Sorry to resurrect an old thread from the Supersport pages (which, incidentally, contained much useful info), but I have just run into this problem while adjusting my chain .......so a few questions. (Seeing that I've already received much helpful advice in this part of the forum, I thought I'd ask in here....) My bike is a 2002 900SSie with the alloy swingarm. Chain and sprockets do not appear to be unduly worn. The axle is at approximately the mid-position with regard to the indexing marks on the swingarm so there should be plenty of adjustment left. The adjuster bolt on the right-hand side is free and rotates without impediment. The bolt on the left hand side is very stiff. It moves in and out, but not freely. I know that the bike stood for quite some time before I bought it, and I suspect that the chain adjusters were not touched during this period, allowing corrosion/rust to build up. Would/could the fact that the left-hand side is lowest when the bike is on its sidestand have anything to do with it? Is the interior of the swingarm totally sealed or is it open to the outside (i.e. via drainholes etc.)? So... 1. How deep is the threaded hole in the swingarm into which the chain adjuster bolts are actually screwed? 2. As I said above, the bolt will screw in (albeit stiffly) but as it is screwed out (to bring the axle to the midpoint on the marking) it gets stiffer and stiffer to the point where mechanical failure seems imminent.....I've tried working a bit of penetrating oil into the threads by winding the lubed bolt in and out but with apparently limited success (hence question 1!). 3. If it does prove impossible to wind out fully, I was thinking first of cutting the head of the bolt off, cutting a slot in the shank and screwing the remains of the shank into the swing arm, then cleaning the threads in the hole up with a tap. This will obviously lead to the liberated bit of bolt falling into and then rattling around in the swingarm. Are there any apertures (see above) via which it could be extracted? Or is it a cut and shut job? 4. If push comes to shove and it has to be drilled out, can it be done without damaging the female thread in the swingarm or would the hole have to be made good with a insert? As ever, your help and advice appreciated! Anything obvious that I've missed? S23 (PS still like the bike....just a bit more "engagement" than I was anticipating!)
From your description, it sounds like the thread of the bolt in the cavity of the swing arm has corroded. Not sure there is any quick solution for this. You say the bolt tightens the further out you unscrew it. If you screw the bolt back in a bit and then unscrew a bit, repeat, does the bolt unscrew a little bit more each time ? Laborious I know but you’d eventually get there. If all else fails, a thread insert is not a difficult job, just time consuming to get it right. Good luck. Andy
We had this on our freetech bike. we used heat, and welded a big nut on the end of the bolt for leverage
It can be galvanic corrosion as Andy said, but can also be due to binding caused by a worn/damaged screw/tapped recess leading to the screw eventually locking up, sometimes it's a combination of both. You might have enough meat to tap the next size up but will probably result in not enough clearance for locknut to revolve and/or lack of access for adjustment. If thread damaged beyond saving then a tapped "top hat" insert in stainless steel would probably be my route.
Thanks to all for your replies. Chris & Andy, comments taken on board......now, this might sound daft, but......I was thinking of drilling a small hole in the centre of the side of the swing arm (about 2 or 3mm - see attached) in line with the adjuster bolt so that I can get some penetrating fluid or oil onto the bit of the bolt that protrudes into the cavity to lube the thread from the other side, as it were. Do you think: a. That this is possible? b. That it would compromise the strength of the swingarm? After all, there are holes in it already at the other end for the chain slider. Thanks S23
I’ll leave this one to @Chris, not my area of experience but doesn’t sound appropriate to me. If you can drop the swing arm so the adjuster is lowered, I’d pump some fluid through an existing hole. Andy
Only my opinion, but agree with Andy mainly because it's an unknown quantity and as Andy said, you can get lubricant to travel throughout (hopefully) all of thread contact area via exposed area by an an aided capillary-like/wicking action when heat applied. Regardless of gravity (although it might help) you can carefully get the screw as hot as you dare/is safe to do so, before dousing with your favourite penetrating fluid (but be aware of this catching fire) and allowing to cool a little. You could repeat this two or three times for best effect and you will know if it's hot enough because smoke emitted will be instant. I am sure you know this already but the best time to try carefully acting on the screw* would be the last time just after spraying/applying penetrant although due to difference in expansion rates*, this might improve as it cools down. *Sorry to sound conflicting here, but this varies and sometimes is the opposite to that expected, so worth a try.
Ok thanks. It was just a thought but I will heed your advice. Yes, I've done the old WD-40/Plus-Gas fireball trick more than a few times (inadvertently, it has to be said.... and no, those goggles aren't to hide the lack of eyebrows!) usually when trying to remove stubborn exhaust header nuts.....
you will be fine then, apologies for Granny/suck eggs approach, I couldn't have known this of course. You could be totally right as often it's only the "virgin" threaded portion beyond the tapped swingarm section that has corroded, that is causing the problem if total removal is needed. It's a similar situation to many swing-arm pivots that corrode on the plain section, inboard of the bearings, but then have to be forced past the bearings in order to be totally removed.
Hi all......just an update, really. What prompted all this faffing about with chain adjusters, etc. was the discovery of a nice tight spot in the rear chain. The chain itself did'nt look too bad, and the sprockets looked in quite good nick as regards tooth profile. So my initial thought was to just buy a new chain and put it on the old sprockets. The rear was an alloy "racing" sprocket so my instinct was to keep it. But, on pricing up the new chain (£64 DID from Wemoto), reaqlised for not a lot of extra pennies (£30) could get new JT sprockets as well. So I ordered the set. Thank Eff! When I took the front cover off, I was confronted with this! Yes, I thought it had been put on back to front too! But on removing it, I found out that it had a double flange - back and front - that meant it could never have lined up with the chain run properly! So chucked it and fitted the JT replacement. I think that this also explained why the teeth on the rear sprocket - although looking not too bad in profile - were showing evidence of wear on the sides. So I think that the tight spot was wear in the chain caused by misalignment. To get back to the original post, I applied my patent penetrating mixture (Acetone/3-in-1 Oil) to the offending thread, and with the wheel/axle removed was able to get a 10mm socket with a T-bar on it...much easier to wind it back and forth. It appears to have freed up quite considerably, althougn not totally loose but I'm happy to regard this as a work-in-progress. Anyhow rear sprocket also replaced with black JT and new DID VX3 black and gold chain duly fitted. Bike now runs nice and smooth with no pulsing in the drive chain. Seems to have improved gear change as well.... NOW all I've gotta do is to try and sort out the poxy rear brake, with the famous inverted caliper just to make bleeding nice and difficult! I'm thinking of using a Banjo with a bleed nipple - what do you think? Also any suggestions as to replacement pads? Cheers everyone and thanks for help and suggestions. S23
Just take the calliper off and invert it so as to have the bleed nipple/top . My monster the previous owner has permanently inverted the calliper so have no issues with bleeding the system. Also I usually reverse bleed my brakes these days.
Last update (honest).....fitted some Brenta GG pads from Wemoto. Found one sticky piston in caliper so made a little clamp out of two bits of dural bar to hold the "good" piston in place, worked the sticky one in and out, lots of brake cleaner and it seemed to free up, piston could then be pushed back with finger pressure. As recommended by DS above, all done with caliper off bike and bled brakes through with my trusty vacuum bleeder and.....firmness and stopping restored. The GG pads seem to be better than what was in there before..... a lot happier with the rear brake now. What I have learned about these bikes is that they are very "hands-on"....good job I like that sort of thing! I've always thought "if you look after your bike, it will look after you" (bit like an SO, eh?). When I think of what it was like when I got it, and what it's like now..... Now to go for a ride.....
