axil nut
- Thread starter smac
- Start date
Everything should be in your tool bag. Any auto parts store 
HillbillyTom
Donating Member
36mm.. "search" button is your friend..
I got the socket for my Gen 1 at Auto Zone. Think it was $18.
I got the socket for my Gen 1 at Auto Zone. Think it was $18.
HillbillyTom
Donating Member
If you don't loosen the axle nut, how are you going to move the axle back with the adjusters?
blownws6
Registered
I have never loosened the axle nut, and have never had an issue. the axle nut is just that. the studs is what keeps tension on the chain.
MR X
Donating Member
blownws6
Registered
You have to loosen axle nut before you adjust chain with the bolts
10-4, I stand corrected. I will start doing that from now on. thanks, Brian. just goes to show, your never to old to learn.
busa1300nut
Registered
You have to loosen axle nut before you adjust chain with the bolts
Yep! Your not going to adjust the chain without lossening the axle nut, if you can, your axle is wayyyyyyyy to lose! ???
Postal
Donating Member
You have to loosen axle nut before you adjust chain with the bolts
+1....
Loosen your axle nut before each chain adjustment, it will save you heartaches down the road.
I suspect your axle nut is not torqued properly? If you give the nut a proper 72.5 foot pounds I think you stand a very good chance of stripping the aluminum threads on your slack adjusters trying to force the axle back.
If you are going to do it yourself, take the time to do it correctly!
HillbillyTom
Donating Member
don't take it like I was trying to be a smart a$$, because I was'nt.
That's quite alright. Just I, like others, fear your axle isn't tight enough. When it's torqued to 72.5 lb ft there's no way you can move it with those adjuster bolts. Get a torque wrench and check it NOW, you may be riding a wreck waiting to happen.
CCbusa05
Donating Member
Yup.............I was just thinking that same thing. Torque the axle nut to 72.5 #/ft.
You must have a different model Busa...ALL of our's use a 36 mm axle
nut that has to be loosened before we adjust our chains...then we
torque that nut to 72.5 ft lbs when we have the proper amount
of slack ".8-1.2"
+1 to all that realize you need to loosen the axle nut.
Here's taking it one step further:
1) loosen the axle nut to the point that you can feel slack in the axle.
2) Take a ft./lbs. torque wrench, and torque the axle to 10 ft. lbs.
3) Confirm that there is no longer any appreciable slack in the axle.
4) Proceed with adjusting your chain, as prescribed in the owners and/or service manuals.
5) ALWAYS take the time to go back and re-check your chain for proper free play, and alignment!
Why apply a clamping force to the axle? Simple: If you leave the axle too slack while adjusting, when you torque down the axle nut upon completion, you will more often than not find that your "perfect" adjustment is no longer perfect. Keeping the sides of the swingarm in parallel will help you keep your wheel and chain aligned more accurately, and will make your job easier in the long run.
I would also suggest removing the axle completely, and applying a light coating of anti-seize to the entire length of the axle, less the threaded shoulder. This will help keep your spacers and adjuster blocks, and even bearings from potentially freezing to the axle through spalling, or galvanic corrosion.
It also helps to give a quick shot of penetrating oil to the inside face of the adjusting blocks, where they rest against the swingarm. That will also aid in making the job easier in the long run.
blowns6: Don't worry about being off. Nobody ever stops learning. I had an experience in the mid 90's where there was an error in a Harley-Davidson service manual for Softail models, that lead to many heated debates. I can not begin to tell you how many people had fits when we (techs) would try and show DIY owners the correct way to adjust their belt tension! The error in the manual was that it omitted the step where you needed to loosen the axle, before adjusting the belt tension! We kept finding stripped axle adjuster bolts, and mauled frame spacers. Lots of fun
Here's taking it one step further:
1) loosen the axle nut to the point that you can feel slack in the axle.
2) Take a ft./lbs. torque wrench, and torque the axle to 10 ft. lbs.
3) Confirm that there is no longer any appreciable slack in the axle.
4) Proceed with adjusting your chain, as prescribed in the owners and/or service manuals.
5) ALWAYS take the time to go back and re-check your chain for proper free play, and alignment!
Why apply a clamping force to the axle? Simple: If you leave the axle too slack while adjusting, when you torque down the axle nut upon completion, you will more often than not find that your "perfect" adjustment is no longer perfect. Keeping the sides of the swingarm in parallel will help you keep your wheel and chain aligned more accurately, and will make your job easier in the long run.
I would also suggest removing the axle completely, and applying a light coating of anti-seize to the entire length of the axle, less the threaded shoulder. This will help keep your spacers and adjuster blocks, and even bearings from potentially freezing to the axle through spalling, or galvanic corrosion.
It also helps to give a quick shot of penetrating oil to the inside face of the adjusting blocks, where they rest against the swingarm. That will also aid in making the job easier in the long run.
blowns6: Don't worry about being off. Nobody ever stops learning. I had an experience in the mid 90's where there was an error in a Harley-Davidson service manual for Softail models, that lead to many heated debates. I can not begin to tell you how many people had fits when we (techs) would try and show DIY owners the correct way to adjust their belt tension! The error in the manual was that it omitted the step where you needed to loosen the axle, before adjusting the belt tension! We kept finding stripped axle adjuster bolts, and mauled frame spacers. Lots of fun
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