the wheel wouldn't turn. It wouldn't turn because I had somehow locked the rear brakes. Solidly. Like a boulder, even.



Well, Fawkety-fawk McFawkerson...!



The rain began to fall steadily.



The much-maligned, much-celebrated Robert Pirsig, his book, the be-sneered and prais'ed Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, came to mind; his riding buddy, throwing up his hands at the slightest glitch in his expensive BMW bike...



Time to call it a day. No point in whacking my hand with a hammer out of vexation, is there? Gather up and dry the tools, and move them inside; throw the tarp back over the bike. Rain falls.



Tonight, pot roast, potatoes , and carrots. Tomorrow I will take it all apart again; I will look at it for a whlie, and then begin to put it all back together.



M'Lords, can links be cut from a chain with a Dremel?
 
#25 ·
ya can even use a chain breaker to put the chain ya just broke back together....depending on the one ya get....see sportbikes do not use a master link...sumn about having 150+ hp tends to f'up master links I guess
 
Discussion starter · #26 ·
arlindsay1992 said:
I use a Dremel. Never failed. As for the locked wheel, did you back off the adjustment for the rear brake? If not it's set for the wheel position and if you moved it back a lot, the brakes would engage sooner, or always.
Click to expand...


I think I backed it off before proceeding, but Lord knows what I really did, arlindsay. The adjusters are coming off completely tomorrow, and also the brake linkage. Ah'm own try & set the proper chain tension & wheel position before anything elses, determining on the way if the chain really needs to be shortened (it sure looks like it, though).



Never having done this or anything like it before, I lack a mental picture of what should be, and am a very slow study. Don't mind if it takes me many disassemblies/assemblies to grasp it...I got time...:dunce:
 
Discussion starter · #27 ·
doopsx3 said:
ya can even use a chain breaker to put the chain ya just broke back together....depending on the one ya get....see sportbikes do not use a master link...sumn about having 150+ hp tends to f'up master links I guess
Click to expand...


Seeing how easily the master link came apart, I don't think I'd use it with 150HP, either
 
Discussion starter · #32 ·
The Plan for Today...

Strange Yellow Ball in a Blue Sky This Morning...



So. What have I learned?



From arlindsay1992, that I must have failed to back-off the rear brake adjuster before moving the wheel backwards, thereby locking the brakes up;



From doopsx3, a reminder that there is a tool called a chain breaker. Google shows that Harbor Freight - 20 miles away, and where I was yesterday - carries it, and Google also points me at an illustration in its use. I'll see if the Parts counter at the bike shop around the corner has one.



Plan for today - Because the rear wheel adjusters are pegged at the rearward limits of travel and the chain is still too long, some links will have to be removed to achieve the proper chain length.



So, I'm thinking to first disconnect the rear brake linkage again, loosen the axle nuts and wheel adjusters, and move the rear wheel forward to about midway in its adjustment slot. Then when links are removed and the chain is resized, that will allow for rearward adjustment as needed in future. Should have to take out only two links...



Question: will the rear brakes free up when the linkage is disconnected and the adjuster is backed off? Or what?



That's the Plan. Does it sound right?



Nothing like solo ignorant wrench-turning to larn ye in the basics...
 
Discussion starter · #34 ·
Well, they got it on their website, doops, but you're right - they probably don't carry it in the stores...I ain't driving back to find out...if the bike shop don't have it, I'll just beg or bribe the mechanic to re-size the chain for me...



Hmm...since this is this only chain-driven bike I have, maybe that would be a better idea than buying a tool I'll use only a couple times in my life...
 
#36 ·
If you can't find a chain breaker locally, take your chain to the nearest motorcycle shop and have them take out the length needed for you. It will take 2 minutes.



For the normal person, this may not be the logical way of doing things, but for you, it may very well save you another trip to the ER, saving your insurance company thousands of dollars.
 
#37 ·
Just buy a Dremel tool rotory looky like at Harbor freight. Get some fiber backed cut off disc's for it and cut your chain at home. Even a bench grinder will work fine.



You can use the rotory tool later on to cut your stiches out.
 
Discussion starter · #38 ·
Lol!

Z, Dude! "...for a normal person..."? A cold, cold shot, My Man; where's the love? :D You must have been talking with my family - true, I make it a point never to do a project without a minor injury..



dsrt4 - I have three Dremels on hand (I do black powder gunsmithsmithing), and since I was called "Doc" when I was in the service, I usually take out my own stitches, although not with a rotary tool. I use my teeth...



I really cannot believe how quickly and simply this whole thing went back together - and correctly, too, which is always a bonus. I was thinking along Z's lines, so I went into the Service Dept. at the shop around the corner and looked for a mechanic on a smoke break. Ten bucks changed hands, & I walked out with a chain two links shorter. Was home five minutes later.



In half an hour, it was done and I was running around the side streets in stealth mode (no tag yet). Mama Mia, What a difference 17/34T makes!! Smooth, and doesn't end up over-revved - no longer strains against that 42 teeth; wish I had a tach on it. Riding and shifting are a sheer pleasure, just a joy.



Now to get some street rubber...



Thanks to all who have encouraged and offered suggestions and advice - properly geared, this thing is da true nutz, and it is always fun to pick up a little experience and knowledge, knowing that expertise is just a keyboard away.



With best regards,

rhm
 
Discussion starter · #39 ·
Another "First"...

today, and an important one, too.



Untarpped the clone (this is strictly an outside dog). Took off the OEM meeep! horn, put on an eBay Stebel that's been waiting for a home, and went on a side-street stealth ride to continue shakedown (USPS tracking shows the MSO will be delivered tomorrow - then DMV for tags).



A real nice and smooth shifter, up and down, and the 17/34T setup is soooo nice on the street. Folldable handlebars are like everybodys else's - a tad wiggly - and I'm going to crush down some brass shim stock in there to take out the slack (I'm using old large-bore rifle casings split lengthwise). Brake pedal travel a bit long for my foot still...choke lever behaving itself, and not auto-retracting today...



Couple ugly surprises: re-sprocket notwithstanding, it will still wheelie and dump my butt if riding position is not well forward. That has gotten me thinking about a swingarm extension to move the CG back slightly, and I've seen some cool setups here. Will have to wait until next quarter, however, lest Mme Redhand's ire be further aroused, what with the new CT clone, new windscreen for the PS250, and new performance pipe for the GTS, all in the last month...plus I'm a-lusting for the same 120/90-10s that Mangyrat is running.



And today's 'first'? Why, the traditonal branding of the back of the hand and forearm on the header pipe, of course. Pulled through the gate, up to the buried tie-down pipe, and looked around for a better way to drape the Krypto lock and chain through the bike. Back of the hand wasn't so bad because the dressing over last week's stitches took most of the contact, but that forearm sizzled like a patty on a griddle. Nice two-inch header pipe hickey...
 
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