Rear axle nut wrench

[brad27]

Hi everyone, what rear axle nut wrench do you take when you travel on your bike? I know i will have to adjust the chain at some point.

This time i dont really want to bring my breaker bar and long 27mm socket. It’s too heavy, and a 1/2 ratchet has not enough leverage. 

Thanks!

Edited June 1, 2022 by brad27

[sirepair]

I bought a 27mm combo wrench at Harbor Freight and cut the open end off. Fits nicely in my tool roll, that fits into my custom under-tail storage box with the multimeter, Stop-n-Go compressor and patch kit.

[fddriver2]

I used a telescoping lug wrench for years. But honestly over the last few years I don't bring anything. I make sure to adjust it before the trip. I keep an eye on it and usually over the course of my average long trip ~1,500 miles it does fine. If I was to do something epic I would still tote it around. YMMV

This

Hazet 772 Telescopic Wheel Nut Breaker Bar, 1/2" Drive 4000896030897 | eBay

 

I didn't pay that much for mine

[whisperquiet]

A Tenere 700 rear/front off-set axle wrench from Raid works on the Tracer as I own both bikes.

https://www.rally-raidproducts.co.uk/yamaha-t7-tenere-spanner

[johnmark101]

As posted previously, setting chain slack is a good part of a pre flight check list for any long trip.  I run mine at or near the loose end of standard and after a trip of several days find that it has not changed.  However I have replaced the poor quality OEM chain with a D.I.D ZVM-X, which is a very good chain. If you want you can set your chain to the tight side of standard and if it loosens up a little over a few days of riding you should be okay.

I believe the owners manual recommends 35 to 45 millimeters of slack measured halfway between the front and rear sprockets.

Edited June 2, 2022 by johnmark101

[micah2074]

Part of my yearly ritual before I head out on a 6k+mile, 2week odyssey. I clean, lube, and adjust the chain. Out of more than a dozen cross country trips the only time I’ve ever adjusted the chain on a trip is the one time I didn’t check it before leaving. Stopped in an Orielley auto parts in the middle of nowhere Montana. They loaned me a wrench. 

[KrustyKush]

Well, I just returned yesterday from a 1900 mile week-long ride from SoCal to Albuquerque and back.  I don't carry many tools, just a small handful of things, certainly nothing so large and heavy as a 32mm socket and breaker bar!  Let alone a torque wrench. Chain adjustment shouldn't be part of a trip of only a couple thousand miles.  If the chain is in good shape, is at the young end of its expected life, has no tight links or damaged o-rings and has been kept well-oiled, it should need nothing on the trip apart from regular oiling.

On my trip, I passed through the hot California desert twice, encountering temps between 50f and 106f.  I rode through dust storms.  The wind howled from beginning to end.  I oiled the chain every 100 to 200 miles, by hand, and kept an eye on tension.  The chain tension at the end of my trip was exactly what it was on day of departure. This is with the original oem chain and the bike now at 7500 miles.

[betoney]

2 hours ago, johnmark101 said:

As posted previously, setting chain slack is a good part of a pre flight check list for any long trip.  I run mine at or near the loose end of standard and after a trip of several days find that it has not changed.  However I have replaced the poor quality OEM chain with a D.I.D ZVM-X, which is a very good chain. If you want you can set your chain to the tight side of standard and if it loosens up a little over a few days of riding you should be okay.

I believe the owners manual recommends 35 to 45 millimeters of slack measured halfway between the front and rear sprockets.

 

35 minutes ago, micah2074 said:

Part of my yearly ritual before I head out on a 6k+mile, 2week odyssey. I clean, lube, and adjust the chain. Out of more than a dozen cross country trips the only time I’ve ever adjusted the chain on a trip is the one time I didn’t check it before leaving. Stopped in an Orielley auto parts in the middle of nowhere Montana. They loaned me a wrench. 

Agreed, if you make sure your chain is in spec before a trip then you shouldn't need to mess with it, except spraying it with lube if you choose. 

I have a tool wrap that I keep with me on every ride but have never had to use it on my bike, though I have loaned tools to other riders.

[OZVFR]

^ agree, I changed my chain to a heavy duty DID, adjusted it after 1500km, have done another 5000km since and still doesn't need any adjusting.

I carry a fair bit of weight on trips, and wring it's neck often.

Edited June 3, 2022 by OZVFR

[petshark]

+1 
good quality DID chain was adjusted twice after install and it hasn't stretched since (about 10000 km). The downside of this is that I don't check it anymore. It's been a few months now so thanks for the reminder.

[whisperquiet]

One can also carry a compact 27mm 3/8” drive socket and short breaker bar or 3/8” drive rachet.  This socket is only 1 1/4” tall.

[johnmark101]

One more comment regarding the D.I.D ZVX-M chain.  I installed one on my tuned 2013 Ninja 1000 which makes much more torque and horsepower than my Tracer and should wear out a chain more quickly.  It now has 16,000 miles of wear and I cannot recall the last time I needed to adjust the slack, and the chain still look and performs like new.  I recommend the nickel finish as it holds up very well.  

[PhotoAl]

Always check chain tension before a long trip.  Last trip was 6,500 miles and didn't adjust the chain.  Always carry an assortment of tools, enough to change front and rear wheels and a few other common sizes.  For a breaker bar I have an old Craftsman 3/8" long drive flexible ratchet.  It's long enough to break the axel loose yet small enough to pack easily.  As I recall it went under the seat on the side.  Seems like every trip I pack differently and have tools and sockets stuffed into the niches oder the seat.  I also carry a small voltmeter.  Having it along helps avoid electrical problems 🙂

[bwringer]

A quality chain that's adjusted correctly will need no further adjustment until it's at the very end of its service life. A change in chain slack is your indicator that it's time to order up a new chain and sprockets.

In other words, unless you set sail on a multi-month trip with an old suspect chain, you really don't need to worry about adjustments on the road.

That said, you DO need to carry some method of removing the rear wheel in case there's some other issue, like tire damage.

Anyway, I carry one of these, but it's far from ideal; the axle nut is recessed into the swingarm such that you can only turn it a tiny amount with this spanner. It'll work, but it's slow. A cut off combo wrench isn't much better.

I'd love to find a better solution that's still relatively lightweight.

https://www.amazon.com/Cruztools-AW142227-14mm-Combo-Wrench/dp/B005U80C0K/ref=asc_df_B005U80C0K/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309869401414&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10887664650962090750&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9016174&hvtargid=pla-715973423472&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=63364097444&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=309869401414&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10887664650962090750&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9016174&hvtargid=pla-715973423472 

[DavidS]

I carry the 19mm socket that fits the rear wheel bolt, and I carry a small socket bar which allows me to loosen the bolt to adjust the chain. For daily riding, I don't bother, but for longer trips, I always carry my tool roll, which has these items included. On my cross country trip, I adjusted my chain many times. I check and/or adjust every 400-500 miles, which is about a full days riding for me on a long trip.