Steering Towards Stupid - Stop Me! R80gspd

[Sutherngintelmen]

Last time I had the bike in the mountains I noticed the steering resistance began to increase. No longer does the wheel fall gently to the right - definitely needs an adjustment.

Repair manual documents this as straightforward as one would expect. If that is, you can loosen the cap nut. I've put as much torque on this as I feel safe doing. My set up is a crescent wrench with custom tube breaker bar borrowed from shop tire swapper rig. I was eyeing the sledge over in the corner of the shop but stopped myself.

The nut measured 35.4mm on my calipers, am thinking I need to go buy a big 6 side socket, pull the handle bars off, strap the bike to the floor and pull like a mofo. Any free advice?

[DiabloADV]

Torch.

Remove GPS first!

[Bigger Al]

Impact gun, 36MM socket. Heating with a heat gun first couldn't hurt.

[JRP]

Kroil...loosens most anything


http://www.kanolabs.com/google/

[_cy_]

Originally Posted by JRP

Kroil...loosens most anything
http://www.kanolabs.com/google/

Kroil is excellent/pricey... mixture of 50/50% acetone/ATF is better and dirt cheap.

soak with above 50/50% mixture overheat before doing anything else. then try impact on 36mm socket before going to heat method.
impact action breaks free frozen nuts with less chance of breaking. save heat as a last resort.

you may be pleasantly surprised next morning after soaking with 50/50% acetone/ATF overnight.

[craydds]

Originally Posted by Bigger Al

Impact gun

+ + 1. MUST have more tools. A very good reason to have the 36 mm socket is that you will want to torque the cap nut to specs with a torque wrench. Now you get to buy a torque wrench! yippee!

[Airhead Wrangler]

Heat indeed. Get a little piece of sheet metal of easily bendable gauge to mask off what you don't want to torch. A few layers of aluminum foil works nicely too.

[Sutherngintelmen]

Heat! Of course - brilliant. I'll start there since it's got the most attractive price tag.

Many thanks - as always.

[H96669]

I bought that 36mm socket recently,it has quite a few other BMW applications. Less than $15.00. Just looked for an online price for you and what do you know, it is available free at Autozone under their "Loan a Tool" program.

[craydds]

Originally Posted by H96669

I bought that 36mm socket recently,it has quite a few other BMW applications.

+ 1. You NEED more tools. You WANT more tools.

[oldroadie]

I'd take off the handlebars and clamp a pipe in there for something solid to hold on to so you don't tweak the forks against the stops. An air wrench would be very nice too, mine was around $40 at Lowes.

[Big Bamboo]

Originally Posted by oldroadie

i'd take off the handlebars and clamp a pipe in there for something solid to hold on to so you don't tweak the forks against the stops. An air wrench would be very nice too, mine was around $40 at lowes.

+1 Also, if you grind the business end of that 36mm socket flat, it will be much less likely to slip off and mar something else in the process.

[H96669]

Originally Posted by Big Bamboo

+1 Also, if you grind the business end of that 36mm socket flat, it will be much less likely to slip off and mar something else in the process.

Oh yes!.....HAD to do that on other BMW applications. That's one of the sockets needed to replace the input seal in paralever rear drives.That big nut is pretty thin also and the socket has to be ground. Also if you want to remove fork caps on the later Telelevers, same socket. Very handy....!

Easy to find anyway, that's an automotive "Axle nut socket".

[hardwaregrrl]

Oh man! That pic totally looks like something I would do......without asking. I think I've got an extra tool kit wrench if you need to carry one with you. I don't use them anymore with the KTM front end.

[Sutherngintelmen]

Originally Posted by hardwaregrrl

Oh man! That pic totally looks like something I would do......without asking. I think I've got an extra tool kit wrench if you need to carry one with you. I don't use them anymore with the KTM front end.

Use what you got!

You like your KTM front end? Worth the bucks and time? I'm not sure where this bike will take me but a po did Wilbers rear and progressive springs in front - suspension changes not on my short list right now. Might take you up on wrench offer. Using the drift to tap it around worked ok but more tools!! Maybe a trade or fair market value?