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Rear axle and chain adjuster issues - a story


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I installed the same eBay chain adjusters shown here and I don't think there is enough engagement of the nut with is design either. In order to get at least one thread showing I had to remove the washer. Is not having the washer under the nut going to cause any problems? I know there will be wear on the adjuster when removing/installing the nut, but I am not too worried about that.
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  • 1 month later...
I know some have said they have used the bike for some time after noticing this, but it makes me nervous.  Rear wheel is in alignment, and tightened to reco torque.
 
I have ordered the part as recommended by Piotrek, but they are on their way from UK to AUS.
 
Do others think it is ok to ride for a while?
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The bottom link is the type I used.
I use the same one. Very reliable seller and a great product. 

***2015 Candy Red FJ-09***

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Decided to get a fresh set of tires for my James Bay run next week. I must have removed the axle at least 4 times in the three seasons without issues... and now this. It was on there pretty stubborn-like. Hope I can source parts quickly and still rescue the trip.
 
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Is that the axle on the left of the picture @piotrek? If so, what could have caused the thread damage? Is the nut similarly borked?

Red 2015 Tracer, UK spec (well, it was until I started messing with it...)

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I Have this same issue beginning to happen also, though it is not as dramatic as the image from the original poster. The indents are not as pronounced and they are both from loosening and tightening, which leads me to think the specced torque is too high. I was at a local repair shop today picking up chain lube and showed it to a mechanic I trust who's been working on bikes and riding for 25+ years and he said the same thing. I know I was surprised when I went from my Vstrom to the FJ I had to buy a new torque wrench, as my old one didn't go over 100 ft.lbs. Who knows, maybe the new wrench was mis-calibrated from the start.
 
I'll probably try the Gilles tool as well. Personally I think to stock adjuster is just a bad design with too soft aluminum. 
 
Jul 15, 2016 17:13:08 GMT -7 [span][span]toonbobo[/span][/span] said:
Hey everyone- Well this is sort of embarrassing but I figured I would share with the group so the same mistake isn't made. I had a bad experience with my rear axle after and chain adjusters after remounting my wheel after getting a new tire. This was my 4th time (or so) putting the wheel back on the FJ. I've done this before on many dirt bikes and other street bikes, so I thought I knew what I was doing.
 
Upon torquing down the nut, the opposite side of the axle starting eating into the softer material of the chain adjuster. Apparently the axle wasn't lined up flat against the chain adjuster nor pressed in all the way against the adjuster. See the picture below.
 
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I rode the bike like this for a month and a half, 90 miles a day. I thought that I had torqued down the nut/axle enough, but it was apparent there was still some slop. There would be a clunk when using the rear brake when first riding the bike. I also tried taking off the nut but after a half turn, it felt really soft, like it was cross-threaded. Gulp.
 
I did some searching and settled on buying the Gilles GYTR chain adjusters. They were reasonably priced from an eBay vendor. I also went and ordered a replacement axle, nut and washer from a local dealership since I knew the originals were not in working order. Once everything was received, I went ahead with the replacement.
 
This is where the fun started. It was really difficult to unscrew the nut, since it was in fact cross-threaded. Also, the axle head started eating the top of the OEM chain adjuster. It started shearing off the material from the top, due to the loosening motion. Eventually enough material gave way and the axle spun freely. My dad and I had to get creative in order to keep the axle from spinning while giving a solid base to continue to loosen the nut. For this, we laid flat a large open end wrench (over 1.5 inch) under the flat slide of the axle head and the drop outs of the swingarm. Didn't get a pic of this unfortunately. It fit snug enough to get a cheater pipe over a breaker bar on the nut and I put all my force into moving it. It came off eventually.
 
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What a mess. It was a relief to finally get the broken parts off. The new Gilles chain adjuster will not allow the same problem to happen in the future. The head of the axle sits in a perfectly machined space that surrounds the entire head. There is a slight draw-back to this particular model of chain adjuster, you can only screw/unscrew the adjuster a half or quarter turn with the little provided driver. Once you're set, it isn't a huge problem though.
 
You can see in this picture below, the damage leftover from removing the original axle. You can also see the new adjusters.
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Moral of this story: haste makes waste. Be sure that your axle is pushed in ALL THE WAY before torquing down. Also make sure the head of the axle is straight up and down against the OEM chain adjuster. I do believe it is a partially bad design or metallurgy, but also the blame lays with me. The system on the other bikes I've owned is a little more thought out, but the stock system should do if you're careful. A word of warning.
 
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I've just had the same problem after adjusting my chain. After getting the nut off the axle and discovering that both nut and axle are trashed, which must have been the work of the last guy to mount my tire, since I never completely removed the nut, I thought I would share a really simple solution to keeping the left side from spinning while applying 47,000 foot pounds of torque to the nut. This little fix is so simple. I rotated the left side via the nut until its flat sides were parallel to the swing arm dropouts. I then measured the clearance between the dropouts and the flat spots on the axle head using I/O calipers. Then off to the hardware store for some appropriate flat-sided stock. On the way I remembered exactly what I need. So, dear readers, here is your simple but elegant solution:
 
Go to your local hardware store and buy 2 1" X 3/8" square keys, as pictured in the photo. They fit perfectly, and will even stay in place so the whole operation can be done by one person. They don't gouge the swingarm or noticeably mar the paint, and they cost me a whopping $1.50 USD. If you need them, I'll sell them to you for $.75, since they are slightly used.
 
Well, it is off to find a replacement axle and nut... 20180922_150026_1.jpg
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