Hidden Front Axle Torques (03 and older)

[JWScarab]

So after using the wrong torque values on my front axle (I used ones on this site for 04+) I found this!

I have a "hidden front axle" which has a split lower fork with caps and 2 bolts per side that hold my wheel on. Instead of an one piece lower fork and pinch bolts. I assume all the 03's and older are this way? Its similar to a Demons setup.

What I was really interested in is the torque for step #9. Its 30 ft lbs. I think many on here are using 45 ft lbs as I have seen that answer given to '03 owners.

 

[Sven]

That bolt size sure does not look like 30lbs worth. If say it's the size of an 8mm bolt with a 6mm hex head = 18ftlbs at the most. Anymore and you'll tear out the threads in the leg and now where are you? Blue locker is plenty. Red locker is overkill and most likely will have heat the bolt to melt the red to make it move.

 

[JWScarab]

I did use 30 on these. The scary thing is when I did my fork rebuild a few months back, I used 45lbs - which is the norm for 04+ and has been advised to 03 owners. That's why I posted this. So when I replaced my front tire 2 days ago, I got to thinking 45 was so much! That's when I did a LOT of searching and came up with this. I used 30lbs and blue.

I really don't like this setup. My mind tells me a 1 piece lower leg and a pinch bolt is much safer. I lose a bolt and my wheel comes off!

 

[Sven]

The cap design is way old, way safe. Only way you lose a front end is not tightening the lower caps.
a. First sign of trouble is you have to pump the brakes up and that tweaks the pads back in deep on a turn say.
b. Don't do wheelies so the axle stays in place.
c. To eliminate handlebar buzz, this only works for split caps, not stepped caps so much. Still, no harm using the feelers to gap evenly those pinches.

For example, you look at the cap horizontally and is there a step higher on the one cap side? Then the taller rise is facing the front. This is torqued to spec and now pinch the rear cap and that says too simple a front end all safe and out in the field for decades... CB750/GL1000/Z1 come to mind? Old style front ends and you never heard a peep that they were in some recall, the front end had no integrity? Feel better now?

For the straight across cap, get out a pair of feeler gauges. Stack the blades so you are about to evenly torque both front and rear cap bolts/nuts, but you want an even gap fore and aft = Bars no longer hum.

Don't ask me how I figured this out when my caps were loose coming up turn 4 that causes a wheelie, then brake before the cork at Laguna. See where the first thing is poor brake apply? Try that for a few laps with cap nuts spun on by hand. I then applied the same equal gap to the handlebar caps. = Bar buzz gone from top to bottom.

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