Front Axle Nut

Flashmonkey · May 9th, 2009, 09:10 AM

Ahhh yes....tires....god bless them. Anyway, I have attempted and seemingly succeeded in changing the front tire on my ninja....with only one tire lever no less.

My question is: how much am I supposed to tighten that front axle nut (the one with the cotter pin in it)? I tried tightening it to a reasonable amount, but that made the front wheel hard to spin. Ninja250.org says that this may be attributed to the speedo drive not being aligned properly with the nubs on the fork, but I quickly double checked just now and I seemed to have gotten that part right.

Right now the nut is on, but its pretty loose. I've put the cotter pin in but I have reservations about how loose that nut is. The torque values for that nut are supposedly 88 N-m....there's no way that nut is anywhere near that value right now. Help?

komohana · May 9th, 2009, 12:41 PM

james, just did my front tire couple of weeks ago...torque calls for 88 N-m just like you said. (i have an 03)
i'd suggest removing and replacing the wheel on the forks from scratch.
(yeah, do it again...) JUST to make sure, then try specific torque.
i was taught to tighten to torque then back off to align to nearest cotter pin hole.
good luck.

Flashmonkey · May 9th, 2009, 02:17 PM

Hey Steve. Yea there was a lull in the storm here (it was pouring pretty hard all morning) and I managed to sneak outside and redo the whole thing. Turns out that the speedo gear wasn't fully aligned with the teeth on the wheel....close but no cigar. This is what I get for working at night with no flashlights

Thanks for responding! And thanks Kelly for the PM.

kkim · May 9th, 2009, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flashmonkey

This is what I get for working at night with no flashlights

lol... for you SO's sake, please have sex with the lights on!

Flashmonkey · May 9th, 2009, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kkim

lol... for you SO's sake, please have sex with the lights on!

Ya but what do I do about the blindfold?

komohana · May 9th, 2009, 09:32 PM

right on

kkim · May 9th, 2009, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flashmonkey

Ya but what do I do about the blindfold?

Definitely take it off when you work on the bike.

May 9th, 2009, 09:10 AM	#1
Flashmonkey Professional belly dancer Name: James Location: Toronto Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): 1992 GSX-R 750 Posts: A lot.	Front Axle Nut Ahhh yes....tires....god bless them. Anyway, I have attempted and seemingly succeeded in changing the front tire on my ninja....with only one tire lever no less. My question is: how much am I supposed to tighten that front axle nut (the one with the cotter pin in it)? I tried tightening it to a reasonable amount, but that made the front wheel hard to spin. Ninja250.org says that this may be attributed to the speedo drive not being aligned properly with the nubs on the fork, but I quickly double checked just now and I seemed to have gotten that part right. Right now the nut is on, but its pretty loose. I've put the cotter pin in but I have reservations about how loose that nut is. The torque values for that nut are supposedly 88 N-m....there's no way that nut is anywhere near that value right now. Help?

May 9th, 2009, 12:41 PM	#2
komohana ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Steve Location: Kekaha, Kauai HI Join Date: Jan 2009 Motorcycle(s): 05 GSX-R 600 2003 EX250: Woodcraft Bars, Levers, Mirrors, Shim'd Mixture, Synthetic, '08 Rear Shock Posts: A lot.	james, just did my front tire couple of weeks ago...torque calls for 88 N-m just like you said. (i have an 03) i'd suggest removing and replacing the wheel on the forks from scratch. (yeah, do it again...) JUST to make sure, then try specific torque. i was taught to tighten to torque then back off to align to nearest cotter pin hole. good luck. __________________________________________________ Remember when sex was safe and motorcycles were dangerous?

May 9th, 2009, 09:32 PM	#6
komohana ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Steve Location: Kekaha, Kauai HI Join Date: Jan 2009 Motorcycle(s): 05 GSX-R 600 2003 EX250: Woodcraft Bars, Levers, Mirrors, Shim'd Mixture, Synthetic, '08 Rear Shock Posts: A lot.	right on __________________________________________________ Remember when sex was safe and motorcycles were dangerous?

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May 9th, 2009, 02:17 PM	#3
Flashmonkey Professional belly dancer Name: James Location: Toronto Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): 1992 GSX-R 750 Posts: A lot.	Hey Steve. Yea there was a lull in the storm here (it was pouring pretty hard all morning) and I managed to sneak outside and redo the whole thing. Turns out that the speedo gear wasn't fully aligned with the teeth on the wheel....close but no cigar. This is what I get for working at night with no flashlights Thanks for responding! And thanks Kelly for the PM.