Roadside repairs - Read this for your own safety

[Mattberkshire]

I rode to work today. Lovely, nice weather. I finished at 5 and walked up to my bike. Someone had left a nut on my seat. Hmmm that's funny thinks I. I didn't recognise it, looked the bike over - nothing missing. Put the nut in my pocket just in case. I set off.

Did 120mph down the A34. Hit the back road. I'm doing 70 along a lovely stretch of road when I got NO drive. Engine fine but no drive. Stopped in a little farm track. Sh!t, could be expensive but thought I'd have a look at the front sprocket. Took the cover off. NO NUT and the sprocket's come off the spindle. Sh!t again. Got the toolkit out, loosened the rear wheel and put the sprocket on. The spare nut fits. That's where it came from. The locking mechanism had gone and the thread was f*cked on both the spindle and the nut. Put it on best I could and set off, very slowly. 5 miles later it happened agin but this time the nut was gone, lost on the road. Pu the sprocket on again and did 30mph all the way home.

So I got home and looked in the Haynes manual. The spindle is actually the gearbox main shaft. I called a local mechanic. he told me the spindle could only be rethreaded on a lathe so it had to come out which means getting the engine and gearbox out of the bike so it could go one of two ways. Either:

a - buy a new nut, which 'corrects' the thread. Cost £10
b - the nut doesn't 'correct' the thread and need to rethread the shaft on a lathe. Cost £1,000

I'll find out tomorrow when I get a new nut.

So the lesson is this. Check your front sprocket nut. Make sure it is sound. If it comes off it could cost a lot and injure you a lot and don't forget the great Joey Dunlop died because his chain came off

 

[OZXJR]

I have had the same thing !

Not on this bike,I was taking my g/f home(who is now my wife ,lol)on my Z1000 and same thing happened.The nut did not come off but the nylox in the nut had worn out and it had undone itself right to the end of the spline.

Got a nut from the wreckers and all was good for years after that :thumbup:

 

[jmerch44]

Thats great information to have. Thanks, hope you can get your bike fixed for cheap.

 

[wrightme43]

If there are threads left you can most likely fix it with the proper die, or a rethreading file.

Damn dude here your higher power tries to tell you, but do you listen?? Nooooooooooo.........


LOL LOL LOL

Glad your ok man.

Seriously though what are the odds of it coming off, someone finding it, that someone actually caring enough to place it back on your bike??

I bet you can fix it though.

Once you do get one back on use some red locktite on it. Its a pain in the ass to get loose but just use a impact wrench to break it loose, or a little bit of heat and strike with a ball peen hammer.

 

[blchandl2]

When I had my '05 FZ6 there was a recall for the locking tabs on the front sprocket nut. I don't know if it applied to '06 as well.

 

[SovietRobot]

What are the chances someone went through the effort to play a "practical joke" and purposely take the nut off? Nah but that would suck.

Was your sprocket cover on or off?

 

[Mattberkshire]

Hi all. OK, got a new nut and lockwasher. I have managed to get it on the shaft. Seems fine. Used some threadlock too just in case. Hopefully it'll stay tight.

But- whomever I spoke to about this reckoned it was a common problem on FZ6's and the 03 R6 the engine and 'box came from. So everyone be aware that this may be an issue that affects you. Check your front sprocket nut regularly.

 

[wrightme43]

good deal man, glad it fixed it.