cap'n
Junior Member
Is there a commonly available nut I can use temporarily to replace the rear axle nut while the real one ships to me? I did something stupid last week.
First, I let my chain get too loose, to the point that it was slapping the underside of the swingarm on a left turn. I check it once a week or so, and I ride 2 hours a day. This sudden expansion is the chain's way of telling me it's going to be retiring soon, and that's fine, it's had a decent life of 20k miles and I haven't been incredibly good to it (lots of lube but no cleanings, ever.)
So I stopped for lunch at a place and realized what the problem was, finished my food and went out to the parking lot to fix it with the stock tool kit. Took the rear axle nut off, adjusted the rear wheel back until the chain had 2-3 inches of play, and then ... fate intervened. A guy pulled up right next to me on a black '09 FZ6. We chatted for about 15 minutes, nuce guy, just got the bike recently. I have this problem, though, where I can't work and talk at the same time effectively. I ALWAYS forget something when I'm distracted.
The second part of how I did this is my Arai helmet. When the top vent is closed and the wind hits it just right it makes this incredibly loud clarinet reed sound, it's annoying as hell. So On the way home that day (Friday) I heard it faintly and thought "oh you damned helmet, no problem I'll just turn the podcast in the earbuds up louder." Problem solved. Except that it wasn't the helmet, it was the bike. Thus, yesterday I'm on the way home again from work and I realize it ISN'T the helmet, oh sh_t what is it, I'd better pull over and check. And whaddya know... no rear axle nut. I had been riding without one since lunch on friday, and this was monday night. The axle hadn't moved, and the whine I heard was an alignment issue I think, I'm going to re-check it today.
Meanwhile I searched like hell and couldn't find a thread where anyone had asked this - is there a nut one can go pick up at a store (automotive, hardware, etc) that fits that bolt?
First, I let my chain get too loose, to the point that it was slapping the underside of the swingarm on a left turn. I check it once a week or so, and I ride 2 hours a day. This sudden expansion is the chain's way of telling me it's going to be retiring soon, and that's fine, it's had a decent life of 20k miles and I haven't been incredibly good to it (lots of lube but no cleanings, ever.)
So I stopped for lunch at a place and realized what the problem was, finished my food and went out to the parking lot to fix it with the stock tool kit. Took the rear axle nut off, adjusted the rear wheel back until the chain had 2-3 inches of play, and then ... fate intervened. A guy pulled up right next to me on a black '09 FZ6. We chatted for about 15 minutes, nuce guy, just got the bike recently. I have this problem, though, where I can't work and talk at the same time effectively. I ALWAYS forget something when I'm distracted.
The second part of how I did this is my Arai helmet. When the top vent is closed and the wind hits it just right it makes this incredibly loud clarinet reed sound, it's annoying as hell. So On the way home that day (Friday) I heard it faintly and thought "oh you damned helmet, no problem I'll just turn the podcast in the earbuds up louder." Problem solved. Except that it wasn't the helmet, it was the bike. Thus, yesterday I'm on the way home again from work and I realize it ISN'T the helmet, oh sh_t what is it, I'd better pull over and check. And whaddya know... no rear axle nut. I had been riding without one since lunch on friday, and this was monday night. The axle hadn't moved, and the whine I heard was an alignment issue I think, I'm going to re-check it today.
Meanwhile I searched like hell and couldn't find a thread where anyone had asked this - is there a nut one can go pick up at a store (automotive, hardware, etc) that fits that bolt?
